уАКDoctor DemonуАЛ


 Chapter 1 - Hide & Seek

    The little boy closed his eyes, counting up to hundred. He was a skinny, pale boy of eight or nine years old with a bright smile and an innocent demeanor. A small girl of his age crept up to him from behind, stifling her giggles as she tried to scare him. Her long hair was tied into neat pigtails and her brown eyes were beaming with mischief.

    I''ll scare him for sure, she thought as she sneaked her way towards him. ??

    "Ny," the boy counted. "Ny one, ny twoбн"

    The little girl hid her snicker and quietly stood behind him as he counted.

    "Ny eight," he went on. "Ny nineбн"

    The girl raised her hands and was about to scream ''boo!'' when the boy vanished in thin air.

    "Eh?" the girl blinked and scanned around to look for her friend. He just disappeared like that!

    "Shinho?" she called out loud. "Shinho! Where are you?"

    "BOO!"

    "AHHH!" The girl yelped and nearly fell down but the boy grabbed her hand whileughing loudly. The girl pouted in annoyance.

    They were on the rooftop of avish mansion which stretched across several acres ofnd. The boy had never seen such a grand mansion. He was awed by the maze-like gardens which had varieties of flowers which he had never seen before. The mansion was always abuzz with people, something which he had not experienced in his life. It belonged to the girl and her family who had graciously let the boy live with them.

    Before he came to stay with the girl, he rarely ever got the chance to venture outside. Those were traumatizing days for him, not being able to go out and be free. There was not a lot he could recall from his days in captivity.

    All he could remember was a dark cer where he was kept for many months.

    "This isn''t fair!" the girl protested. "Howe you disappear every time I try to scare you?"

    "It''s how it is," he replied.

    In contrast to the girl, the boy was paler and even under the bright sun, he was glowing brighter as if a light was emitting from his body. The girl was not fazed by his appearance because she had seen so many of them. People like him always sought her out because she had a strange light in her. They wanted her to fulfill theirst wishes.

    Yes. She could see ghosts.

    Her special ability let hermunicate with spirits like her friend Shinho who seeked a redemption they could never find while they were alive.

    They came to her, seeking help from her to move on to their next life. In her short life, the girl hade across many spirits. Some were mean while some were genuinely nice people who simply had many regrets. But it did not matter to her. She epted all of them with an open heart, reaching out to befriend them while the world turned a blind eye to their pain.

    And her best friend Shinho was one of the many spirits she had encountered. It was an ability she had inherited from her mother. Surprisingly, there was another power which she had gotten from her father as well but that one was something she hoped she would never have to use again.

    "I''m bored," sheined. "Let''s y something else!"

    "Don''t you have homework to do?" he asked in a stern tone. The girl stuck out her tongue.

    "It''s maths!" she scowled. "I''m not doing it!"

    "Just because you''re not good at it, doesn''t mean you shouldn''tplete it," Shinho scolded her.

    "You''re saying it coz you''re good at it!" the girl shot back. "I''m not doing it!"

    Before Shinho could scold her more, the girl fell on her back and began to whine.

    "I wanna y!" she whined. "No more homework!"

    Shinho sighed. There was no point in making her do the homework when she was not interested to do it. She would not touch her math book even with a ten foot pole.

    "Fine," he conceded. "Today, we''ll do what you want! So tell me. What do you want to do?"

    The girl thought for a while before replying, "Let''s go and sketch pictures! I''m getting pretty good at it!"

    "I''ll be down there in a minute," Shinho promised her.

    She sprang to her feet and excitedly ran inside. Shinho stood there for a while, watching her leave with a sad smile. It began to face until the smilepletely disappeared, leaving nothing but grief. Little did his friend know, it was theirst day together.

    Tomorrow, he was going to move on to the afterlife. Where he would go, he did not know. But it was his time to leave. She would grow up someday and have a life of her own while he would be stuck in that form forever if he stayed.

    "Don''t cry, Shinho!" he told himself. "It''ll only make her sadбн"

    But his tears would not stop. His heart had stopped beating the day his own father had killed and buried him alive in the snow. He was supposed to be an emotionless creature, hovering between life and death.

    Yet, the pain remained in his chest, yearning to be with his friend for eternity. The kindness he had received from this strange family was something he never experienced while he was alive. In life, he only received the curses and abuse of his father who saw his illegitimate son as a burden on his image.

    After bing a ghost, he stumbled into the girl''s parents at arge bungalow. Her mother had sensed him and told the girl''s father about the little boy who had strayed into their property. They readily took him in and the couple helped the lost ghost in every way until one day, Shinho''s father was punished by his own karma.

    And now that Shinho''s purpose was fulfilled, it was time to go.

    "I''m sorry," he whispered. "But this will be goodbyeбн"

    Downstairs, the girl was waiting for her friend toe. She had her crayons and paperid out in front of her and was drawing enthusiastically when suddenly, an ominous feeling ran through her spine. Looking up, she was a little shaken.

    What was that? She wondered.

    For someone of her age, she was quite perceptive of certain things, especially when it came to the ghosts she encountered. She understood them well and they shared their thoughts with her.

    But something was wrong that day. Her instincts were shouting at her to go and stop Shinho.

    Stop him from doing what? She wondered.

    She quickly sprinted towards the roof only to find it empty.

    "Shinho!" She cried. She dashed towards the water tank and then back to the railing.

    "Shinho!" The girl called for her friend. "Shinho!"

    "BOO!"

    "AHHHHH!" The girl fell on her bum while Shinhoughed hard at her. She got to her feet and yfully hit him.

    "Don''t ever do that again!" she scolded him. Her eyes had teared up and she was ring at him. Shinho immediately shut up upon seeing her angry expression.

    "Don''t leave!" she ordered. "You''re not allowed to leave, understand?"

    To his surprise, she threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly as if she would not let him go. Her eyes were full of sadness at their strange fate.

    One was alive and the other was dead. A girl who talked to spirits ended up meeting her best friend after his death. It was not fair.

    "Don''t leaveбн" she murmured. Her eyes were welling up with tears which were hard to hold back.

    "Yes ma''am!" Shinho lied. "I won''t leave."

    His heart was aching at the lie he had just said. He did not dare to tell her that it was his time to leave but if he did, his friend would be hurt. It was thest thing he wanted. He did not want to see her cry.

    "You''ll stay here with us!" she told him. "No protests!"

    Shinho was surprised to find her crying. He had always seen her spunky and feisty so watching her cry like that was increasing the ache in his chest. Was it possible for ghosts to feel pain? He was not sure. But seeing her tears were pure torture to him.

    He sighed and put a smile on his face before letting her go.

    "Idiot!" heughed, yfully poking her forehead. "I''ll always be with you. Even if I disappear for a little while, I''lle back to you. You don''t need to cry over that!"

    "Promise?" the girl moaned, holding out her pinky finger. Herrge doe-like eyes were looking up at him with renewed hope. "You''lle back to me, no matter what happens."

    The boy nodded and touched her pinky with his. "I''lle back and protect you from all the bad spirits," he promised. "I''ll never leave your side then."

    The girl''s lips burst into a smile and she hugged him again. Shinho hugged her back, not letting the pain in his dead heart show on his face. If she knew how sad he was, she would never let him go. He had to be strong and return even stronger for her sake.

    "I''ll alwayse back," he sadly promised again. "No matter what. I promise I''ll return for you, Jina."

 Chapter 2 - A Demon Reborn

    It was all white. No matter where he looked, his eyes were shrouded by a bright shade of white whichy ahead of him. There were no other colors and even though he felt a strange sense of sadness and peace, the whiteness in front of him was eerie.

    "Hello?" he called out. "Is someone there?" ??

    Silence.

    Is this supposed to be my new home? He wondered.

    "New soul."

    Startled, the boy turned around to find a stern looking man seemingly in his sixties, staring down at him. He snapped his fingers and from nowhere, a piece of paper appeared. The boy was astonished as the man kept on reading the paper.

    "Who are you?" Shinho wondered.

    "A white reaper who guides souls to their next life," the manzily replied. "Since you''re a child, I''m forced to disguise myself as a human. Otherwise I''m quite scary looking."

    The boy was not sure whether the man was joking or not but the reaper seemed not to care.

    "Kang Shinho," he read out loud. "9 years old. Dead at the hands of his own father. Status isбн"

    He read further, making noment. Shinho was a little ufortable and tried to look around for an escape. This man was scaring him.

    "You are a pure soul," the man concluded. "Eligible for the next step. All we need is a body ready to take you in and you''ll be good to go."

    "Body?" Shinho asked.

    "For reincarnation," the man simply stated.

    "How long will that take?"

    "Who knows?" he said. "Seconds, minutes, years or even centuries."

    Shinho''s shoulders fell in sadness upon hearing that. There was no way he could fulfill his promise to Jina that way. She would be waiting for him and yetбн

    "You also have a wish you could use," the man said. "Since your record shows nothing but good deeds. Your wish will be fulfilled in your next life."

    Shinho thought for a while. There was something he really wanted but what if they never met again? What was the point of his wish then?

    "Iбн" he hesitated. "I simply want to meet her again and this time, protect her at all costs. And for that, I''ll need to be stronger than I was in my old life."

    The man raised his eyebrows. The little boy was smarter and more mature than his age which was intriguing.

    "I wish that in my next life, I have an ability which would help and aid Hwang Jina," Shinho dered. "I don''t care how I''ll be reborn. Human or animal, I''ll find her and protect her."

    Uh oh, the man thought. As soon as Shinho said those words, a bright yellow light shone above him. Another piece of paper appeared in the man''s hand, this time a red one.

    "Well, that means you want to be reincarnated right away," the reaper pointed out.

    "Yes," Shinho said. "As soon as possible. I want to see her again!"

    The reaper furrowed his brows. There was one body which was about to be born but it was something which should never receive a soul. Especially not a pure one like this boy''s soul.

    "You still have a chance, kid," the reaper stated. "The wish you''re seeking will reincarnate you to a very dangerous body. Your memories will be reset and even if you meet this...Hwang Jina, you might not remember her."

    Shinho merely smiled and said, "That''s okay. I know we''ll recognize each other. I made a promise and I''ll keep it."

    He took a deep breath and said out loud, "If I get another chance to live, can I get the ability to protect her?"

    "Careful what you wish for," the reaper warned. "The body you''ll get will awaken a sleeping demon."

    "I don''t care," Shinho said with determination. "A demon or a human. I know I''ll find her again and protect her. She fights dangerous ghosts everyday and I want to help her. The body doesn''t matter to me as long as I can return to her!"

    The reaper groaned. There was a body which was about to be born and was still unimed by a soul but the reaper had hoped that no one would ept it. Even if this boy had a pure soul, there was no guarantee that his spirit would not be tainted by the dark powers that body would bring.

    He peered at the boy who was still fiercely determined. There was something awfully familiar about this spirit. The reaper kept on observing the kid before realization dawned on him.

    It''s him! The Reaper realized.

    "You''re that soul, huh?" he muttered. "No wonder you couldn''t survive in a human''s body."

    "I''m sorry?" Shinho asked politely.

    "Nothing," the Reaper replied. He was reluctant to give this boy the body in his custody. It had been unimed because of its unusual power. Moreover, the Reaper read the history of this boy''s soul and this was not his first reincarnation.

    Yes. This was the boy''s third life and once again, he asked for the same wish. To protect the same girl who was the reason for his death in his first life.

    But the White Reaper was bound to the wishes of human souls. If the boy made a dangerous wish, then he would have to live with it for the rest of his life.

    Question was, would he be engulfed by the darkness once again or keep himself in the light?

    "I can only hope that this time will be an exception," the reaper sighed. "If you can keep your promise, you''ll live a happy life. If you can''t...then this promise will be a poison for you."

    "I''ll fulfill my promise to her at all costs!"

    Shinho was determined. He did not know what he was signing up for but as long as he could meet Jina again, nothing else mattered.

    "If I get another chance at life, I''ll only live for her," he stated with conviction, his dark eyespletely determined.

    The reaper sighed and pointed at the light. "You better keep your promise," he warned. "Kang Shinho."

    He snapped his fingers and Shinho''s soul transformed into a tiny speck. The speck floated towards the light, descending into nothingness. The reaper watched as the light swallowed the speck until nothing remained. In a sh, it was gone.

    "The Demon Prince is about to be reborn," he muttered. "This is interesting."

    ...бн...

    In the wee hours of dusk, two pairs of footsteps broke the silence of the shabby neighborhood which was still in deep slumber. The men were dressed inpletely ck clothes with matching hats on their heads. Their faces were covered with hands in their pockets.

    One of them stopped and sniffed the air in excitement. He could smell something which was tingling his senses.

    "He''s here!" a snake like hiss came out of his thin lips. The other man could smell it too, excited by the urrence which took ce.

    They followed the smell to one of the dingy apartments on the fourth floor. The two men looked at each other and nodded. Within an instant, they apparated upstairs, right in front of the apartment in question. One of them snapped their fingers and the door was unlocked.

    Slowly entering the apartment, they followed the scent to the kitchen. The woman had just given birth and was quite weak. They heard the tiny wails of a babying from there, making them fidget with excitement. Their lord had arrived!

    As soon as they entered the kitchen, arge sack of salt fell on them. Screeching in pain, the two men''s hats fell off to reveal a pair of hideous, skull-like creatures with red eyes and sharp canines. They thrashed in agony as a weak looking woman threw more salt at them.

    "AHHHH!" the demons squealed. "CURSE YOU OHM BOSUNG!"

    Grabbing her chance, the woman named Bosung ran out of the apartment, carrying her baby in her arms. The demons were temporarily halted but she had a maximum of ten minutes before they would pursue her again.

    She staggered down the stairs. Blood was oozing out of her womb, staining her inner legs but she limped towards her car and revved up the engine. She yanked a star shaped locket from her locket and put it around the baby which was in her arms.

    "This will protect you," she gasped. Stepping on the pedal, she drove off. The two demons had regained consciousness and would follow her any moment. She sped past the traffic, driving towards the only ce she could think of.

    The pain in her stomach would not go away but there was no time. She had put a letter in the baby''s cloth which should exin everything. Taking out her phone, she dialed a number.

    "Hello?"

    A gentle voice came from the other end.

    "D-Doyoung!" she gasped. "Help me!"

    "Bosung?" Doyoung asked in surprise. "What happened?"

    "Doyoung, I don''t have much time!" Bosung shrieked. "I need your help!"

    Doyoung was rmed by her friend''s voice. There was something terribly wrong with her.

    "I''ming to meet you at the park near the central market," Bosung panted, ignoring the pain in her abdomen. "Please help me...It''s myst request. Pleaseбн"

 Chapter 3 - A Dying Wish

    The clock struck 10 PM. A pair of headlights shed in the darkness, driving towards a park which was only a few meters ahead. Driving the car was a dark haired beauty in her thirties. She was tall and slim, her supermodel figure and elegant aura indicated she was from a very influential family. Her long hair was tied into a neat bun. She bit her lower lip, her beautiful face marred with worry. The chilling phone call she received from her best friend was still ying in her head.

    Kim Doyoung got out of her car. She had just arrived at the spot where Bosung had requested her to meet. Her friend sounded very worried over the phone and this rmed Doyoung. What was going on? Why was Bosung so scared? ??

    The meeting ce was a park which had been abandoned for years. The rides had broken down while the trees were dry and leafless. There was once a pond at a corner but that had also dried up. Only weeds and grass remained.

    She walked to the center, waiting under a dry banyan tree. It was just past 8 PM and the night was getting darker. Even though it was not thatte, there was something eerie about the park which scared her. She was unwilling to stand there alone and wished that Bosung hurried up.

    Where is she? Doyoung wondered.

    The sudden screeching of tires startled her. She looked around to find Bosung''s lone figure getting out of a car. To her shock, Bosung was limping as she carried a basket in her hands.

    "Bosung!"

    Doyoung quickly ran towards her friend who had fallen down but clung onto the basket for dear life. To Doyoung''s horror, Bosung was bleeding from her private part.

    "Bosung, you''re bleedingбн" Doyoung whispered. "You were pregnant too! But your bumpбн"

    She quickly nced into the basket and in it was a tiny little baby who was asleep. The baby was really small, as if he had been born only hours ago. Did Bosung give birth to him all by herself without any medical care?

    "We need to take you to the hospital!" Doyoung eximed. "Quickly-"

    But Bosung stopped her, clutching her hand.

    "N-no!" she stammered with great difficulty. "I won''t survive this, Doyoung. I don''t have time!"

    She pushed the basket towards Doyoung who was shocked.

    "I''m going to ask you for a big favor," Bosung begged. "It''ll be a burden but I don''t have anyone I can trust! This baby...he''s my only hope! Please take care of himбн"

    "Bosung, where''s his father?" Doyoung demanded. "I thought you said he woulde for you!"

    "I...I can''t exin it to you," Bosung said tearfully. "Everything has been ruined, Doyoung! His father...his father has been captured by them and he can''t return to usбн"

    With that, Bosung began to weep for her husband who was now in the clutches of his own kind. The baby in her arms was not an ordinary human but how could she exin it to others? She had no time and the demons were after this innocent life. If they got their hands on him then they would kill his humanity and let the demon in him takeover! It was thest thing they wanted for their child.

    "Take care of him," she begged tearfully. "I...don''t have much time...Please...Doyoungбн"

    Doyoung was in a dilemma. Take care of a baby like this? How was this even a logical thing to do? But Bosung had taken such a huge risk and came to her for help. Her good heart could not even turn her away that too when Bosung was on the verge of death!

    "We have to get you to a hospital!" Doyoung dered. She picked up the basket with one hand and supported her friend on her other shoulder. Bosung had lost a lot of blood and was nearly unconscious.

    "Keep the locket on himбн" Bosung murmured. "Never let him take it offбн"

    "Let''s get to the hospital first!" Doyoung scolded her. She hoisted her friend to the backseat while put the baby basket in the front seat. Ensuring that the basket was secured, she got into the driver''s seat and drove off.

    As soon as they reached the hospital, Doyoung rushed to the medics for help.

    "My friend!" she eximed to a doctor. "She just gave birth on her own and is bleeding! Please help her!"

    The doctor and nurses rushed to the car and saw the deathlydy who had lost a lot of blood. They carried her onto a stretcher and immediately took her to the operation theater. Doyoung sat outside the surgery room, holding the baby in her arms.

    The baby in her arms was beginning to wake up. He let out a soft sneeze and opened his beady little eyes to see the world around him.

    The boy had tiny palms and it seemed as if he was looking curiously at Doyoung. Despite her tension, Doyoung felt a strange connection with the child in her arms. He had really beautiful ck eyes and he was as red as a cherry. The baby was blinking at her before shing a wide smile. He held out his tiny palm to touch her cheek.

    A single drop of tear fell from Doyoung''s eye and for a moment, she was mesmerized by the sight of the child. Seeing him took her back to the first time she held baby Siwan in her arms after she had given birth. Her heart warmed up at the view of this innocent soul who had arrived on Earth.

    "It''s almost as if I know you," she whispered, kissing his wrist. The child wheezed in happiness as if saying yes. Doyoung was cooing at him, busy taking care of the tiny life in her hands. He was so delicate that she felt that he would break very easily.

    "Do you want to hear a luby?" she beamed at the child. "Once your mother recovers, she''ll sing you loads of lubyбн"

    The baby let out a tiny sneeze, making Doyoung inadvertently smile.

    "Alright," she whispered. "Let me sing you a nice luby. I''ll sing you the one I used to sing for my son when he was a tiny baby like yourself."

    In her broken tone, she began to sing.

    "The other night dear, as Iy sleeping

    I dreamed I held you in my arms

    But when I awoke, dear, I was mistaken

    So I hung my head and I cried."

    "You like it?" she whispered into his ear. The baby cooed and for a brief moment, she thought that he shed her a small smile as if telling her that he loved it.

    She kept on assuring the child, whispering positive things in his ears to keep him engaged. After many hours, a doctor came out of the operation theater.

    "Ms. Doyoungбн" He began. Doyoung stood up, rmed to see the doctor looking very grim and sad.

    "What happened, doctor?" she asked, feeling ominous.

    "I''m afraid we couldn''t save her," the doctor said in a sad tone. "We''re sorry."

 Chapter 4 - Hes My Son

    The doctor bowed in front of her, looking regretful. Doyoung did not reply, too shocked to absorb what had happened. The events of the past few weeks had barely sunk in and now her best friend was gone. She slumped back on the bench, unsure of what to do. Her mind was at a loss, not knowing what was about to happen.

    A tiny palm touched her cheek again as if trying to assure her that everything was alright. She looked at the baby who was seemingly consoling her. Babies were supposed to be attached to their mothers but this baby was beginning to bond with her. He was reading her emotions and that too in such a short time. ??

    Her heart tugged at the thought that he was going to be left all alone in the world. Bosung knew her time was up and still fought to protect this tiny life. Who was she running from? And why would anyone hurt this innocent child?

    Then she recalled the deeds of her husband Kang Danny. The man who used to be a respectful pediatrician and kept an image of a kind doctor. A merciful healer who loved children.

    In fact, he loved his image so much that he killed his own son Shinho for being illegitimate. The monster murdered his own child in cold blood but karma punished Kang Danny when his crimes caught up to him. His reign of terror ended when he was almost caught by the police and had to retort to killing himself by jumping into a burning boiler.

    Or that was what Doyoung would have to tell herself for the rest of her life because her husband''s death was even more bizarre. No one would believe the truth of how he died. Even Doyoung found it hard to believe. If she had not seen the strange phenomenon of Danny being pulled into the boiler by an unseen force, she would have never believed that Danny was killed by his own karma.

    She looked at the little baby in her arms. In many ways, she felt very protective of him already and was determined to save him. She could not save one innocent life and that guilt was going to haunt her for the rest of her life.

    But this boy...she would keep him safe. No matter what.

    "I''ll take care of you," she promised. "You don''t have to be scared of anything. You''ll have your mother''s surname, but you''ll be my son and Siwan''s brother. Got it? You''re now part of my family."

    A nurse came to her. "Erm, madam," the nurse gently called her. "It''s a bad time but I have to ask this with great difficulty. If you wish, we could arrange a small funeral for the deceased soul at our hospital''s funeral parlor. Or would you like her to be cremated? We could help with the arrangements."

    "Bosung always wanted to be cremated," Doyoung stated. "I''ll sign the forms."

    The nurse nodded and was about to leave when Doyoung stopped her.

    "Could you also issue me a birth certificate for this child?" she requested. "He is the son ofбн"

    She nced at the surgery room where Bosung''s body was being prepared to be taken to the morgue.

    "Understood," the nurse said. "Will you be signing as his guardian?"

    "As his mother," Doyoung dered. "He''s now my son."

    бн..

    Ten year old Kang Siwan was up all night, waiting for his mother. She had called him up and told him that she was going to bete but he could not help being worried. For the past few days, they had been preparing to move to another town. It was a difficult decision but Doyoung wanted to take Siwan away from all the negative press which was associated with his father. She wanted to give him a proper upbringing and now that she had decided to go back into modeling, she could take Siwan with her wherever she went.

    Siwan''s father, Kang Danny, was one of the most famous pediatricians in the country and owned several hospitals. Outwardly, he was a model doctor who was kind and efficient. But in reality, the man was a monster who had killed his own illegitimate son and Siwan''s half brother, Kang Shinho in cold blood. Moreover, Danny was also responsible for illegal organ transnts on many orphan children. He stole the organs from those children to sell them off to wealthy clients and to cover up his crimes, burnt the bodies of those orphans in the boiler of his hospital.

    Soon, Danny''s crimes caught up with him and when the police came to arrest him, Danny tried to take the patients in his hospital hostage. At that time Doyoung and Siwan were also at the hospital along with Siwan''s friend, Hwang Jina and her family. Jina''s mother, who was a detective, stopped Danny and in the scuffle, Danny fell into the boiler and was burned to death. Moreover, the boiler exploded after a while.

    Luckily, the police had evacuated everyone from the hospital so other than Danny, no one else was hurt. Seeing his father''s true nature, Siwan finally came to terms that he was a monster who deserved a punishment worse than death. Death was too easy for him.

    At first Siwan was reluctant to leave but seeing his mother''s plight, he gave in. When he broke this news to Jina, she simply looked at him with sorrowful eyes. She was already upset over something for the past week and the news of his departure only saddened her more.

    He nced at the tiny red and orange band she had braided for him.

    "This is for luck," Jina had told him. "Don''t lose it. It''ll bring us together again someday."

    Siwan sadly stared at it. He did not take it off and was determined to return to Jina someday. Till then, he would never take it off his wrist.

    He heard Doyoung''s car honking at the driveway. She had just overseen Bosung''s cremation andpleted all the formalities. It was a long and tiring night to the point that she did not even get a moment to cry. She had ordered the servants via text to buy all baby essentials for the trip and would purchase more once they reached their new house.

    Siwan ran down the stairs to find his mother entering the mansion. In her arms, was a tiny baby.

    Siwan frowned and stared at the baby.

    "Who''s that?" he asked.

    Doyoung hesitated. She was not sure how Siwan would react to the news of having a baby brother. Would he ept this boy or reject him?

    "This...this is little Hobin," she exined. "Ohm Hobin. He''s Aunty Bosung''s son."

    Siwan stared at the baby who was fast asleep, sucking on his thumb.

    "Aunty Bosung is no more," Doyoung revealed. "And this little guy has no one in this world so we''ll be taking care of him as his mother and brother."

    "Brother?" Siwan echoed and nced at the baby again. Doyoung was worried about Siwan''s reaction. He stood quietly for a while before turning around to go back upstairs.

    "Where are you going?" Doyoung asked.

    "To bring my toys of course!" Siwan replied. "And a nket. He''ll also need a crib to sleep in. You have my baby crib, right? It''s in the storage. I''ll help the servants to take it out. After all, I can''t let my brother sleep on the floor, can I?"

    Upon hearing that, Doyoung''s suppressed grief exploded but there was a mix of happiness in it as well. She sat on the lower step of the stair, crying as she clutched the baby in her arms. Siwan hugged her from behind, letting his mother cry her heart out.

    They stayed like that for a while, quietly crying while patting the new family member who had already be inseparable from them.

 Chapter 5 - Twenty Four Years Later

    *Twenty Four Years Later*

    Ji Eunhae heard the shuffling of footsteps from the other side of the bed. Her husband, Choi Insik, had just woken up. He sat on the bed, not even bothering to look at her. Eunhae felt a pang of pain in her heart as she stared at her beloved. ? ?

    At thirty three years old, he was the CEO of the country''s most prestigious technological firm. He had been named as one of the richest men in towning second to the legendary Hwang Minho. With sharp green eyes and chiseled looks, Insik was known to be the prized object for all females in the country. Famous celebrities, business women and heiresses wanted to bed him but there was room for only one woman in his heart.

    And it was not for Eunhae.

    "Don''t worry honey," he was saying on the phone. "There''s only one month left. She couldn''t bear a child even after four years of marriage and at this point, I think she''s infertile. This woman is useless to the Choi family and not worth giving birth to our heir."

    Insik knew that his wife was listening but he did not care. She was not bad to look at. With long brown hair and matching eyes, Eunhae was considered a beauty. Herrge, innocent eyes were enough to pull in many suitors. Her background was also good because she was the eldest daughter of the Ji family.

    But it was her betrayal which closed all chances of their happy marriage. On the night of their engagement, Eunhae''s younger sister Youngmi, showed him pictures of Eunhae hugging and kissing another man. Upon seeing those pictures, all his love for Eunhae had evaporated and there was nothing but hatred for her in his eyes. He wanted to rip off her pretty face and feed it to the dogs but his grandfather''s condition had kept him from throwing her out of his life.

    In his will, the elder Choi had written that in order to get the entire family business, Insik would have to marry Eunhae. But if they could not conceive a baby within four years of marriage, Insik was free to divorce her and marry whomever he wanted.

    To spite his wife and punish her for the betrayal, he carried out an open affair with Youngmi.

    "I''ll be right down at the hotel," he said in a sweet tone. Eunhae could only watch in sorrow as her husband left her side and went off to meet her sister. Youngmi was younger and certainly more desirable than her. She could not fathom why Insik had betrayed her when they were once in love. What was her fault?

    He got off the bed and dressed up. Without looking at her, he left the bedroom, leaving her all alone. Eunhaey there, staring at the ceiling.

    She hid her face in her palms and sobbed. "I''ve loved you for so longбн" shemented. "And yetбн"

    Her grandfather-inw had liked her and thought that once married, Insik and Eunhae would be very happy. He was her only support in the Choi family which treated her like a servant. Insik punished her in bed every night to the point that she could barely walk in the morning.

    But he died a few months ago and she was left without any support. Even her parents were ashamed of her. No matter how many times she imed that she was innocent of all charges, no one believed her. She did not even know how those photos came to existence given that she never met the man in the picture.

    Yet, from all angles, the girl looked like her. No one would believe her and she was resigned to her fate. In her desperation, she even hid the one good news from both the families.

    She was pregnant.

    "Someone help me," she sobbed. "Pleaseбн"

    Suddenly, her phone rang up and she picked it up. It was her sister, Youngmi.

    "Elder sis!" Youngmi cried over the phone. "Help me!"

    Eunhae was rmed. Even if Youngmi had an affair with her husband, they were still sisters and Eunhae was worried for her.

    "What happened?" Eunhae demanded. "Are you alright?"

    "No sis!" Youngmi imed. "Please, save me! There are goons after me!"

    "I''ming, Youngmi!" Eunhae eximed. Quickly getting dressed, she dashed outside towards her car. Stepping on the pedal, she raced to the address Youngmi had texted her. It was an empty construction site. Youngmi was standing on the first floor of the building.

    Eunhae rushed upstairs to reach her sister.

    "Youngmi!" she cried. "Are you alright-"

    She faltered in her steps. Youngmi stood in front of her with a sadistic smile on her lips.

    "Stupid sister!" Youngmiughed. "Are you really that naive? Or just pretending to be a moron?"

    "Youngmiбн" Eunhae was confused. Why was her sweet sister acting like that?

    They looked quite familiar except for the hair and the nose. While Eunhae had dull long hair, Youngmi had short ck hair which made her look like a stylish diva.

    "You fool," Youngmi muttered. "You still don''t get it do you? It was me! I was the one who framed you in front of Insik! I wanted him but he was in love with you! So I doctored those pictures and made it seem like you were cheating and brought shame to our family! Our parents hate you and disowned you. Poor Insik was stuck in this loveless marriage all because of you and that old man! If it weren''t for me who mixed poison into his food, he would have continued to support you!"

    "You poisoned him?" Eunhae gasped. "How could you do this? When did you be so cruel?"

    But Youngmi was filled with jealousy and rage. She only let out a loudugh and dered, "Insik is mine and mine alone! I won''t let you stay with him. And now, you''ll pay foring between us."

    She took out a knife from her bag. Eunhae stepped back, clutching her stomach to protect herself from her deranged sister. But Youngmi only smirked and to Eunhae''s shock, stabbed herself.

    Before Eunhae could scream for help, Youngmi ran towards her and both of them toppled over. The knife fell into Eunhae''s hands and there was blood all over her shirt.

    Right at that moment, Insik burst into the scene with his men. Upon seeing Youngmi covered in blood and the knife in Eunhae''s hands, he came to a conclusion.

    "Youбн" he growled at his so-called wife. "You stabbed her! Your own sister! How could you? And she is pregnant with my child!"

    "I didn''t!" Eunhae protested. "I swear on the child in my womb! I didn''t-"

    "You''re pregnant?" he spat. "No! You''re not worthy to give birth to my child! Take both of them to the hospital. And as for herбн"

    He pointed at Eunhae with rage and hatred. "Make sure that illegitimate spawn of satan in her doesn''te to life! Kill it!"

    The guards nodded and before she knew it, Eunhae was being dragged away by the burly men.

    "No!" she screamed. "You have to believe me, Insik! It wasn''t me! She stabbed her-"

    But her cries were in vain. Insik had picked up Youngmi in his arms and took her to the hospital. After a few hours, the doctors dered that she was out of danger and ready to go home.

    "Thank god," Insik sighed in relief. "And our child?"

    "He''s safe," the doctor smiled. Unbeknownst to Insik, the doctor was paid by Youngmi to falsify her reports to make it seem she was pregnant. In reality, the wound was minor and only a few stitches were done. It was all going ording to her ns.

    "And as for your wife," the doctor began. "She''s very weak. Aborting the fetus might kill her. Do you want to proceed with this?"

    Insik thought for a while. The wretched woman must have been impregnated by someone else because he always used protection.

    "Let her be stronger first," he finally said. "We''ll take her home for now. I''ll lock her up in the bedroom. And tomorrow, I''ll be engaged to Youngmi. This wretch has harmed us enough!"

    The doctor nodded and left. On his way, he passed by Youngmi''s room. The doctor gave her a small nod and walked away, his missionplete. They were so relieved that they had won, that they failed to notice a small dark figure who was watching them from afar.

    "How pathetic," the figure murmured.

    бн..

    Eunhae had been forcefully brought back to the mansion and locked up in the store room. She sat on the cold floor, dry eyed in grief and pain. They had barely fed her despite her condition and her mother-inw even pped her a few times to humiliate her. Insik did not visit her even once but she had heard that he was getting engaged to Youngmi that very day.

    I''m his wife, damn it! She wailed inwardly. How can he do thisбн

    Outside, the party celebrations were going on in full swing. Insik was dressed in the finest suit while Youngmi wore a backless designer dress whichplimented her hourss figure. She was beaming in joy, standing next to the man of her dreams. The guests were awed at how beautiful the couple looked.

    "She''s much better than the old one," a guest remarked.

    "What a gold digger she was!"

    "I''m d he got rid of her!"

    Insik, however, was feeling unsettled. He had taken a rash decision spurred by Eunhae''s actions but his heart was not into the engagement. For some reason, he kept on gazing towards the store room but his pride kept him from freeing her. Rotten woman like her deserves to be punished.

    Outside the mansion, the guards were on alert. They checked all the invitation cards of the guests and only let people in after a thorough scan. One of the guards was checking an invitation card when a ck figure was casually walking through the gate. The person wore a dark jacket with a hoodie, hiding the face.

    "Stop right there!" the guard yelled at the figure. "Who are you and where''s your invitation?"

    The figure did not reply but soon, a group of people arrived at the gate. To the surprise of the guards, the people who arrived were not guests. They were cops.

    The mysterious figure took off the hoodie.

    Long brown hair fell loose and a pair of brown eyes gave them a steely stare. The woman seemed to be in her early thirties withrge eyes and an innocent, angelic look. But her hard re was making the guards defensive. Some of them put their hands on the tasers, as if ready to take her down.

    The woman held up a badge which immediately made the guards back off.

    "Detective Hwang Jina from homicide," she dered. "Come in the way of a legal procedure and I''ll throw your asses in jail, ya idiots!"

 Chapter 6 - Ms. Detective

    "Move aside," one of the police warned. "We''re here to arrest a criminal. If you don''tply, we''ll be forced to arrest you as well."

    The guards put down their weapons and were forced toply. Jina did not bother to spare them a nce and entered the mansion. She strutted along the marble pavement which led to the mansion in front of her. ??

    "Wow, that is one beautiful mansion," she heard one of the rookies say. "Ma''am, you really think people living in this pce could be murderers."

    "Beautiful?" Jina scoffed. "Seems like a cheap sshouse to me. People who live behind these buildings made of brick and mortar are the worst of the lots. You''ll be surprised to know how cruel they can be."

    The rookie policemen looked at her in awe. Their senior officer just called this mansion cheap? Did she not see mansions much in her life?

    "For Detective Hwang, all mansions will look cheap," another policeman muttered to the rookie. "She used to live in thergest one in the country until she moved out to be a cop."

    "Eh? Are you serious?" the rookie cop gasped. "She''s an heiress?"

    "Sort of but she loves being a detective," the other cop whispered.

    But Jina was not thinking of all that. For a brief moment, the image of a pale and smiling eight year old shed in front of her eyes. The same boy who was killed by his father, the top doctor in the country and lived in a mansion muchrger than this. If someone had the guts to carry out that horrific crime and stain his mansion walls with the blood of an innocent, then these people were nothingpared to that.

    Unbeknownst to everyone except Jina, an invisible pale figure was standing next to her, gazing at the mansion. The man was in his eighties and hunchbacked. His hair was snowy white and his eyes moist. Only Jina could see the sad old man who had subjected an innocent woman to a lifetime of misery.

    Jina sighed and muttered, "It''s toote for regrets. Your grandson is hopeless."

    "He always was but I never thought he''d be this cruel," the old manmented. "Please show him the right path."

    The man bowed to her, letting go of all his pride and dignity. The once mighty head of the Choi family had reduced to begging and pleading in the afterlife. Jina sighed and entered the mansion with her team.

    All the guests were partying hard when the policemen swarmed into the mansion. Insik and Youngmi were shocked to see the cops who had brazenly walked into their party.

    "What is the meaning of this?" Insik demanded. "Who are you?"

    Jina held up her badge. "Detective Hwang Jina," she introduced herself.

    Before Insik could retort, Jina turned to the scared guests. She recognized many of them as celebrities and VIP''s who were acquainted with her father and his businesses. Some of them might have recognized her but she did not have time to deal with them.

    "What the hell are you all looking at?" she barked. "Engagement is cancelled. Go home!"

    The policemen were driving the guests away from the mansion until only the Choi''s and Ji''s remained. Insik was fuming while Youngmi clutched her mother''s wrist.

    "I''ll have you fired!" Insik threatened. "I''ve got connections to the top!"

    The policemen behind Jina fidgeted. The poor guy did not know that Jina''s connections went higher. She simply did not use them.

    "I don''t care," she stated. She motioned her team toe forward.

    "Arrest these two," she said, pointing at Insik and Youngmi.

    "What?" Youngmi shrieked. "Why me?"

    Her parents were also protesting while Insik''s mother, Mrs. Choi was outraged.

    "You cheap cop!" Mrs. Choi shouted. "How dare you arrest the heir to the Choi family?"

    "Let our precious daughter go!" the Ji''s yelled but Jina did not care. Law was thew.

    "Also, go ahead and search for Ji Eunhae," Jina ordered her team, ignoring the silly families behind her. She handed a document to one of the rookies. "Give this to her. Also I''ve got the search warrant. Find her now!"

    The rookie cop nodded and along with his partner, went ahead to search the house while a couple of cops handcuffed Insik and Youngmi.

    "On what charges are you arresting us?" Insik demanded.

    "We''re innocent!" Youngmi begged. Jina stared at them incredulously before pointing at Insik.

    "Article 10, section 4, use number 8 of the constitution of Country K," Jina stated. "Polygamy is banned under all purpose and practices. No man or woman entering under a legal marriage under article 10, section 1, use 1, are allowed to enter into a legally binding marriage agreement, written or verbal, with another party as long as their spouse is alive. This engagement is a verbal marriage agreement viting Article 10."

    Before Insik could go on, Jina overruled him. "Article 15, section 8, use 10. No spouse under any circumstances is allowed to inflict abuse or torture on their husband or wife. This includes mental and physical abuse. Trying to have your pregnant wife''s fetus aborted falls under this use. We have your signed agreement from the hospital. The doctors fessed up after being threatened with jail time. They also gave us more interesting dataбн"

    She turned to Youngmi who visibly gulped. "Article 50, section 1," Jina stated. "Murder of another human being is punishable byw. This includes first degree murder with motive and opportunity under sub-section 4 of the saidw. In your case, you vited thisw by murdering Choi Minshik, the previous head of the Choi family and also bribed doctors to hide the cause."

    Insik was shocked to hear this. Youngmi was sweating, her forehead and back visibly glistening. But Jina was not done. She took out the original medical reports.

    "We took the doctors into our custody," she revealed. "ording to Mr. Choi''swyer had, The elder Choi had secretly requested that if he died under any circumstances, the police must be informed. We were told to keep an eye on the activities in this house and even had the permission to exhume the body. He had written a full permission letter for us before he died which is why we didn''t need to approach the family at all. It was as if he was expecting to be killed and he was correct."

    She held up the reports for everyone to see. The papers stated there was a high amount of arsenic in the old man''s body.

    "Miss Ji Youngmi had paid one of your servants to put in arsenic in his food to kill him slowly," Jina stated. "If I''m not wrong, Mr. Choi''sst physician was hired by Ms. Ji, right?"

    "Yesбн"

    Insik and his mother were bbergasted while Youngmi was crying. Her innocent eyes were full of tears in an attempt to appeal to everyone.

    "I didn''tбн" she begged. "These are all lies!"

    "And ording to the doctor, you''re not pregnant either," Jina said. "You lied about your pregnancy and also framed your sister for stabbing you. As a criminal, you''re really sloppy because there was a CCTV camera at the site which you thought was abandoned."

    Now Youngmi was panicking. How the hell did she miss out on this?

    "Moreover, we also came across this really interesting gossip that the real wife of Choi Insik had an affair many years ago," the detective stated. "I did some digging and managed to get the CCTV footage of that day. Turns out, the woman kissing the other guy was Ms. Youngmi in a brown wig. You are really a sloppy criminal. And youбн"

    She turned to the shocked and hurt Insik who was wallowing in guilt.

    "You might be a high profile tycoon but you''re as dumb as those useless male leads in CEO romance novels!" she scowled. "The owner of a techpany fell for this stupid scam and mistreated his wife? What is this, a crappy fanfic written by a kid?"

    "I didn''t know!" Insik protested but Jina rolled her eyes. A thirty something year old did not know that his wife was being set up in one of the dumbest scams she had ever seen. Even a kid knew better.

    "Detective Hwang!"

    The rookie cops had returned, carrying Eunhae who was very weak. Theck of food and proper care had deprived her of energy.

    "Eunhae!" Insik cried and ran towards his beloved wife. Upon hearing his voice, Eunhae opened her eyes, gazing at his beautiful face which was now full of love for her.

    "I''m so sorryбн" Insik sobbed. "It''s all my fault. I''ll take care of you and our child! I''ll be a good father. I promise! I love you!"

    "Insikбн" Eunhae weakly smiled at him. How long had it been since she heard those words? She yearned years for him to say that.

    Insik was hopeful as he gazed at his wife, whose smile was starting to fade. Without a warning, she spat at him.

    "You rotten scoundrel!" she cursed. "You really thought I''d let you go for this? I''ll make sure you burn in hell for what you did to me!"

    How much I love this plot twist, Jina smirked. The other cops were also snickering at the mighty tycoon who was now covered with his wife''s spit. The document Jina had sent to her was a will left by the old Choi for her.

    "I own all your properties and fortune now!" Eunhae revealed. "If you were good to me all these years, I''d have given this back to you. But you...you treated me like crap and went into that witch''s arms! Now you think I''m gonna let you go for all your abuse?"

    Insik''s mother fell to her knees and begged at Eunhae. "Please spare him!" she pleaded. "It was a mistake-"

    But Eunhae turned to the cops and said, "This woman also pped and humiliated me! She stood by while I was being dragged to be locked up and wished death for my child! That''s a crime too. Arrest her as well! In fact, arrest my parents as well. They let this trash of a human being torture me for years! Put this entire family in jail for the rest of their lives!"

    "No, honey we''re innocent!" her parents yelped but the cops swooped down on all the family members. One of the cops had recorded all of Eunhae''s testimony on a document and had her sign it. Without any hesitation, she signed and stamped the paper, deciding their fates.

    The culprits had to be dragged out. They begged and screamed but it was of no use. The ones who used to inflict pain on others now got a taste of their own medicine.

    Eunhae watched them being thrown into the police van. Her heart wrenched for them and she wanted to take back her case. She was about to do it but Jina held her shoulder.

    "Don''t be merciful," she advised. "If they could discard you once, they''d do it again. This is real life, not a romance novel. People like him will remain scum. You''ve got a long life ahead of you. You''ll find someone to love again."

    "What do you do about this wretched heart which only wants him?" Eunhae whispered.

    Jina stared at her for a while. "You''re lucky," she finally said. "Even if he''s a scum, there will be a day when you''ll see him again. Some people are not as lucky as you."

    Eunhae did not understand the detective''s words but sped her hand.

    "Thank you," she said. "For everything."

    "Don''t thank me," Jina said. "Thank your grandfather-inw. Pray that he can finally move on."

    Eunhae frowned but Jina did not borate. The Detective left the mansion and headed for her car which was parked outside. She got into the car and turned to the pale ghost which sat there.

    "Your granddaughter-inw is safe," she informed him. "It''s time for you to move on."

    The old man gave her a feeble smile. "Thank you," he said gratefully. "For keeping your promise to this old man."

    Jina smiled and shed him a thumbs up. "Gramps, you should be proud of yourself for having the courage to do the right thing and send your family to jail! Not everyone can make that decision. Even in death!"

    The old man shed her a thumbs up and began to fade. Now that his work was done, he could move on to the next life. Jina watched as he disappeared from sight, leaving nothing behind.

    Will he meet Shinho up there? Jina wondered. She sat in the car, reminiscing about the friends who left her behind. Were they happy? Did they manage to get a second chance toe back to life via reincarnation? Who knows.

    "Let''s go Hwang Jina," she sighed. "Off to solve more cases!"

 Chapter 7 - Rice Cake

    The streets were abuzz with people on the weekday. Cars sped along the road as everyone tried to get to their workces on time while the subway was also crowded with people. Men, women, children. Everyone was in a hurry and rushed towards their monotonous routine.

    "Hey, isn''t this idol handsome?" a high school senior was asking her friends, showing them pictures of a boyband. They were riding the subway and were on their way to school. ??

    "I heard there''s a fan meeting tomorrow!" another student said. She turned to their third friend but thetter was gaping elsewhere.

    "What are you looking at, Momo?" her friend asked. Momo wordlessly pointed at someone.

    "Don''t you think that guy looks like an idol himself?" she whispered in excitement. "His looks are sharper than a knife!"

    Her friends turned to the person she was pointing at and their mouths gaped open. A little further away was a tall young man in his mid twenties. He had a backpack on his back and his earbuds were on. The man was not oblivious to the stares he was receiving but he merely smiled.

    His hair was an unusual auburn color. At 6''3, he was easily one of the tallest men in the train. His almond shaped eyes were dark and his chiseled jawline was sharp just like a Greek God''s. Donning a long brown coat and ck pants with an off-white shirt, he seemed to have literally sprung out of a magazine cover. The dark eyes met the teenagers and he merely smiled at them.

    "W-what a charming smile!" Momo said, feeling breathless. "Is he a celebrity?"

    "I don''t know but he''s so handsome that I feel like I''m gonna hyperventte!" her friend squeaked.

    A little further from them, an old woman was munching on rice balls. She barely had time to eat her breakfast so she was chewing it fast. Suddenly, she began to cough loudly as arge chunk got stuck in her throat.

    The old woman wheezed and doubled over, falling on the ground. Some of the passengers were rmed when she fell and kept on coughing roughly.

    "Helpбн" she wheezed, clutching her throat. "Helpбн"

    "Someone help her!" a man shrieked. "She''s choking!"

    "What should we do?" another woman screamed. They were all talking, gathered around her which only restricted the air movement. The woman kept on choking on the rice ball while the people only panicked without doing anything for her. Within minutes, she could die. Her eyes had gone white and she was still desperately seeking help from anyone.

    "Move!"

    A deep voice thundered throughout the train taking everyone by surprise. The high school students, who were also gathered around the olddy, were surprised when the handsome man came over. Without a thought, he threw his bag at Momo.

    "Hold it," he ordered. Momo gaped and nodded.

    The man stooped down and checked the woman''s pulse. He opened her mouth and took out a torch from his pocket to check her throat. After he was done checking, he red at the people around him.

    "When someone falls sick, you shouldn''t crowd around them," he glowered at them. "It''s basic science. Move!"

    His tone was so authoritative that the people winced and shuffled back, some of them so careless that they almost fell. The man''s intimidating aura contradicted his good looks, making him seem like a demon who was about to throw them all out of the running train for endangering the woman''s life.

    The man then grabbed the woman from the back and put his palms on the area between her abdomen and chest.

    "Granny, this will hurt a little but be patient," he warned. "One, two, three!"

    He pressed his palms, lifting her to make her wheeze out the rice cake.

    "Again!" he yelled and repeated the process until she let out another loud belch and coughed out the chunk of rice which was stuck in her throat. The woman took deep breaths and massaged her throat. She was looking at the young man with hope and wonder.

    "Thank you!" she said gratefully. "I wouldn''t have survived if you didn''t help me!"

    "You could have been saved by anyone who knows how to do the Heimlich Maneuver," the man simply stated in a steely tone. "It''s something taught in high school, I believe."

    He nced at the high schoolers who looked away in shame. They were so busy chasing idols that they did not learn how to learn basic survival skills.

    Thanks to them, I saw something which I shouldn''t have, he sighed.

    "Still, you saved me!" the woman went on. "How can I ever thank you-"

    But the man grabbed her bag and to everyone''s chagrin, took out her ID.

    "Han Suki," he read out loud. He also took out a vial from her bag.

    "What are you doing?" she shrieked but the man put the things back in her bag and turned away. When Momo held out his bag, he nced at her.

    "Call me when you turn eighteen," he winked, holding up his card. "Don''t neglect your studies."

    The high school students were a little bbergasted while the people around them only grumbled. The old woman was also confused by what just happened and simply went back to her seat to enjoy another rice ball.

    Momo read the card. "Doctor Ohm Hobin," she read. "Psychiatrist?"

    "Woah!" her friends squealed. "He''s a doctor?"

    "Sexy Doc!"

    Hobin heard them and merely shed a thumbs up. The train hade to a stop and several people were getting out. Hobin got off on the station and took out his phone to dial the cops.

    "Hello, emergency services," an operator greeted. "How may I assist you today?"

    "Hello" he greeted back. "I want to report a possible domestic violence report. My neighbor, Han Suki, beats and tortures her daughter-inw everyday. Last night, I heard her daughter-inw crying for help and there were loud noises until it wentpletely silent. We tried to interfere but Suki didn''t let us. And now, I''ve noticed that the daughter-inw hasn''te out of the house. Can you check please? And I''d rather be anonymous. I don''t want any attention. The address is Lane 50, Block 9, Floral Avenue, City D."

    "Noted sir," the operator said. "We''ll ask a patrolman to check up on her."

    Hobin nodded and hung up. He watched the train leave and sighed. The patrolman who would end up there would not find the daughter-inw. Instead, he would discover a crime scene.

    The old woman had tortured her daughter-inwst night but this morning, she had poisoned her, ending the thorn in her way. The moment Hobin touched her palm, he saw her crimes very clearly.

    Yes. He could read anyone''s memories at will.

    Psychometry. He has had this ability since he was a child. Whenever he touched a living being, he could read their memories. When he touched the woman''s wrist, he only wanted to check if she was suffering from something else as well but he ended up witnessing a murder in her memories.

    When he was a child, he only saw glimpses of memories of the people he touched. This was one of the reasons why he had such a sharp brain because it was always buzzing with information.

    But overtime, he learnt to harness it. From seeing glimpses, he could now see almost the entire past of a person. He could choose to see either bits or all the memories, depending on his mood.

    In fact, he chose this profession precisely because of this ability. The more he read someone''s memories, the easier it was to decipher a method to cure them. He tried to avoid using his powers as much as possible, relying on his abilities to help the patients. Only in extreme cases did he use his abilities on them. The only people he did not use his abilities on were his mother and brother.

    His phone rang up again and he smiled a little.

    "Yes mom," he said when he answered the phone. "I''ve reached the Capital."

    "Are you going to meet your brother?" his mother, Doyoung asked from the other end.

    His adoptive mother, Kim Doyoung, was an international supermodel who was currently overseas. Even in herte fifties, Doyoung''s portfolio boasted of a prolific career with many popr brands. People were shocked to find out that she had two sons who were all grown up. Her biological son, Siwan, was a pediatrician in Country K.

    Hobin was her adoptive son but she did not love him any less. In fact, he was her little prodigy. She was proud of his achievements because he was a born genius. Hobin was always an unusually smart child, managing toplete his high school degree at the age of ten. By the time he was fifteen, hepleted college and chose to study further in a medical school.

    Now at twenty four years old, he was cited as one of the best psychiatrists in the world. Unlike Siwan who worked for various hospitals, Hobin specialized in both patient and criminal psychology. He ran his private counseling sessions at hospitals but also aided the police to catch criminals from time to time.

    Both the brothers chose different fields but were closer than blood. Their work kept them in different countries most of the time but now, they were finally going to work in the same hospital. Doyoung was so proud of both the boys that she would boast about them to everyone.

    "Are you sure you don''t wanna live in the mansion?" Doyoung asked. "Siwan is living there! You two should stay home, not at some cheap apartment!"

    "Mom, older bro knows very well that I don''t likerge mansions," he sighed. "I like to stay in small units. Besides, you know about my abilities. If I stay at the mansion with too many servants, I might end up seeing things I don''t want to."

    Doyoung sighed. This was the thing she was worried about the most. Her son might be a genius but the cost was too great. Who would want to be burdened with this sort of power? He felt so isted from everyone because of his ability that it was heartbreaking.

    Hobin sensed her worry. "Rx mom," he assured her. "I''ll be fine. The ce I''m staying at is good. Apparently, my neighbor is a cop. And there''s a good security system there."

    "Alright but you''d better go home on the weekends," she warned.

    "Yes yes," he agreed. "I will. I''ll go and meet Siwan now. Bye."

    Hobin hung up the phone. He was already on the sidewalk and looked around.

    Suddenly, a sharp pain panged his head and an image shed in front of him. He nced at the window of the train only to see a pair of red eyes looking back at him. Turning away from his reflection, he focused on the image which popped up in his head.

    It was a fleeting image of a small girl with brown eyes and hair, smiling. Her chubby cheeks widened when she was looking at him, waving brightly.

    "Ugh, not again!" heined, massaging his temple.

    Other than the memory reading, he also experienced another strange phenomenon. For the past six years, he had been seeing the recurring image of this girl. She seemed to be from Country K and that was another reason why he arrived there. There must be some kind of connection between his powers and this girl so he was determined to find her.

    "Who the hell are you?" he gritted.

 Chapter 8 - Interrogation Time (1)

    "I''m telling you, I have changed!" Choi Insik insisted from his cell. He was shouting loudly, begging forgiveness from his wife. He loved her so much but was swayed by a wrench! Why should he be punished when he was a changed man?

    "Let me go!" he begged. "Let me-" ??

    "Oh shut up!" Jina snapped. "Changed my foot! What happened to this love for the past four years? Should have thought about it before abusing your wife, you piece of shit!"

    The guy''s screams were irritating her. The precinct was abuzz with police officers who were either busy with their cases or gossiping with colleagues. Some of the uniformed officers had also arrived that day because there had been a gun shootout in the city so there was a lot of paperwork to be filled.

    Jina was irritated at the load on her desk. What irritated her even more were the details on each of the cases.

    "What the hell is a report on a lost bicycle doing on my desk?" she eximed at her partner who sat next to her. Kwon Jiwoon was a few years older than her but they worked well as partners. With a short pixie cut and tall stature, Jiwoon oozed a girl crush vibe. She specialized in filing while Jina was more into interrogation and criminal psychology.

    Unlike her aura, Jiwoon was actually quite shy and soft spoken. The contrast between the two women could not have been more ironic. With an innocent face and elegant vibe, Jina was extrovert and cheeky. Her tongue was like acid which could burn through someone''s soul if possible.

    "The rookies must have messed up the categories again!" Jiwoon sighed. "I told them so many times! Red mark means these are homicides whereas blue means general."

    "Oi!" Jina called a rookie officer. "Who filed these?"

    She held up the files on her desk.

    "I think it was Officer Jo," the rookie said. "I''ll tell her to do it all over again!"

    Jina nodded as the police officer took the files to re-do them. She stood up and stretched her limbs. A few uniformed officers approached her.

    "Detective Hwang," one of the officers greeted her. "We have just arrested this old woman from the subway. An anonymous neighbor tipped us that she killed her daughter-inw but she''s not admitting her crime."

    "Where''s the transcript of the call?" she yawned. Jina felt really sleepy. She had been on duty for the past two nights and needed a good night''s rest but the damn Chief would not let her leave unless she was done with all the files.

    Old git, she cursed in her head. Taking the file from the officer''s hand, she studied the case.

    "Han Suki," she read. "Sixty six years old. A housewife. And what''s thisбн"

    She read the file and frowned. "There were manyints of domestic abuse charged against her but she was never arrested! Howe?"

    "The daughter-inw always took back the case," the officer reported to her. "She was coaxed by her own parents and husband to let her free and give her another chance."

    "Aish!" Jina cursed. "When will people understand that criminals belong in jail not in homes! Letting abuse go unnoticed. No wonder monsters are increasing in this town. Where is this woman now?"

    "At the interrogation room," the officer replied. She shut the case and headed straight for the interrogation room to question the culprit. As soon as she was gone, one of the rookie officers named Junsik, approached Jiwoon.

    "Umm, Detective," he hissed. Jiwoon looked up.

    "Is that the famous reaper?" Junsik asked curiously. "Hwang Jina."

    At that question, Jiwoon let out augh. "Yes, that''s the Reaper," she snickered. "The famous Hwang Jina who''s known for her cutthroat investigative method."

    "Woah!" Junsik was in awe. "She''s such an inspiration to us rookies! Not only did she be one of the youngest detectives from her batch, but she caught that notorious bandit in City E! She''s a legend."

    "She is," Jiwoon sighed. "A little cheeky. In fact, too cheeky for her own good. Never keeps a filter on her mouth. Then again, if she did, she wouldn''t have been this good."

    "I heard she''s from a very rich family," Junsik gossiped.

    "Not just a rich family," Jiwoon corrected him. "THE rich family. Do you know who her father is?"

    "Who?"

    "The richest man in the country who had unparalleled wealth, Hwang Minho," Jiwoon stated. "They say that when Hwang Minho snaps, money falls out. Jina ims them to be exaggerations but her father is rich. In fact, he can probably buy the whole police squad and gift it to her. But she chose her own way."

    "She''s an heiress?" the rookie gasped. "Then why is she working here on a sry? She could have taken over the business and enjoyed a life of luxury! Aren''t rtions good between her and her family?"

    "Are you kidding?" Jiwoonughed. "She''s the apple of his eye! Hwang Minho values hard work and hard earned money over everything else. He''s so proud of his daughter that every time he throws a party, he would show off her achievements to everyone."

    "Still, she left so much luxury to be a detectiveбн"

    Jiwoon smiled. "Her mother is a detective too," she revealed. "Although she''s with the Interpol now. But her mother, Jeon Gayoon, is a legendary police officer herself. She cracked the fake CCK case twenty four years ago and even got a medal for it."

    "A mighty rich CEO and a legendary Detective," Junsik said in awe. "And Detective Hwang is their daughter? Woah!"

    "It''s cool right?" Jiwoon sighed. "And they''re a tight knit family too. Although the Hwangs are abroad now. Hwang Minho might be a tough tycoon, but Jina says he''s henpecked husband. The moment his wife was posted abroad, he followed her under the pretense that hispany found oil in that country. Strangely, they did find oil and he became richer than ever. The husband and wife now live wherever thetter is posted. Jina remained here for her job while their twin sons live with their aunt and uncle because of their schools."

    "How old are the twins?"

    "Around fifteen," Jiwoon winced. "And they are quite the handful. The Hwangs have another daughter but she''s really young. Around five years old."

    "That young?" Junsik was shocked.

    "Jina once mentioned that her mother was eighteen when she had her," Jiwoon exined. "So they waited until Jina grew up to have more kids."

    "Wow," Junsik remarked. "Detective Hwang really has a cool life. Rich parents who let her choose her own path, loving family and an amazing career."

    Except love, Jiwoon thought. Jina did not borate on it, but she had once mentioned about a boy she had a strong connection with when she was very young. Jiwoon probed a little but Jina did not say anything more than that. But the sad tone in her voice made it clear that the connection ran deeper than friendship, perhaps to the point of childhood love.

    "Let''s just go back to work," Jiwoon sighed. "She might look to have the perfect life but beneath it all, is a simple human being who just wants to live."

    With that, they returned to their desks.

    Meanwhile, Jina entered the interrogation room where the olddy sat. She looked up at the pretty detective who was smiling at her. Suki felt a ray of hope at seeing the smile. Maybe this detective would let her go!

    "Detective, I swear I didn''t do anything!" she imed. "My daughter-inwmitted suicide and is framing me! I swear!"

    "Don''t worry, I''ll simply ask some questions for procedure," Jina assured her. "Nothing more. Personally, I feel the case against you is very weak."

    Suki was somewhat assured by those words. She was sure that there was no evidence against her.

    That darned woman is trying to trap me from the grave! She thought spitefully. But I won''t let her!

    Jina slowly nced behind her. A slim, pale figure in herte twenties silently stood there. The ghostly woman''s dark eyes were ring at the olddy who seemed to be rejoicing. Her nostrils red at that disgusting smile and she wanted to rip apart the old hag who took her life.

    Suki did not notice the sudden drop in temperature because she was too busy thinking about her own survival.

    "Shall we begin?" Jina asked.

 Chapter 9 - Interrogation Time (2)

    "Now this is just a procedure," Jina stated, putting forward the picture of a tan skinned woman with dark hair on the desk. The woman in the pictures was in herte twenties with a pleasant smile but haggard eyes.

    "Who is this?" she asked. ??

    "That''s myte daughter-inw," Suki said, faking a tear. "Seo Yujin. She was so filialбн"

    "You old hag!" the ghost behind her cursed. "You put me through hell! Filial? You used to curse me everyday, treating me worse than a dog! You imed that I was disobedient when I did nothing but obey you!"

    Jina did not give any indication that she heard the ghost but kept her gaze on Suki, who was now bawling.

    "My poor Yujin!" she cried. "My dear daughter-inw! It was as if she and my son got married just yesterday! They were so happy togetherбн"

    "Sujin filed many domestic violence cases against you though," Jina pointed out. "Her file clearly states that she took back the case after being pressured by the family. I''m guessing her parents and your son were the ones who told her to do that."

    "She was quite sensitive," Suki imed. "A very good girl but sensitive, ya know. I only scolded her a few times and she went running to the police! There were no bruises on her body either. So how can it be domestic violence?"

    "Lying bitch!" Yujin yelled. "There were many bruises on my body but your damn son wouldn''t let me go to the hospital! You once chased me with a knife all because your soup was a little burnt!"

    She was sobbing hard, unable to take in the frustration. The old woman would not even let her rest in peace because she returned as a hapless ghost who could only watch as her evil mother-inw spewed nonsense.

    "So you''re saying that the caller is a liar?" Jina asked.

    "Yes!" Suki imed. "A big fat liar!"

    "Tell us about your whereabouts this morning," Jina ordered.

    "I woke up around 7 o''clock and prepared breakfast for my family," she narrated. "My son went off to work early so it was just me and my daughter-inw. I prepared cucumber soup, toast, pancakes and omelette for the two of us. Then around 8:30 AM, I left the house to visit the school where I used to work. It''s the time of the month when I visit there to pick up the pension."

    "Oh, so you had breakfast before leaving?" Jina asked.

    "Yes," Suki replied.

    "Do you have diabetes or any other disease?"

    "No!" Suki said. "I''m as healthy as a horse."

    "Then howe you were choking on rice balls at the subway?" Jina questioned her, raising her eyebrows. The old woman was taken aback and cleared her throat.

    "You had toast, cucumber soup, pancakes and omelette before leaving home and yet, barely an hourter, you were stuffing rice balls in your mouth," Jina said, putting the images of the CCTV camera in front of her. "The police officers who took you in also gave me these photos. This here.."

    She pointed at one of the pictures where the old woman was seen eating numerous rice balls.

    "And at this one," Jina said, pointing at another picture where the old woman was seen choking. "You choked on your food and fortunately, a doctor was there to save you."

    Suki was now sweating. "I-I was just snacking," she imed.

    "Snacking like a pig?" Jina scoffed. "Eating so fast as if you had been starving all morning! You even choked. Either it means, you are diabetic and need constant snacks to control your sugar levels. Or, you didn''t eat all morning because of some reason even though you imed that you ate breakfast with your ''filial'' daughter-inw. What''s the truth?"

    "I don''t know!" Suki hissed. "She must have poisoned herself and-"

    "Poison?" Jina frowned. "I didn''t mention any poison. How did you know your daughter-inw was poisoned to death?"

    Suki was now sweating profusely but Jina was on attack mode. Her smile was gone, reced by a terrifying gleam.

    "You prepared breakfast for your daughter-inw, mixing poison into it," she stated. "Since the food was poisoned, you didn''t eat it but already prepared rice balls for yourself so that you can eat on the train. When your daughter-inwined about stomach pains, you went outside under the pretext of fetching a doctor whereas in reality, you boarded a train to go to your old workce and collect your remaining pension. You knew that the police woulde after you so you took the poison vial with you, thinking that you''d discard it somewhere. Upon checking your bag, we found the vial and have already sent it to theb to check it against the contents in your daughter-inw''s stomach."

    Suki was trembling but Jina was not done with her.

    "After you boarded the train, you thought you''d take the money from your pension and run away to another city. There was hundreds of thousands of dors worth of pension money because you worked at a government school for forty years. Everything was going smoothly for you."

    "Why would I kill my precious daughter-inw?" Suki wept. "She was the love of me son''s life-"

    "Your daughter-inw was from a poor background," Jina pressed. "You killed her because you wanted to get your son married to a richer family who would give you a lot of dowry. Once the case cooled down, you nned to summon your son to you and would have gotten him married to the daughter of an old acquaintance. Your call logs show several suchmunications made to her. If we question her, I''m sure we''ll find out the truth. So might as well confess now and spare yourself the humiliation."

    The old woman''s hands were shaking and she was deranged. Her nning was going on perfectly! She could have easily escaped the city with the money and gotten her son married to a better family. But that one call ruined her ns!

    "If you confess, I can try to push for your sentence to be reduced," Jina offered. "But if you keep lying, the punishment will be severe. You''ve left too many clues behind."

    She took out a paper from her file and pushed it forward. Putting a pen in front of the old woman, she urged, "Sign the confession and you can reduce your sentence."

    "How many years will I get?" Suki asked, feeling desperate.

    "The sentence is a minimum of ten years but I can push the prosecution to give you five years in you confess," Jina shrugged. Suki thought for a while before hastily picking up the pen to sign it. She would be out after five years so it would pass by in a blink.

    "Bitch!" the ghost screamed. "I lose my life and she gets only five years? This is injustice! I wanna kill her-"

    The ghost was yelling and cursing but her culprit could not hear nor see her. The old woman was relieved that the punishment was not death.

    Jina, however, had something more to say.

    "In my experience, it''s not the punishment of the murder which is worse," she said out loud. "It''s the curse of the dead which can be worse than jail."

    "What do you mean?" Suki hissed. Jina packed up her things and looked directly at the woman.

    "You might have managed to get your jail time reduced," she began. "But your punishment is not limited to that. You better hope your daughter-inw is truly resting because imagine what she would do if she came back from the grave. I''ve heard that the people who die in anger,e back as spirits to haunt their culprits and drive them insane. These five years may pass in a blink but the curse your daughter-inw is giving you from the grave willst you at least fifty lifetimes."

    Suki was not understanding what the detective said but the ghost behind her was listening withplete attention and to thetter''s surprise, Jina winked at her before leaving.

    Am I imagining things? Yujin wondered but did not dwell on it much. The detective had given her an idea to torment thisdy into madness.

    Suki was still muttering under her breath when the lights flickered above her head. At first she did not notice but the light kept on flickering, annoying her.

    "Someone fix this!" she yelled but there was no one outside. Am I alone? She realized.

    Smiling in glee, she slowly walked towards the door and tried to open it. To her dismay, it was locked.

    "Damn cops!" she eximed and was returning to her seat when the chair was pulled aside by an invisible force.

    "AHHH!" Suki shrieked and fell back, cowering against the wall. The chair was still for a moment before it moved on its own, being pushed and pulled aside.

    The old woman rushed to the door and banged on it.

    "HELP!" she yelled "HE-"

    Her mouth was covered by unseen hands, pushing her back on the floor, almost throttling her. Suki''s eyes widened in shock as the invisible ghost towered over her, scaring her to death.

    "I''ll never leave you alone!" the ghost swore. "I''ll haunt your dreams every night, never letting you live in peace. You''ll spend the rest of your life living under my terror!"

    Suki tried to scream but her voice was muffled. No one could hear her being tortured in the interrogation room, not even the guards who were stationed right outside. They went on doing their business, guarding the door but not realizing why the old woman had gonepletely silent.

    After a few hours, when the police officers came to pick up the old woman, they were surprised to see that she had gonepletely quiet. She obediently came with them, her mind traumatized and heart in fear. But the astonishing thing was, her once straight back was now bent. She could not stand up straight at all.

    "What happened to her?" Jiwoon asked Jina as they watched the old woman being transported by the officers. She was being transferred to another jail where she would await her trial.

    Jina, who saw the ghosttched onto the old woman''s back, simply said, "She just couldn''t take the burden of her sins."

    Jiwoon was confused but Jina went back to her work, ready to yell at more rookies for mixing up the files again.

 Chapter 10 - Brothers

    The hospital was situated a few blocks away from the subway station. It stood on several acres ofnd withrge blue and white walls. Several doctors and nurses were rushing around, tending to patients or eager to finish their shift.

    "Nurse Shin, Doctor Hyun is calling you!" one nurse yelled at another one while pushing a trolley to the operation theater. ??

    "Where are the reports for the patient in ward 17?" one of the doctors was demanding.

    "Did the patient at VVIP room 6 get their daily dose?"

    "Prep the operation theater!"

    All the employees were in a hurry to do their duties while patients sat near the reception, waiting for their turns. The emergency patients were kept separate from the others, their applications being fast tracked by a busy swarm of nurses while the general patients were being given tokens by another group of nurses. For them, the stress of the job was a lot but it was simply a regr day.

    One of the patients was a five year old girl who had a broken wrist. Her mother was catering to her.

    "Hyori, it''ll be alright," she was telling her daughter. "Don''t cry."

    "Mommy, it hurts!" Hyori protested.

    "The kind doctor will see us soon," her mother promised.

    "Token number 91, Doctor Kang will see you now!" the nurse announced over the microphone.

    "That''s us!" Hyori''s mother said and she gently led her daughter to a room. The tag on the door read "Doctor Kang Siwan''. They entered the room to see a dark haired doctor in his mid thirties. He looked more like a celebrity than a doctor with his gummy smile and kind demeanor. With sparkling ck eyes and boyish looks, he was easily one of the most handsome men they had seen around.

    "H-hello doctor!" Hyori squealed.

    "How are you feeling now, Hyori?" Siwan asked with a smile. Seeing his smile, Hyori blushed. Her motherughed at her expression.

    "Doctor, she has a little crush on you," she exined. Siwan was also amused but he was used to it. Children gravitated to him because of his gentle nature and charm which is why he was one of the most popr pediatricians in the country.

    "But I am very sad, Hyori," he sighed as he checked her wrist. "You don''t listen to what I say."

    "I did, doctor!" she squeaked. "I ate well and also drank milk everyday! I took my medicine too!"

    "Then howe you have another broken bone?" he asked, mimicking a stern tone.

    "I...I was ying with the neighbor''s dog and fell off the stairs, hurting my wrist," she admitted.

    Siwan lightly poked her head. "Hyori, you know your bones are weak, don''t you?" he reminded her. "Even a little bit of stressful work can break them."

    Hyori looked down in shame. "I''m sorry," she mumbled. "I just wanted to y."

    Hearing her sad tone made her mother sniff. Hyori suffered from Osteogenesis Imperfecta, a disease which caused her bones to break very easily. Since she was still a child, Siwan treated her with medicines suitable for her age along with the Orthopedic Specialists in the hospitals. It was going to be a lifelong disease because there was no cure for it so Siwan''s team was trying to keep her as safe as possible with regr medications. Yet, the little girl yearned to do normal activities like all children.

    Siwan patted Hyori''s head. "Hyori, you have to be strong," he said. "So that you can grow up well and enjoy a good life. Someday, you might even be able to find a cure to your condition if you work hard enough! So don''t worry and follow our instructions. You''ll be fine."

    He turned to the mother and added, "I''ve increased the dosage of the medicines. Make sure that she has them regrly. Also, please have an X-ray conducted on her hand so that we can determine the extent of her injury."

    "Thank you, Doctor Kang," the mother bowed and gently led Hyori out of the room. Siwan smiled and was about to call the next patient when hisnd phone rang up. It was his assistant nurse.

    "Yes, Nurse Wang," he greeted, picking up the phone.

    "Doctor Kang, your brother is here to meet you," she informed him. "He''s at the reception."

    "Hobin?"

    Siwan was excited now. His brother had arrived?

    "I''ming now!" he said, barely containing his excitement. "Please tell the other patients to wait for a while."

    "Alright doctor."

    He hung up the phone and hurried towards the reception. Scanning around, he was searching for the auburn haired boy who would easily stand out in a crowd. Sure enough, he found his brother, Hobin, standing at a corner with a pretty nurse. He was flirting with her while checking her palm.

    "You really like romantic dramas, right?" he was saying. The nurse was dazed by the beautiful man who was flirting with her and she giggled.

    "How did you know?" she asked.

    "I have many tricks," he winked. "Wanna see another one?"

    She enthusiastically nodded. Hobin pointed to a random direction and said, "Look there."

    The nurse turned and Hobin snapped near her left ear to produce a coin which he was hiding in his sleeve.

    "Woah!" the nurse squealed. "How did you-"

    "For you, mydy," he teased. "A pretty penny for a prettydy."

    The nurse giggled hard at his flirtations but the clearing of someone''s throat made her jump. Turning around, they saw that Siwan stood there, watching them.

    "D-Doctor Kang!" she stammered. "I was just-"

    "Please go back to your station, Nurse," he simply said. The nurse was bbergasted as she scurried towards her station. Hobin leaned against the wall, smiling at his brother.

    "Still such a party pooper, my brother," he grinned. Siwan shook his head but spread his hands to hug his younger sibling. Hobin was d to embrace his brother after so many months. Their work which kept them apart had finallynded them in the same town.

    "Did you eat?" Siwan asked. "Mom called me this morning to nag me about how you might get lost in the city if I don''t go and pick you up!"

    "Typical mom," Hobin sighed. "She forgets that I can speak thenguage of this country well and also have digital maps on my phone. Yet, she worries so much!"

    "Well, you have a penchant for falling into trouble with thedies," Siwan sighed as he led his brother to the cafeteria. They ced orders for coffee and sat at a table.

    "How long are you gonna be here?" Siwan asked, sipping on histte.

    "I wanna stay here for a while," Hobin said. "The Commissioner has invited me himself because they need an expert who could help them create criminal profiles. In the meantime, I''m gonna continue my practice in this hospital. Thank god I''m a psychiatrist. I can work here for a few hours then at the police station before hitting the clubs."

    He smirked, taking a sip of his Chocte Mocha. Siwan shook his head in amusement.

    "How did you even manage to get a college degree in your teens, is beyond me," he sighed. "I thought people who were born geniuses would work more."

    "My motto is to finish off all work early so that I can bezy for the rest of the day," Hobin snickered. "During work, I''m serious but after that, I''m quite the party animal."

    "Ahh yes, the infamous Doctor Demon," Siwan recalled. "That''s what you were nicknamed in the States, right? For your...unusual methods."

    Hobin shrugged, pretending not to know what he was talking about.

    But Siwan was right. Hobin''s usual style of treatment differed from others. He used his powers to read people''s memories which led him to crack open many mysteries and instances of abuse faced by his patients. His impable treatment caused many to dub him as Doctor Demon because they felt he was quite a sadist for guessing their minds so easily. Even though Hobin tried to use his abilities as less as possible, he still had a knack for guessing things correctly even without his powers.

    Hobin did not care much about it though. As long as he seeded in treating the patients and getting his due from them, he did not care what they called him.

    "I''ll be sitting on the second floor," Hobin said. "They gave me a big space at the corner since I needplete silence."

    "Where will you be staying?" Siwan asked. "I know you don''t wanna go to the mansion but it''s your home!"

    Hobin did not reply but kept on sipping his coffee. He was not sure why but he did not dare to step in their family mansion. There was this irrational fear in him, a strange force repelling him from going near that ce. It was strange because he never set foot in it after the family had left it. He was barely a day old when Doyoung and Siwan moved out of the mansion. Yet, he was scared of that ce.

    Other than the dreams of that little girl, he also experienced nightmares of something else. In those nightmares, he was locked away in a cer of arge mansion. He sat in a corner, quietly crying while a spectacled man in his thirties popped up in front of him. The man had a sadistic look on his face and held a whip in his hand.

    "You bastardбн" the man''s cold, chilling voice echoed in his ears. "I won''t let you ruin my image. Never!"

    Hobin was in a daze as he recalled the dreams of the strange mansion. Siwan noted his brother''s expression and poked him, breaking Hobin out of his reverie.

    "What happened?" Siwan frowned.

    "Nothing!" Hobin quickly said. "I just don''t wanna live in a mansion. I prefer a small space where I can be alone with my...friends."

    Siwan groaned. His brother was only focused on getting the girls.

    Just then, Hobin''s cell phone rang. He took it out to see a message from the Commissioner of the Police. It was short and concise.

    "A family has been murdered at U-Street," it read. "Suspect missing. Need you here."

    Hobin slightly grinned. Looks like I''m gonna have a lot of fun today, he thought.

 Chapter 11 - A Murder In The Realm (1)

    "This traffic is so annoying!" Jina groaned. Jiwoon merely sighed at the jam packed road in front of them.

    A murder had taken ce at U-Street which fell under their precinct''s jurisdiction. The Chief had dispatched Jina''s team for this task because it was going to turn out to be a high profile case since the victim was a policeman. The CSI was already at the spot but Jina''s team was stuck in traffic. ??

    "Oh just move!" Jina grunted, pressing on the horn. They were in the Land Rover their precinct had allocated to them. Apart from Jiwoon, Jina''s team included Officer Shin Chanmi, Officer Kim Woohee, Officer Ok Jaebum and their tech specialist, Officer Chang Dahoon.

    "Boss, the CSI team sent some details," Dahoon said, showing Jina the message. "The victims are Inspector Cho Sungil and his wife, Kwon Mari. Both of them were in their forties. They have two children, a daughter named Hanna and a son named Jun."

    Dahoon was a serious looking slick haired youth in his early twenties. He was adept in hacking and configuring information using the tech gadgets at his disposal. As the youngest member, he had been instrumental in gathering data on various crimes and so far, had not failed Jina.

    "Where are the children?" Jina asked.

    "They''re apparently missing," Dahoon replied.

    "Missing?" Chanmi asked curiously. She was only a few years younger than Jina and Jiwoon. With pale skin and chubby cheeks, Chanmi possessed a very pleasant look. She was always curious and enthusiastic to apany them on cases. Even though she was not the brightest police officer, Jina chose her for her hard work. Unlike others, Chanmi was eager to do some heavy lifting. Moreover, due to her naturally empathetic nature, the witnesses and family members of victims opened up to her much more easily.

    "Maybe the killer kidnapped them," Jaebum suggested. He was the spy of the group. With innocent eyes and a nice smile, Jaebum looked more like an actor than a police officer. Sometimes, this came in handy when going undercover because he did not strike people as a cop and he could gather information with ease.

    "But why would he murder the parents and take the kids?" Woohee reasoned. "Surely, something is amiss."

    Woohee was the newest member of the group and was not handpicked by Jina. In fact, Woohee was the daughter of some influential police officer who was connected to the Commissioner. Even though most people believed Woohee entered the squad through nepotism, she quickly proved that she was an asset to the team. Her family background aside, she possessed a sharp intellect and spotted clues faster than other officers.

    "We''ll find out once we get there," Jina sighed. "If only this bloody traffic would lift!"

    Everyone shared her frustration. The cars were moving slowly so Jaebum got out of the car to head over to the traffic police''s post.

    "What''s he doing?" Jiwoon frowned.

    "Sweet talking the cop," Jina stated. Jaebum pointed at their Land Rover and said something to the traffic policeman. Finally, the guy nodded and was ushering the cars to move forward.

    "Finally!" Jina muttered as the cars picked up speed. They briefly stopped at the traffic post to pick up Jaebum.

    "What did you tell him?" Jiwoon asked.

    "Just that if he lets us go, our Chief Detective here will have him transferred to our team," he winked.

    "Yes, I''ll give him your position in the team," Jina said absentmindedly.

    "Boss, how could you!" Jaebum whined. "After all the hard work I do for you!"

    He pretended to be affronted causing Jina to yfully whack him on the arm. Everyoneughed, the mood lightening as they headed for the crime scene.

    Finally, after half an hour, Jina pulled up in front of the house in U-Street. The ce was already swarming with the CSI team who had sealed off the area for investigation. Jina and her team got out of the car. Jaebum whistled, impressed.

    "Woah, the guy was rich!" he eximed. The ''house'' was more of a mini mansion. It had arge yard in front of it where the family had grown apple trees, mango trees, papayas and various other fruits. There was a small patio in the middle for the family to gather around for evening tea or snacks. The pathway was tiled with colorful marbles, leading to the front door.

    The mansion itself was quite posh. With jade colored walls, it was sleek and soothing to look at. It had ss walls on the second floor, exposing a mini gym. The roof was nted while a Maybach was parked in front of the entrance.

    "The victim sure was rich," Chanmimented.

    "He was not an ordinary person," Woohee muttered. "Cho Sungil is ex-army. He used to be a Lieutenant in his mid thirties and earned quite a lot from foreign missions. The only reason he had to quit was due to a leg injury. So he had an operation and joined the police force as a weapon specialist. He had a lot of money stacked up thanks to his achievements."

    "Who would dare to kill a guy like him?" Jiwoon wondered.

    "Ex-army plus a cop," Jina pointed out. "Lots of people were after him. Let''s go in and check out the situation."

    They entered the house and headed upstairs towards the master bedroom where the bodies were found. As soon as they entered, a gruesome sight met their eyes.

    The walls were sttered with blood from the victims, reaching almost as high as the ceiling. Broken pieces of ss and showpiecesy on the floor. Papers were scattered all over the ce as if someone had been searching the bedroom.

    But the most terrifying sight was of the bodies whichy on the bed, side by side. They have not been killed; they were massacred.

    Their organs had exploded out of their bodies during the murder, possibly due to the sheer rage of the murderer. They had been hacked so brutally that several of their limbs had torn apart. Parts of their bones were peeking out, the bed being a mess of meat from the victims'' bodies.

    Everyone in Jina''s team looked disgusted except for Jina herself. She was not surprised by the brutality. Human beings hid monsters in them and it was something she had learnt at a very young age.

    "Who would do this?" Jiwoon whispered.

    "A monster," Chanmi hissed, closing her eyes. But Jina was not listening to them. Her eyes fell on a lone figure who stood in front of the bed with his back to them. He was wearing a backpack and a long coat. His hands were in his pocket as he observed the bodies.

    Jina stepped forward. As if hearing her footsteps, the auburn haired man sighed.

    "I know the police have a policy of beingte but I was told that the team being sent to me was the very best one," his deep voice resonated throughout the room.

    For a moment, Jina froze. She was not sure why her body reacted like that but a strange sensation washed over her. Her eyes were on the back of that man. There was something familiar about him but that was not possible. She did not know any auburn haired man. Then why was her heart beating so wildly?

    In slow motion, the man turned around. His eyes flickered when he saw her, as if he was also feeling the same sense of familiarity. But itsted only for a few seconds.

    "Looks like I had expected too much after hearing the praises about your team," he said in an arrogant tone. "Policemen are really untrustworthy."

 Chapter 12 - A Murder In The Realm (2)

    Huh?

    A nerve twitched on Jina''s head. The guy looked like he was in his mid twenties and yet, he spoke with a snobbish authority. Judging from his ent and polished looks, Jina guessed he had lived abroad and only returned recently. ??

    Hobin studied the woman in front of her. She was a few years older than him but much shorter. Her face was too innocent looking to be a cop and he sensed an air of elegance oozing from her. The silky brown hair and carefully maintained skin along with the neat clothes she wore screamed that she was from a well-to-do if not rich family.

    Yet, the woman carried the natural charisma of a leader. If he had met her elsewhere, he would have probably flirted with her.

    Too bad, he was not friendly with cops.

    "We were stuck in traffic," she said in a cool tone. "But we''re here now. Who the hell are you? You''re not with the CSI because you''re not wearing their uniform."

    Hobin sighed and took out his ID and badge. He had been given a special badge by the Commissioner to show off his status as a Police Consultant.

    "You''re from the Commissioner''s office?" Jina frowned. Jiwoon, as if remembering something, stepped forward to hiss something in Jina''s ears.

    "Why didn''t you tell me this before?" Jina whispered.

    "I forgot!"

    Jina shook her head and turned to the man. "Mister...erбн"

    She read his name again. "Ohm Hobin," she said. "My partner just told me that she received the news about your involvement in this case. Let''s begin the investigation-"

    "I don''t have to," he cut through. "I''ve already checked the bodies. If you weren''tte, you could have investigated with me and I could have told you all about my observation. Now I''ll have to stand aside, waste my time until you''re done investigating."

    He said all of this with a sarcastically sweet smile which was annoying Jina to no end. What the hell? Why was he so antagonistic towards the cops?

    "Team, let''s check the victims'' bodies," Jina instructed them. She shot a disapproving re at Hobin, who stepped aside to let them investigate. Jina put on a pair of stic gloves and tied her hair into a tight bun before walking over to the bed.

    Up close, the bodies were in a worse condition. They had been hacked randomly with a very brute force. The blood was drying up into a sticky goo and even parts of their skulls wereing out.

    "Whoever did this had a lot of rage in their heart," Jiwoon said as she moved Sungil''s head.

    Jina did not reply but noticed that there were a couple of tea cups on the bedside table. She picked one up and sniffed it. Hobin hade up behind her to study the bodies again.

    "Sleeping pills," he stated. "Someone mixed those in their tea before killing them off."

    "That means whoever killed them, knew they drank herbal tea before going to bed," Jina said.

    "Cho Sungil is an expertbatant," Hobin added. "The killer knew they did not have a chance to take on him alone so they mixed the pills in the drink."

    "But the kids are still missing," Jina muttered. She turned to one of the cops who was taping the area.

    "Where are the children''s rooms?" she asked.

    "The room next door is the son''s and the daughter''s room is downstairs," the cop replied.

    "You guys search for any clues you can find," Jina instructed her team before heading towards the son''s room. To her annoyance, Hobin was alsoing with her.

    They entered the room next to the master bedroom. The walls were painted a pasty orange with several cartoon characters on it. A criby at one corner which wasrge enough for a child of around 6 to 7 years old and several toys were strewn across the floor.

    "There are no signs of forced entry," Jina noted. "No bloody footprints either."

    Hobin was observing some pictures which hung on the wall. It was of the victims and their children. The parents were smiling with the kids sitting in between them. The boy looked hardly older than five while the girl was in her mid teens with a small smile which did not reach her eyes. Hobin observed how the parents had put their hands around the girl but she was not holding any of them.

    Meanwhile, Jina was checking the crib for clues. There was a bloodied fingerprint on it.

    "I need the forensic here!" she yelled. A forensic assistant came rushing inside.

    "Get this fingerprint here," she said, pointing at the print. The assistant quickly got to work, taking a picture of the mark before extracting it using his tools.

    "I''ll go and check the daughter''s room," Hobin announced. Jina nodded and returned to investigate the boy''s bedroom. There was nothing else in it but she was merely buying herself some privacy.

    Once the forensic assistant was done collecting the sample, he strode out of the room. Jina casually walked towards the door and slowly closed it.

    "Now tell me," she said out loud. "Who killed you?"

    She turned around to face the ghosts of the couple who were just murdered. Ever since she had entered their bedroom, she had noticed their presence. They were trying to get everyone''s attention but to no avail. No one could hear them or see their pale figures except for her.

    "Y-you can see us?" Mari asked in astonishment. "We were trying for such a long time to attract attention!"

    "I can see you," Jina replied. "But we don''t have much time. You must tell me. Who''s the murderer?"

    The two ghosts hesitated. They were reluctant to reveal their murderer''s name. Sungil looked torn between sadness and love while Mari was silently weeping.

    "We never thought a day like this woulde," Sungil finally said, his voice cracking up with unshed tears. "Death was easier than thisбн"

    Mari hugged her husband, trying to control her tears. Jina stood there, feeling sorry for the couple who had just lost their lives.

    "I know that your deaths were unfair," she began. "But I promise you that I will find the culprit."

    "If only it was that easy for us," Sungilmented. "I wouldn''t have hesitated if the murderer was an enemy. But what to do when the killer isn''t an enemy, but the person you love the most?"

    Jina lowered her eyes. She was well aware of that pain. Going against enemies was nothing but when loved ones are the ones holding the knife, death bes a weing option. After all, her friend Shinho faced the ultimate betrayal from his own father and lost his life.

    "Your children are with the murderer," Jina revealed. "And if you don''t say the identity, they might die as well."

    "Our son is with her?" Mari gasped. Suddenly, she realized what she had done. She let the truth slip.

    "With her?" Jina asked, raising an eyebrow.

    "I-Iбн" Mari stammered but Sungil held her hand.

    "It''s okay," he said firmly. "We have to reveal the truth."

    He looked directly at Jina and took a deep breath. "The murderer isбн" he began.

    бн.

    Hobin walked into the daughter''s room. Unlike the son''s room upstairs, the walls in that room werepletely white. There was a study table at one corner and a bed across it. A small wardrobe stood next to the table and an emptyputer table sat in another corner. Hobin put on his gloves and checked all the drawers.

    The wardrobe had been emptied and everything essential was gone. He noticed several papers in the dustbin which had been burnt but not properly. The fire had died out sooner than the killer expected because some of the papers were still intact. He took one out and saw that it was a cheque which had been written on but crossed out because the signature was wrong. He took out more papers and all of them were pages from a cheque.

    "Woof!"

    Hobin was startled when he heard a dog bark. A Jack Terrier came out from underneath the bed. It was wagging its tail, staring at him.

    "Ahh, a witness," Hobin muttered. "Come here, boy!"

    He stepped towards the dog to pat him. The dog, as if sensing something, came forward and let the stranger pat him.

    "Now," Hobin said. "Show me your memories."

 Chapter 13 - A Murder In The Realm (3)

    "Mom! Dad! Look, I made a ne!"

    The six year old boy was pping his fingers in an attempt to show it off as a ne. His father was sitting at the couch next to him,ughing. ??

    "Yes, Soma," his father, Sungil, said. "That''s a ne. Do you know how high it can fly?"

    "Very high!" Soma squealed.

    "Sungil, it''s his bedtime!" Mari eximed from the kitchen. "Did he finish his dinner yet?"

    "Erбн"

    Sungil guiltily looked at the half eaten bowl of rice which his son had refused to eat. The kid was more interested in flying nes than in food.

    "Just a little bit left, honey!" He lied and tried to plead with his son to eat but the kid onlyughed and ran off. Their dog, Toto came running towards the boy, eager to y.

    "Toto!" the boy squealed. He picked up a ball and threw it around for Toto to catch while Sungil chased his son to feed him dinner.

    "Soma!" he yelped. "Come on, son! Eat up!"

    Mari came out of the kitchen, to see what themotion was about. Sheughed as she saw her poor husband running after their son in dismay.

    "The mighty ex-Lieutenant of the army is defeated by his son!" she giggled.

    "Army was easier than being a parent!" he eximed and gave up chasing his son. Soma would not eat anyway because it was y time for him. Mari sat next to her husband and hugged him while watching their son y, carefree and innocent.

    "Where''s Aimee?" Sungil frowned. He nced at the clock. It was nearly 11 PM and their daughter had not returned from her private tuition.

    "I hope she''s not hanging out with that good for nothing guy again!" he said, feeling aghast.

    "Aimee said they broke up," Mari assured her husband but he was not convinced. Their fifteen year old daughter, Aimee, had flunkedst year and had to repeat a grade. She used to be a very good student until she met this delinquent from the neighboring school. His name was Jung Beomsoo and he was a known petty criminal. The boy was arrestedst year for selling drugs to other students and even served a few months in prison.

    How Aimee met him was still a mystery but soon, they began dating. He introduced her to a world of drugs and soon, she became addicted to it. She was flunking her sses and bunked school on numerous asions to be with him. The teachers were worried about her and informed the parents.

    Initially, Sungil and Mari were angry at their daughter for flunking but when they found out about the drug usage, they were distraught. They spent much ofst year trying to discipline her and even sent her to a rehabilitation center. Aimee had screamed and cursed at them because her judgement was clouded by the puppy love for her boyfriend and also the influence of drugs had increased on her. She could not live without a whiff of her regr drugs and was so badly addicted that it took the doctors months to detox her.

    Finally, she was given the clean chit to leave and since then, her parents kept a strict eye on her. They used to pick and drop her off everywhere but recently, Aimee''s behavior had shown a lot of improvement. She even took care of Soma the other night all by herself so as a reward, her parents allowed her to go to private tuition all by herself that day under the condition she would return home on time.

    Just then, the door opened and Aimee entered.

    "I''m home!" she announced. Her once cheerful voice was heavier and sullen but much better than the slurry way she used to talk during her addiction days.

    "Did the ss endte?" Mari asked as Aimee put her bag down.

    "Yeah, there was a surprise quiz," Aimee said. She took out the quiz paper and showed her parents.

    "Fifty five percent," Sungilmented. "At least you''re improving."

    Aimee did not say anything to him but merely nodded. The preceding year had put quite a heavy strain on her rtionship with her father. Sungil had been very strict on her, determined to break her up with Beomsoo and also forcibly sent her to rehab. Aimee had not forgotten her father''s tricks and was still resentful towards him.

    Seeing his daughter resent him broke Sungil''s heart but his resolution was strong. He had to do what was best for her and her addiction was creating a monster out of her so he was strict on her.

    "Go to your room," he said.

    "Can I have some tea?" Aimee asked.

    "Of course, dear!" Mari replied. "I''ve made some. It''s in the kitchen. Why don''t you pour a cup for yourself?"

    Aimee nodded and went towards the kitchen. Toto wagged his tail and sat up straight as if on alert. He began to bark loudly.

    "What''s going on with him?" Sungil frowned.

    "He gets a little edgy when it''s past 11," Mari said. "Since he sleeps early."

    Soma yawned, his little eyes full of sleep.But Toto kept on barking so Sungil picked up Soma and grabbed Toto''s leash. "Come on," he said, gently pulling the dog. "Time to go to bed."

    Toto was still barking but followed his master towards Soma''s room where both of them slept. Sungil put a sleeping Soma on the crib while Toto climbed on the crib beside the child as if he was in protective mode. The dog had sensed something was wrong but the poor animal could notmunicate it to its masters.

    Sungil turned off the light and headed for his bedroom. After a while, Mari entered the room with steaming cups of tea.

    "Aimee poured us a cup," she said, giving one cup to her husband. He sighed and sat down to drink the tea his daughter made for him.

    "I think she has improved a lot," Mari remarked. "I got her reports from the teachers. They''re seeing an improvement in her grades and she even stopped having seizures from the detox process."

    Sungil grunted and sipped his tea. Mari also took a sip, both of them quietly thinking about their daughter.

    "What happened to her?" Sungil wondered. "Where did we go wrong?"

    "This was just a bad phase," Mari assured him. "And it has passed. Let''s push her to a better future, alright?"

    In the next room, Toto woke up. His instincts were haywire again and he was quiet as a shadow stood outside Soma''s room. The slim figure of Aimee was there, her dark hair swaying in the air. But her eyes were bloodshot red, craving to kill. In her hands, she held an axe.

    Another figure came up to her. He was taller and bulkier, whispering something into the girl''s ears.

    "Are you ready?" he asked.

    "I am, Beomsoo," she whispered back. They were facing the bedroom of Aimee''s parents.

    Inside, Sungil and Mari had finished drinking their tea and were about to go to sleep.

    "Let''s talk to her tomorrow," Sungil decided. But Mari was not responding. She held her head and she felt dizzy.

    "Honey, I feel a little strange," she murmured. Sungil was also beginning to feel dizzy.

    The bedroom door burst open and two figures entered.

    "A-Aimee?" Sungil stammered. Behind her was theбн

    "Hello, Mr. Cho," Beomsoo smiled in a cocky way.

    "Y-You!" Sungil gasped. His eyes fell on his daughter who was holding the axe. She was crazed, longing to unleash the fury she had been bottling for so many months. Finally, she would be with her beloved Beomsoo.

    Sungil tried to move but his body was bing heavier. Mari had fallen unconscious and he was struggling to stay awake. Their daughter was not thinking clearly and was influenced by the evil boy who was smirking at them.

    Suddenly, Toto burst into the room and bit Beomsoo''s foot. Thetter yelped in pain, trying to kick the dog away.

    "What the f*ck!" Beomsoo cursed. He kicked the dog so hard that the poor creature was thrown against the wall and fell to the floor, unconscious.

    "Take him to my room and lock him there!" Aimee ordered. Beomsoo nodded and carried the dog out of the bedroom. Aimee turned to her parents. Her father was still fighting to stay awake but it was futile.

    "Goodbye, papa!" she eximed, her eyes filled with mania. Thest thing Sungil saw was the bloody filled eyes of his daughter as she struck him with the axe.

    ...

    *Present*

    "So that''s what happened," Hobin murmured. The dog had been lying unconscious since then.

    "Forensic!" he yelled. A Forensic Assistant came running into the room.

    "Take a sample of this dog''s teeth marks," he ordered. "There''s blood and possibly skin tissues in his mouth. He might have bitten the killer."

    The assistant nodded and began to work with the dog. Hobin was about to leave the room when Jina came barging in.

    "It''s the daughter," both of them said in unison.

 Chapter 14 - A Murder In The Realm (4)

    Both of them looked at each other with suspicion.

    "How do you know?" Jina asked. ??

    "How do you know?" Hobin shot back. Jina shot him a dirty re.

    "Jaebum interviewed the neighbor and they told him about the girl''s history with drug use," she stated. "She got hooked on them after meeting a guy named Beomsoost year. He''s a known drug dealer."

    It was partially true. Jaebum did ask the neighbors and got the information from them. Jina just happened to know it beforehand from the ghosts. But she was not going to tell that to the guy in front of her.

    "Her boyfriend, Beomsoo, was also seen loitering around this neighborhood ording to the neighbors," she went on. "Dahoon is talking to the traffic police for the CCTV footage. But how do you know it was the daughter?"

    "Her belongings are gone," he pointed at the room. "If someone was kidnapped, I highly doubt that they would get the time to pack up everything. Also, there are half-burnt cheques in the bin. I think the girl had gone to the nearest bank to take out money by forging her parents'' signatures."

    Just then, Woohee entered the room. "The family car is gone," she informed them. "It''s an RUV, numbered ''WA-5164''. The killer might have stolen it. If they used it, then they might have crossed the city lines by now."

    Hobin and Jina looked at each other. If they cross the city lines, it could take days to look for them.

    "I''ll dispatch my team to go there," Jina said. "Woohee, tell Jiwoon to take the team and check all the banks. Ask them if any teenager arrived there with a check made in Cho Sungil''s name."

    "Got it boss," Woohee said and went off to ry the information.

    "We need to find her boyfriend," Hobin said. "If he''s a drug dealer, then the neighborhood punks might know him."

    "I''ll go and ask them," she said warily.

    "I''ll go with you," he said. Jina was about to refuse him but the guy ignored her and walked past.

    He is so infuriating! She fumed inwardly.

    She turned around and saw the ghosts were also staring at them. But with the bratty doctor close by, she could not talk to them. Jina headed for the Rover which was parked outside the house. She got into the driver''s seat and to her slight annoyance, Hobin got into the seat next to her.

    "Go to the school," he instructed. "The teenage drug addicts probably hang around there, bunking their sses."

    "I know," Jina sighed and revved up the engine. Pulling out of the parking space she drove towards the school. It was only a few blocks south of the house. Even though it was ss time, there were a few students who were loitering in a dark corner outside the school.

    "Let''s ask them," Jina muttered. Parking at a safe distance, she put her badge away. If they saw her badge, they would be scared.

    "Wait," Hobin told her. She paused, giving him a quizzical look. To her surprise, he leaned closer to her.

    "What the hell-"

    He held her scrunchie and pulled it off. Jina drew a sharp breath, painfully aware that they were leaning too close in that small space.

    Hobin''s dark eyes met her brown ones and for a few seconds, they were locked into each other''s gazes. She could almost smell a faint musky vani scent emitting from him, momentarily making her dazed. There was something familiar about that scent but she could not pinpoint where she might have encountered it.

    Hobin was also slightly taken aback by therge doe-like eyes which were gazing into his eyes. If they had met under other circumstances, he would have found her beautiful. She had a natural allure which would make men gravitate towards her. He was leaning in so close, that he could almost count her eyshes. Her peachy skin looked smooth and soft. A crazy urge to pinch her cheek popped in his mind and Hobin was bbergasted.

    His mind was tugging at him as if trying to remind him of a thing he had forgotten. It felt like he had left behind a very important part of himself and seeing this woman was raising those thoughts in his head.

    Jina was about to tell him off but Hobin put his hands on her head and before she could say anything, he messed up her hair.

    "Hey!" she snapped at him but hepletely ignored her and made a mess out of her long hair.

    "Don''t fix it," he ordered. "And rub your eyes hard to make your eyes red. We need to look like druggies. Otherwise, they won''t talk."

    Jina groaned and did as he said. As much as she was annoyed at him, he was right. If they pretended to be druggies, the students would b. Hobin did the same to his hair and eyes. He took off his jacket and untucked his shirt. Jina always wore her shirts untucked and since she was in civilian clothes, blending in with drug addicts should not be a problem for her.

    "Let''s go," Hobin said. They got out of the car and walked towards the students. Upon seeing the adults, they were on alert.

    "Who the hell are you?" A burly teenager demanded.

    "I ''eard I can find me some cocaine ''ere," Jina said in a heavy ent. The teenagers peered at them with suspicion.

    "He looks like a foreigner," a skinny boy used, pointing at Hobin.

    " ''e is mute," Jina lied. Hobin nodded and made some gestures in signnguage.

    "What the hell is he saying?" the burly kid demanded.

    " ''e wans the goo'' stuff," Jina replied, perfectly reading Hobin''s signnguage. " ''eroine or crys''al."

    He was somewhat impressed by the detective''s ability to read signnguage. He rarely ran into cops who could decipher it.

    "Our usual drug dealer has disappeared!" the skinny guy growled. "He promised us meth and even took money. But he didn''t show up."

    "Shit!" Jina cursed. "We nee'' the drugs! Ugh!"

    She was scratching her arms like a mad woman, pacing back and forth while Hobin shook his head, pretending to be dismayed.

    "I can'' take another secon'' withou'' the meth!" Jina imed in a crazed mode. She messed up her hair more in an attempt to be more authentic.

    "Well I heard he''s shacked up with his girlfriend at an apartment in G-Road," the burly boy said. "Behind the park. It''s a grey building. I went there once to pick up the drugs. He lives on the fourth floor"

    " ''Eally?" Jina eximed, looking happy. " ''E has the meth?

    "Meth, cocaine, heroine," the skinny boy said. "Everything. If you see him, bring our money too! We can''t go coz the damn school will throw us out if we don''t return to ss within five minutes."

    "Bu'' wha'' if ''is folks catch us?" she asked.

    "His parents live abroad," the skinny boy replied. "They don''t know anything. It''s just him and sometimes his girlfriend there, snorting drugs and drinking."

    "Gotcha," Jina winked. Hobin also nodded at them, looking grateful before following Jina back to the car. She quickly started the engine and without a word, sped off.

    "We might find the two idiots there," Hobin predicted. "They were too obvious and sloppy. Wouldn''t havested even two days on their own but we should be careful. Call for backup."

    From the memories he saw from the dog, he deduced that they were not very smart. In fact, he was sure that despite the brutality of the crime, the girl carried it out on a whim without proper nning.

    "Already asked for backup, but those kids did not n this murder properly," Jina stated. "You''re right. It was a sloppy murder."

    Hobin raised his eyebrows at her. Usually, the police disagreed with his theories because they think the more the barbaric the murder, the more dangerous the criminals were. Most do not understand that barbaric murders were mostly a crime of passion which are not always nned properly, even sloppy at times.

    But this detective did not outright reject his theory. She actually epted it. Was she reading his mind?

    "If she had nned it well, she wouldn''t have made it so barbaric," Jina went on. "She wanted to take out her anger on her parents."

    "Now that she killed her parents, she no longer knows what to do," Hobin finished for her. "The boyfriend made the n, no doubt."

    "And this is gonna create trouble in paradise," Jina added. "We might be wrong. Who knows? They might actually turn out to be smart."

    "You think so?" Hobin snorted.

    "Nah."

    бн..

    "They really are stupid," Jina and Hobin said in unison. They were standing in front of a five-storied grey building. A RUV was parked right outside the gate.

    On the number te, a clear set of numbers were written. WA-5164.

 Chapter 15 - A Murder In The Realm (5)

    Soma was crying loudly in his sister''s arms. Aimee tried to calm him down but the child''s cries were only increasing by the minute.

    "SHUT HIM UP!" Beomsoo bellowed from the other room. Hey on the couch, high on drugs while Aimee was left to deal with her brother. ??

    "Stop crying!" she yelled at Soma with tears in her eyes. It had been hours since they escaped her parents'' home. When they had nned the murder, they thought of the life they were going to have after gaining freedom. Beomsoo promised that they would run away to another city and get married. He also told her that his parents were going to support them until they became adults. Soma was going to have a good life too.

    But it had been hours and Beomsoo was dead high.

    "Beomsoo, when are we going to leave town?" she asked desperately. "The police mighte looking for us!"

    "Soon!" he mumbled. "But shut that kid up! I can''t sleep!"

    He turned the other way to sleep. Aimee shook him with one hand.

    "Beomsoo, we have to get going!" she eximed. "The cops-"

    "Shut it!" he snapped at her but Aimee was not done.

    "The cops are going to arrest us!" she yelled. "Aren''t you afraid?"

    Beomsoo got to his feet and grabbed her hair, pulling at it. Aimee screamed, her eyes watering up by the pain.

    "Bitch!" he cursed. "Why are you asking me? You''re the one who failed to get the money out of your parents'' ounts! If you had gotten the money, we could have left!"

    "I didn''t know that my father changed his signature!" she protested. "He must have done it to prevent me from essing it! But we have to-"

    A tight pnded on her cheek, making her stagger backwards. "BITCH!" he yelled. "You dare to backtalk me? You are useless Aimee! You were supposed to get the money so that we could have bought more drugs! And now, we have nothing but this crying kid!"

    He red at Soma who was still crying for his mother. The boy''s little heart was confused and dazed as he tried to cope with what was going on.

    "Just shut him up!" Beomsoo warned. "Otherwise, I''ll kill him!"

    "Don''t you darey a finger on my brother!" Aimee shouted.

    "Oho!" Beomsoo sneered. "Now you''ve got such love for your family? Where was it when you were killing your own parents with the axe?"

    "I did it for you!" Aimee imed. "Because I love you!"

    "Love is useless to me!" he shouted. "I need the drugs, man! I need money for them!"

    He was deranged and shaking. Pacing to and fro, Beomsoo was mumbling nonsense to himself. There was no money for drugs left and he must get some otherwise he was going to die. Aimee winced at him, feeling disgusted. How could someone be so heartless?

    Beomsoo strode over to the window and to his shock, there were a couple of police cars parked outside. A group of cops had gathered and were about to enter the building.

    "Shit!" he cursed. "The cops are here!"

    "I told you!" Aimee shrieked. "I told you we should have-"

    But he pped her so hard this time that she fell back. Soma fell on her chest and was crying even harder. Seeing the child gave Beomsoo an idea.

    Without a word, he snatched Soma and ran off.

    "Beomsoo!" Aimee cried. "Give me back my brother."

    But Beomsoo was already out of the door and heading for the roof. Aimee staggered behind him, trying to reach her boyfriend.

    At that moment, Jina and Hobin appeared in the corridor only to see the couple running towards the roof with the child.

    "Stop!" Jina yelled, taking out her gun while Hobin headed for the apartment. He nced around and noticed a fire escape outside the window. Climbing outside the window, he looked up. The fire escape led to the roofбн

    Aimee did not stop and rushed to the roof, prompting Jina to follow her. To her shock, Beomsoo was holding the child hostage while Aimee pleaded for her brother''s life.

    Jina took out her gun to take aim but Beomsoo was standing near the railing with the kid who was crying hard.

    "I''ll drop this kid to his death!" Beomsoo warned. "I''m warning ya, cop! I''ll kill him!"

    "Beomsoo, just let him go!" Aimee begged. "He''s just a kid!"

    "Shut it!" he screamed at her. "If the cops don''t leave, I''ll kill him."

    "Beomsoo, let the child go," Jina warned. "Even if you kill him, you won''t be able to get out of here! The cops have surrounded the area!"

    "Tell them to let us leave then!" he demanded. "Otherwise this brat will die!"

    "Beomsoo, you love me, right?" Aimee pleaded. "Let Soma go! For my sake!"

    But to her shock, he spat at her. Aimee was stunned, the spit dripping from her face.

    "Whe the fuck would love you?" he sneered. "I was only with you for the money you gave me. Your parents were loaded and you were their only daughter! So I used you for my pleasure and money. And now, you''re worthless!"

    Aimee was still as a statue, her heart crushed to pieces upon hearing that. She truly believed that Beomsoo loved and understood her. She even went to the point of murdering her own parents for him. And now, he was iming that it was all a lieбн

    Jina wanted to pity Aimee''s situation. But the girl''s actions were preventing even an affable person like Jina from feeling any sympathy for her. There were more pressing matters.

    "You really didn''t get his deception, did you?" Jina asked her. "He was using you for money. That''s it. There''s no love involved on his part."

    "That''s right!" Beomsooughed. "You can arrest this bitch. I don''t need her. Besides, she was the one who did the killing. I didn''t even leave any evidence behind. It''s all her-"

    He froze mid-sentence as a hand hit his head, attacking a critical point. Beomsoo went still for a few seconds as Hobin approached from behind him and grabbed the baby before the drug addict fell on the roof, unconscious.

    "Well, the kid wouldn''t have died from the fall considering that there''s a fire escape right below," Hobin casuallymented as he climbed over the railing with the child.

    Jina could only stare at him in wonder but Hobin handed her the child.

    "I believe he''s your headache now," he said and was walking away.

    "How...whyбн" Jina gaped but decided not to waste her brain cells on the details. The child was safe and the culprits were caught. That was what mattered.

    "Aimee you are under arrest-" she was saying but paused midway. "Aimee!"

    Hobin, who was walking towards the exit, stopped upon hearing Jina''s cry and turned around.

    Aimee was standing on the railing, ready to jump off the fifth floor.

 Chapter 16 - A Murder In The Realm-Conclusion

    Jina was about to say something but Aimee yelled, "NO! Don''te any closer!"

    She was crying hard, tears falling from her eyes as she wallowed in remorse. The boy she had loved and killed for had betrayed her. Her parents who loved her unconditionally were dead all because of her and she was feeling ashamed of herself. ??

    Grief welled up in Aimee''s heart as she thought back to how mercilessly she had ughtered her parents in their sleep. When did she start to hate them so much? When did she turn into such a monster?

    "I deserve this," she whispered. She stepped a little backwards, closing her eyes.

    "You do."

    Hobin was surprised by Jina''s words but did notment. She was impassive at the girl''s sadness, simply scrutinising the hopeless teenager.

    Shouldn''t a cop try to stop a girl from killing herself? He mused.

    Aimee''s eyes shot open to see Jina''s stony expression. It was hard to read the cop but she stood her ground, unflinching and unblinking.

    "Daddy''s princess who turned into a murderer," Jina went on. "Killed her parents for a moment of fickle passion. A murderer who would never be able to live in society. Meanwhile, your brother will grow up as an orphan, resenting you for taking away his childhood."

    She pointed at Soma who was now quietly sobbing. He was watching his sister with his innocent eyes, trying toprehend what she was doing. From the corner of her eyes, Jina watched the two ghostly figures appear out of nowhere. They were shouting at their daughter not to jump but Aimee could not hear them.

    "Detective, stop my daughter!" Sungil begged. "Let her go!"

    "Aimee, get away from there!" Mari cried. "No!"

    Hobin wordlessly stepped forward, curious to see what the detective was doing. In his experience, the cops would usually beg the suicidal people to get down, even pull them away forcefully. But this one was actually telling the girl to jump.

    "You know what," Jina said. "I don''t think that you''ll die by falling from here. Aa maybe or a few months in the hospital. But death...nah!"

    "What are youбн" Aimee began to mumble but Jina pointed her gun at her.

    "I should pull this trigger and it''ll be the end for you," Jina said calmly. "Should I? It''s a quick and easy death."

    Aimee was now scared for her life. What the hell was this cop doing?

    "I-I can jump on my own and die!" she squeaked.

    "Go ahead," Jina challenged. "If you think that your guilt will go away, then be my guest. But let me tell you one thing. That guilt will never go away."

    As Jina said this, her mind shed the images of the countless souls she had encountered who were suffering even in death. No matter how hard they tried to wash the stains off their hands, they could not do so. Their souls were tainted and lost, unable to die or live. They were empty vessels, wandering between the worlds of the living and death for eternity.

    "I WANT TO DIE!" Aimee shrieked. "I killed my parents for him! I did everything for him! And this is what I get? The tag of a murderer?"

    Aimeepletely broke down upon thinking of the unforgivable sin she hadmitted. She would go to prison and that would be the end of her life. The society would not ept her and there was no way she could make a living.

    "My life is over," she whimpered.

    "After killing your parents so brutally, ask yourself this," Jina pressed. "Do you deserve this easy death? And himбн"

    She pointed at Soma again.

    "He''ll grow up to resent you but at least he''ll still have someone! You''ll have the chance to make up with him over time. But if you die like this, he''ll keep on hating you for the rest of his life. There won''t be another chance for you to redeem yourself."

    "He''ll be better off without me!"

    Jina sighed and shook her head. "Honestly, I''m not even surprised," she shrugged. "Of course a coward like you would take the easy way out. After killing your parents like that, you want your suffering to end. You want your guilt to end. It''s all about you. I''m sure your parents'' souls are not sad over the fact you killed them. They''re sad that even after feeling the guilt of your actions, you''re choosing to evade responsibility. And even worse, you''re abandoning your brother."

    Aimee looked at Soma who was still looking at her with confusion. He sensed that something was wrong with his sister and squirmed in Jina''s arms, reaching out for his sister.

    "Ai sis!" he cried. "Ai sis!"

    Seeing him call for her was making Aimee emotional. She was torn between her desire to end her life and the wish to someday make it up to Soma. Jina nced at the souls of her parents who were now crying right beside their daughter.

    "If you want your parents to rest in peace," Jina went on. "Confess to your crimes. Face the consequences. You''re still a minor so you''ll be sent to a correctional facility and stay there until you reach the age of twenty. Then you''ll be let go. Thew is twisted but you''re lucky. Aftermitting that heinous crime, you''re still getting a chance! People rot away in prison for years. Even death isn''t kind to them."

    Aimee trembled at the thought of living in a correctional facility but seeing Soma''s tears was weakening her resolve to die.

    "Ai sis!" he called out for her. Hobin sighed and stepped forward.

    "When you get out," he spoke up. "Come look for me. I''ll help you find work at one of the rehabs I worked at. You can help children like yourself find sce."

    "Last chance, kid," Jina stated. "Take it and let your parents rest in peace, knowing that you''ll be okay...someday. Or just go ahead and jump. Your choice."

    Aimee thought hard and took a deep breath. She stared at her brother who was still unaware of what she had done. All he wanted was his sister to return to him.

    Slowly, she stepped away from the edge and climbed down the railing.

    "We''ve got the suspects," Jina spoke into her microphone. "Please take them in."

    Aimee was still as a statue when Jina handcuffed her. The two souls watched tearfully as the police took their daughter away. Beomsoo was also dragged to a police van and soon, the vehicles drove off with the culprits. Soma was being cared for by some of the female detectives who were waiting for his godparents to arrive.

    The two souls approached Jina, who was now standing outside the building to oversee the arrest.

    "We''ll stay with her until she is released," Sungil said. "To protect her."

    "Thank you," Mari said gratefully. "For everything."

    "Take care of yourselves," Jina whispered and smiled at them. The two souls smiled back and disappeared. Just then Hobin came up to her.

    "The kid will be sent to his aunt and uncle," he informed her. "They areing to fetch him. The autopsy results will be out in a few days but the fingerprints of the two teens are all over the bedroom."

    Jina did not reply but merely nodded. Hobin looked at her with curiosity.

    "What?" she asked.

    "You made a huge gamble," he remarked. "It required a lot of luck but only someone who is either a genius or an idiot would attempt it."

    "And you''ll put me in the genius category?" Jina asked in a smug tone.

    "No," he said, shaking his head. "I''ll say that you''re the smartest idiot I''ve ever met."

    "Oi!" she scowled. "I''m much older than you, punk! I know what I''m doing-"

    "I don''t care about age," he shrugged. "I''ll say my honest thoughts to anyone, old or young."

    Jina red at him but did not bother to reply. People like him always thought of themselves as high and mighty. She had learnt not to dignify them with a response but let her work do the talking.

    I just hope I never run into this brat ever again, she prayed.

 Chapter 17 - Apartment Number 20

    "This has got to be a record!" Jiwoon eximed. They were back at the precinct after the daylong operation to catch the killers. It had taken them less than ten hours to catch the suspect and hence, the team was highly motivated.

    "We caught the culprit in such a short time!" Chanmi agreed. "The Chief should promote us!" ??

    "As if he''s that generous!" Jina scoffed. The other groaned. It was well known that the Chief only tolerated Jina because she was a good detective. Otherwise, he would not have given her any due credit. There was a rumor in the precinct that the Chief was rejected by Jina''s mother, former Detective Jeon Gayoon, and ever since Jina joined the force, he tried to make life difficult for her.

    Unfortunately for him, Jina was smart and resourceful when it came to solving cases so he had no other choice but to acknowledge her.

    "Let''s go out to celebrate, boss!" Jaebum insisted. "We need a drink!"

    "Oi, we''ve all been working for three nights straight!" Dahoon snapped. "We''re tired."

    "Dahoon is right," Woohee agreed. "We can celebrate some other day. All of us got the night off. We need sleep."

    "True," Jina said. "I''m ready to go home and take a long hot shower."

    "But today was such a weird day," Jiwoonmented. "The guy who appeared...Hobin, right?"

    She typed his name on theputer. "Look at this," she said, pointing at the screen.

    The others huddled around her to read the article she dug up.

    "ording to his profile, the guy is a genius," Jiwoonmented. "He passed his university exams by the time he was a teenager andpleted medical exams before he hit twenty. It sounds insane, but Doctor Ohm Hobin is considered one of the top criminal profilers in the world. He''s been aiding the police in the USA and also worked with Scond Yard! Our Commissioner worked with him while they were hunting a serial killer in Ennd. That killer was from our country and turns out, he was an exchange student. The police had been chasing him for months but it took Doctor Ohm only one day to create a profile and they caught him within the next two days. It was sensational news!"

    "But he openly criticized the police for their ipetence," she went on. "There were many shes between him and the local authorities. They called him Doctor Demon for his arrogance and also for his uncanny ability to catch criminals in such a short time."

    "What is this international celebrity doing here?" Jina wondered.

    "Who knows," Jiwoon sighed. "But he''s a genius and well respected. I''ve heard he''s going to start working at the hospital as a psychiatrist."

    "Graduated college by the time he was in his teens," Jaebum gasped. "That''s some insane level genius there."

    "Or just insane," Jina sighed. "He seemed whacked in the head. Let me guess. His parents are loaded and sent him to the best schools."

    "His mother is a well known model and phnthropist," Jiwoon read. "Her name is-"

    Just then they heard a pair of heavy footsteps approaching their way. Looking up, they saw a tall, thin man in his early fifties standing in front of them. His hair was greying and his once handsome features had been hardened with time. Everyone stood up straight and saluted him.

    "Chief Taejoon!" Jina greeted him.

    "I''ve heard that all of you caught the culprit in less than half a day," he grumbled.

    "Yes sir," Jiwoon replied. "The reports will be sent to you tomorrow morning."

    "Who was the other guy?" Taejoon asked. "Some doctorбн"

    "He was sent by the Commissioner since the case was a special one," Jina informed him. "He''s probably gone elsewhere by now."

    "The Commissioner is trying to interfere in this precinct," Taejoon stated. "He thinks we aregging behind in solving cases and thinks that this will hurt his chances of being re-elected to his post. Bullshit! Don''t let this guy investigate any more of our cases. Got it?"

    "Yes sir!"

    He shot a reproachful gaze at Jina. "I better see the reports on this case by Thursday morning, Hwang," he warned. "I''m going to hand it over to the Commissioner myself."

    Jina bowed as he walked away. "Fucking git is gonna take our credit!" Jaebum hissed.

    "Unfortunately, the fucking git is our Chief," Jina sighed. "But it doesn''t matter. All of us know he''s gonna falter in the presentation. The forensic reports aren''t out and a ton of other evidence is left to be analyzed. He''ll be running out of the Commissioner''s office with his tail between his legs."

    The others snickered and got back to work. Theypleted the required reports, working for hours before finally calling it a day. Jina stretched her limbs and picked up her bag. Bidding goodbye to everyone, she headed straight towards her car.

    Finally! She sighed in relief.

    "Home sweet home!" she eximed.

    Revving up the engine, she sped off. She lived on her own at a small apartment only a few blocks away from the precinct. Even though her parents owned a mansion in the city and her aunt and uncle also lived nearby, Jina enjoyed living on her own. As soon as she saved up enough, she moved to her own apartment.

    The four storeyed building she lived in consisted of moderately sized studio apartments. The rent was cheap and thendy was kind. But what attracted Jina to that ce was the fact it was very homely. The ce was always well maintained and the building was secured with CCTV cameras which the inhabitants paid with their own pockets. Despite asional lighting problems, the ce was spacious and warm.

    The habitants of the building were also a tight knit group. Some of them were entric but they meant well. When she first moved in, the neighbors were very kind and weing. It was rare to see such friendliness and when they heard she was studying to be a cop, a lot of her neighbors checked up on her from time to time, bringing her food as well. Soon, they became part of her small world.

    Jian hummed as she pulled up in front of her building. She passed by the caretaker''s office when she heard someone calling out her name.

    "Jina!"

    She turned around to see a middle aged woman with short curly hair walking towards her. The woman was the caretaker andndlord of the building, Ahn Doksun. She was carrying a container.

    "Auntie Ahn!" Jina greeted and bowed with a warm smile. "How are you feeling today?"

    "I''m great, my dear," Ahn replied. "But my feet are still hurting. Which is why I wanted to ask you a favor."

    "Anything!" Jina offered.

    "You know that the Kim''s who used to live next to your house have left, right?" she asked.

    "Yes, they moved to another city," Jina recalled.

    "Well, another young man just moved in today," Ahn exined. "And I wanted to wee him to our building so I want to give him some fresh crabs. He''s new to the country and barely knows anyone here. I hope this will help him feel wee. Since he''s living next door to you, can you give it to him?"

    "Of course!" Jina smiled. "I''ll hand it over to him."

    "I just hope he fixes that lock," Ahn went on. "The Kim''s never bothered to fix it since they were moving away. I''d have done it but cash has been tightбн"

    She let out a loud sigh. Jina smiled and took the containers. Ahn thanked her and walked away. Jina carried the container in her hands, climbing till the fourth floor where she lived. Her apartment number was 19 and the new guy had moved into number 20.

    Standing in front of apartment 20, she knocked on the door.

    "Hello?" she called out. "Anybody inside?"

    There was a shuffling of footsteps. Jina nced around her feet. The new guy still had a few boxes ced outside. The top box was half unopened and a picture was peeking out from it. She frowned and stooped down to take a look at it.

    The picture was of two men. One was in his thirties with dark eyes and hair. There was something familiar about him but Jina only dwelled on him for a second because her attention was caught by the auburn haired guy next to him.

    "No way!" she yelped.

    "I had hoped that the cops in this country would be less intrusive but I guess I was wrong."

    The familiar voice mocked her. Jina froze in her spot upon hearing the deep baritone and slowly looked up.

    "Oh fuckбн" she cursed under her breath, her chocte eyes meeting his dark ones.

    Her new neighbor was none other than the Doctor Demon, Ohm Hobin.

 Chapter 18 - A Morning Visitor

    Jina slowly opened her eyes as the first rays of the sun hit her eyes. She was in her tiny unit, lying on her bed. Her mind was a little dazed as she got up and yawned. Stretching her limbs, she tried to recall the strange dream she had. In her dream, she saw that the arrogant Doctor had moved next door to her.

    "Ugh, what a bad dream," she muttered and got off the bed. She stretched her limbs more to get rid of the tiredness, ready to wee a new day. For years, she maintained a healthy sleep pattern, waking up early in the morning to enjoy some blissful moments of the morning sky. ??

    The small unit she rented was airy and open. When she moved in, there was only one window so Jina paid for it to be widened so that she could see the neighborhood from it. The walls were painted a soft pink shade with pictures of her family hung on them. She had installed colorful fairy lights which hung from the ceiling like a miniature chandelier, illuminating the room in the darkness.

    A small white dresser stood beside her bed where she kept all her cosmetics and essories. She had a lot of them because at times when her parents were in town, she would have to attend their parties and she needed to put on makeup for those asions. But she rarely needed makeup. Her skin was fresh and smooth.

    She was almost doll-like in appearance, her fair skin being an envy for many of the officers in her precinct. They imed it was all due to her rich upbringing but Jina''s mother was also quite beautiful despite being a working cop. And her father was also a handsome hunk so she got both their genes.

    Even her brothers and little sister were blessed with the beauty genes of the Hwang''s but no one in their family really cared much for looks. Her parents were more focused on keeping their kids grounded. Jina never made them worried but the twins were a handful. They constantly worried for the boys for living away from them but their aunt, Mina handled them pretty well.

    I should check up on those two morons, she decided. She had the day off so she could visit the twins that day.

    Jina washed up and got out of the bathroom, wiping her face. There was a small coffee making machine on her desk. She turned it on and brewed herself a cup of coffee before sitting on the windowsill to enjoy the view. It was only 6:30 AM in the morning but one of her favorite parts of the day was to sit near the window and watch the world outside her room.

    The neighborhood she lived in was at the heart of the city where people from various segments of the society came to live. The rent in the area was cheap so there were mostly students, young professionals orrge families living in the buildings nearby. When she moved in, many people were skeptical of her. They presumed she was a spoiled brat who would not be able to adjust with their lifestyle and was going to throw tantrums.

    But Jina adjusted so well with them that everyone eventually epted her as one of their own. They even forgot that she came from a money loving family.

    She was happily sipping coffee, when she noticed something. A pale boy of around ten years old was peeking at the building. The boy wore a blue t-shirt with a guitar drawn on it. His eyes were on her, watching her carefully. Jina looked back at him. She raised an eyebrow and was about to open the window when there was a knock on her door, causing her to nce at it.

    Who could it be at this hour? She wondered. She looked outside the window again but the boy disappeared.

    "Open up, Ms. Cop!"

    The familiar voice made her freeze. SHIT! She cursed in her head. It was not a nightmare.

    The damn Doctor Demon was really her neighbor!

    Composing herself, she opened the door to see Hobin standing outside her unit.

    "What do you want?" she asked warily.

    "Get ready ande with me," he ordered.

    "Buzz off!" Jina snapped at him and tried to close the door but Hobin forced it open and barged into her apartment.

    "WHAT THE F-" she began to yell but he held up his phone to show her an image. Jina stopped midway and stared at the picture.

    "Last night, a kid was killed in this neighborhood," he revealed. "And his body was dumped in the trash can. Since you''re the nearest cop, I thought you''d be able to investigate."

    But Jina was still staring at the picture. It was the same boy whom she had seen only minutes ago.

    "Wait outside," she stated. "I''ll get dressed."

    Hobin shrugged as Jina took out her clothes and headed into the bathroom. He goes outside to wait for her when a sudden pain jabs his head.

    "AGH!" he doubled over, leaning against the wall. In front of him was arge vase with tiny mirrors attached to it. Gasping in pain, he briefly nced at the vase and saw a pair of red eyes staring back at him. He thought he saw some strange wing-like things as well but before he couldpletelyprehend what he saw, the red eyes and wings vanished, leaving behind nothing but his clear ck eyes.

    Not again, he winced. Every time he felt these recurring pains, his eyes would turn red. It started when he turned 18 and even his mother and brother were unaware of this. They were already worried about him and there was no need to worry them any further.

    "Curse that girl!" he gritted. He knew that his headaches were somehow rted to the little girl he was dreaming of for the past few months. Who was she and what did she want? Why was he having dreams about her?

    "What are you doing?"

    He turned around to find Jina standing there, looking at him with suspicion. Hobin took a sharp breath and steadied himself.

    "You''rete," he said curtly. "We can lose valuable clues at the crime scene!"

    "Don''t you know how to talk to people?" Jina sneered. "Keep up with that attitude and no one''s gonna want to help you!"

    "As if the police could ever help!" Hobin shot back. "They certainly did not help when-"

    He stopped short. There was no point in trying to exin anything to her. To him, the police force was always useless.

    "Let''s go," he ordered. Without another word, he walked off, leaving Jina to shake her head in annoyance.

    "Brat," she muttered as she followed him.

    "I heard that!" he imed

    "Good!" she shot back. "Brat!"

 Chapter 19 - Trashcan

    The body was dumped in a trashcan only a couple of blocks away so Jina and Hobin walked there directly. A crowd had gathered but the CSI was already there, fending them off. Jina put on her gloves while Hobin did the same and they entered the crime scene.

    The police officers had secured the body and put it on a stretcher. The initial investigation was alreadyplete by the time they got there and the CSI officers were starting to pack up. Jina nced at the boy. ??

    "He''s been strangled," Hobinmented. He squatted down to take a closer look. "There are signs of strangtion by a wire or something simr."

    "The rest of his body isn''t bruised," Jinamented. "The killer might have taken him by surprise."

    Hobin checked the hands of the corpse. There were no signs of struggle other than the marks on his neck but the boy''s nails were bloody.

    "Did the Forensic collect the samples under his nails?" Hobin asked a passing CSI officer.

    "Yes," the officer replied. "We''ve also gathered the photos and we''ll send them to the department as soon as we''re done here."

    Hobin nodded and stood up. Jina ushered a rookie cop to her.

    "What are the details so far?" she asked him.

    "The boy is around nine to ten years old," he replied. "He''s been strangled and dumped here."

    "Any CCTV footage?" Hobin asked.

    "None," the rookie stated. "This spot is secluded and the camera is broken as well. But one of the residents saw a ck vanst night pulling up in front of the trashcan and dropped off arge bag. The body was discovered this morning by the trash collector when he noticed the hand was sticking out of the bag."

    "Where''s the witness who saw the car?" Hobin asked.

    "She''s standing there."

    The rookie cop pointed at a girl who was around 14 or 15 years old. She was wearing a school uniform which Jina recognized immediately.

    "Dalton High?" she muttered.

    "What is it?" Hobin asked.

    "Nothing!" she imed. "Let''s talk to her."

    They approached the girl who looked a little scared. Her parents were standing with her, sping her hand.

    "Detective Hwang Jina," she introduced herself. "And this is Doctor Ohm Hobin, Special Profiler. Can we ask your daughter some questions?"

    "Our daughter is really afraid," her mother exined. "She''s not understanding how to deal with cops."

    "Don''t worry," Jina assured them. "Nothing will happen to your daughter. We''ll only ask a few questions about the van she saw. I know it might feel scary to her but I promise you that she''s not in any trouble."

    Jin turned to the girl and smiled. The girl was timid and awkward but felt somewhat rxed in Jina''s presence.

    "What''s your name?" she gently asked.

    "Soobin," the girl replied. "Kim Soobin."

    "Can I call you Soobin?" Jina asked. "You can call me ''sis'' as well. No need to be formal."

    Hobin observed the girl carefully. She had dark hair with dull eyes but her face was friendly. By her dialect, he deduced that the girl and her family were from another town and had probably recently moved to the neighborhood. However, the uniform she wore was expensive because the stitching was not just done by hand but he saw the initials of the designer on one corner of her skirt. As per his knowledge, only exclusive schools'' uniforms were designed by that particr designer.

    "Sis," Soobin began. "Me and my parents just moved to the city a few weeks ago because I got into Dalton High School. We don''t know much about this ce and I''m still learning how to navigate the area. Last night, I got lost around the intersection."

    She pointed at a four road intersection just a few steps away from their spot. "Instead of going South, I ended uping north. I was standing in front of that wall, scanning my phone''s map for directions when I saw a ck van stop by and throw something out. Since it was near the trash can, I thought they probably threw trash and drove offбн"

    Soobin trailed off, biting her lip.

    "Most people wouldn''t remember this detail," Hobin pointed out. "You were busy with your phone and lost. Your mind should have been elsewhere, not at a car which just happened to throw trash away."

    He looked directly into her eyes. "There''s something else, isn''t there?" he guessed. "Something that caught your eye and made you remember the van quite vividly."

    When Soobin hesitated, Jina asked, "Soobin, what else did you see? Please tell us."

    "The person who threw the bag away was a woman," she revealed. "She was wearing a mask so I couldn''t see her face but she wore a skirt and light colored shirt with really high heels. It seemed odd that a woman who looked so elegant and smart would be throwing out trash in the middle of the night. The woman did not see me because I was on the other side of the wall. She drove away afterwards."

    "What else do you remember?" Hobin asked.

    "There was some sort of ck drawing on her left wrist," Soobin recalled. "It was mostly hidden by the sleeves but when she was dragging the bag, her wrist was exposed for a few seconds. I couldn''t see the shape from afar but there was definitely some kind of ck tattoo on it!"

    "ck tattooбн" Jina secretly nced around to see if the ghost was anywhere nearby but he was nowhere to be seen.

    I''ll have to keep looking for him, she decided.

    Meanwhile, Hobin took off his gloves and reached out his hand for the girl to shake. "Thank you for your help," he said with a charming smile.

    The girl was a little mesmerized by the handsome man. She paused a little before shaking his hand.

    Instantly, he read her memories. Useless images of a light haired idol named Minyoon were shing by until he reached thest bit about the night before. Her story corroborated with what she had said. There indeed was a tattooeddy but as Soobin said, she was standing too far to see the face and tattoo properly.

    "Are you heading to school now?" Jina asked Soobin.

    "Yes, but I''m running veryte," Soobin murmured.

    "I can drop you off," Jina offered. "I''m nning to stop at Dalton High on the way."

    "Oh," Soobin said. "Okay."

    "I''ming too," Hobin casually said.

    "The hospital is on the opposite side!" Jina gritted.

    "I know," he shrugged. "But there''s this really hot girl who sells casseroles in front of the school."

    "How do you know that?" Jina frowned. "You''ve lived abroad all your life! How do you know about the casserole girl?"

    But he simply winked and walked off.

    "He''s really cute," Soobin remarked.

    "He''s annoying!" Jina groaned. She motioned at Soobin and said, "Let''s go."

 Chapter 20 - Hwang Minyoon

    Jina pulled up in front of the school where the students were beginning to line up for the morning assembly. Hobin sat next to Jina while Soobin sat at the back.

    "Thank you, sis," Soobin said to her. "I''ll get off now." ??

    "Wait," Jina said. "Do you happen to know Minyoon and Yoonmin? They''re twins and about your age. I think they''re in your ss."

    To her surprise, Soobin blushed hard. "Y-you mean the idol Minyoon?" she stammered. "Yes, he''s in my ss, b-b-but I barely talk to him."

    "Uh, okay," Jina said. Soobin bowed and scurried out of the car.

    "I''ll go and talk to the casseroledy," Hobin said and he, too, rushed out of the car. Jina shook her head in disdain. She nced at the school and noticed a familiar Maybach parked in front of the school.

    "Huh?" she frowned. "That''s aunt Mina''s car! And it has no driverбн"

    Her nostrils red up and she flexed her knuckles. The twins were dead meat!

    She got out of the car and charged into the school. A guard tried to stop her but she shed her badge so he let her in. Jina spotted Soobin who was about to enter the building where her ssroom was located.

    "Soobin!" she called out. The girl stopped in her tracks and saw the detectiveing towards her.

    "Can you take me to your ss?" Jina asked.

    бн..

    The ssroom was abuzz with students who were gossiping among themselves. Some of the girls were ncing at the back every now and then, giggling to themselves. They could not help but sneak a peek at the handsome boy who was sitting at the back.

    The boy looked very bored. He leaned against his chair, ruffling his dark hair. He had piercing chocte colored eyes and sharp features. The boy was really tall for his age. He was almost 5 feet 9 and still growing. His lips were etched into a smirk as he noticed the girls ogling at him.

    "Ummбн"

    A timid girl came up to him. The boy looked at her with hiszy eyes.

    "Y-You are Minyoon, right?" she asked, feeling breathless. "C-Can I h-have your autograph, p-please?"

    "Sorry hun," he saidzily. "If you want my autograph, you''ll have to buy them from my fansite."

    The girl stared at him in shock. Which idol would refuse to give an autograph?

    "B-But y-y-you''re a celebrity!" she imed. "Shouldn''t you be giving out autographs to fans?"

    "Only to those who work hard and spend money on my merchandise," he smirked. "Attend all my fan events by spending money and buying my time. As long as they''re working hard for me and spending on me, I''ll work hard for them. If I give away free autographs, it''s an insult to those who are paying for them online."

    "B-b-but-"

    "Fame means money, dear," he said absentmindedly. "And money requires hard work. You gotta work hard for your idols, okay? All the best!"

    He smiled at her before taking out a mirror to study his perfect face and dashing smile. The girl was speechless and went back to her friends.

    "That guy is so arrogant!" she scowled but her friendsughed at her.

    "He''s Hwang Minyoon!" one of her friends exined. "He''s not just an idol. He''s a member of the Hwang family. And the Hwang''s are known for their love for hard earned money. Minyoon is very straightforward about it. If he''s working day and night to give amazing performances, then the fans will have to buy his albums, songs and all merchandise through the official channels. He won''t give away his time for free just for anyone."

    "But that''s not fair!" the girl protested. "I''m a fan too!"

    "Yeah but he prefers it when the fans are supporting him with honest money and not asking stuff for free," her friend replied. "As he said, if he gives away stuff for free, it''s an insult to those who are paying for it."

    The girl shook her head and scowled at Minyoon who still fixated on his appearance.

    "Ugh! I just had to get my old man''s eyebrows," he was saying. "It''s a good thing I got my looks from mom."

    Narcissist, the girls thought in unison.

    Just then, Soobin entered the ss and was immediately blushing because her eyes fell on Minyoon. She was one of his biggest fans but hid it from everyone. She bought all his albums, light sticks, merchandise and attended his fan signs with her own hard earned money. The girl even ran a fansite which raised money for the NGO''s he supported albeit in secrecy. Soobin did not want him to think that she was a crazy fan so she only admired him from afar.

    Behind her, Jina was staring at Minyoon too. But instead of admiration, she looked as if she was ready to throw him out of the window.

    "Who''s that?" some of the students murmured upon seeing her but Jina did not care. She charged towards Minyoon, who was still admiring himself in the mirror.

    An ominous shadow fell on him and he scowled a little.

    "I told you that you''ll have to buy my autographs-" he was saying but froze in mid sentence. Yelping in fright, he tried to back off but Jina grabbed and twisted his ear.

    "OW OW OW!" he yelped. "Sister! I swear it wasn''t me! I DIDN''T DRIVE THE CAR TO SCHOOL! OW!"

    "I know it wasn''t just you!" Jina gritted. "But you were an aplice! Where''s the other one?"

    "OWWWWW!" Minyoon protested. The rest of the ss stared in shock as their star idol was being dragged away by a woman who was much shorter than him but somehow very intimidating.

    Jina dragged her brother out of the ss and let go of his ear. Minyoon rubbed his poor ear, ready for an earful from his elder sister.

    "Driving aunt''s car without a license!" she scolded him. "You''re fifteen you moron!"

    "Aunt gave me the car as a gift!" he pointed out.

    "Yes, so that you can drive it when you turn 18!" Jina eximed. "What the hell are you thinking? Driving the car to school without a chaperone!"

    "Technically, I wasn''t the one driving it," he mumbled. "It was Yoonmin."

    "Where is that idiot? I''m gonna ground both of you for a month!"

    "I have a concert!" Minyoon protested but faltered under his sister''s angry gaze.

    "I think he''s at the cafe across the street," Minyoon winced. Cafe?

    Minyoon could feel his volcanic sister about to erupt in anger any moment. Hwang Jina was usually level headed but when angered, she would make people''s lives a living hell. Once, she sent her entire army of ghosts behind the twins when they were running a paranormal website where they uploaded videos of Jina''s ghostly adventures. Needless to say, her minions shut down the site and Jina grounded the twins for an entire year.

    Luckily, they used that time to utilise Minyoon''s talents as a singer and turned him into a viral sensation.

    Jina tried to keep her voice steady as she asked, "What is he doing at the cafe across the street? That too during school hours?"

    "Well...as my manager, he''s quite busy," Minyoon tried to exin but his sister was dangerously leaning him against a corner.

    "He''s a student in high school," she gritted. "The things he should be busy with are multiplication tables and chemistry sets. What is he doing in a cafe during school hours?"

    She red at her brother who squealed.

    "Earning money!" he squeaked.

 Chapter 21 - Hwang Yoonmin

    Hobin entered the cafe across the street. It was fairly empty except for a group of people at one corner while a pretty girl in her early twenties stood behind the counter. Hobin shed a smile at her which made the girl blush a little.

    "An americano," he winked at her. The girl was flustered to be receiving attention from the handsome man who had just walked in. ??

    "Are you new here?" she breathed.

    "How do you know?" Hobin asked, feigning to be surprised. "I am new here and I barely know anyone."

    "I can tell that you''re not a local," she exined. "I know almost all the people in this neighborhood. Theye in here quite regrly. Especially the kids from that school."

    "Do a lot of kidse here?" he asked casually.

    "Yeah," she replied. "The elementary school isn''t far. Plus, the students of Dalton High hang out here all the time."

    She lowered her tone to add, "See that kid over there? He''s from Dalton High too."

    Hobin frowned and turned around to see a teenager with dark hair and very familiar brown eyes. The boy looked hardly older than fifteen and was talking to a couple of men who were twice his age. There was a cool expression on the boy''s face as if he was the one ordering them around.

    "Shouldn''t he be in ss?" Hobin queried.

    "He''s one of the infamous twins," she shrugged. "It''ll be a miracle to see them in ss. They''re more interested in...let''s just say they have interests which are beyond theprehension of normal education."

    Hobin could not make head nor tail of her words but he did not bother to ask. He was there on a different mission. Turning his attention back to the girl, he said, "Why don''t you join me for breakfast? My treat."

    The girl hesitated. "I''m supposed to be workingбн" she said but Hobin''s expressive grey eyes twinkled at her. He was so handsome that she could not help ogling at him. His auburn hair coupled with his charming smile were irresistible.

    "I-I guess I could spare a few minutes," she stammered. "I''ll prepare the croissant and your coffee, sir."

    "Call me Doctor Hobin," he told her. The girl blushed hard and nodded. Hobin went on to sit at a table which was close to the other table where the teenager was seated with the other men.

    "A fall in profit by 0.004 percent?" the boy was saying in a cold tone. "0.004 percent? Exin yourself, Mr. Namgi."

    The boy crossed his arms and leaned back. He had multiple piercings on his ears and his long hair was tied into a half bun. The boy looked more like a delinquent but there was an aura about him which felt familiar. He emitted an air of aristocracy and elegance which contrasted with his rowdy look.

    The man named Namgi was sweating profusely at the question he had been asked. He nced at his partner before speaking up.

    "Our revenue increased fromst month!" he imed. "Minyoon''s albums sold for five billion dors! It''s just that the concept change led to some costs increasing-"

    "Which costs?" the boy gritted.

    "Er...the rent of the location increased!" Namgi squeaked.

    "The rent for the shooting spot was fifty thousand per day," the boy pointed out. "And we got a bargain deal for thirty thousand per day and used it for only four days. Our costs should have decreased."

    "The owner charged us extra for taxes on rentбн"

    Namgi braced himself for the explosion.

    "TAXES ON RENT? THE WHOLE PACKAGE INCLUDED THE TAXES!" The boy shouted at him. "HE DARES TO CHARGE US EXTRA FOR THAT?"

    Hobin, who was reading a newspaper, was surprised to hear the boy shout at men much older than him. Both the men were cowering in front of him as if they were about to be eaten by a monster.

    "CEO!" Namgi eximed. "We didn''t know-"

    "Send him a warning that Starry Entertainment will be buying his damnnd!" the boy threatened. "Bankrupt hispany if needed but buy thatnd! How dare he cheat us? Buy it at a quarter of its price and show him who''s the boss!"

    The boy red at them, his words were absolutely final. "Show him the might of ourpany, otherwise don''t even bother toe back to work!"

    "Aye!" Namgi squealed while the other man cowered behind his partner. "We''ll get to work, won''t we Gong?"

    "Yes!" the man named Gong imed. "We''ll buy it at a quarter of the price!"

    Just then the girl arrived, carrying two cups of coffee and a couple of croissants. She sat across from Hobin, who was still curious about the kid.

    "That''s Hwang Yoonmin," she told him. "The CEO of Starry Entertainment."

    "CEO?" Hobin frowned. "At that age?"

    "Well, his brother, Minyoon is the only idol they manage," she stated. "And he''s the most popr idol in the country right now! They don''t have an office but work virtually to promote Minyoon. Their business is quite profitable. The older brother is the idol while the younger one is the brains. They started it only two years ago as fun but seeing how popr Minyoon became, they turned it into a business. They might just be high schoolers but it''s not surprising. I heard their parents have a lot of money but they live abroad now. The brothers had to stay back because of school. Their elder sister and aunt are their guardians."

    Sister? Hwang Yoonmin? Hobin frowned but did not bother. He had better things to do. Turning around, he focused on the girl.

    "How long have you been working here, sweetheart?" he asked.

    The girl was ttered to be getting attention from the handsome man. "One year," she replied.

    "You work so hard," he sighed.

    "Are you a first year resident at the hospital?" the girl asked.

    "I''m a full time doctor," he stated. "Psychiatrist to be exact."

    "Woah!" the girl eximed in awe. "You must be a genius!"

    "I am," Hobin smirked. He nced at his watch and groaned.

    "This thing stopped working," he sighed. "Do you know what''s the time?"

    "Oh," the girl said. She nced at her own watch and said, "It''s 10 AM."

    Hobin stared at her wrist with interest. "You know, my mom has that watch," he said. "She cherishes it a lot. And it looks pretty on your hand."

    The girl giggled at the man''s flirtations. "You wanna take a closer look?" she asked.

    "May I?"

    He took her hand, pretending to be interested in the watch whereas he was secretly scanning her memories. His true purpose was not to flirt with the pretty girl, although it was an added bonus, but to scan her memories. While he was checking Soobin''s memories, he came across a brief moment when he noticed the deceased child standing outside this cafe. Soobin did not notice at that time but the child was running past this ce and he was holding a file. It was a day before he died so that boy must have lived nearby. The girl sitting next to Hobin was on duty that day and might have nced at the child.

    Scanning through the girl''s memory, he zeroed on a moment when the boy had briefly stopped in front of the cafe. He looked scared and worried. The file on his hand had the image of a smiling sun on it. The boy scanned around before his eyes widened in shock as if he saw something. He then sped off, running for his life.

    Hobin saw enough. He let go of the girl''s wrist and smiled at her.

    "A pretty watch looks even prettier on the wrist of a beautiful girl like yourself," he winked at her.

    "I have more," the girl whispered in a dreamy voice. "At my house. Wanna head over there after my shift end-"

    "HWANG YOONMIN!"

    Yoonmin, who was in the middle of scolding his secretary, froze as he heard the familiar voice. Hobin let out a groan, annoyed at being interrupted. Everyone looked at the entrance where they saw a petite woman standing next to the Nation''s Heartthrob, Hwang Minyoon, pulling his ear.

    Yoonmin''s cold persona slipped and now, he was cowering behind Namgi.

    "S-sister!" he squeaked.

    Jina pointed at her other brother, ring at him. "YOU ARE DEAD!" she threatened before chasing after him.

 Chapter 22 - Angry Sis

    Yoonmin was about to run but a leg stuck out and tripped him. He sputtered as he looked up at Hobin who was calmly sipping his coffee. Before Yoonmin could tell the stranger off, Jina swooped down and boxed his ears.

    "OW OW OW!" Yoonmin whined like his brother who stood in a corner, waiting to be scolded by their sister. Jina ignored Yoonmin''s protests and dragged him to stand next to his twin. ??

    "I''ll have to hurry back to work," Hobin told the stunned waitress. "I''ll stop byter."

    With that, he quickly left the cafe, unwilling to witness the chaotic siblings. Meanwhile, Jina was shouting at the twins.

    "Underage driving!" she eximed. "Bunking sses! Just because we gave you two permission to run your agency on the side does not mean you''ll neglect thew and your studies!"

    "Sis, it was an emergency!" Yoonmin protested. "I had to use the car so that we could reach here early-"

    "AND YET YOU WERE BUNKING CLASS?" Jina yelled angrily at them. "I am utterly disappointed."

    She pointed at Yoonmin and dered, "You''re grounded for a month!"

    "But my business!" Yoonmin protested.

    "Let your secretary back there handle it!" she snarled. "And youбн"

    She turned to Minyoon who braced himself. "I wasn''t driving nor bunking!" he squeaked.

    "But you didn''t inform me about Yoonmin driving the car!" she pointed out. "You''re grounded too. I''ll cut it down to two weeks."

    Minyoon let out a sigh of relief. At least he could carry out his schedules on time.

    "Sis, I''m his manager!" Yoonmin argued. "If I''m grounded then, who''ll keep an eye on him?"

    "Should have thought of that before driving our aunt''s car to school and bunking sses!" she snapped at him. "Mom and dad let you two stay back so that you guys can finish school! They even allowed you to set up your own business on the condition that you''ll not let it hamper your studies! I should be reporting this to them!"

    "The old man will be more outraged at the 0.004 percent loss," Yoonmin muttered. Jina jabbed his forehead.

    "Start behaving responsibly!" she warned. "Otherwise I will tell mom and dad and ship you back to them!"

    The twins muttered in annoyance but did not dare to argue anymore.

    "Now go back to ss!" she ordered. "Don''t you dare to skip your lessons! I''ll call your teachers and take updates from them."

    Namgi and Gong watched their bosses get scolded. They were trying to hold in their snickers but it was hard not to. Seeing the twins being bossed around by their sister was really satisfying to them. Yoonmin threw a deathly re at them, making them immediately somber.

    Jina watched as the twins grumbled and went back to the school. She waited until she saw them enter the school gates before turning on Namgi and Gong.

    "If they are bunking sses again, please report to me," she instructed them. "I''m sorry for their rudeness."

    She bowed at the men in apology but they were bbergasted.

    "No, no!" Namgi assured her. "They''re not rude! They''re quite sharp businessmen. It''s normal for CEO''s to scold their employees."

    "But those two need to learn that it''s not always right to raise their voices against their elders," Jina said. "I''m really sorry for the hard time they give you!"

    "They pay us generously as well," Gong told her. "They''re hard to work with but they treat the hard working employees in kind. We''ve been working in the entertainment industry for many years and I have to admit, these two handle their agency much better than others. Starry Entertainment is the fastest growing agency right now all thanks to them!"

    "We''ll keep them in check but it''s not needed," Namgi added. "They really enjoy their work. Unlike the other kids of their age who are consuming drugs and partying, these two are working with dedication."

    "I wish they show this much dedication in school," Jina sighed. But she smiled with pride. She had to admit that the twins might be a handful but they knew how to treat their employees for all the hard work and dedication. At least they were growing up well.

    She thanked the men again before running out of the cafe. Hobin was standing next to her car, calmly waiting for her.

    "Why are you still here?" Jina frowned.

    "Drop me off at work," he shrugged.

    "The hospital is on the opposite end," she gritted. "I''m going back home coz it''s my day off!"

    "Ahh is this how the police of this country treat an ordinary citizen?" Hobin asked out loud. "Leave them stranded in the middle of an unknown street? Humanity is dying day by dayбн"

    Jina scowled at him. "Fine!" she snapped. "Get in!"

    Hobin smirked and got into the passenger''s seat. Jina grumbled under her breath before getting into the car and putting on the seat belt. She revved up the engine and sped off.

    "Your brothers own a talent agency?" he queried.

    "Yes," Jina replied tly. Hobin was observing her with great interest.

    "What is it?" she asked. "Why are you staring at me in such a creepy manner?"

    "From your dressing sense and etiquettes, it''s clear you''re from a rich family," he observed. "Your brothers own an entertainmentpany and attend the best school. You live in a tiny apartment and yet, the things in there are more expensive than what most people own. From the looks of it, you don''t have a bad rtionship with your family. In fact, I''d say you guys are all tight knit and yet, you live away from them. You''re a strange one."

    "I wanted to be independent," Jina stated. "The expensive things you saw were bought with my own savings and my brothers also started theirpany bit by bit with their own skills and resources. Our parents have money but they prefer that we learn survival skills rather than rely on their wealth. They have our backs, no doubt. But they know we won''t give them any trouble."

    Hobin was quiet for a while. This woman...she was just so weird. He was observing her for a while, trying to read her. In fact, he was tempted to touch her and read her memories. It was not like he would hesitate to read other people''s memories but for some reason, he liked the challenge of unraveling what was in this woman''s head without resorting to using his powers.

    "You''re weird," hemented.

    "Huh?" Jina frowned. "I''m perfectly normal!"

    "Says the weirdo," Hobin imed.

    Jina rolled her eyes and ignored him for the rest of the ride. She stepped on the pedal to elerate the car so that she could get rid of this guy as soon as possible. Finally, she pulled up in front of the hospital.

    "We''re here," she dered. "Bye bye!"

    Hobin rolled his eyes and got off. Jina was about to drive off when she noticed that Hobin had left his phone on the dashboard of the car. She picked it up and ran after him.

    From the other end, Siwan was entering the building and noticed his brother was walking ahead. He was about to call out for him when he noticed a petite woman in her early thirties walking up to Hobin to hand thetter something. Siwan frowned at the woman because she looked oddly familiar.

    "You forgot your phone in my car," Jina was saying.

    "Ah," was all Hobin said.

    "You should thank me," she gritted. Hobin gave a sarcastic smile.

    "Solve the case for me and I might actually think about it," he said in a cheeky tone. For some reason, it was fun to tease this woman. Her expressions were funny.

    "That I will," Jina beamed. She flicked her hair with pride andughed. Hobin was momentarily mesmerized by her smile which made his heart skip several beats.

    What. In. The. World.

    Jina was about to walk away when she heard someone call her.

    "Jina? Hwang Jina?"

    She stopped and turned around. Hobin also turned to find his brother standing a few feet away, staring at Jina in surprise.

    "Are you Jina?" Siwan gasped. "Hwang Jina?"

    Jina was furrowing her eyebrows, trying to remember him. Her eyes fell on his nametag and her eyes widened in delight.

    "S-Siwan?" she eximed with arge smile. "Kang Siwan?"

    Without another word, she stepped forward to give Siwan a wide hug. Siwan hugged her back, happy to meet his old friend again.

    Hobin stood there with an impassive expression as he watched the two friends from afar while an unsettling feeling crept into his heart.

 Chapter 23 - Two Old Friends

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    Mission time! Want mass release? Then keep voting! ??

    Top 100 ps ranking for a week = 3 chapter mass release

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    It''ll be applicable every week! So continue to vote for morw chaps!

    бн......

    Jina let go of Siwan and beamed happily at him. Seeing an old friend after so many years was truly delightful to her. His family had to leave town after his father died due to the scandal involving his illegitimate younger son, Shinho, and since then, Jina had lost all contact with Siwan.

    "You''ve grown!" Siwan eximed. Jina peered a little at him.

    "And you''re changed!" she remarked. "You''re smiling more now. Where''s the haughty and arrogant kid who used to bully me?"

    "I''m taking that as apliment," Siwan said with a slight bow.

    "And you''re a doctor now!" Jina went on. "I thought you hated to be one."

    She recalled that Siwan''s father was very harsh on the poor boy. Even though Siwan was only two years older than her, he was under immense pressure from Kang Danny who treated his son in a terrible manner. The man was obsessed with his image and wealth, keeping one son under scrutiny while the other one, Shinho, was locked up until Danny decided to send him to the grave.

    Thinking about what Shinho went through made Jina''s blood boil to that day and she could not fully forget those memories she created with him. She met Siwan coincidentally during a camp trip and after some initial childish animosity, they became fast friends.

    But she only met Shinho''s spirit after he died so Siwan was still unaware of her connection with his younger brother.

    "I did," Siwan admitted. "But seeing my little brother working hard made me want to reevaluate my own ns. Then I realized that I actually enjoy treating children. I''m a pediatrician now!"

    Just like Kang Danny was, Jina thought but she did not voice it out loud. As long as Siwan was doing what made him happy, nothing else mattered. Then she frowned.

    "Little brother?" she echoed. Siwan pointed at Hobin who was still watching them with a wary expression.

    Jina was confused. "But his surname is Ohm," she pointed out. "Did aunty Doyoung remarry?"

    "No, she didn''t," Hobin said in a dull tone. "I''m adopted."

    "Ah, that exins it," Jina said, nodding her head.

    "You two know each other?" Siwan frowned.

    "Yes, she''s my little minion in solving cases," Hobin said with a smug smile. "Detective Minion."

    "Minion?" Jina scowled. "Who the hell are you calling a minion?"

    "You," Hobin shot back. "Shorty!"

    "S-Shorty?" Jina eximed. "Pay some damn respect! I''m older than ya!"

    "Heh?" Hobin smirked, looking down at her from his height. "So should I call you an old woman?"

    "Whatever, puny brat!" Jina shot back. They were ring at each other so Siwan stepped in between them.

    "Okay, kids!" He scolded the duo. "I''m the oldest here and I say, get your asses back to work!"

    "It''s my day off and thanks to some puny brat, I didn''t get to have my breakfast!" Jina gritted, throwing a dirty scowl at Hobin who merely looked away.

    "I''m off to attend my first patient," Hobin saidzily. "See youter, Tinkerbell."

    Jina wanted ignored his jab.

    "Join us for breakfast!" Siwan insisted but Hobin merely waved at him and left.

    "Is he always a rude brat?" Jina scowled.

    "No," Siwan sighed. "He''s usually a flirt but he dislikes the police."

    They were walking towards the cafeteria while chatting.

    "Why?" she asked. "What did the police do to him?"

    "It''s a long story," Siwan said. "But a few years ago, when Hobin had just started his practice as a Psychiatrist, he had a patient called Wang Taehee who was suffering frompsed memories. The patient was doing things which she had no recollection of doing at all! There was an instance when she woke up in the middle of the forest but had no idea how she got there. Meanwhile, there were murders going on in the city. Serial murders. The police found Wang Taehee''s fingerprints at the crime site and arrested her."

    "Hobin was treating her that time and he came to the conclusion that she was innocent," he went on. "But the police pinned it all on her. You see, they had evidence and also, they wanted to show that they were doing something. So they wanted to appease the public by ming the murders on Taehee. The girl proimed her innocence but they wouldn''t listen to her. The court dered her to be guilty and sentenced her to death. She was executed a month after the hearing and Hobinh couldn''t do anything. Since then, he has been constantly shing with the cops but his insights also helped them to catch real criminals."

    They now stood at the counter, waiting in line. "Did the girl reallymit those crimes?" Jina wondered.

    "Who knows?" Siwan shrugged. "Hobin...he has an unusual way of treating his patients. If he says that they didn''tmit a crime, there''s a hundred percent chance that they didn''t do it."

    "No way!" Jina scoffed. "He can''t always be hundred percent correct! That''s impossible!"

    Siwan did not reply to herment but merely smiled. It was difficult to exin Hobin''s special abilities to other people. Hobin imed that it was called Psychometry but they had nevere across such an unusual case before. Their mother, Doyoung, constantly worried about Hobin; however, despite their initial fears, Hobin turned out to have good control over his abilities.

    When he was a kid, Hobin only saw bits and pieces of other people''s memories. It started when one day, Hobin asked them about Kang Danny which shocked Doyoung because no one ever talked about Siwan''s father in front of Hobin.

    Moreover, Hobin had asked their mother, "Who was pulling Danny into the boiler?"

    That shocked Doyoung and Siwan both because that part was not public knowledge at all. They had hidden it from everyone. At first, they dismissed it as mere ramblings of a child but soon, Hobin began to ask questions about Doyoung''s deepest memories, stretching till her childhood. The child used to see only hazy memories at first but as he grew, his powers also increased.

    So Doyoung took him to many doctors, but no one had the answer. Finally, a Psychiatrist who was also an expert in Paranormal Science, diagnosed him as a Psychometric. It meant that Hobin had the natural ability of reading the memories of any person or creature he touched. From then on, Hobin stopped using his powers on his family and instead focused on controlling them. With practice, he began to exert a great deal of control over them to the point that he was able to touch people normally without reading their memories unless he wanted to.

    Will he be alright though? Siwan wondered.

    "Siwan!"

    Jina''s voice brought him out of his reverie. "What do you wanna order?" she asked.

    "Ahh, Curry Bread and Cream of Mushroom Soup," he said. "Add two cups of coffee as well."

    Jina ced their orders and they picked up their trays before settling at a table.

    "How are your parents?" he asked. "Did they finally get married?"

    "Yes!" Jina eximed. "A year after you guys left, they finally got married. Now, I have three siblings! Two twin brothers and a sister. Wanna see their pictures?"

    She took out her phone and gushed about her family, showing him the pictures of Minyoon, Yoonmin and Miyoo. Siwan smiled as Jina went on and on about all the things that had happened after Siwan left, how she became a detective and was now heading her own team.

    He was gazing at her, unable to believe that he was seeing his friend after so many years. She had matured a lot but still retained some of her cheeky innocence which made him d that at least Jina still had a good heart.

    "Dad always scolds the boys over how they earn so much less than him," she sighed. "The men in my family are so weird! They''llpete over who can earn the most money and get more discounts but will gang up on any guy who''ll try to flirt with me! It''s not like I like men flirting with me but having my dad and brothers breathe fire down my neck every time a guy approaches me, is seriously annoying!"

    Siwan chuckled upon hearing that, making Jina pout.

    "I''m kinda jealous," he admitted. "At least your family has your back. If only Kang Danny knew the meaning of familyбн"

    Jina''s face hardened upon hearing that name again. The man who killed Shinho and countless other children.

    "Does Hobin know about that monster?" she asked.

    "We told him," Siwan nodded. "He knows but he doesn''t talk about him. The topic is still very hard to talk about. Yetбн"

    He frowned a little. "I still wonder sometimes about how dad was pulled away by an unseen force," he said. "Like. It was as if he was being dragged off in the air! Crazy, huh?"

    Jina shifted a little in her seat.

    "Crazy," she said with a nervous smile and took a sip from her coffee.

    She knew what really killed Danny off for good. It was a creature made up of all the spirits of the children he had killed. As a Seer of ghosts and other paranormal creatures, only Jina was able to see it. She was told that it was a Poltergeist which killed Danny but Jina believed it was a personification of his karma.

    I just hope I don''t have to see another one ever again, she prayed.

 Chapter 24 - Smiling Sun

    Hobin had changed into a white coat which was customary for the doctors in the hospital. It was not mandatory for psychiatrists but since it was his first day at the hospital, he wanted to wear the coat out of habit. He picked up the file of his first patient of the day.

    His office had been carefully set up as per his specific needs. Instead of the usual white walls, he had opted for a soothing blue paint which was pleasing to the eyes. There was a miniature Japanese style bamboo fountain at one corner which made sounds of running water. This sound was associated with peace, making the patients rxed. Moreover, Hobin had put subtle aromatic scents for the patients so that their subconscious sense of smell would make them feel at home and help them to open up their worries. ??

    He had hung pictures of abstract art on the walls with very intricate brushstrokes and detailed coloring which would make the patients feel at ease whenever they looked at them. A cosy firece was built right next to the patient''s couch, designed to give them a more homely environment. There was a small bookshelf right next to the patient''s couch which were mainly fiction and non-fiction books from famous authors who tackled issues on mental health. The lighting of the room was kept to a minimum during the day. For patients who were children, Hobin had candies, cookies, coloring books and games stacked away inside a shelf.

    "Everything is perfect!" he beamed. "Now for the next patientбн"

    He read the file in his hand.

    "Jung Haeji," he murmured. He pressed the inte to address the nurse outside.

    "Please let my next patient in," he said.

    "Yes doctor."

    A few secondster, a jovial man in his fifties entered the office with a girl of about nine or ten years old. The man was tall and slim with a friendly face and kind demeanor. The girl was quiet, looking down as she held the man''s hand. Her hair was tied in a ponytail and she carried a pink backpack on her shoulders.

    "Hello Doctor," the man greeted Hobin. "My name is Heo Namgoong. I''m the owner of the local orphanage here. And this is one of the kids at the orphanage, Jung Haeji."

    "Please sit," Hobin stated. He noted that Haeji was very demure, not talking nor addressing him. She sat on the chair opposite to his desk, not taking off her bag.

    The child is defensive, Hobin concluded. As part of his job, he observed every little thing of his patients. Things like not letting go of their bags or crossing their arms were small signs of the patient being hostile or unwilling to talk.

    Namgoong sighed at Haeji''s behavior. "Please don''t mind her," he said. "She''s in some kind of shock. We''ve tried everything but she can''t seem toe out of it."

    "What happened?" Hobin asked.

    "She...she used to be a talkative child," Namgoong recalled. "But for the past few weeks, she hasn''t been talking at all. Once a lively child, she seemed to have lost her voice. We took her to the doctor and he said that physically she was fine but it seems that she has been affected by something. One of my friends mentioned to me that a world famous psychiatrist hade to town so I booked an early appointment with you."

    Hobin picked up a bowl of chocte and held it in front of Haeji. She stared at it with nk eyes.

    "Do you like choctes?" Hobin asked in a gentle tone. The girl did not reply at all.

    "Haeji, the good doctor is asking you something," Namgoong nudged but Haeji only shied away. She took a nce at Hobin and hid behind Namgoong''s arm, trying to shield herself.

    Trauma. There was no doubt that the girl was heavily traumatized by something and was too scared to talk.

    "I''ll have to take a look at her medical history," Hobin exined. "Did she have any past idents or head injuries? A very horrible memory, perhaps?"

    "Not that I know of but I''ll ask the matron," Namgoong replied. "Haeji was supposed to be adopted by a good family this month and they have requested me to have her thoroughly psychoanalysed. I''d have done it anyway butбн"

    Namgoong sadly trailed off. "My orphanage is in a poor state," he admitted. "We don''t have the funds to have the children tested every month but we try our best. The donors are also stopping their contributions. Besides, Haeji is our best student. She used to smile a lot and the other children felt very much at peace around her. Seeing her like this is really disheartening. Thankfully, her new parents have offered to pay for the medical services. They''re currently in the process of shifting to a new house and will move there within the next two weeks. So Haeji will join them in their new home soon."

    He shed a smile at Haeji who was quiet but returned his smile. Hobin also smiled at Haeji, making her blush a little.

    "With proper counseling, she''ll start toe out of her shell," Hobin stated. "I''ll book an appointment for tomorrow. If shees everyday, we can make good progress and help her talk again. In the meantime, keep her in a stress free state. Try not to scold her and be patient with her. Keep an eye on her diet as well. And also, tell the other children to involve her in their games as much as possible."

    Namgoong nodded as Hobin wrote down a routine for Haeji to follow. He handed the chart to Namgoong before picking up a rose from a vase and offering it to Haeji. The little girl blinked at the flower then at the handsome doctor.

    "You don''t like choctes but I noticed you were staring at the rose," he smiled. "You like roses?"

    The girl slowly nodded and silently epted the flower. Her cheeks were still red as a tomato and she dared not to look at Hobin again.

    "Thank you doctor," Namgoong said, feeling grateful. "Let''s go, Haeji."

    Haeji nodded. Namgoong took Haeji''s hand and was leading her out of the door. As soon as Haeji''s back was turned, something shone on her backpack. It was the sticker of a smiling sun, the same one he had seen in the waitress'' memory about the deceased child.

    "That''s a nice sticker," Hobinmented. "Where did you buy it from? I''m thinking of getting some for my patients who are kids."

    "This?" Namgoong frowned. "I think one of our donors gifted them to our children. These were limited edition stickers though. I can ask them if they have more."

    "Thanks," Hobin said with a smile. He watched them leave with a meaningful look on his face.

    бн.

    Cars sped past the road at rming speed, honking away. The whole street was buzzing with vehicles and people who were busy getting on with their lives. They were either talking on the phone or rushing to get to their destinations, oblivious to everything else.

    The buildings on that street were not very big but cluttered together, making the ce more congested. There were a few carts selling fruits and vegetables for the locals. Some women were haggling with the sellers about the prices, their loud voices clear over the numerous other sounds of the street.

    On that busy street, a pale figure was sitting between two buildings, his head on his knees. No one could see nor hear him because he was invisible to their eyes. The little boy was hardly ten and scared of the world he had stepped into. No one paid any attention to him and he was confused by the turn of events. He tried to grab the attention of some people but they would not even nce his way. It was as if he was nothing but air.

    "Help meбн" he moaned in dismay. "Pleaseбн"

    A shadow fell on him. He looked up to see a brown haired woman staring at him with pitiful eyes.

    "If you need help, then follow me," she gently said. "Only I can see and hear you."

    She spoke in a low but clear tone. Some people walked by, whispering at the strange woman who was seemingly talking to herself but Jina did not care. There were far pressing matters in hand.

    "Why?" the boy asked. "Why can''t they see me?"

    "I''ll tell you everything," Jina promised. "For now, follow me."

 Chapter 25 - Thank You For Listening

    The boy was scared but he followed the kind lookingdy to her car. She opened the passenger door for him and he murmured thanks as he entered it. Jina got into the driver''s seat and drove towards her apartment. There was a bag of toys on the front seat which the boy was longingly staring at.

    "You can y with them," she offered. "I bought them for you anyway." ??

    The boy nced at Jina. From his perspective, there was a calm aura about her which felt different than other people. He could see a soft glow emitting from her as if she was shining but unlike him, she was not pale and cold. In fact, she was brighter than the other humans he had seen after bing a spirit.

    "Miss, who are you?" the boy asked. "Why are you being so nice to me?"

    "You''re a new spirit," Jina exined. "I saw you lurking outside my house this morning."

    "That was youбнthe light..."

    The boy trailed off. That morning, when he woke up as a ghost, he was terrified to see his dead body in the dumpster. The boy was so frightened and confused that he ran off from the scene. He did not run very far and had stopped in front of a building, wondering what to do.

    That was when he saw something shining brightly from one of the windows. Despite being in that state, the light was slightly hypnotizing him, acting like a ma. He drew closer to it, trying to see what it was but before he could enter the building, someone opened the door and walked past him. The boy got scared and ran off again.

    "What are you talking about?" Jina frowned.

    "Sis, can you really see me?" he asked. "Like, are you telling the truth? How do I know you''re not lying to me? And how did you find me?"

    "You''re wearing a red shirt and khaki pants," Jina stated. "You have dark hair which is parted on the side. And it wasn''t really that difficult to find you. As someone who''s a veteran in the field of ghost hunting, I have a few spirit pals who alert me about new ghosts. I simply asked around and one of them said that they saw you lurking at the intersection. Anything else?"

    The boy was finally convinced that thedy was not lying to him and was somewhat relieved.

    "Sis, are you able to see ghosts?" he asked curiously.

    "See them and sometimes, I can even enter their world," Jina gritted. "But forget about all that. You have a lot to tell me."

    She stopped in front of her building and got out of the car. The boy followed her upstairs to her apartment.

    "Now!" Jina eximed, shutting the door behind her. "Sit down and tell me everything."

    The boy sat cross legged on a chair and began to narrate his story.

    "My name is Yang Minki," he stated. "I''m an orphan who lived at the Smiling Sun orphanage. It''s not far from the subway station."

    "How did you...end up in this state?" Jina asked.

    Minki looked down, his eyes filled with sadness. "A few weeks ago, one of our seniors came to visit us at the orphanage," he said. "His name was Ma Wonho. He had left the orphanage a few years ago but he visits us every few weeks to bring all of us toys and sweets. But thest time I saw big bro Wonho, he seemed very upset. I asked him what was wrong but he would not tell me. However, he asked me a very strange question."

    "What did he ask?"

    "He asked me whether the orphanage bought any new beds and books for the children that month," Minki recalled. "I told him that we didn''t get any such thing. You see, our orphanage is very poor and rundown. We rarely got any new clothes or things. The owner tries to give us some things but the matron and caretaker of the orphanage take the money for themselves."

    "When I told Wonho bro about this, he became very angry," Minki continued. "That night, me and another girl, Haeji, had woken up because we felt very thirsty but the water jug was empty. Haeji was scared of the dark so I went with her to the kitchen."

    "That was when we heard some strange noises. I thought that it was a burr so we hid in a nearby closet and peeked through it. To our horror, we saw Wonho bro staggering in the hall, bloodied as if someone stabbed him. He slowly approached the closet and opened it to find us in there. Seeing us, he thrust a file in my hands and told me to hand it over to the cops as soon as possible. Before we could ask him, he closed the door and hid us there..."

    Minki trailed off, too scared to tell what happened next. He was almost shaking in fear, the images of that night still haunting him. Jina did not press him but waited until he was brave enough to talk again.

    "We heard Wonho bro telling someone that they won''t get away with this," he whispered. "But that person must have hurt him. I peeked through the opening to find that a masked person was dragging Wonho bro''s body, leaving behind a trail of blood. Haeji was whimpering beside me but I kept her mouth shut. If we were found, they could have killed us both."

    "What happened after that?" Jina gently probed.

    "Haeji went into shock," Minkimented. "She was so shocked that she could not even speak. Everyone wondered what happened to her but I couldn''t tell them the truth because I was also scared. What if the masked man killed us as well? I still had the file but I couldn''t understand anything in it. The papers were full of numbers and a lot ofplicated stuff. But it was important to Wonho bro and I knew that I must give it to the cops."

    "So when I got the chance, I escaped from the orphanage," he revealed. "Yesterday morning, I ran away and tried to find the police station. I don''t know the city well nor how to reach the cops so I ran in circles for a long time. But the matron caught up with me. Before I could escape again, she pressed something on my nose and made me unconscious. When I woke up, Iбн"

    Minki could no longer go on. The boy''s eyes welled up with tears and he began to sob. He was not understanding his situation at all, confused on what to do.

    A warm hand patted his head and he looked up to see Jina''s gentle eyes gazing at him.

    "Don''t worry," she assured him. "There''s nothing to be scared of. Those people won''t get to you here."

    "But Haeji is in trouble!" Minki eximed. "She saw Wonho bro''s murder as well. They''ll kill her if they find out!"

    "Leave this to me, okay?" Jina said firmly. "If you help me, then I can rescue your friend. For now, we''ll have to collect evidence against them. I''m a detective. It''ll take time but we''ll catch your killers."

    Minki was still scared but the kind detective''s words assuaged him a little. Jina took out the toys from the bag and gave them to him.

    "Even if you''re a spirit," she said. "You can still touch things. So you can y with these. Until the bad people are caught, you can stay here with me. Okay?"

    The boy slowly nodded, looking away from her. He fidgeted in his spot, unsure of what to tell her.

    "Thank you," he finally said. "For listening."

    Jina did not reply but ruffled his hair, smiling at him. "We''ll find your killers," she vowed. "And help your friend. So don''t worry."

 Chapter 26 - A Picture

    AUTHOR''S NOTE: Chapter will be locked from tomorrow~

    Please support this novel for spirity and try to unlock with coins~ ??

    ....

    The pot was boiling with instant noodles. Hobin took off the lid and scooped the noodles into his mouth with a pair of chopsticks as he typed away on hisptop. He was searching on the inte about the orphanage.

    He had just arrived home and was still not fully unpacked. His boxesy scattered on the floor because he was toozy to unpack his stuff so he just let the boxes stay like that. Compared to the other ts, his unit wasrger because the previous tenants had the space widened for an open kitchen. It was useless for him though because he did not know how to cook and lived mainly on instant food. So he was nning to turn it into a study instead.

    Hobin sat on a desk to work. He had Haeji''s file right next to him and her address was given as ''Smiling Sun Orphanage''.

    Instantly, thousands of articles popped up. Most of them were about how donors were stepping forward to help out the local orphanage and funds they had received. The owner was right; the funds were not much. But it should be enough to amodate the students and care for their basic needs. He clicked on the images to see pictures of smiling children.

    Suddenly, he frowned and zoomed into one of the pictures of the children. A familiar boy with dark hair was smiling at the camera. He wore a pair of khaki pants, the same ones he was wearing when he died.

    "That''s the boy," he realized. "Does Haeji know something about him?"

    The detective told him that the autopsy reports would be out the next day so he would have to wait for a while. However, he can hand her this picture of the boy under the pretense that he found it by coincidence while researching his patient.

    "That should do it," he yawned and looked at the time. It was nearly 10 PM so he decided to shower first and then go to sleep. He quickly finished the rest of the ramen and took out his towel and his clothes before going into the bathroom.

    Meanwhile, Jina had just finished eating her dinner when she received a message on her phone.

    "What''s this?" she wondered out loud. The ghost boy, Minki, was watching cartoons on herptop, too busy to notice anything else. Jina opened the message to find an image. Her mouth fell open.

    "Minki!" she called him. "Is this you?"

    "Eh?" Minki frowned when she showed him the picture.

    "Yes!" he gasped. "That''s me! That''s our orphanage. The Smiling Sun!"

    He pointed at a girl simr to his age. "That''s Haeji, the other kid who witnesses Wonho bro''s murder with me!"

    Jina took a good look at the picture. It was sent to her by Doctor Demon.

    "How did he get this image?" she muttered. Turning to Minki, she added, "Wait here, okay? I''ll be back."

    Minki nodded as she scurried outside the t. She nced at the cracks of Hobin''s unit. The lights were turned on so he must be home. Jina knocked on his door.

    "Doctor Ohm!" she called for him, banging on the door but to her surprise, the door was already open.

    "He still didn''t fix the door?" she frowned. "Anywaysбн"

    She stepped into the t and to her dismay, it was a mess. Boxes were stacked up all over the floor, making it difficult for her to move.

    "Doctor Ohm?" she called out, stepping over the boxes. She stopped in front of the bathroom, still looking for him.

    He''s probably out, she concluded. Turning around, she was about to leave when her foot caught on one of the boxes and she tumbled over. In that very second, the bathroom door opened and Jina yelped when she felt a pair of hands grabbing her as she fell.

    "AGH!" she groaned. Her eyes were closed but a hand was wrapped around her head, protecting it from getting hurt. She slowly opened her eyes only to find herself staring at a sturdy bare chestбн

    "Dody cops break into the houses of handsome men or is it just you?"

    The familiar voice made her eyes widen in shock and she looked up to meet Hobin''s dark ones. His one hand was still holding her protectively while the other one was supporting his weight as he hovered over her. His auburn hair was dripping wet and he waspletely topless while a towel hung from his neck.

    Up close, she could not help but notice how handsome he was. She had not thought much about it earlier but he seemingly had quite soft cheeks and she had a crazy urge to pinch them. A scent mixed with berries and cedar filled her nostrils, almost making her giddy.

    "Huh?" Jina blinked. Why am I having this strange feeling?

    He leaned closer to whisper into her ears, "Detective, I know I''m attractive but I''m not really into cops. I wouldn''t say no if you were a sexy nurse though-"

    "GET OFF!" she yelled and pushed him away. Hobin grinned, watching her sit up, looking all embarrassed.

    "At least I''m wearing pants," he remarked. "Why? You want a peek-"

    "STOP!" she yelled. "DON''T!"

    Jina was now truly embarrassed to be in his presence. Hobin, on the other hand, was enjoying her reactions.

    "So why is a cop breaking into my house without a warrant?" he asked warily, standing up.

    "I didn''t break in!" Jina imed. "Your damn lock is broken! Didn''t aunty Ahn warn you?"

    "She might have mentioned it," he recalled. Jina snorted at him and hurried out of the bathroom. Hobin wore his t-shirt and followed her out. She was sitting on top of a box, ring at him.

    "How did you find the picture?" she demanded. She held up her phone to show him the image he sent.

    "I was researching one of my patients and found this boy''s image on the," Hobin stated. "She''s from the Smiling Sun orphanage."

    He took out the file and showed it to her.

    "Haejiбн" Jina read. That''s the girl who witnessed Wonho''s murder alongside Minki! She realized.

    But she kept quiet. Hobin did not know that she already found out about the boy''s identity.

    "Smiling Sun, huh?" she slowly said. "I''ll go and ask there then. I''ll show them this picture as well. The autopsy results will be out tomorrow morning. After fetching that, I''ll pay a visit-"

    "I''ll go with you," Hobin stated.

    "I''m afraid I can''t let you get involved," Jina replied. "This murder case doesn''t need your input nor a psychoanalysis of the criminal. My precinct can handle this."

    "I''m a trained psychiatrist who canmunicate with children more easily than cops," he pointed out. "And I also have a patient there so I have direct ess to them."

    "Besides," he went on. "If you go there as a cop, the children there won''t be open to you. They distrust cops. A cop can''t get the information out easily from them."

    "Waitбн" Jina began. "What are you suggesting?"

    "If the murderer is in that orphanage, they''ll be alerted by the presence of cops," Hobin said, leaning against a wall. "And the children will be too scared to talk as well. They''re orphans without a guardian. They won''t talk to cops easily. But they will talk to me and to someone who is not a cop."

    "Are you saying...are you suggesting that I should go undercover?" Jina realized.

 Chapter 27 - Show Me Your Memories

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    The chapters have been locked and new chapters will be avable in privilege until the system releases them with every new update.??

    Please try to support this book with paid coins and gifts as much as possible <3

    Also, new missions for mass release which will be applicable every week:

    1.If book stays in top 100 for a week: 3 chapter mass release

    2. If book stays in top 50 for a week: 5 chapter mass release

    So keep voting!

    ......

    The scent of disinfectant and corpses hit her nostrils the moment she entered theb. The walls were stacked with shelves containing strange surgical equipment which she could not recognize. There were jars of dead animals preserved in chemicals while the white walls and floor were sparkling because the wholeb had been recently disinfected. But the room was freezing cold so Jina had to pull up her hoodie to stop herself from shivering.

    In the middley a series of surgery beds carrying corpses. Thankfully, they were covered inside body bags; the dead bodies must have been brought recently and were still awaiting for the coroner. At one table, was a white coated pathologist in histe twenties. He was wearing a pair of surgical eye loupes and was stooping over the body of a newly arrived corpse. His long hair was tied tightly into a knot and was engrossed in his work.

    Jina shook her head. The pathologist was Doctor Lee Kyuhyun, one of the most entric guys she had ever met. Even though he was quite capable in his job, he was an odd fellow whocked social skills. He never looked anyone in the eye, preferring to gaze elsewhere while speaking as if he was shy or scared to talk to others directly.

    Jina used to think that staying around dead bodies all the time probably messed up his head but over time, she realized that he was a nice person despite his tendency to be too methodical in his work.

    Kyuhyun was examining the external injuries of the corpse. Jina maintained a distance, not wanting to see what the doctor was doing but it seemed like Kyuhyun was stitching back the brain into the corpse. Finally, he was done and he took off his gloves. Looking up, he saw Jina standing there.

    Jina was about to greet him but Kyuhyun headed towards a basin and washed his hands.

    "The unnamed male victim aged between nine and ten brought in on the tenth of July 20XX was fed or drugged with Temazepam," he parroted in a robotic tone. "The marks around his neck were from a coaxial cable, probably an RG-6 of inner diameter of 6.9 millimeter and an out diameter of 0.275 inches. The child was unconscious when the diaphragm was constricted with enough external force. However, the presence of tissues and skin under his nails indicate that he was scratching at some external force before he was unconscious and hence-"

    "Hello, Doc!" Jina greeted warily. "I''m assuming you had a good week."

    Kyuhyun looked lost for a moment, not looking into her eyes but rather seemed like he was trying to process her question.

    "My water pipe is clogged with rust and fungus so it has been difficult to wash myself so I had to boil mineral water at exactly hundred degree Celsius and let it cool to seventy degree before I could wash off my body but the area in between my groin needs-"

    "Enough!" Jina quickly eximed. "I''ll listen to your water troublester!"

    Kyuhyun scratched his head and replied, "Alright."

    Even though Kyuhyun was an expert in dealing with dead bodies, he had a hard time adjusting with the living. Many people made fun of him but Jina respected his dedication towards his work. Thanks to him, they managed to catch many criminals and despite his entric way of exining the cause of deaths without any emotions, Kyuhyun had a knack of remembering the diagnosis of each and every body he had ever examined. He also treated all the corpses with respect.

    "So he was killed by someone?" Jina asked. "Is that what you''re saying?"

    "Diaphragm constricted by external force using an RG-6 coaxial wire," Kyuhyun stated.

    "In other words, he was murdered," Jina sighed.

    "Yes," Kyuhyun nodded. "The unnamed male of ten years of age-"

    "Okay, I got it!" Jina said. "Where''s the body?"

    "Wear the PPE equipment," he instructed, pointing at a new pair of gloves, hair mask and face mask. Jina put them on, took off her shoes and followed him to another room which was situated in the corner.

    This room was even colder than the outer room. In fact, it was biting cold in that room to the point that Jina could not stop her shivering. Kyuhyun, on the other hand, waspletely fine. There were several metal shelves with long drawers in them. The room was a morgue which had the corpses of several victims. Once Kyuhyun was done with the autopsies, the bodies were kept in the freezer for up to one week. If no one imed them, the cops would cremate them and put the urns in the local temple.

    Kyuhyun walked towards one of the drawers and opened it.

    Minki''s lifeless bodyy in that cold room, lonely and abandoned. The boy''s lips had darkened and the marks on his neck were more profound. His skin was hardening due to rigor mortis but it looked as if he was asleep. He had beenpletely stripped but thankfully, Kyuhyun had his body covered with a white cloth.

    Jina could not help but feel sad. Minki''s ghost was still roaming around the living but if he saw this, it might devastate his young mind. Even as a spirit, a child did not deserve to see such a horrifying sight.

    "You said that there was skin and tissues under his skin," she said.

    "Yes and I''m analysing them," Kyuhyun confirmed. "But I need to match them against a specific suspect to confirm the DNA."

    "Doctor Hobin, the new profiler was with me at the crime scene," she said. "Coincidentally, one of his patients is from the same orphanage as this boy. Hobin was researching his patient on the inte and stumbled upon a photo with this boy. I''ve sent the picture to Jiwoon. She''ll send me the details soon. I''ll text you the name for thebeling."

    Kyuhyun did not reply but was simply gazing at Minki''s body. He then turned around to leave, prompting Jina to follow him out.

    "I''ll take the reports," Jina went on as she discarded the gloves and masks. "Is there anything else I should know?"

    He slowly shook his head and simply returned to dissect another body. Jina sighed and left the man alone who was happy in his own world.

    She picked up the reports from the reception and called Jiwoon''s cell phone.

    "I have good news for you," Jiwoon said in a smug tone. "I found out the name of the boy. It''s Yang Minki and he was living at the Smiling Sun Orphanage."

    Tell me something I don''t know, Jina said inwardly.

    "And, there''s something else," Jiwoon went on.

    "What is it?" Jina asked.

    "It''s a blog post," Jiwoon said. "An anonymous blog post written a few weeks ago. The post is iming that the Smiling Sun Orphanage is defrauding money from the donors."

    бн.

    Hobin was studying Haeji for a while. He had given her a piece of paper and some crayons to draw her favorite people in the world. She was mindlessly drawing a few sticks which resembled people.

    Finally, she was done and handed the paper to Hobin.

    "Five people?" he smiled. "So, tell me. Who are they?"

    Haeji was silent. Hobin knew she would not easily tell him anything so he took out the picture he found on the and showed it to her.

    "This must be the owner of the orphanage, right?" he asked, pointing at a tall stick figure Haeji drew. She slowly nodded her head.

    "But who are the rest?" he wondered out loud. "Can you point them out in this picture?"

    He put forward the group photo of the children and ced her drawing beside it.

    "Can our Haeji tell us who this is?" he asked in an excited tone, pointing at a blue stick figure. "Is he or she in this picture?"

    Haeji nodded and pointed at a girl of her age. "And who is this?" Hobin asked, pointing at a yellow stick figure from the drawing.

    For a moment, Haeji did not move but then she put her finger on one of the children in the photo. Hobin did not betray his reaction but maintained his calm.

    Smiling at her, he asked, "Ahh, it''s a boy! Are you close to him?"

    She slowly nodded.

    "What''s his name?" Hobin asked.

    Silence.

    "Is he at the orphanage with you?" Hobin gently probed.

    Haeji slowly shook her head. Hobin nced at the picture again, this time scrutinizing what he had just discovered.

    The picture Haeji pointed at was of the boy whose dead body they had found the other day.

    This means Haeji is connected to this boy''s murder, he deduced.

    "Haeji, wanna see a magic trick?" he asked her. Haeji enthusiastically nodded.

    "Give me your hand," Hobin requested. The girl felt a little shy before stretching out her hand, touching Hobin''s palm.

    Let''s read your memories then, he thought.

 Chapter 28 - Smiling Sun (1)

    Night had settled in, engulfing the whole neighborhood into darkness. Inside the room, a tiny ray of moonlight was peeking from the window and fell on the faces of the sleeping children. They were all lying on a series of long beds, each bed carrying three to four kids. The beds were cramped together, making the ce crowded. Some of the children were sweating in their sleep; the meager air from the fans was not enough for thirty or so kids but they were used to it.

    The children were fast asleep. Some were rolling while others were still. The girls slept on one side while the boys on the opposite side. They were between five to ten years old who lived in the orphanage situated in the southeast part of the city. The clock ticked at 2 AM when one of the children stirred.??

    Haeji slowly opened her eyes and sat up. She groggily looked around for a while, still very sleepy. Quietly, she got off the bed, trying not to disturb anyone else. One of the girls grunted but was still sleeping. Haeji''s feet touched the ground and she slowly shuffled towards a desk which had a jar of water on it. But it was empty.

    She whimpered and headed towards the closest child, a boy, who was almost dangling off the cramped up bed.

    "Minki," she whispered and shook him.

    "Whozzat!" he mumbled and rubbed his eyes. "Haeji?"

    "No water," Haeji mumbled, pointing at the jug. "Come with me to the kitchen. I''m scared to go alone."

    "It''s toote and I''m sleepy," Minki moaned and rolled over. Then he sighed and looked back at Haeji.

    "Fine," he groaned as he got off the bed and put on his slippers. "Hurry up, okay?"

    Haeji nodded. She nced at his slippers.

    "Do you have to wear the Mickey Mouse ones?" she groaned, pointing at his slippers. There were a couple of Mickey Mouse stickers on them.

    "I like them!" Minki imed.

    "Lame," Haeji muttered.

    Minki sighed. He took her hand and quietly led her towards the kitchen. There was an old filter in a corner. Minki took out a ss from one of the cabs and poured water into it. He handed it to Haeji, who drank it all.

    "Done?" Minki grumbled. "Let''s go back before the matron catches us."

    "Okay!" Haeji replied. Minki was about to put the ss back in the cab when he heard a noise outside. Haeji was also startled and she hid behind Minki, scared of the noise.

    "It''s probably just a cat," Minki assured her but suddenly, they heard someone thumping loudly on the closet outside.

    "Stay behind me," Minki told Haeji. She nodded, still grabbing on to his shirt as he led the way. Minki was scared but tried to be brave in front of Haeji so that the girl would not be afraid. They slowly headed for the corridor where the old closet was located.

    To Minki''s surprise, he saw a familiar face staggering in the hall.

    "Brother Wonho?" he hissed.

    "Elder bro Wonho?" Haeji frowned as the curly haired youth slowly walked towards them. But something was not right.

    Wonho''s shirt was stained with blood and he was limping as if he was seriously hurt. His eyes fell on the children and he panicked.

    "Minki! Haeji!" he gasped. "Hide!"

    "What''s going on?" Haeji asked tearfully, scared by Wonho''s appearance but he was pushing the kids into the closet nearby.

    "Hold on to this and don''t give it to anyone!" he said, handing Minki a file. "If anything happens to me tonight, give it to the police. Don''t give it to anyone in this orphanage! Got it? Whatever happens, do not let them get their hands on this. Only give it to the cops! And don''te out of the closet!"

    "But-"

    Wonho did not wait and shut the closet door. Haeji was whimpering but Minki, alert by the situation, hushed her.

    "Don''t make any noise!" he told her. "Something isn''t right."

    He slightly opened the closet door and they peeped out. Wonho was not looking at them but was staring ahead of him, his face full of shock and worry. He stepped back, trying to get away from a strange figure.

    Minki quickly shut the door, hiding both him and Haeji from view. He motioned Haeji to remain quiet, both of them frightened by the darkness which was looming around them.

    "You won''t get away with this!" Wonho was eximing. "I''ll tell this to everyone!"

    Minki pressed his ear to the door, trying to hear what was going on. Wonho was saying something else but it was not clear. He then heard the noise of something being stabbed and Wonho let out a loud grunt.

    "What''s going on?" Haeji whispered but Minki motioned her to be quiet. He slightly opened the door again and both of them were shocked to see a pool of blood outside. Wonhoy against a wall, dead. Blood gushed out of his wound, staining the corridor.

    A figure stood in front of Wonho''s lifeless body, staring down at it. The person wore a mask and it was impossible to tell whether it was a male or female. Minki and Haeji watched in fear as the figure grabbed Wonho''s legs and dragged him across the corridor, leaving a trail of blood behind.

    Haeji was so traumatized by the scene that she was catatonic. Minki was shaking and tried not to cry as he held her, silently mourning for the senior who had lost his life in front of them. The file was still in his hands and he was at a loss.

    "Haeji, we must get out of here!" he whispered. "Before the masked manes back! Come on!"

    He opened the closet and quickly looked around to see if the coast was clear. Haeji was still in shock, so he carried her on his back and ran off as quietly as possible, avoiding to step on the blood on the floor. In his hurry, he did not notice that one of the stickers from his slipper had fallen off.

    Minki quietly crept back into the dorm with Haeji. She was still in shock, unable to process what happened. The trauma was too much for her to take but Minki had no time to dwell on it. He put her back in bed and then returned to his own spot.

    Quickly slipping out of his sandals, he hid the file inside his clothes and pulled the covers over him, that too on time. As soon as he pulled the cover, the door of the dormitory opened again and a short woman in her forties entered it.

    Minki was still as the matron gazed at the children. Her hawk-like eyes scanned all of them and she counted if anyone was missing from their beds.

    "Everyone is here," she whispered to someone. There was a pause before an unfamiliar voice spoke up.

    "There is a witness!" the voice hissed. "The closet at the murder spot was left wide open. And I found this!"

    The unfamiliar person was showing something to the matron but Haeji was not looking that way. Shey on her bed, still in her catatonia while Minki was pretending to be asleep. The two adults whispered amongst themselves for a while before, finally, leaving.

    Once they were gone, Minki nced at Haeji who was immobile. He was in a dilemma. Sleep had left his eyes and was reced with fear. How was he going to carry out Wonho''sst task?

    бн..

    *Present*

    Haeji''s memory ended there. Hobin searched if there were any more interactions between Haeji and Minki from then on but she was in such shock that her brain did not process many memories after that night.

    He was still holding her tiny hand while she waited for his magic trick. Hobin smiled and ced a coin into her palm.

    "Close it," he said. She did as she was told.

    "Let''s show you some magic!" Hobin eximed, pretending to create invisible circles over her palm.

    "Open it," he said. Haeji opened it only to be surprised. The penny was gone!

    She looked back at him, curious about the penny. Hobin ced his fingers near her ear and snapped. To her further surprise, he seemingly pulled out the penny from her ear.

    "Miracle, right?" he smirked. Haeji enthusiastically nodded and for the first time in days, she shed a bright smile.

    "Good girl," Hobin said, ruffling her hair.

    Haeji smiled but then looked over Hobin''s shoulder. He followed her gaze and turned around to find Jina standing at the door. Hobin was about to ask Jina what she wanted when Siwan also appeared behind her.

 Chapter 29 - Smiling Sun (2)

    "Why did you suddenly call me here?" Siwan inquired. He received a call from Jina, asking him to meet at Hobin''s office.

    "I need your help," Jina replied. "And alsoбн"??

    She groaned and pointed at Hobin. "I''ll also need this guy''s help with a case."

    "A case?" Siwan frowned. "What case?"

    Jina was about to exin to him when Hobin spoke up.

    "I''m with a patient right now," he said in a steely tone. "You will have to wait, Jina."

    When the hell did he start calling me by my first name? Jina frowned.

    There was an awkward silence as Jina tried to process how he just addressed her while Siwan looked curiously at his brother and then back at Jina. He was confused about what was going on. There was an underlying tension between them which felt strange to Siwan because he was sure Jina and Hobin were not that well acquainted. There was no way his brother would be close to a cop.

    Jina cleared her throat to diffuse the tension. "I''ll wait in the hall-"

    "You can sit on the couch," Hobin said. "I''m done with the patient today anyway."

    To Jina''s shock, Hobin''s icy expression changed as soon as he returned his gaze to the little girl. He was smiling widely at her and to add to Jina''s disdain, Hobin actually looked...good?

    Don''t be stupid! She told herself. He''s a brat!

    "You liked the magic trick?" Hobin asked, adopting an innocent childish tone while talking to the girl. "Next time, I''ll show you many more, okay?"

    Haeji''s eyes beamed and she nodded enthusiastically. She leapt and gave Hobin a hug. He smiled and patted her head before leading her towards the door.

    "Wait here," he told Jina and Siwan. As soon as he left with the girl, Jina scowled.

    "Unbelievable!" she frowned. "Was he smiling? Like. It was a smile?"

    "Hobin smiles a lot around other people," Siwan snickered. "Just not around cops."

    "How badly was he screwed by them?" Jina wondered out loud.

    "Very," Siwan stated.

    Jina nced at him, recalling the story he had told her about Wang Taehee. She was not much aware of the case other than reading snippets from news reports, but she knew that serial killers were vicious in both human and sometimes even in spirit form. As a cop, she did not encounter one yet but she hade across the spirit of a serial killer once in her childhood. That encounter was enough to make her realize the sheer brutality of their psyche.

    So it was strange that Hobin believed in Taehee''s innocence whereas reports suggested that the killings stopped after she was arrested.

    "Why did you call me here?" Siwan asked again.

    "There''s a case and I want your advice on it," she replied. Just then, Hobin re-entered the room and instructed them to sit.

    "Did you get the forensic reports?" he asked Jina.

    "The boy was drugged and then strangled as per the coroner''s report," Jina replied. "You were right. He was from the Smiling Sun orphanage."

    "Wait, I''m confused here!" Siwan frowned. "Drugged? Strangled? What are you guys talking about?"

    "A boy was found drugged and murdered in a dumpster in my area," Hobin replied. "Detective Hwang here is in charge of the case and I''m assisting in the case as the consultant. The boy was from an orphanage called the Smiling Sun and incidentally, the girl you saw a few minutes ago is also from there."

    "What?" Jina eximed. "Why didn''t you tell me that? I could have asked her!"

    "It would have vited patient-doctor agreement if I had handed an underage patient to a cop for questioning without a guardian present," Hobin stated. "And also, she''s scared. The girl is too terrified of something and hasn''t spoken in weeks. Seeing a cop would only agitate her."

    "But we''ll have to talk to the other kids at the orphanage anyway," Jina sighed. "How are we going to infiltrate the orphanage?"

    "I''ve talked with the owner already," Hobin revealed. "Since World Health Day ising up, I''ve told him that the two of us will be conducting free checkups on the children for a week. You''ll be a pediatrician. We''ll go undercover from the day after tomorrow."

    "Why can''t I go?" Siwan asked. "I can be more believable."

    "Only a cop can go undercover for case rted tasks," Jina exined. "Since there are children involved, it''s risky to talk to them as police officers since they''ll be easily scared. Which is why I got the permission to go undercover. Your annoying brother shouldn''t be going undercover either but themissioner has ordered us to allow him to do whatever the hell he wants without any question."

    "Why is themissioner so keen to help you?" Siwan asked his brother.

    "Let''s just say that I know stuff about him which will ruin his image," Hobin gloated. Jina scowled but did not say anything.

    "Anyways," she pressed. "Since, I''m going undercover there as a pediatrician, I was hoping you can help me out, Siwan. I''ll be using a bluetooth device tomunicate with you while I pretend to check on the children. To make my ruse more authentic."

    "I can give some pointers," Siwan nodded. "Just don''t prescribe them any medicines on paper."

    "Got it," Jina said. "Thanks Siwan! You''ll be a great help."

    Siwan was about to tell her something when his pager beeped. "A patient," he muttered. "I gotta go."

    He bid them goodbye and left. Jina turned back to Hobin. She took out a paper and put it in front of Hobin.

    "This is a blog post," she said. "Written a few weeks ago by an anonymous person about the orphanage."

    Hobin read the paper. Jina was observing his expressions very carefully.

    "You''re not surprised," she noted.

    "An orphanage defrauded money from donors!" he slightly sneered. "Tell me something new. I''m not surprised at all."

    "I think it''s rted to the boy''s murder," Jina said with confidence.

    "Let''s find out then, shall we?" Hobin grinned.

 Chapter 30 - Smiling Sun (3)

    The brown haired girl was pouting angrily. Her nose was crinkled up in deep concentration and she was staring at her book as if reading every line. A pale boy was sitting next to her, trying to figure out what she was doing.

    "Are you alright?" he asked, feeling worried for his friend.??

    "It''s 1000, right?" she asked. "Ten times ten is thousand right?"

    The boy facepalmed himself.

    "It''s 100, silly!" he eximed. "How can someone be so good in studies but so bad in maths?"

    "What can I say?" the girl sighed. "I am a miracle of nature."

    She nodded proudly, making the boy groan. He yfully twisted her ear.

    "Practice more!" he told her. "You can do it!"

    "Shinho, both of us know that I''m hopeless in maths," the girl nodded. "Ever since my birth, it''s been a natural talent for me to fail in maths. It''s in my genes. I got it from my mom, after all."

    Shinho gaped at her. "Did you win an award or something? Why are you so proud of your bad math skills?"

    "It''s a family tradition!" the girl imed, her eyes sparkling with innocence. Shinho jabbed her forehead.

    "STUDY!" he bellowed. The girl pouted again and tried to read but gave up within five seconds.

    "Shinho, just marry me when we grow up!" she told him. "So that when I need math, you can solve them for me!"

    "Idiot, I can''t grow up!" Shinho said. "I''m dead, remember?"

    He shook his head in dismay at her naivety. The girl giggled.

    "You''ll still be with me, right?" she asked. "We can solve cases together! You can be my ghost partner!"

    She was already dreaming of how they would catch criminals and throw them in jail. As long as he was with her, she felt she could do anything.

    Shinho was quiet for a while, unsure of what to say. She was asking him a question he had no answer to. He wanted to stay with her but was it possible?

    After all, he was dead.

    "If Iбн" he began. The girl looked up at him, curious about what he wanted to say.

    "If I leave, then what''ll happen?" he asked.

    "Leave?" she asked. "Where will you go?"

    "The ce where people go after they die," he said. "My mom used to tell me that when people die, they don''te back. What if I go there too? Won''t I be able to return?"

    The girl blinked at him. She was confused by his words. Why was he asking her that?

    "Why do you want to leave?" she asked. "You''re safe here! Your father can''t get you anymore! I can protect you!"

    The boy smiled and patted her head. "You''re too small to protect me!" he teased. "Shorty!"

    "Oi!" she eximed. "I''m not short! And I can be very strong too! Do you know that I taught at camp, I taught a good lesson to a bully. He tried to make me get lost in the woods but I had a forest spirit named Bobo in there which protects me every year! He helped me to find my way. When I got back to the camp, Bobo scared the kid so much that he peed his pants!"

    Sheughed out loud. Even Shino was amused by her wit. If there was one person who knew how to make both living and dead persons obey her, it was this midget.

    Suddenly, the scene shifted. The smiling girl vanished and a dark cloud was engulfing him. Shinho was blinded by the pitch ck darkness which had appeared, clouding his vision.

    "Jina?" he yelled out loud. "Jina, where are you?"

    He was blindly looking around, trying to find her but she was nowhere. His heart pounded hard, a familiar fear creeping within him.

    "Hu hu huбн"

    A cold voice was quietly chuckling in the darkness, sending chills down the little boy''s spine. He did not dare to turn back, afraid that he was going to see that man again. He heard the swish of a whip, slowly approaching him.

    "You...you don''t deserve to liveбн" the voice echoed in his ears. "You''ve ruined my image...you little bastard!"

    Shinho slowly turned around to meet the dark eyes of a bespectacled man in his thirties. The man''s handsome features were contorted with a psychotic mania and pure hatred for the little boy who was cowering in fear. Shinho took a step back and tumbled down.

    He found himself in a dark basement surrounded by lines of shelves. His foot was tied to one of the shelves. Shinho tried to free himself but the knot was too tight for him to undo.

    The man was looming dangerously over him with a belt in his hand. The little boy desperately tried to free himself, scared of the man who was out to hurt him again. Shinho''s body was full of scars and fresh bruises, indicating days of abuse. He looked fearfully at the man who was still ring at him with hatred.

    "Dadбн" the little boy begged. "Dad...please don''t...I''ll be a good boy! I''ll not go upstairs again!"

    "Your existence ruins my image!" the man hissed. "You...you shouldn''t have been bornбн"

    The little boy was shielding himself with his hands, scared of his father. His fragile heart was wrapped in fear for his life and he was constantly wondering what was his fault. Why did his father hate him so much?

    From the corner of his eye, he saw the whip being raisedбн

    SWOOSH!

    The first hit of the whip tore through his skin, making it bleed. The boy did not dare to yell in pain because the more he yelled, the worse it was going to be. He bit his lip, stopping himself from crying for help and enduring it all.

    But the man did not stop. There was no mercy in his eyes and he was on a bloody rampage to end the thorn in his way. The little boy''s screams were muffled in the dark basement, forcing him to endure his pain in silence.

    бн.

    Jina woke up with a start. Her breath was heavy and she felt her heart thumping loudly against her chest. She tried to calm herself but the nightmare was so fresh in her mind that she could not ebb her fears.

    She slowly sat up and ran a hand through her hair, clutching it. Tears burnt her eyes as she tried to fight off the horrible images in her head. Her hands were shaking as she got off the bed.

    Minki, who was reading a story book, looked up. As a ghost, he could not sleep so he was given a few books to read. He was surprised to see that the detective''s face had gone pale.

    "Miss Hwang, are you okay?" he asked, worried for her.

    "I''m fine!" Jina assured him. "I''m heading to the convenience store. I just...I just need to buy something. Stay here, okay?"

    The ghost nodded and Jina grabbed her jacket and purse before heading out.

    To her surprise, her neighbor also stepped out of his house at that exact moment. Both of them stared at each other for a few seconds.

    Hobin was a little surprised to see that Jina''s eyes were red as if she had been crying.

    She did not say anything but walked away, lost in her own problems. Hobin was about to leave her to her own devices but the image of her puffed up eyes was shing in front of him.

    "Ugh, I just had to see something I didn''t want to," he muttered to himself. He debated for a while before deciding to follow her.

 Chapter 31 - Smiling Sun (4)

    "Oi, Tinkerbell!"

    Jina gritted her teeth, ignoring the annoying fly which was following her. She was walking fast but thanks to his long legs, Hobin easily caught up with her.??

    "Buy me food," he said.

    "What?" Jina frowned. "Why should I buy you food? Buy your own food!"

    "I solved an important case for you and you won''t even treat me to a good dinner?" he sighed. "Typical cops."

    "For your kind information, I could have solved the case without you," Jina imed.

    "Uh huh," Hobin said in a sarcastic tone. "Sure."

    Jina scowled at him. They had stepped out of the building and he was following her to the nearest convenience store. It was 2 AM but the convenience stores stayed open for 24 hours. The closest one was only a few blocks away from their building.

    The street was quite empty except for a few cars asionally passing by. There were some homeless people sleeping on one side of the pavement. The buildings loomed around them, the street shrouded withplete silence.

    But amidst the seemingly deste street, Jina felt several eyes on her. They were invisible to everyone but her, watching the duo as they walked by. She asionally felt a silent spectatoring close, cold breeze softly touching her when they passed by her. Some of them were whispering in her ears but she ignored all of them.

    Hobin raised an eyebrow when he noticed that Jina was unusually still. She had her arms crossed against her chest in a defensive way which made him curious. It was not that cold outside but she was slightly shivering.

    "If you''re that scared of the dark, then why did youe out alone on your own?" he asked warily.

    "I''m not scared of the dark," she said. "Just of the things hidden in the darkness."

    "Little midget is afraid of non-existent ghosts?" Hobin snorted.

    Worse, Jina said in her thoughts.

    "Why are you awake thiste at night?" she asked. "Don''t you have a date with one of your millions of girlfriends?"

    "At least I have a legion of girlfriends," he smirked. "Unlike a certain midget who''s been single forever."

    "Excuse me, but I have dated a few men!" Jina imed.

    "And how long did those rtionshipsst?" Hobin grinned.

    Jina paused before admitting, "Never got past one date. Because I''m too busy all the time!"

    That part was partially true. She was always busy in her work to give time to rtionships. Moreover, she only went on a couple of dates because her friends or colleagues set her up. She was not interested in dating. With her job on one hand and helping out lost spirits on the other, who had the time for dating?

    Hobin pushed open the door of the store for her.

    "Or maybe, no one can handle your tantrums like I can," he said.

    "You throw more tantrums than I do," she muttered. She picked a basket and walked straight towards the choctes'' section, picking up one choco bar. To her surprise, Hobin blindly picked up choctes from the shelves and threw them in a shopping basket.

    "You''re gonna eat all that?" she frowned.

    "Yes," he replied, thrusting the basket into her hands. "After all, you''re paying."

    Grrrбн

    Jina wanted to snap at him but then thought better of it. He did, after all, help out with the case. As the team leader, it was the least she could do.

    "Fine," she gritted. "I''ll pay for them."

    "Also for these," he said and added two cups of ramen noodles and a couple of juice bottles in the basket. "Tell the cashier to heat them up."

    Jina groaned but obliged. She paid for the food at the counter and waited for the cashier to heat up the noodles before following Hobin out of the store.

    There was a long bench outside. Hobin sat on it and motioned her to sit next to him. Jina handed him one of the ramen cups and a fork.

    "Why are you awake thiste at night?" She asked curiously.

    "Couldn''t sleep," he muttered, unwrapping the cup noodles and slurping on the food. "Had a nightmare."

    "Doctor Demon had a nightmare," Jina joked. "Interesting."

    "If a midget like you can have a nightmare then so can I," he shrugged.

    "I...I didn''t have a nightmare!" she imed. "I was remembering someone. And how did you know I was having a bad dream?"

    "When someone has a nightmare, they feel stuffy and ufortable in their own rooms," he exined. "Sometimes, they might even want to get out of the house. You followed the textbook reaction to nightmares, Ms. Midget."

    "It wasn''t a nightmare!" Jina stressed. "Just a memoryбн"

    Hobin studied her carefully, noting the lingering sadness in her words. "Is this person really important to you?" he casually asked.

    "Very," she admitted and shed him a small smile. "You can say that he was my first love."

    "Was?" Hobin asked.

    "He passed away," Jina revealed. "A long time ago."

    She scooped in a mouthful of ramen, reminiscing her old friend. Hobin studied her carefully, wondering what was going on in her head. He wanted to touch her hand and read her memories but for some reason, it felt wrong. It was more interesting to listen to her ramble than find out everything at once.

    "The best I can do is remember him," she sighed. "As long as someone remembers him, he''ll be at ease."

    "If someone is dead then they don''t feel anything," Hobin said. "Does it really matter if you remember them or not? After all, they''re not here anymore. How can you be so sure he''ll be at ease?"

    To his surprise, sheughed a little.

    "You really think that those who die are not with us anymore?" she questioned him, stillughing. "You don''t think that there can be a possibility that people can return?"

    "Of course not!" Hobin frowned. "They''re dead. How can they return?"

    But Jina onlyughed and patted his head as if dealing with a child.

    "You have so much to learn, kid!" she snickered.

    "Says a grown woman who''s scared of ghosts!" he scoffed.

    "There are worse things than ghosts and spirits," Jina mused. "Ghosts don''t scare me. Butбн"

    "But what?"

    She was no longerughing. A somber look dawned on her.

    "Ghosts aren''t scary," she said. "Their stories are."

    Before Hobin could ask her what she meant, she stood up, threw away her empty ramen cup and yawned.

    "I''m heading back home," she said. "Are youing or staying?"

    "I''m done too," he replied and threw his cup away. He picked up the bag of choctes and slowly followed her back to their apartment.

    "Good night," Hobin muttered and was about to enter his unit when Jina remembered something.

    "I forgot to ask about your nightmare," she realized. "What did you see?"

    His hand froze on the knob. The image of the nameless girl followed by the manicughter of the bespectacled man briefly shed in his head.

    "I saw a monster," he replied, not turning back to face her. "Someone who was worse than death itself."

    Without another word, he entered his apartment, leaving her alone in the corridor. Jina was rooted to her spot, thinking about his words.

    Guess a Doctor Demon has his own demons to fight, she thought. She slowly unlocked her door and went back in, locking it firmly behind her.

 Chapter 32 - Smiling Sun (5)

    Officer Dahoon was typing fast on hisptop while Jiwoon watched over him. The rest of the team were huddled together, staring at theplicated numbers on Dahoon''s screen.

    "What the hell is he doing?" Jaebum muttered.??

    "He''s trying to track down that blog post," Chanmi replied.

    "Shhh!" Jiwoon hushed them. "Don''t disturb him."

    Dahoon paid no attention to them and kept on searching through the thousands of data which popped up. He had tracked down the blog''s user database and was now searching for the IP address of the original post.

    "Username PH11993, right?" he asked Jaebum.

    "Yes," Jaebum said, referring to a copy of the post. "He used the Smiling Sun of stealing money from donors."

    "Can you really find the IP address?" Woohee frowned. Dahoon pressed ''enter'' and pped his hands together.

    "Done!" he announced. "Found the guy."

    "Who is it?" Jiwoon demanded.

    "The person who made the post is a man named Ma Wonho," he revealed. "He used to live downtown in a rented apartment. And alsoбн"

    He turned the screen for the others to read Wonho''s biography.

    "He worked for a corporation," he went on. "After he turned 18, he applied for an internship at the corporation which sponsored him during his time at the orphanage."

    "Orphanage?" Jiwoon frowned. "Don''t tell meбн"

    "He was a student of the Smiling Sun orphanage," Jaebum muttered.

    Jiwoon finished reading the biography. "Okay," she nodded. "Woohee and Jaebum will go to Wonho''s apartment. Ask him about the post. Meanwhile, Chanmi and I will go to Wonho''s office to look up their donation history with the orphanage. Dahoon, stay here and keep digging up on this orphanage. Look into their past donation history, media coverage. Anything you can find."

    "Where''s Detective Hwang?" Chanmi frowned.

    "Jina is going undercover at the orphanage," Jiwoon informed them. "She''ll be collecting information on their activities. The children there won''t be open to cops so she''s taking that guy, Doctor Ohm, with her. Apparently one of the kids there is his patient so it''s easy for him to gain ess there."

    "The crazy doc is on this case?" Jaebum groaned. "He''s nuts!"

    "A smart nut, unfortunately," Jiwoon sighed. "Let''s go!"

    All of them set out for their tasks. Jiwoon sent a picture of Wonho''s biography to Jina.

    бн.

    Jina took a deep breath as she stood in front of the orphanage. It was located in the suburbs of the city and built on a small piece ofnd. The two storeyed building was painted pastel pink with a small yground in front of it. Around fifty to sixty children were ying there while a couple of volunteers watched over them.

    The children were of various ages, some in their teens while others were much younger. One of the volunteers was feeding a baby which seemed only a couple of days old.

    Hobin stood next to her at the entrance. He was keeping an eye out for Namgoong who was supposed to meet them. Jina was wearing an earpiece which was connected to Siwan''s phone. Thetter had taken time off to help her out. His car was parked only a few meters away from the orphanage, staying within the range of the earpiece.

    Unbeknownst to the two men, Jina also brought Minki with her. The little kid was going to help her navigate her way around the orphanage.

    "Here hees," Hobin muttered. Namgoong was descending down the front stairs. He was followed by a slim woman in her forties. Her hair was tied in a bun and she had a friendly demeanor but Minki froze upon seeing her.

    "That''s the matron!" he whispered at Jina. She did not betray her anger but kept an impassive expression.

    "Thank you so much, Doctor Ohm, for agreeing to treat our children for free!" Namgoong said, shaking Hobin''s hand. He turned to Jina and slightly frowned.

    "And this isбн"

    "This is the pediatrician at our hospital," Hobin replied. "Doctor Belle Tinker. She''s the best in our field."

    A nerve twitched on Jina''s head but she maintained a smile.

    "Thank you for inviting me," she said with a bow.

    "This is the matron of the orphanage, Miss Kim Minji," Namgoong said, introducing the matron. "She''s been with us for over a decade."

    "We''ve already set up a small booth for the two of you," Minji said with a seemingly warm smile. "The children are a little hesitant but we''ve exined to them that the kind doctors were treating them for free. Some of them have been suffering from coughs and frequent fevers so perhaps Doctor Belle can treat them."

    Uh oh, Jina thought.

    "Stay calm," Siwan''s voice echoed in her ear. "When you''ll treat them, put me on speaker and I''ll tell you what to do. Also, tell your observations out loud so that I can hear them."

    "Let''s go in," Hobin told the others.

    Namgoong led them to an empty ssroom where a couple of booths had been set up for them. Hobin put his equipment on one booth while Jina kept her ones on the other stand.

    "We''re very excited to have you two!" Namgoong eximed. "Some of the children are here already. I''ll bring them in."

    Namgoong and Minji went out to usher in the children. Within seconds many children entered the ssroom, queuing up in lines for their checkups. Jina, in particr, was ambushed by many kids who were chattering and chirping for attention. She did not mind because she adored children. Most of the kids were her sister''s age so it was easy for her to handle them.

    "Where does it hurt?" she cooed at a little girl who wasining of muscle pain.

    "My right hand!" the little girl mumbled.

    "Ask her if she was hit by something recently," Siwan spoke through the earpiece.

    "Were you hit by something on that spot?" Jina asked the girl.

    "A basketball hit me when I was ying in the yard with my dollie!" the girl imed.

    "She probably has a sore muscle due to untreated injury," Siwan exined. "Prescribe her the painkiller namedбн"

    His instructions helped Jina to work well with the children. For serious cases, he told her to refer them to the hospital instead of prescribing anything. Meanwhile, Hobin had set up a series of mini games for the children to y so that he can analyse them.

    "Pretty colors!" one child eximed at the prism Hobin was holding in front of her.

    "What color do you see here?" he asked.

    "Blue!" one girl chirped.

    "Red!" another boy imed.

    "I see yellow!"

    Hobin noted them all down.

    "If you see red," he smiled. "You''re very feisty. If you see blue, you''re calm and quiet. As for the ones who see yellow, you guys love to be happy all the time. Am I right?"

    "Yes!" the children cheered. One of the kids looked at Jina''s name tag.

    "The pretty sis'' name is like the fairy Tinkerbell!" she imed, pointing at Jina. Thetter smiled at the child while inwardly cursing Hobin. The culprit in question was stifling hisughter.

    "Kids, why don''t you all go to him for now?" she told her ''patients''. "Pretty sis needs to rest for a while."

    "Will youe back sis?" one boy asked.

    "Can you heal my stomach ache, sis?" another child asked.

    "Sis, my tooth hurts!"

    The children were crowding around her,ining of their problems. Jina was in a fix, her heart not able to refuse them when Hobin spoke up.

    "Who wants candies?" he dered. Instantly, the children hopped over to him, jumping up and down for candies. He nodded at Jina, knowing fully well that she was going to investigate the area.

    She nodded back and quietly left the room. Walking towards a deste area, she turned around to face Minki who had been waiting for aher all this time.

    "Take me to the closet," she instructed him. "Now."

 Chapter 33 - Smiling Sun (6)

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

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    Minki led Jina towards the dormitory where the children slept. Jina already received Jiwoon''s text about Wonho but she could not reveal to the police that Wonho was dead based on the words of a ghost. She needed concrete proof or a testimony from a living witness i.e. Haeji.

    She quickly passed by the other children who were ying out in the yard as she moved from one building to the next. The ghost walked ahead of her, invisible to everyone. He stepped on to the kitchen corridor and went straight until he stopped in front of a closet.

    "This is it," he said, pointing at the closet. "This is where I hid with Haeji that night. And Wonho bro was hereбн"

    He pointed at a spot a few inches away from the closet.

    "The masked guy killed him and put him on this wall," Minki went on and pointed at a spot directly perpendicr to the closet. Jina stooped down and wore her gloves as she examined the wall.

    It had been wiped clean after the murder and she had little hope for DNA evidence. Even if there was any left, it could no longer be used in court because weeks had passed by since the murder and the DNA would be contaminated by then.

    "If only we can find the file!" she sighed.

    "The matron might have it!" Minki eximed. Jina thought for a while.

    "I doubt it," she finally said. "But we''ll still have to search. Unfortunately, I can''t do that without a proper warrant butбн"

    She peered at Minki. "You can," she said. "You''re invisible to her. So you can go and see if the file is there."

    "Right!" Minki realized. "I can go and check!"

    "Meet me back at the medical booth once you''re done," she whispered. "You know how to disapparate now?"

    Minki nodded. Jina had exined to him some of the perks of being a ghost such as disapparating from one ce to another and also that ghosts can touch solid material at will. He disappeared in thin air, hopefully off to find the file.

    Jina turned her attention to the closet. It was an old, dusty closet which was probably used for supplies. She slowly opened it.

    The closet was spacious enough to hide two small children and was mostly empty except for some old paint materials. Other than that, it was not of much use either. Time was of essence in a murder case, especially the first three days after the murder when DNA evidence was untainted.

    Unfortunately, Wonho''s murder had very little clues left and the only way to even catch the killer was to find the body first.

    "Damn it," she cursed under her breath and closed the door. She turned around only to be startled by the figure of a small girl who was also staring at the closet. Jina immediately recognized her.

    "Haeji?" she whispered. The little girl looked at her, recognizing the pretty woman from Hobin''s office.

    "Are you alright?" Jina asked in a kind tone. "Do you need something?"

    The girl shook her head and resumed staring at the closet. Jina nced back at it and then at Haeji. There was no doubt that Haeji was remembering the painful memories of that night and was still deeply affected.

    Should I try asking her about Minki? Jina wondered. She was thinking hard when Haeji stepped forward to open the closet door and climbed into it, closing the door behind her. Jina was surprised but decided to follow suit.

    She opened the door and climbed inside as well. Once the door was closed, Jina faced the little girl, who was still scared by the events of the night Wonho was murdered.

    "Haeji," Jina began. "Do you hide here often?"

    The girl shook her head.

    "Are you ying hide and seek with a friend?" Jina asked. The girl shook her head again.

    "Oh my!" Jina feigned a gasp. "If you''re not ying, then why are you hiding?"

    The girl did not answer but looked down at her fingers. Jina thought for a bit and then decided to take a different approach.

    "When I was really young, I had a friend named Casper," she recalled. "He was as old as my grandpa and looked really scary. People were really afraid of him! They used to think he was really bad because of his looks. But in reality, he was really a sweet old man. He did not speak at all."

    Haeji''s eyes widened in surprise at that.

    "He could not speak, sadly," Jina reminisced. "But even without words, he had very expressive eyes. He would stay by my side and protect me from all harm. He was my first friend and doted on me. As my friend, he would do anything for me."

    Jina smiled at the little girl and asked, "Would you do anything for your friend?"

    The little girl slowly nodded, her chubby face now a little more determined. Jina took out Minki''s photo from her pocket. It was the one Hobin gave her.

    "Haeji...is he your friend?" she asked. Haeji looked at the photo and was feeling emotional. Tears welled up in her eyes and she silently sobbing.

    "Haeji, are you hiding in the closet from bad people?" Jina whispered. The little girl suddenly lunged forward and hugged her tightly as if very scared. Jina felt her shaking and patted the girl in assurance.

    "Do they have him?" Jina gently pressed. "Don''t be afraid. I won''t let anyone hurt you."

    Haeji was about to open up to her when the closet door burst open.

    "Oh my!" Matron Kim yelped. "Doctor Belle? What are you doing here?"

    As soon as Haeji heard the matron''s voice, she froze in fear. Jina felt her go still, knowing fully well that the girl was scared of the matron.

    "Nothing!" Jina lied, stuffing the picture smoothly back into her pocket. "Doctor Hobin told me that there was a girl here, Haeji, whom he was treating. He asked me to look for her and I found her in here. I was just coaxing her toe out and meet him. That''s it."

    The matron nodded and adopted a fake smile to address Haeji.

    "Haeji, the kind doctor wants to treat you," she said in a disgustingly sweet voice which was making Jina sick. "Come outбн"

    She reached out her hand but Haeji was unwilling to go.

    "I''ll take her to Doctor Hobin myself," Jina said in a cool tone. "Come on, Haeji."

    She gently pulled Haeji out of the closet, shielding her from the matron. Kim was unabashed and to Jina''s dismay, followed to the medical booth.

    Hobin looked up when Jina entered the booth with Haeji and the matron. It was obvious the matron was following Haeji around to keep an eye on her.

    "Haeji was about to open up," Jina muttered, sitting next to Hobin. "But the matron interrupted."

    He did not look at her but peered at the matron who was haughtily looking at the duo.

    It was a pesky situation indeed. The matron would not leave them alone with Haeji at all, breathing down their necks as they tried to talk to the little girl. Jina watched from the corner of her eye as Minki re-appeared. The ghost shook his head in dismay, indicating that he did not find the files.

    I just hope Wonho was smart enough to keep a copy of that file somewhere, Jina hoped in her head.

    She shared a nce with Hobin and nodded. They would have to rethink a strategy to get Haeji alone and make her talk to them.

    Finally, at 5 PM, they were done for the day. Since the program was a week long, they would be returning the next day as well to check up on the other children.

    "Thank you so much, doctors," Namgoong said as he escorted them out of the premises. "The children are really pleased to have you here with us."

    "Not at all!" Jina eximed. "We''re happy to help as well."

    "We''ll see you tomorrow," Hobin said with a bow. They got into Jina''s car and sped off. Siwan, who was still parked outside, followed their vehicle until it stopped at the hospital. He got out of his car and entered the backseat of Jina''s car.

    "We couldn''t talk to that girl," Hobin said.

    "And the crime scene has been wiped," Jina sighed.

    "Guess we''ll have to try again tomorrow," Siwan shrugged.

    "We''ll need to distract the matron," Hobin muttered. Then an idea struck him.

    "What''s your brother doing tomorrow?" he asked Jina.

    "Which one?" she frowned.

    "The one who''s an idol," he replied. "Tell him to drop everything and volunteer at the orphanage for tomorrow. We''ll also need that girl...Soobin, right?"

    "You want my brother and the witness to this case at the crime scene?" Jina frowned. "That''s a little riskyбн"

    "We''ll have to take the risk if we wanna find out what happened to Wonho and Minki," Hobin pointed out.

    "I''ll have to meet up with my team tomorrow," Jina nodded. "To synchronize our findings.This case is moreplicated than I thought."

    If only we can find Wonho''s body, she added in her thoughts.

 Chapter 34 - Smiling Sun (7)

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    So please do buy the privilege chapters in August!

    ........

    Minyoon yawned loudly and ruffled his hair while Yoonmin was typing away on his phone. The twins received a message from their sister to meet her at her home. They had to disguise themselves because Minyoon was famous and fans might stalk him. Yoonmin had to wear a disguise because he looked like his brother and fans sometimes confused the two of them.

    They wore identical caps to cover their hair and face masks. The boys were already inside Jina''s apartment,zing on her bed.

    "Why did sis call us here?" Yoonmin askedzily. He was calcting the total revenue theirpany made in the year and for once, he was satisfied with the oue.

    "Probably to tell us how much she misses us," Minyoon shrugged.

    "We live only a mile away," Yoonmin frowned.

    "Whatever the reason is, I''m not leaving without dinner!" Minyoon dered. "Aunt is gonna cook dinner tonight at her mansion."

    That made Yoonmin almost drop his phone.

    "What?" he hissed. "In that case, I''m not leaving without dinner either. Or better yet, I''m gonna tell sis to make our breakfast as well."

    As much as they love their aunt Mina, she was a terrible cook. Only their uncle Kanji could digest her disgusting cooking. But then again, uncle Kanji had really bad taste buds so they were a match made in heaven.

    "Where are they anyway?" Yoonminined. "I have a meeting with investors! They''re gonna invest in your next concert."

    "And I have a fan event which I was paid in full for," Minyoon moaned. "If I don''t go, I''ll have to return the money!"

    Then he frowned and turned to his brother. "Aren''t you grounded?" he asked his twin.

    "It''s an online meeting," Yoonmin stated. "Learn to go digital, brother. It''s cheap."

    "And yet, you make me work like a ve at all concerts and events," Minyoon muttered. At that very moment, Minyoon''s phone rang up.

    "Yes sis," Minyoon said over the speaker.

    "We''re gonna run a littlete coz there''s crazy traffic on the road," Jina''s voice came from the other end. "Someone else is alsoing over to my ce. Let her in. Her name is Soobin and she''s from your ss."

    "Our ss?" Minyoon frowned. There was a knock on the door and Yoonmin strode over to open it. To his surprise, it was a dark haired girl with slightly chubby cheeks. She wore the uniform of Dalton High and was shocked to see him.

    "H-Hwang Minyoon?" she squeaked, blushing a little.

    "Who are you?" Yoonmin asked.

    "Oi, let her in!" Minyoon''s voice came from inside. "Sis called her here."

    Yoonmin peered at the girl. He did not pay much attention to the people in his ss because they bored him and hence, did not know anyone by face.

    But this girl...why did she look so familiar?

    Soobin lowered her head, blushing hard as she entered the apartment. To her surprise, she saw the real Minyoon sitting on the bed, looking very bored.

    Both the twins are here! She realized. Minyoon merely nodded at her as she meekly sat on a chair, shaking in nervousness. She kept on ncing at Minyoon every now and then but Yoonmin was still peering at her, feeling suspicious. He was sure he saw her somewhere before.

    Soobin noticed Yoonmin''s gaze on her and was startled. He was looking at her intently as if he knew something about her. She quickly looked away from him, hiding her face with her hair.

    He was still racking his brains to remember who she was when it hit him.

    "Aha!" he eximed. "Golden Penny!"

    Soobin''s eyes widened in shock while Minyoon was excited.

    "Golden penny?" he asked, looking around. "Where?"

    Yoonmin was about to say something but Soobin jumped at him.

    "I need to talk to you!" she imed. She grabbed his arm and pulled him outside.

    Minyoon was confused as the tiny girl dragged his twin away. "Weird," he muttered. "Girls usually pull me away to talk."

    He shrugged andy on the bed, reading aic. Outside, Soobin pulled Yoonmin towards the staircase.

    "You''re the president of Minyoon''s official fanclub, aren''t ya?" Yoonmin asked her. "Golden_Penny2138."

    "How the hell do you know?" Soobin demanded. "I never told anyone!"

    "Easy," Yoonmin shrugged. "You bought over 8000 dors worth merchandise over the past three years. In fact, you were our first customer and paid by card. Also, your name and ID are on our website database. I know it coz I handle the website and the data. Furthermore, you''ve been our highest buyer, winning almost every auction. I might not remember our ssmates but I do remember the best customer of mypany."

    He nodded, feeling proud of himself as if he solved a very important mystery. But Soobin was scared. She did not want people to find out about her being Minyoon''s fanclub president.

    "Don''t tell anyone!" she begged. "Please!"

    "Why not?" Yoonmin asked. "What''s so shameful about being a fan? Thanks to you, our pockets are full."

    He paused before adding, "We''re also grateful that you''ve spent on our hard work and supported my brother over the years nonstop."

    "It''s not that!" Soobin eximed. She was now red in the face and fidgeted nervously with her fingers. "I...I''m content with being a silent supporter," she mumbled. "I want to support Minmin because I like his music. I don''t want the unnecessary attention by beingbeled as his biggest fan. You see, the other fans are savage. They''ll harass me if I expose my identity and they''ll also annoy Minmin with thisбн"

    Yoonmin could not understand her logic at all but he sighed. "As long as you keep buying our merchandise, I guess I can keep my mouth shut," he shrugged. "I don''t really care about all that."

    "Don''t tell Minmin!" Soobin begged.

    "Meh, he''s more into his looks than bother with all this," Yoonmin replied. "He doesn''t even know who Golden_Penny2138 is. I won''t tell him either."

    Soobin was relieved.

    "But why are you here?" he asked, feeling curious. "And how do you know my sister?"

    "I''m a witness on a murder case," Soobin revealed. "A little boy was killed only a few blocks from here. I saw his body was dumped by a woman with a ck tattoo on her left wrist."

    "ck tattoo?" Yoonmin frowned.

    "At that time I didn''t realize it," Soobin pouted. "But now that I think of it, I think that tattoo was simr to the symbol on one of Minmin''s videos! You remember the bat-like symbol with bars on it as if the bat was caged?"

    "Bat-like tattoo?"

    Both of them jumped in shock and spun around to find Jina and Hobin standing at the staircase.

    "Yes," Soobin replied. "I only recalled it coz I was watching one of Minmi- I mean, Minyoon''s music videos that day. That symbol appeared on screen and I realized that the symbol matched the tattoo on the woman''s wrist!"

    "Do you mean to sayбн" Hobin began. "That woman is a fan of idols?"

 Chapter 35 - Smiling Sun (8)

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    Hi guys! A new privilege system will start from 1st August for this book. Under it, there will be 25 chapters of privilege for the readers and has been set up as such:??

    1st tier (2 chaps)- 1 coin

    2nd tier (6 chaps)- 50 coins

    3rd tier (12 chaps)- 100 coins

    4th tier (18 chaps)- 200 coins

    5th tier (25 chaps)- 350 coins

    Sorry if it seems expensive. I tried to set the lowest prices possible but since its spirity/win-win season, a lot of use were advised to put up such prices. BUT I will give some perks to the readers in return if the book reaches win-win levels.

    1000 privilege chapter unlocks= 3 extra chapter mass release

    5000 privilege chapter unlocks= 5 extra chapter mass release

    10,000 privilege chapter unlocks= 10 chapter mass release.

    This is applicable for every month! Please do support this book by buying as much privilege chapters as possible <3

    .........

    "Alright, kids!" Hobin eximed. "Listen up."

    They were in Jina''s apartment. He presided over the teens like a teacher. Yoonmin was frowning at him with a little disdain while Minyoon was curious about the guy. Soobin, on the other hand, was blushing hard at the hot teacher.

    Jina was the only one who was paying attention to him.

    "The reason we called you here is-" Hobin began but Yoonmin cut through.

    "Aren''t you the guy who tripped me at the restaurant when sis was chasing me?" he demanded.

    "Yes," Hobin replied. He opened his mouth to exin the n to them but Minyoon spoke up.

    "What''s your rtionship with our sister?" he demanded.

    "Are you two dating?" Yoonmin asked.

    "How long have you known each other?"

    "What are your intentions with her?"

    "I know mixed martial arts!"

    "SHUT IT!" Jina scolded them. "He''s just a colleague. That''s it! Now listen to what he''s gonna say!"

    But her brothers were ring at Hobin with suspicion. Yoonmin even scooted closer to Jina as if a little kitten trying to protect its mother. Hobin only rolled his eyes and shook his head.

    "I wouldn''t date your sister even if she''s thest woman on earth," he said but the twins red up once again.

    "Why not?" Minyoon demanded. "What''s wrong with our sis?"

    "She''s pretty and smart!" Yoonmin added. "Kind too!"

    "Any guy would be lucky to have her!" Minyoon imed.

    "Just coz she''s a little older than you doesn''t mean she''s any less than other girls!" his twin said. "She''s the best cook!"

    They scowled at Hobin who waspletely speechless by the cheeky twins. Make up your mind, he thought in dismay while Soobin stifled augh. Jina, on the other hand, was getting impatient.

    "Just shut up and listen!" she snapped at her brothers. "We called you here to help out in a murder case!"

    The twins blinked at her. Murder case?

    "What we''re gonna tell you is strictly confidential," Hobin stressed. "Officially, we''re not supposed to share this with outsiders. But if you guys help out a little, we can catch a child''s killer. So whatever you''re gonna hear must stay in this room."

    "If it goes out, I''ll freeze all your bank ounts!" Jina threatened. "A child''s life is on the line."

    Yoonmin looked at his sister with a quizzical look. Jina knew exactly what he wanted to ask and she nodded. His eyes shed in realization but he remained quiet.

    "Tell us about the case," Minyoon said.

    "Soobin, please tell us what you saw that night," Hobin told her. Soobin got up and nervously stood in front of them.

    "Well, I got lost on my way home that night," she recalled. "I was just a few blocks from here, standing near a wall when I sawбн"

    She recounted the whole story, not changing a single word in the statement she had given to the police. Hobin noted that the girl had a pretty sharp memory and that was a major asset to the case.

    "The woman was wearing a mask so I couldn''t see her face," she stated. "But she was quite elegant in her manners. She wore high heels and good clothes, which was odd. Like, why would someone like that be out at night throwing trash? I didn''t think much of it then but now that I think about it, I should have caught her. Also, I saw a tattoo on her wrist, a ck bat-like tattoo. The same tattoo which was in one of Minyoon''s music videos."

    "Are you sure?" Jina asked.

    "It seemed to be of that shape," Soobin nodded. "I thought really hard about that tattoo because it looked familiar. So when I was watching Minyoon''sst music video, I saw the tattoo!"

    "That person must be a fan then," Minyoon concluded. "But we never sold those tattoos anywhere."

    "She got it inked," Hobin realized. "We might be able to find her identity if we ask the tattoo parlors. As for you guysбн"

    He turned to the kids. "You''ll be helping us in our undercover mission. The boy who was murdered belonged to an orphanage. Detective Hwang and I went to the orphanage undercover. There''s a child there, Haeji, who knows something about the murder but she''s too traumatized to speak."

    "I tried to make her talk but the matron stopped me," Jina added.

    "Is she the killer then?" Soobin asked.

    "If she''s not the killer then there''s a chance she''s an aplice," Hobin stated.

    Everyone was not apt with attention as Hobin began to exin the mission.

    "The killer here is the unsub," he exined. "Which is short for Unidentified Subject. What we know about the unsub is that it''s a female and perhaps from a moderate to high ss background. Given that she has the resources to have a tattoo made and judging from Soobin''s description of her, we can conclude that the unsub probably lives near the uptown area or at least a posh ce."

    "We''ve seen the matron today and even though she''s a possible subject, high chances are that she was not the person who dumped the boy''s body in the dumpster," he went on. "First of all, given that she''s in her forties, I doubt she would be an idol lover. She also did not have a tattoo on her left wrist. It was the first thing I checked when the owner introduced her to us. And she wore very in clothes. Her sry isn''t enough to afford expensive things for herself."

    "The unsub is cold and calctive in her moves," Jina stated. "Given that she had no qualms in killing a child, there''s a high chance we''re dealing with a sociopath here. No feelings of guilt or remorse. The fact that she dumped the body in a dumpster also indicates that she''s not a very smart murderer. But one fact is that she was prepared with masks and proper PPE. There weren''t any fingerprints at the site. Which means, it''s not her first murder. However, given that a child went missing and no one at the orphanage seemed to be worried about him, it means that she had inside help."

    Wonho, Jina thought but did not voice it out loud. No one knew about his murder yet.

    "Since the people at the orphanage are keeping Haeji away from us," Hobin said. "We need to distract the minions of our unsubs. Which is where you guyse in."

    He pointed at Minyoon. "Tomorrow, you will be our surprise guest. The kids will be very much eager to see a famous idol perform for them. Soobin will pose as one of our volunteers. She''ll pretend to take the pulse of everyone in the vicinity but in reality, she''ll be checking for the tattoo. Yoonmin will help out Minyoon as his campaign manager while Detective Hwang and I will try to talk to Haeji."

    "My logo is being used by a criminal!" Minyoon scowled in disgust. "Pathetic!"

    Yoonmin was quiet for a while. The others were discussing the n but he was observing his sister.

    After a while, Soobin announced that she would have to leave. Minyoon also said that he needed to go home and decide on the songs to keep the crowd busy. They went out of the apartment with Hobin, still discussing the case. Only Yoonmin stayed behind with Jina.

    "I''ll help you clean up, sis," he offered.

    Jina smiled at him. "You should go and rest," she said. "It''ll be a long day tomorrow."

    But Yoonmin did not move. He was fidgeting a little, making her sigh again.

    "You''re right," she finally said. "There''s a ghost involved in the case. The boy who died. His spirit still lingers."

    "I knew it!" he muttered. "Sis...don''t you think you get a little too involved with dead people?"

    The entire family knew about Jina and Miyoo''s abilities. It was something that all the females from their mother''s side were born with. Hundreds of years ago, a shaman had given the gift of sight to one of their ancestors. With that, every woman on their mother''s side became Seers, people who couldmunicate with the dead.

    But once the women gave birth to a child, they lost their power. Instead, the power is passed on to their daughters. If a son is born, then he acts as a carrier and passes it on to his future female line. After their mother, only Jina and Miyoo had possessed the powers of a Seer.

    However, Jina was a very special case. It was not simply because of the powers she received from their mother; she also had an additional power from their father''s bloodline. An ability which only the first born Hwang child, regardless of gender, could inherit.

    And thatbination alone made Jina''s abilities very dangerous.

    "Where''s the spirit now?" he asked.

    "At the orphanage," Jina replied. "He wanted to see his friends."

    "Sis, I think you should call grandpa," Yoonmin suggested. "As a precaution? What if the spirit turns bad?"

    Jina looked down, deep in thought. She understood Yoonmin''s fears very well. The twins had seen hermunicate with ghosts numerous times and even though some were good, others were very dangerous. There was a time when Jina almost died trying to protect her siblings from an evil entity.

    "Grandpa is in Romania now," she said. "He''s investigating a possible demonic possession. He''ll be away for weeks."

    "You should still tell him," Yoonmin insisted.

    When he saw that Jina was hesitating, he said, "I''m telling grandpa. If anything goes wrong with that ghost, he must be exorcised. We can''t let the past events repeat themselves."

    To his surprise, Jina was smiling. She ruffled his hair yfully.

    "My little brother grew up!" she beamed. "I remember when you were hardly bigger than my arm and now you''re taller than me! Even wiser."

    "And yet you punish me," he muttered. "I need to earn money, ya know!"

    Jina facepalmed herself. She might be the strange hybrid in her family but even her abilities were nothingpared to the money making powers of her siblings.

 Chapter 36 - Smiling Sun (9)

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    Mass chapter mission time! Support me in win win by unlocking the privilege chapters to get mass releases. MR will be given based on the following conditions:??

    1000 privilege chapter unlocks= 3 extra chapter mass release

    5000 privilege chapter unlocks= 5 extra chapter mass release

    10,000 privilege chapter unlocks= 10 chapter mass release.

    This is applicable for every month! Please do support this book by buying as much privilege chapters as possible <3

    .....

    The next morning, Jina stopped by the precinct to meet with her team. All of them had gone out the previous day to collect information on Wonho. She knew he was dead but they still needed clues to his body''s whereabouts.

    They were already seated at the meeting room, ready to report their findings.

    "So, what do we know about Ma Wonho?" she asked as soon as she entered.

    "We went to his apartment," Jaebum reported. "And get this. He didn''t go home for weeks."

    "There were old newspapers and milk cartons at the front door," Woohee added. "We asked the neighbors and they haven''t seen him either. He had no known rtives."

    "But we did find his past records," Jaebum stated. "Guess what we found?"

    "What?" Jina asked.

    "He was from the same orphanage," Woohee said. "He had left only three years ago. His donor, a well known multinational, had given him a job after he left the orphanage because he was a bright student."

    "What did you find out about him in the workce?" Jina asked, turning to Jiwoon.

    "He was a hard worker but no one had seen him for days," Jiwoon said. "They tried to reach out to him but no results. The HR had filed a missingint at the station nearest to them but the officers there did not take it seriously. We had to go and poke them into investigating."

    "Which precinct is it?" Jina asked.

    "The twenty fifth," Jiwoon replied.

    Jina groaned in frustration. They were nowhere near to finding Wonho''s corpse.

    Where could the killer have hidden it?

    "I''ll go to the orphanage today as well," she said. "I''ll be undercover. By the way, the witness, Soobin, has recalled a detail. She told me that the woman who dumped the body had a ck bat tattoo on her left wrist. It''s the same tattoo from one of my brother''s music videos. I''m guessing the killer is a fan. I requested him to hold a concert there. Maybe it''ll lure the killer. Soobin will be there as well, pretending to be a trainee nurse. She''ll help us to recognize the tattoo."

    "That sounds like a good idea," Jiwoon nodded. "Maybe we can go under the pretext of being his security team? That''ll help us keep an eye out for the killer."

    "Good idea," Jina agreed. "But remember this. The Chief must not find out that the witness will be at the site. If he finds out, he''ll interfere with the investigation. I already got the permission from the precinct''s Captain so the Chief can''tin."

    "Boss, we''re loyal to you," Dahoon said. "The Chief can kiss our asses for all we care. Besides, he''s on vacation."

    Their dislike of Chief Taejoon was apparent. The man was just useless when it came to running the department and most of the officers followed Jina''s lead anyway.

    "Alright then!" she eximed. "Jaebum and Jiwoon will be part of the security team. The others will work with the twenty fifth precinct and try to find any whereabouts of Wonho."

    "Yes boss!" all of them said in unison. Jiwoon and Jaebum followed their boss out while the rest got to work.

    "I''ll drop you guys off at my brothers'' ce," Jina said. "I''m texting Yoonmin to help you out. He''ll handle everything from their end. I''ll be off to the hospital to pick up Doctor Demon and Soobin. Meet me at the orphanage in an hour."

    Both Jiwoon and Jaebum winced. They were not particrly happy to work with the crazy doctor but they had little choice. Jina bid them goodbye and got into her car. Revving up the engine, she drove off towards the hospital where Siwan, Soobin and Hobin were waiting for her.

    бн.

    "This is it," Jina said when she pulled up in front of the orphanage an hourter. "The twins will be here with their team in a while."

    "Let''s go in and set everything up," Hobin said. Siwan was parked a few blocks away            as per the n. Soobin, who sat in the backseat, was typing something on her phone.

    "What are you doing?" Jina frowned.

    "Sis, if the killer is a fan of Minyoon, then she must be on some forum or fansite," Soobin stated. "I mean, she was crazy enough to get a tattoo, right? Then she must be a member of a fansite. So I''m looking through the fan profiles to see if any of them posted the photo of the tattoo."

    "Be careful," Jina warned. "Don''t tell the fans that Minyoon is performing here. Thest thing we need is a fan mob."

    "I understand," Soobin said. "Which is why I spread a false rumor that Minyoon is performing at Town D. It''ll keep most fans away from here."

    "Smart girl," Hobin nodded. "You''d make an excellent psychiatrist someday."

    "No one understands fan mentality better than me!" Soobin said with pride. "But please don''t tell Minyoon about this! I don''t want other fans to find out that I''m his biggest fan! They''re already up in arms against me for buying his limited edition t-shirt."

    Jina shook her head in dismay. How her brothers managed to hoodwink so many girls, she would never know.

    "Anyways," she said. "You know how to take a pulse?"

    "Doctor Hobin taught me!" Soobin said. "I can use the pulse machine now."

    "Good," Hobin muttered. "Let''s go."

    They entered the orphanage where the matron weed them.

    "Where''s the owner?" Jina asked. "Mr. Namgoong, right?"

    "He''s on a business trip today," Minji informed them. "But his son and daughter-inw will being today. They''ll be helping out at the orphanage today."

    "Son and daughter-inw?" Hobin frowned.

    "Yes," Minji replied. "They live with the owner but are mostly involved in their own business. They have a boutique shop uptown."

    Jina and Hobin nced at each other while Soobin merely nodded. Uptown? All of them wondered.

    They did not say anything but followed the matron. As soon as they were about to enter the premises, arge trailer bus stopped in front of the gates. A group of people came out of it. One of them rushed to the passenger side and opened the door.

    Minyoon came out of the car wearing a brown leather jacket with a mickey mouse printed t-shirt. He had dyed his hair bright pink and carried a guitar on his back. Soobin watched him dreamily as he strutted like a king, walking towards them.

    Yoonmin followed him closely, wearing a cap over his head, trying to keep a low profile. But hemanded an intimidating aura as well, his cool image oozing out. His secretary, Namgi followed him closely while Jiwoon and Jaebum were walking with Minyoon, acting as his bodyguards. They were wearing ck suits and had earpieces with them, making them look more menacing.

    "Is that the famous idol?" Jina asked the Matron.

    "Yes, Doctor Belle," the Matron replied. "They called us yesterday and offered to do a free show at our orphanage! Isn''t that amazing?"

    "Indeed," Hobin agreed. The twins'' crew were instructed not to interact with Jina and Hobin under any circumstances so they ignored them.

    "So," Minyoon told the Matron. "Shall we start the show?"

 Chapter 37 - Smiling Sun (10)

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    Mass chapter mission time! Support me in win win by unlocking the privilege chapters to get mass releases. MR will be given based on the following conditions:??

    1000 privilege chapter unlocks= 3 extra chapter mass release

    5000 privilege chapter unlocks= 5 extra chapter mass release

    10,000 privilege chapter unlocks= 10 chapter mass release.

    This is applicable for every month! Please do support this book by buying as much privilege chapters as possible <3

    ....

    The children gathered at the only hall in the orphanage, very excited. They were all crowding the area, hoping to catch a glimpse of Minyoon. Hobin and Jina, who were sitting at a booth in the corner, watched as the children screeched for their idol.

    "Your brother is famous," Hobin remarked.

    "When ites to making money, the men of my family won''t hesitate to sell their good looks," Jina sighed. "Even Soobin seems to be a fan."

    Soobin was also eagerly anticipating Minyoon''s show, almost forgetting that it was all a ruse.

    "Did you find the blog post owner yet?" Hobin asked. There was so muchmotion around them that the chances of them being overheard by someone was slim.

    "No," Jina replied. "We checked his apartment and office. He''s missing. Andбн"

    She smirked and added, "He was a student here."

    "Really?" Hobin asked, pretending to be surprised. "He lived here in this orphanage?"

    For some reason, Jina felt that Hobin was acting to be surprised at the information. Am I thinking too much? She wondered. She never revealed this information to him before nor did he know that Wonho was already dead.

    "Well, he''s officially missing," she said. "His office used to donate to this ce. Maybe he knew something and got into deep trouble."

    "Probably," Hobin grimaced. He''s dead, both of them said in their heads.

    Meanwhile, Minyoon was preparing toe up on stage. Jiwoon and Jaebum were giving him instructions on what to do.

    "When you''ll be performing, Jaebum will be here to keep an eye out for the tattooeddy," Jiwoon exined. "I''ll be off to investigate the dorms where the children sleep so that I can find more information on Minki. Yoonmin is already on the matron''s tail. He has a walkie talkie with him. If the matron goes anywhere near the dorms, he''ll give us the code to hide."

    "What''s the code?" Minyoon asked.

    "He said it''s ''credit card''," Jiwoon replied. "That''s the code for danger. Keep the matron busy with the kids. Titite them as much as you can so that she can''t go inside the dorms at all!"

    "Got it," Minyoon nodded.

    Meanwhile, Yoonmin was tailing the matron from a distance. As they had predicted, she was having a tough time keeping the kids under control. The orphanage was understaffed so it was only her and a trainee teacher who was avable to take care of the children. The unruly kids were overexcited, screaming and cheering for Minyoon.

    So when Minyoon came on stage, they jumped up in joy.

    "Yo kids!" he eximed. "Are you all excited to see me here today?"

    "YESSS!" all the children screamed, pping hard. The matron tried to stop a few kids from climbing up the stage but Minyoon only encouraged some of them more toe and hug him.

    That''ll keep the matron busy, Yoonmin thought warily. He spotted Soobin a few meters away and groaned as she was also fangirling over his brother.

    "Oi!" he hissed at her. "You have a job to do!"

    "The medical checkup will start in an hour so I have time to cheer for my Minmin!" she squealed. Yoonmin jabbed her head.

    "Focus!" He scolded her. "We need to catch a criminal!"

    Soobin pouted a little before going back to her station. Minyoon had begun to perform, keeping the children busy while the matron monitored them.

    "Do you see Haeji anywhere?" Hobin asked.

    "Noбн" Jina trailed off. Where was Haeji?

    From the corner of her eye, she saw Jiwoon had snuck away towards the dorm. She sent her a text.

    Jiwoon was on her way to the dormitory when she received the text. It was a picture of a little girl which Jina sent. There was also a message.

    "Find this girl," she read. "Her name is Haeji. She might know something about the missing child."

    Jiwoon quickly sprinted off towards the dormitory where the young children slept. The room was thankfully empty since all the children were at the concert. She looked around, carefully checking some of the belongings of the kids. Opening the closet, she looked for any photo or any clue of Minki''s existence but to her surprise, there was no such evidence.

    A series of drinking cups were kept on a table, each having a name written on it. She checked all the cups and frowned. Minki''s name was nowhere at all.

    Thinking quickly, she headed for the matron''s room. It was locked so she took out a bobby pin from her hair and began to pick it until it clicked open. Jiwoon scanned the files until she came across one file which had the name list of all the current children in the orphanage. She flipped the pages to look for Minki.

    "What the hell?" she muttered. She found Minki''s name but next to it was a small note. It said ''adopted''.

    "Huh?" she blinked. Jiwoon looked up and found a filebeled as ''Adoption''. She scanned through the pages until she found Minki''s section where several copies of his adoption documents were kept. To Jiwoon''s trained eyes, the documents were an obvious fake. The signature of the state representative was too narrow and the logo of the child protection agency was also a shade darker. The differences were very minor to the point that it was negligible and made the documents look real.

    Jiwoon quickly took pictures of the documents and put them back in their ces. She sent them to Dahoon to check into them and left the room to go back to the concert.

    She walked along the corridor, passing by the kitchen. Her heels nked through the empty hallway until she paused.

    Jiwoon frowned and tapped the floor with her heel.

    CLANK! CLANK!

    Her eyes widened in shock and she was about to call Jina when something heavy hit her from the back.

    "AGH!" she cried in pain, clutching her head. She turned around, trying to see who it was but before she could even nce at her attacker, she fainted on the floor.

    A pair of hands reached out and pulled her by the feet, dragging her away.

    Meanwhile at the concert, Jina spotted a new entrant. An average height man with thick brte hair and squinted eyes entered the concert and seemed very impressed. He was in his early thirties and was talking to the matron.

    "Who''s that?" Jina frowned. Hobin nced at the man and noted the simrities between him and the owner, Namgoong.

    "That must be the owner''s son," he muttered. Behind him was a bonydy in herte twenties. Her hair was tied in a neat bun and she wore a long sleeved shirt and was looking with disdain at the children.

    "Could she be the killer?" Jina wondered.

    "Let''s find out," Hobin said.

 Chapter 38 - Smiling Sun (11)

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    Mass chapter mission time! Support me in win win by unlocking the privilege chapters to get mass releases. MR will be given based on the following conditions:??

    1000 privilege chapter unlocks= 3 extra chapter mass release

    5000 privilege chapter unlocks= 5 extra chapter mass release

    10,000 privilege chapter unlocks= 10 chapter mass release.

    This is applicable for every month! Please do support this book by buying as much privilege chapters as possible <3

    ....

    "Can''t you go any faster?" Chanmi asked. "We''re running out of time!"

    "It''s a lot of data," Dahoon muttered. "It takes time!"

    Chanmi and Woohee were towering over Dahoon. They were at the 25th Precinct, as per Jina''s instructions, to work with that particr police team to find Wonho. Since their investigation ovepped with Minki''s case, they were given ess to Wonho''s belongings including hisptop.

    Unfortunately, someone had deleted all the files from Wonho''sptop but Dahoon said that the person did not wipe out the hard drivepletely. He inputted someplicated codes to hack into the system and was now restoring the data.

    Just then, Dahoon''s phone beeped. He opened it to see a message from Jiwoon.

    "Guys, check this out!" he said, showing the other two the pictures Jiwoon sent them.

    "These look like adoption papers," Chanmi frowned. "Minkiбн"

    "That orphanage falsified the adoption papers so that no one can find out that the kid died," Woohee grimaced.

    They went through the papers, disgusted by the deeds of the people running the orphanage. Dahoon nced at theptop. It was going to take him one hour topletely restore the files. He called Jiwoon''s phone but to his surprise, her phone was switched off.

    "Detective Jiwoon isn''t picking up," he said.

    "Call the boss then," Woohee suggested. Dahoon tried to call Jina but her phone was also unreachable.

    "Let''s wait till the information is restored," Chanmi suggested. "And then we can report to them. They''re undercover right now. If we call, their ruse might be busted."

    "Okay," the other two nodded and they began to work on theptop once again.

    бн.

    "Alright kids!" Minyoon eximed. "Don''t forget to get yourselves tested by the doctors there! If you don''t, then I''ll be very sad!"

    He pretended to cry, making the children go ''aw''. They loved him and were dancing along to his songs.

    "Kids, calm down!" the matron screamed but they were not listening to her. She tried to hold back the tide of kids in vain. The security guards did not seem to be helping her and the idols asso somehow charming the kids around him. He was effortless in handling them, shing his gorgeous teeth at them.

    Meanwhile, some children were also getting themselves tested at the booth. They were actually enticed by the free candies Hobin was handing out while Jina and Soobin did some basic treatment on them with the help of Siwan who was on the other line of the earpiece.

    Soobin was a natural at treating the kids though. They adored her sweet smile and some of the boys were having a crush on her.

    "Sis, my hand hurts," one boy imed. "Can you check my pulse too?"

    "You''ll need to get a shot for it," she joked. "Pulse machine can''t help."

    The boy''s shoulders fell in disappointment. Seeing that, Soobinughed and handed him a candy. The boy was smiling at her when a tall, dark shadow fell over him. He looked up to find Yoonmin''s stern face.

    "Oi, are you taking free candy?" he hissed at the kid. "Mypany paid for that. Ya better pay up, kid!"

    "Stop scaring the kids!" Soobin scolded him when the boy burst into tears. Yoonmin scowled at her. Why was she giving away free candies?

    As if in defiance, she handed the boy another candy. The child smiled and sprinted off.

    Meanwhile, Jina was trying to call Jiwoon but there was nowork in that ce. She had been gone for a while and did not return yet, making Jina worried. Suddenly, she saw a pearly figure shining in the distance.

    "Doctor Belle-" Hobin began but he paused when he saw that Jina''s attention was elsewhere.

    "I''ll be back!" she imed and ran off. Hobin frowned but did not have much time to think about it since there were some children who needed his attention.

    Jina pushed past the crowd of kids and followed Minki towards the dested corridor which led to the dormitory.

    "Minki!" she called. "What happened?"

    The ghost looked worried and distraught. "Sis," he began. "Sis, Haeji is missing!"

    "What?" Jina eximed. "How?"

    "I stayed here all night," Minki said. "Around 1 AM, I saw the matron entering the dorm where Haeji slept and took her away!"

    "Why didn''t you tell me this earlier?" Jina demanded. "Did you happen to see where she was taken?"

    "I followed the matron but she vanished around the kitchen!" Minki sobbed. "Later, she appeared in the morning without Haeji. I looked for her everywhere. Even went outside to search for her but didn''t find her!"

    Jina wanted to curse out loud. The bitch took the kid! She must have figured out that Haeji was opening up. Moreover, the sessions with Hobin were a threat to the killer''s ns.

    "But...how did they find out that Haeji might know something?" she wondered. "Did they connect the dots between her sudden loss of voice and the murder?"

    That must be it, she deduced. Turning to Minki, she asked, "Did you see another woman in a ck suit around the dorms? She had long dark hair and it was tied in a ponytail."

    "No," Minki replied. "I just checked the dorms a while ago. There was no one."

    Huh? Jina was now suspicious. Jiwoon went that way. Where was she?

    She took out her phone. There was a little bit ofwork there so she tried Jiwoon''s phone. To her surprise, her phone was switched off. Jiwoon never turned off her phone.

    "There''s something wrong," she muttered. "Minki, lead me to the dorms."

    The boy obliged and said, "Follow me."

    бн.

    Hobin was at the booth when he noticed a couple walking towards them. The bony woman and her husband were smiling at him.

    "I''m Heo Dongwha," the man introduced himself. "I''m the son of this orphanage''s owner. And this is my wife, Seo Aera."

    Aera smiled and said, "Nice to meet you."

    Hobin reached out his hand for them to shake. "I''m Doctor Ohm Hobin," he greeted.

    Dongwha shook his hand. Hobin briefly held his hand before letting go. He then turned towards Aera but she was not looking at him. Instead, she was observing the blood pressure machine in Soobin''s hand.

    "Can you check my blood pressure too?" Aera asked. "I feel thattely, my pressure is fluctuating."

    Soobin nced at Hobin and then back at Aera.

    "Sure!" she said in a cheerful tone. "Please lend me your left hand."

    Hobin and Soobin held their breaths as Aera pulled back her sleeve and put it on the table. Soobin was nearly shocked while Hobin remained impassive.

    There was a bat tattoo on Aera''s left wrist.

 Chapter 39 - Smiling Sun (12)

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    Mass chapter mission time! Support me in win win by unlocking the privilege chapters to get mass releases. MR will be given based on the following conditions:??

    1000 privilege chapter unlocks= 3 extra chapter mass release

    5000 privilege chapter unlocks= 5 extra chapter mass release

    10,000 privilege chapter unlocks= 10 chapter mass release.

    This is applicable for every month! Please do support this book by buying as much privilege chapters as possible <3

    ....

    "Sis, this way!" Minki told her. He was leading her towards the dorm which waspletely empty. Jina looked around for Jiwoon but there were no signs of her.

    This was odd to Jina because she knew her partner well. Jiwoon would never disappear without informing anyone. Even if she was usually the quiet type, Jiwoon was very serious about investigating everything properly.

    "There''s something wrong," Jina concluded. "I''m sure Jiwoon investigated this ceбн"

    She took out her phone and was about to call Jiwoon when Chanmi called her.

    "Yes Chanmi," Jina spoke into the phone.

    "Boss, did you reach Jiwoon sis'' phone?" Chanmi asked. "All of us tried to call her but her phone was switched off!"

    "I can''t find her anywhere!" Jina gritted. "Where is she?"

    "Jiwoon sis sent us pictures of Minki''s fake adoption papers," Chanmi revealed. "The orphanage has falsified documents of his adoption so that they could prove that he wasn''t missing but rather adopted!"

    Fucking bitches! Jina cursed in her head. "Jiwoon had gone missing after that," she said. "I''m sure of it. What else did you find?"

    "We managed to restore the file Wonho had the day he died," Chanmi went on. "He was correct. The orphanage was stealing millions of dors from the donors but the money was not going to the owner''s ount. It was going to an offshore ount which transferred the money back to a local ount. We''re still tracking down the transaction route. The bank will let us know in a while."

    "Let me know as soon as you find out anything," Jina said. She paused before adding, "If by any chance you can''t reach me after half an hour, call Doctor Demon and tell him what you found. And send a backup."

    Jina''s gut instincts told her that something was going to go wrong. Her years of experience made her more alert about her surroundings and she always kept a backup n in hand.

    There was a long silence on the other end.

    "Understood," Chanmi finally said. "Be careful, boss."

    Jina hung up the phone but as soon as she did that, her battery died.

    "Great!" she eximed sarcastically. "What else can go wrong today?"

    She turned to Minki.

    "I''ll have to retrace Jiwoon''s steps," she said. "Let''s go to the matron''s office."

    The ghost nodded and followed Jina out of the dorm. She reached the matron''s office, trying to recreate the possible actions of Jiwoon.

    "The adoption papers are kept in this office," she muttered. "Right, Minki?"

    "Yes," Minki replied. "I''ve seen the matron keep all her papers here."

    "Which means, Jiwoon took the pictures of the files and sent them to Dahoon," Jina stated. "And then, she was probably returning to the main hallбн"

    She slowly passed through the hall and was about to walk by the kitchen when she stopped.

    "What is it, sis?" Minki asked.

    But Jina was not listening. She tapped on the floor beneath her. It was supposedly a tiled floor however, when Jina tapped harder, she could hear the hollow nking of her boots.

    "There''s a secret door passage here," she gasped.

    "Huh?" Minki frowned. "But we never saw anything of that sort here!"

    Jina leaned down and checked the floor. She knocked all around the spot, verifying her theory.

    "It''s hollow," she dered. "There''s a passage or room down there."

    She studied the tile to see if it could be lifted. Jina scraped at the border of the tile until she was able to lift it and there was a small alcove there which hid a trapdoor.

    "Of course!" she realized. "That night when Wonho was murdered, his body wasn''t dragged out of this ce! It was taken down thereбн"

    "Are you saying that Wonho bro might be down...there?"

    Minki pointed at the cer, all of a sudden feeling very scared.

    "It''s possible that he is there," Jina grimaced. She had a feeling that Minki was killed elsewhere and the murderer did not have time to hide his body in the cer. Hence, he was dumped in a trashcan.

    She opened the trapdoor and saw that there was a staircase leading deep down. Stepping on the stairs, she began to descend.

    "Sis, be careful," Minki warned. Jina did not have her gun on her that day because if a child had spotted it, they might have been scared. However, she had a pocket knife hidden in a hilt tied to her thigh. It was a precaution she took in case she needed to defend herself.

    They entered a dark tunnel which led to a wooden door ahead.

    "What is this ce?" Minki gasped. Jina did some quick thinking.

    "Minki," she whispered. "If I get stuck here, you must go up and warn the others."

    "How?" he asked. "I don''t know how tomunicate with people! They can''t see me!"

    "There...there is a way," Jina said a little reluctantly. She did not want to use this method but she was in a hurry to save Jiwoon. If she ran back to the hall, the killers might be tipped off and Jiwoon would be in danger. Moreover, Haeji was probably with the killer as well and it was a risky situation. Backup could take hours to arrive and by then, Jiwoon could be dead.

    "If anything happens to me here, go to the idol Minyoon," she instructed. "You''ve seen him, right?"

    Minki nodded.

    "As a ghost, you can possess a person as long as he or she has a weak mentality," Jina exined. "Try to find someone closest to him and possess that person. Tell Minyoon about this ce."

    "But will he believe me?" the boy frowned.

    "He''s my brother," Jina revealed. "He knows about my abilities. He''ll help you."

    "How will I possess a person?" Minki asked curiously.

    "Just float towards that person and enter his body," she said. "You''ll be able to possess them. Warn Hobin and then leave the person''s body. Got it? Whatever happens, don''t continue to possess that person for long."

    Minki was not sure if he could do it but he nodded his head. Jina then turned towards the door ahead and slowly opened it.

    It was a small room with no walls or floor. Instead, it was like an underground mine with soil for floor and a few dim lights hanging by the ceiling. In the middle of the room wasбн

    "Jiwoon!" Jina whispered and reached towards her. Jiwoon was unconscious and her head was bleeding. Thankfully, she was still alive but only barely.

    Minki stood at the doorway, watching her when he saw shadow moving.

    "Sis, look out!" he yelled.

    Jina turned around in the nick of time as a masked figure tried to attack her but Jina managed to kick the person in the shin. Seeing themotion, Minki disappeared to carry out Jina''s task.

    "AGHHHH!" the masked figure yelled in agony, clutching his groin. Jina lunged tond a punch on him but the man was faster and dodged her attack. He picked up Jiwoon and held a knife to her throat.

    "Come any closer and she''ll die!" he threatened.

 Chapter 40 - Smiling Sun (13)

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    Mass chapter mission time! Support me in win win by unlocking the privilege chapters to get mass releases. MR will be given based on the following conditions:??

    1000 privilege chapter unlocks= 3 extra chapter mass release

    5000 privilege chapter unlocks= 5 extra chapter mass release

    10,000 privilege chapter unlocks= 10 chapter mass release.

    This is applicable for every month! Please do support this book by buying as much privilege chapters as possible <3

    ....

    Soobin bit her lip and looked at Hobin again. The girl was nervous in front of Aera who was looking at her curiously.

    "Is something wrong?" she asked.

    "Huh?" Soobin asked stupidly. "No! I''m going to wrap this around your arm now."

    She gave Aera a nervous smile and began to measure the blood pressure. Hobin pretended to conduct some small talk with Dongwha but kept an eye on Aera. The woman did not seem to have suspected anything but she was too calm.

    Aera fitted the Modus Operandi Hobin created about the killer. She wore very expensive clothes and her shoes were also of a designer brand. Hermakeup screamed ''expensive'' while she carried herself with grace.

    Her husband, on the other hand, was modestly dressed and did not seem to be frivolous like his wife. Hobin even checked his memories when they shook hands and found out that he did not have any idea what his wife did.

    This woman is acting on her own but she definitely has an aplice, he concluded. Someone other than the matron.

    "Thank you so much," she was saying. "I feel so much better to know that my blood pressure is not that high."

    She smiled at Soobin who posed with a fake smile.

    "You have a nice tattoo," Soobin remarked. "Isn''t this the idol Minyoon''s logo? I remember it''s from a music video."

    Aera blushed and nodded. "I know it''s strange for a grown woman like me to like idols, but I really love Minyoon''s songs!" she eximed. "He''s a really good singer. I''ve downloaded all his songs and watched the free clips of his concerts online. I can''t afford his concert tickets because we''re not so well off."

    She red at her husband as if ming him for their state. Hobin wanted to scoff at her outright lie but kept an impassive expression.

    "Let''s go," Dongwha suggested and pulled his wife away.

    Damn it! Hobin cursed inwardly. If only I could get a chance to touch her hand.

    From a distance, he could see that the husband-wife duo were arguing. Arguing would be the wrong term; it was more like the wife was belittling her husband.

    "You''re so useless!" she growled in a low tone. "You can''t even get your father to sell off this bloody ce! It''s worth millions but you''re too cowardly to tell him!"

    "My father won''t agree to it," the husband was saying. "And what about these kids? Where will they go?"

    "Let them rot in hell for all I care!" Aera snarled. She stormed off, leaving her shame faced husband behind.

    Useless! She screamed internally. She rued the day she agreed to marry a useless bum like him. He had no job and his only source of ie was the meager amount of money his father made from thisnd''s investment. That was it.

    She stood fuming at a corner when the handsome doctor walked up to her. Aera was a little flustered when Hobin stood next to her. His eyes were twinkling with mischief and she found him quite alluring.

    "I see that you had a slight tiff with your husband," he said in a worried tone. "Is everything alright?"

    "It''s nothing," she sighed. "My husband just doesn''t understand my feelings. He''s too cold and uptight."

    "That''s a shame," Hobin remarked with a grin. "I mean, if a beautiful woman like you was my partner, I''d treasure you everyday. I see you''ve got a fine taste of style."

    Aera was blushing hard. She had a soft spot for guys younger than her which is why she was attracted to many idols, especially Minyoon. Even though he was only fifteen, her heart was crazy for him. And now, the attention from the hunk of a doctor was also making her feel quite good.

    Moreover, he was a psychiatrist and must be earning a lot. If she could hoodwink someone like him, she would dump her husband''s sorry ass in seconds.

    "I''m more than just a pretty face," she whispered seductively. "I can show you my style in a more...intimate manner, doc."

    Hobin grinned and held out his hand.

    "I''d love to see that tattoo of yours more closely," he said in a flirtatious tone. "After all, it looks sexy."

    Aera giggled and slowly raised her hand to ce it on his palm. Hobin grasped it and was about to read her memories when suddenly, her warm hand became ice cold.

    "What the-" he began to say but something came over Aera. Her icy hand held him in a deathly grip and she was looking at him with unfocused eyes. Hobin was rmed and instantly extracted her memories.

    To his shock, the memories which were shing in his head were not of Aera''s but of someone else. The images were of a nine year old boy who wasughing and ying in the yard with Haeji. A boy who was once full of life and now,y dead in a cold morgue.

    "I have to find the idol..."

    Aera''s voice had changed. It was now more innocent and she spoke with a street ent which was unlike Aera''s refined one. The ent was very familiar to him because he heard Minki talk like that in Haeji''s memories.

    Minki was looking around for Minyoon but the guy was on stage.

    "I must tell the idol about Jina sis!"

    He was about to move but someone pulled him back.

    "You," Hobin began. "Who are you?"

    "Iбн" Minki fumbled but Hobin was ring at him.

    "Why do you have Minki''s memories?" he demanded. "How can you have his memories? That''s impossible!"

    Huh? Minki was confused by what the doctor was talking about. But the doctor would not let him go so the little boy''s ghost had no other option but to convey Jina''s message to the doctor.

    "Doctor...please help Jina sis!" Minki spoke through Aera. "She''s in trouble! Haeji and the other detective are with her! They''re all gonna die if you don''t help them!"

    "Who are you?" Hobin whispered. He was confused by the strange phenomenon. How was he seeing a dead person''s memories in another person''s body? Usually, he could only see the memories of a corpse only for fifteen minutes after the person died. After that, all memories are lost.

    Then howe he was seeing Minki''s memories days after his death? That too through Aera? What was going on?

    He touched the woman''s skin only to realize that the memories he was seeing were not of Aera''s. Images of Minki and Jina''s discussions were now flooding into Hobin''s head.

    "Jina sis is in danger!" Minki or Aera imed. Who was it? Hobin no longer knew.

    "Jina?" he frowned. "How do you know her?"

    "She can see usбн"

    Minki was not sure how he was going to exin it to the doctor. He just needed to get help. Hobin sensed the urgency in Aera/Minki''s tone but he still needed to be sure of something.

    "Let me hold your hand for a few seconds longer," Hobin instructed. Minki was bewildered when the doctor closed his eyes and began to concentrate.

    Instantly, all of Minki''s memories rushed into his head. The boy did not know who killed him because he was drugged and strangled but to Hobin''s bewilderment, Minki umted memories after his death! Andбн

    "Hwang Jina can see ghosts?" he whispered. "What. The. Hell?"

    "Yes," Minki revealed. "Jina sis can see ghosts. She''s been helping me with Wonho bro''s murder. But she''s in danger! She-"

    "I know," Hobin said. "Let''s go."

 Chapter 41 - Smiling Sun (14)

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    Mass chapter mission time! Support me in win win by unlocking the privilege chapters to get mass releases. MR will be given based on the following conditions:??

    1000 privilege chapter unlocks= 3 extra chapter mass release

    5000 privilege chapter unlocks= 5 extra chapter mass release

    10,000 privilege chapter unlocks= 10 chapter mass release.

    This is applicable for every month! Please do support this book by buying as much privilege chapters as possible <3

    ....

    Jina was cautious of the man who had Jiwoon hostage. She cursed herself for not bringing her gun but the damage was done. The man must have confiscated Jiwoon''s gun and while Jaebum had his weapon, he was still very far away.

    Then it hit her. Siwan! Siwan was still using his earpiece! Shepletely forgot about it!

    But she was eyeing the murderer and her earpiece was turned off. She would have to get an opportunity to turn it back on so that Siwan could hear her. The man was in a mask and must be the aplice of someone from within the orphanage just like the matron was. Thankfully, the man still did not know about their identities as undercover cops so she might be able to trick him.

    "Look, that woman is part of idol Minyoon''s security team," Jina cautioned. "If they find out that you''ve harmed her, the police wille after you."

    "I''m not an idiot!" the man imed, pressing the knife hard against Jiwoon''s neck. "This woman was snooping around the archives in the matron''s office and so were you. I''ve seen the CCTV footage from my hideout! That day as well, you were snooping around the matron''s office and then ran into Haeji. You two were in the closet. How else do you think the matron caught you?"

    CCTV? Jina thought. There were CCTV cameras in the ce? But when she was roaming around the orphanage, she did not see any CCTV cameras hanging. Which only meant one thing.

    The orphanage was secretly bugged!

    "You two are trying to find the file that brat had, aren''t you?" the man hissed. "Ma Wonho! You''re trying to get your hands on the file."

    "Ah mosquitoes!" Jina winced and pped around her ear, secretly turning on the earpiece.

    Back in his car, Siwan sat up straight when he heard the static on his earpiece. He was about to talk to Jina when an unfamiliar voice made him freeze.

    "Ya''ll are trying to find that kid, Wonho," the cold voice said. "But you won''t find him. His corpse is rotting in hell now!"

    "As if you know a lot about hell," Jina muttered. "But we''re not looking for any Wonho. I was just looking for my sses yesterday. And I think thisdy was simply checking for securitypses! Some fans were trying to sneak in and disrupt the event!"

    "Liar!" the man dered. "I have cameras in the matron''s office too. I saw her taking pictures of Minki''s file! You guys aren''t doctors nor security personnels! Who are you?"

    "We''ve already given our identities to the matron and the owner," Jina insisted "We-"

    "Doesn''t matter!" the manughed. "You two will die here anyway. No one knows this ce. It''spletely shut off from the other ces in this building. It was a good thing the matron discovered this secret tunnel which happened to be an old cer but she hid it well. Instead of telling the owner, she informed the madam! And madam paid us a lot while we hid here, carrying out her dirty deedsбн"

    Madam? So the mastermind was someone else. But who was it?

    The only possible suspect was the owner''s daughter-inw. Was she the culprit?

    "And I know why you two are snooping around," the man said. Still pressing a knife to Jiwoon''s neck, he took out something from his pocket and shed it at Jina. It was Jiwoon''s police badge.

    "You guys are cops, aren''t ya?" he sneered.

    Meanwhile, Siwan was calling one of Jina''s teammates. She had given him the numbers of her colleagues and had instructed him to call them in case anything went wrong. He dialed Dahoon''s number who picked up immediately.

    "Officer Dahoon," Dahoon stated.

    "Hi, I''m Kang Siwan, one of Detective Hwang Jina''s friends," he told Dahoon. "She''s in danger!"

    бн.

    Yoonmin spotted Hobin running after the daughter-inw of the owner and frowned. Soobin rushed towards him, panting heavily.

    "That woman is the killer!" she gasped. "I saw the tattoo!"

    Yoonmin thought hard. "Come with me," he told her.

    They ran towards the stage where Minyoon had just finished another performance. Minyoon was surprised when his brother grabbed his arm and pulled him towards the back where Jaebum was also standing.

    "What is it?" Minyoon frowned.

    "That bony daughter-inw is the killer," he told them. "Soobin saw her tattoo. I just saw that doctor going off with her but I don''t know where they went."

    "But why is Doctor Hobin with her?" Soobin wondered. "Is something going on?"

    "Jiwoon is missing ," Jaebum informed them. "I can''t reach her phone."

    "We have no time," Yoonmin said. "We''ll have to question the matron and get information from her. You''re a cop. Can''t you make her spill?"

    "Not without an arrest warrant," Jaebum said bitterly. "We''ll have to find evidence first!"

    "Where''s elder sis?" Minyoon asked. At that very moment, Jaebum received a text. He read it and was grim.

    "Okay, we''ll have to evacuate the ce," he said. "We got the evidence we need. Wonho''s file has been recovered. Jiwoon discovered Minki''s fake adoption papers inside the matron''s room. The dates on the papers were recorded after his death. But detectives Jina and Jiwoon are missing. They''re still inside this orphanage but are involved in a possible hostage situation. The children must be cleared out. I''ll have to apprehend the matron."

    The others nodded as Jaebum went on stage to address the kids. Soobin nced around and spotted the matron in the crowd. She was too far from them and near the exit...

    "Attention, everyone!" Jaebum said loudly. "This ce needs to be evacuated immediately."

    The children were confused while the matron and the other teachers were also shocked.

    "The teachers requested to take the children out of the premises," he went on. "Our guards will help you to leave the ce."

    "What''s going on?" one of the teachers shouted.

    Jaebum shed his badge at the teachers and everyone gasped. The matron was sweating in fear and inched close to the exit.

    "There is a hostage situation," Jaebum revealed. "And the children must be taken to safety. Kids, follow your teachers. Now!"

    Suddenly, there was a movement in the crowd. The matron ran for it, pushing past the kids as she headed for the exit. Jaebum chased her but she was too farбн

    "AGHHHHH!"

    Someone screamed and lunged forward. Everyone watched in shock as Soobin tackled the matron on the ground, pinning the old matron underneath her. As a fangirl, she had years of experience, pushing and tackling obsessive stalkers of idols in various concerts and events.

    "I caught her!" she yelled happily.

 Chapter 42 - Smiling Sun (15)

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    Mass chapter mission time! Support me in win win by unlocking the privilege chapters to get mass releases. MR will be given based on the following conditions:??

    1000 privilege chapter unlocks= 3 extra chapter mass release

    5000 privilege chapter unlocks= 5 extra chapter mass release

    10,000 privilege chapter unlocks= 10 chapter mass release.

    This is applicable for every month! Please do support this book by buying as much privilege chapters as possible <3

    ....

    Hobin followed Minki/Aera towards the kitchen. To his surprise, there was arge trapdoor on the floor.

    "This is where Jina sis and the other detective went," Minki imed.

    "And the man?" Hobin asked. "Is he alone?"

    Minki nodded. Hobin was still bewildered by the turn of events. The so-called ghost of Minki was talking to him through a murderer. If Hobin did not possess the powers of Psychometry, he would have thought the woman had gone mad.

    "Let''s go," he said. He climbed down the stairs while Minki followed. They entered the dark tunnel and walked along the path.

    "That''s the door!" Minki eximed, pointing at a door in front of them. He was about to run forward but Hobin stopped him.

    "Not now," he hissed.

    "But-"

    "If we barge in like that, the man might get flustered and end up hurting someone," Hobin exined. "Listen to me carefully. You''ll need to do something to distract the guy."

    бн..

    Jina was still trying to stall the masked man long enough for backup to arrive. She hoped that Siwan had heard everything and had asked for help.

    ""Cops!" the man snarled. "I can''t believe you guys would find us."

    "Now that you know who we are," Jina said. "I guess, there''s no point in hiding our identities. But you do realize that we already have evidence against you. The police are on your trail and you can''t escape."

    "You have nothing!" the man sneered. "I know that your partner sent copies of the fake adoption papers but it''s easy to bypass that evidence! The me will be put on the matron for her carelessness. She''ll suffer in jail while we will be free. You see, there''s no proof of our crimes!"

    "My team recreated Wonho''s files," Jina revealed in an attempt to scare him. "You really can''t escape."

    But the man onlyughed hard. "You think that file is enough to convict us?" he scoffed. "Even if we stole money, we''ll be jailed for at most five years! It''ll be over in no time. But if I kill you and your partner hereбн"

    He pressed the knife against Jiwoon''s throat so hard that a little bit of blood trickled down her throat.

    "No one will find you," he grinned. "Just like how they won''t be able to find Wonho and Haeji."

    "H-Haeji?" Jina whispered in rm. "Where''s Haeji?"

    "Very close to where you''re standing!" the man chuckled. "She''ll die in a while so you don''t have to worry. Besides, you''ll be following her to the grave."

    "You''re an experienced crook, aren''t you?" Jina gritted. "That boy, Minki. Did you kill him too?"

    "That was the boss'' doing!" he revealed. "If only she was careful. But she killed him elsewhere and panicked. So she dumped him in that trash can, hoping no one would find her! She stole a car from her husband''s garage to get rid of the body so the suspicions wouldn''t fall on her."

    Husbandбн

    "Aera," Jina realized. "Aera is behind all this?"

    "Enough talk!" the man eximed. "I''m killing her off-"

    "What the hell are you doing now?"

    Both of them looked at the door where Aera was standing with a seemingly angry expression on her face. But Jina hid her frown, noticing the nervous look on ''Aera''.

    "Boss!" the man said. "These two are cops!"

    "I-I know!" Minki stammered. "B-but where is that girl? Haeji?"

    "Boss I did as you instructed me!" the man replied. "Drugged her and buried her alive in that spot."

    He momentarily pointed the knife at a spot a little west to Jina to show where he buried Haeji. Taking advantage of his distraction, Jina jumped forward and grabbed his arm. The man yelped and let go of Jiwoon before trying to grab Jina''s hair but thetter was faster. She twisted his hand, disarming the knife and threw him against the wall.

    The man elbowed her on the abdomen.

    "UGH!" she cried in pain but punched him on the face, making him stagger backwards.

    Suddenly, Hobin barged in to find Jina and the masked man engaged in a fist fight. The man was about to hit Jina but Hobinnded a kick to his groin.

    "AHHHHHH!"

    The man yelled in agony, falling backwards as he clutched his groin, writhing in pain. Hobin however, put a foot on his neck, stepping hard on it until the man begged for mercy.

    "Oi tinkerbell, hold him down," Hobin said. "I''ll go and get a shovel! Minki, stay here with the detective!"

    Minki? Jina thought for a moment but she had no time to dwell on it. She immediately grabbed the man''s hands to keep him captive while Hobin ran out to find a shovel. Minki stepped forward to take off the man''s mask.

    Beneath the mask was a horse faced man with lopsided eyes and thick, greying hair. Minki immediately recognized who it was.

    "That''s our owner''s gardener!" he revealed.

    "Minki, I think it''s time you should leave this woman''s body!" Jina told him. "The police wille to arrest her. Don''t worry, she''ll faint the moment you leave."

    Minki nodded and instantly left Aera''s body. Just as Jina said, Aera fell on the ground, unconscious. Hobin re-entered the tunnel this time, with Jaebum and Siwan.

    "I called your precinct!" Siwan told Jina. He stooped down to help her keep the man from struggling while Hobin and Jaebum dug the ground to rescue Haeji. They kept on digging until they hit something solid.

    "It''s a box!" Jaebum announced. They quickly dug out the shallow grave and opened the box.

    Haejiy in it,pletely unconscious. Hobin checked her pulse.

    "She''s alive," he said. "Brother, take her to the hospital! We''ll take care of everything here."

    Siwan nodded while Jaebum grabbed the gardener and shoved him out of the tunnel. Jina held Jiwoon while Siwan and Hobin carried Haeji and Aera out of the trapdoor respectively. As soon as they came out, Siwan rushed towards the exit with Haeji while Hobin went on to tie up Aera with a rope. He took her to an empty ssroom to keep an eye on her.

    Meanwhile, Jina ced Jiwoon on one of the beds at the dorm. She stirred and opened her eyes.

    "Jina," she whimpered. "What-"

    "We caught the murderer," Jina told her. "But you need to lie down. The paramedics are on their way."

    "But-"

    "Just listen to me!" Jina scolded her. "I''ll be back. But stay here!"

    Without another word, she dashed towards the ce where Hobin had kept Aera tied up. She barged into the room, her head filled with questions. To her surprise, Hobin was touching Aera''s face and his eyes were closed in concentration.

    "Why did you call this woman Minki back in the tunnel?" she demanded.

 Chapter 43 - Smiling Sun (16)

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    Mass chapter mission time! Support me in win win by unlocking the privilege chapters to get mass releases. MR will be given based on the following conditions:??

    1000 privilege chapter unlocks= 3 extra chapter mass release

    5000 privilege chapter unlocks= 5 extra chapter mass release

    10,000 privilege chapter unlocks= 10 chapter mass release.

    This is applicable for every month! Please do support this book by buying as much privilege chapters as possible <3

    ....

    But Hobin was not listening to her. Instead, he kept on focusing on the woman. Finally, he let her go and turned to Jina.

    "Close the door," he ordered. Jina scowled at him but closed the door as per his instructions.

    "Now tell me," she demanded. "Why did you address her as Minki?"

    She was curious to know whether it was a fluke or did he know that Minki was possessing Aera''s body.

    "He told me that he''s a ghost and he''s possessing this woman''s body," Hobin said tly. Jina blinked in shock.

    "He also told me that his ''Jina sis'' canmunicate with ghosts," he went on. "So I followed him to rescue you."

    "And you believed him?" she asked. "Just like that? No questions nor any doubts? I mean, people don''t just readily believe me when I im I can see dead people."

    Hobin was looking at her with amusement. "You know, this reminds me of that movie where a psychiatristes across a kid who can see dead people only to find out in the end that he was a ghost himself," he smirked. "I feel like this is the same situation."

    "Stop joking around!" Jina snapped. "Justбн"

    She took a deep breath and looked directly into his eyes. Hobin was taken aback by the silent plea in them as if her life depended on his answer.

    "Do you really believe me when I say that I canmunicate with ghosts?" she whispered. "Or are you bluffing? Please, just answer me. Do you believe me?"

    Her eyes were slowly welling up with tears. She was recalling all the moments in her life when she begged people to believe her. Other than her family, no one ever believed her ims when she said that she could see their deceased loved ones. Many shooed her away, calling her a psycho or a lunatic who was out to create trouble. Theybeled her as a liar and yet, she did not give up helping those who came to her.

    For the first time, someone outside of her family imed that he believed her. But was he telling the truth? Or was he lying?

    Hobin could read her silent plea. He knew what she was going through. There was no need for him to touch her and read her memories because herrge eyes were expressing the grief she had endured.

    After all, he went through the same thing.

    "If I tell you that I believe you," he said in a morose tone. "Will you believe me as well?"

    "What do you mean?" Jina asked.

    Aera was stirring awake. She opened her eyes to find herself tied to a chair.

    "What''s going on?" She asked, feeling flustered. "Why am I here?"

    Her gaze fell on the doctors in front of her. "Doctor Ohm!" she eximed. "What''s the meaning of this?"

    "Let me interrogate her," Hobin said. "And you''ll know what I''m talking about."

    Jina was puzzled but let him step forward, curious to see what he was going to do.

    "Seo Aera," Hobin said in a clear tone. "Your aplice was caught today. The gardener your father-inw had employed was your minion, wasn''t he?"

    "What aplice?" Aera demanded. "What do you mean?"

    "Last week, a body was found dumped in a trash can," Hobin narrated. The body belonged to Minki, who used to live in this orphanage. A school girl spotted a masked woman with a bat tattoo dumping the body of the child in the trash and driving away."

    "And then there was an anonymous post about this orphanage defrauding money from donors," he went. "The post was made by Ma Wonho, who went missing a few weeks ago. The cases have seemingly little rtion except one that is both of them were part of this orphanage."

    "Minki was adopted!" Aera imed. "I don''t know any Ma Wonho!"

    "Interesting im," Hobin said. "But now, let me tell you what you have showed me."

    Aera was sweating when Hobin red dangerously at her.

    "A few weeks ago, you found out that Wonho was tracking you closely," he revealed. "He was sneaking around the matron''s office and found discrepancies in the donation usages. Thepanies were giving millions of dors in charity for the kids but you had recorded only a few hundred thousand. Where did the rest of the amount go?"

    "He contacted the banks of all the staff and thanks to his contacts in them, he was able to deduce that you were stealing a lot of money from the donors. But you were tipped off by the bank that someone is prying into your ount."

    "That night, Wonho came to the orphanage," he went on. "He wanted to talk to the owner because someone told him that Mr. Namgoong was there. But it was a trap youid out for him. Once he arrived, your henchman attacked him. He staggered towards the dorms to ask for help but he was critically injured. However, he ran into Minki and Haeji who were scared to see him like that."

    Jina was shocked to hear that. How did Hobin know about Wonho''s death? It was not even revealed yet!

    "He gave the file to Minki and hid them in the closet," Hobin narrated. "Those children watched as he was murdered in front of them. They somehow managed to escape but your minion and the matron found a mickey mouse sticker on the floor and traced it back to Minki. As for Wonho''s body, you guys used the trapdoor to bury him under the building."

    "The cer," Jina nodded.

    "Bingo!" Hobin agreed. "His body is buried underneath the cer. As for Minki, you guys kept an eye on him but he had managed to escape. He was young so he did not know his way around the town. The day he was murdered, he passed by Dalton High School, searching for the police station but to no avail. You were tipped off. You stole a car from your husband''s garage and searched for the boy until you found him in that neighborhood. You snuck up on him and injected him with a drug to make him unconscious."

    "Then you strangled him using a wire and killed him," Hobin snarled. "But you didn''t know what to do with his body so you waited for night to fall and drove towards an isted trash can to dump him there. You had the matron falsify fake adoption papers to keep the owner from asking too many questions."

    Aera was shocked. How did this guy find out so many things? He was exposing her dirty deeds as if he witnessed everything!

    "As for Haeji," he continued. "You found out that she became mute after Wonho''s death. You deduced that this girl might know so you had the matron keep an eye on her. If she began to talk, it would be over but you couldn''t stop your father-inw from sending her to me. So the matron threatened her to keep quiet otherwise she''ll be killed like Wonho and Minkiбн"

    "And today, when your father-inw left town for some work, you took the opportunity to kill off Haeji," he concluded. "Only problem is that she survived. Your minions were caught."

    Aera was unable to breathe. She was sweating nervously as the doctor confronted her with the crimes shemitted.

    "It''s over," Hobin announced. There were sounds of movement outside; the backup team had arrived.

    Jina opened the door. "The murderer is here!" she told them. "Arrest her."

    The officer swarmed in and untied Aera only to handcuff her. She was dejected and defeated as the officer led her. Her minions were already caught and kept in the police van. Once the officers were out of sight, Jina turned to face Hobin. She was shocked by his words.

    "How did you know about Wonho''s murder?" she slowly asked. "Minki only told me about it."

    "Haeji," Hobin replied.

    "Haeji told you?" she frowned but he shook his head.

    "She didn''t tell me," he stated. "She showed me through her memories."

    He stepped towards Jina, towering over her. "I guess the twist in this tale is," he began. "I can read memories of people."

 Chapter 44 - Smiling Sun (Conclusion)

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    Mass chapter mission time! Support me in win win by unlocking the privilege chapters to get mass releases. MR will be given based on the following conditions:??

    1000 privilege chapter unlocks= 3 extra chapter mass release

    5000 privilege chapter unlocks= 5 extra chapter mass release

    10,000 privilege chapter unlocks= 10 chapter mass release.

    This is applicable for every month! Please do support this book by buying as much privilege chapters as possible <3

    ....

    The rest of the day passed by in a blur. Fortunately for the police, the gardener and matron confessed to the crimes and even told them where Wonho''s body was hidden. Their testimonies were enough to convict Aera for her crimes. Soobin also recorded her statement about the tattoo. Moreover, the CCTV cameras installed throughout the orphanage were discovered and extracted from their hiding ces. Although the footage of the murder was deleted, there was still plenty of evidence for the police.

    The CSI dug up Wonho''s body and sent it for autopsy. It was the final nail in the coffin

    Haeji was being treated at the hospital where Minki was watching over her. Jiwoon was also sent there. Since she sustained a minor head injury, the doctors will keep her at the hospital overnight.

    Aera''s husband and father-inw were distraught by her betrayal. Namgoong was cursing his worthless son for marrying such a wench and screamed at him at the police station.

    Jina worked until almost midnight on the case and she was feeling very tired. The past few days had been very hectic for her and even though the killer was caught, she still had tons of work to do.

    "Boss."

    Chanmi was worried about Jina who was sleep deprived. "You should go home tonight," she suggested. "I''m on night duty today. I can handle the paperwork."

    "There''s just a little bit left," Jina said with a yawn but Chanmi shook her head.

    "Please, go home," she said. "The Chief heard about our secret operation and was furious. You need strength to face him tomorrow. If you''re well rested, then you''ll be able to tolerate his nonsense. Please, go home."

    Jina sighed. Chanmi was right; she needed strength to face Taejoon tomorrow. Also, there was a certain demon she must face.

    She packed up her things and bid Chanmi goodbye before slouching out of the precinct. Yawning loudly, she was heading towards her car when she saw two familiar figures standing there.

    "Isn''t it past your bedtime?" she asked her twin brothers.

    "We were concerned for our sister!" Minyoon imed.

    "Thought you might need this as well," Yoonmin added, throwing a can of coffee at his sister who caught it with one hand.

    "I do," she agreed and opened the can.

    "Gimme your keys," Yoonmin said. "I''ll drive."

    "No," Jina said tly. "You''re underage."

    "It''s fine as long as there''s a trained driver sitting next to me," Yoonmin pointed out. Besides, you''re too sleepy to drive."

    "And how will you two go back home?" Jina frowned.

    "Minyoon''s trailer will follow us to your ce and then take the two of us home," Yoonmin said, pointing at the trailer behind them. Jina debated for a while before handing him her car keys.

    "Don''t you dare cross the speed limit!" she warned him. Yoonmin scoffed and all of them entered the car. He revved up the engine and drove off.

    "Sis, by the way," Minyoon said, leaning forward from the backseat. "It''s summer. Miyoo is gonnae back for her vacation."

    "Yes, mom told me this morning when she called," Jina yawned. "Aunt and uncle will be away this year for an important trip so they won''t be able to look after Miyoo. So she''ll be staying with me until theye back."

    "We can look after her!" Minyoon said at once.

    "Yes, we can handle her," Yoonmin agreed but Jina shook her head.

    "Thest time you two babysat her, you scared one of her ymates so much that he is traumatized till this day!" she scolded them.

    "He imed that he''s gonna marry Miyoo when they grow up!" Minyoon said, outraged at the memory.

    "Even gave her a stic ring!" Yoonmin scowled. "So we had the big brother talk with the kid. We didn''t scare him but merely threatened him."

    "He was four years old!" Jina snapped. "I made at least ten such fiances at that age!"

    "Yeah and none of them know you now," Yoonmin muttered. Jina yfully pped his head.

    "Drive!" she glowered. He stepped on the pedal, driving smoothly through the streets until he pulled up in front of Jina''s apartment. Yoonmin parked at the designated spot.

    "Go home safely," she said. "Don''t stay up toote."

    "Yes sis!" the twins said in unison. They got out of the car and hugged their sister.

    "Remember, Miyoo is arriving tomorrow morning," she told them. "She''ll be apanied by grandpa."

    "Grandpa ising?"

    An evil gleam sparked in the twins'' eyes. "Excellent," they grinned. "Our bank is arriving!"

    Jina shook her head. The twins had a bet with their grandfather. Everytime their grandfather misidentified them, the old man was forced to hand over 10 dors each to the evil duo. Jina was pretty sure that by now, the twins had umted half their ie from their grandfather.

    "He''ll be living with you two so don''t bother him too much!" she warned them. "Tell the chauffeur to drop Miyoo off to my apartment in the morning. Myndy really loves her and she even offered to babysit Miyoo for me. And you two better behave with grandpa!"

    "We''re really well behaved!" Minyoon imed, pretending to be hurt. "Don''t you trust us, sis?"

    "Have you ever seen me tormenting anyone?" Yoonmin questioned her. Jina ruffled both of their hair.

    "Go home safely, okay?" she said. "Good night."

    The twins muttered goodnight to her and headed for the trailer which tailed them. Jina sighed and waved them farewell before turning around to enter the building. She did not waste any more time and went straight towards Hobin''s apartment, ringing his doorbell.

    Hobin immediately opened the door as if he was expecting her.

    "Follow me," Jina said. "We need to talk."

    He shrugged and followed her to a staircase which led upstairs to the roof. Jina opened the metal door with a heavy push and the two of them stepped into the cool night breeze.

    Jina was not facing him but sighed out loud. It was still hard for her to believe that there was someone else in the world who also possessed a strange ability. She never came across another person with special powers so it was a relief to find a kin.

    Even if it was Doctor Demon.

    "Tell me everything about your powers," she finally said. Slowly turning around, she faced him, feeling resolute. "Everything."

 Chapter 45 - Her Second Power

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    Mass chapter mission time! Support me in win win by unlocking the privilege chapters to get mass releases. MR will be given based on the following conditions:??

    1000 privilege chapter unlocks= 3 extra chapter mass release

    5000 privilege chapter unlocks= 5 extra chapter mass release

    10,000 privilege chapter unlocks= 10 chapter mass release.

    This is applicable for every month! Please do support this book by buying as much privilege chapters as possible <3

    ....

    Hobin studied her for a while before snickering. Jina frowned upon seeing himugh over this.

    "What''s so funny?" she asked.

    "This," Hobin said. "The two of us have special powers which we have to hide from the world!"

    He kept onughing as he leaned against a railing, looking at her with amusement. Jina stood beside him, curious about what his powers could do.

    "So you''re psychometric?" she asked. After Hobin told her about his powers, she searched it up on the inte. While there had been people who imed to be psychometric i.e. read memories of people and animals, none of those ims were proven to be true. In fact, the people who called themselves psychometric were frauds who merely used various ruses to fool people.

    Hobin, on the other hand, waspletely different. Jina had asked Minki whether he told Hobin about Wonho''s murder but the ghost replied in negative. No matter how she saw it, there was no way Hobin would know so many details about the murders unless he saw them with his own eyes.

    "When I was a child, I used to see random visions whenever I touched someone," he recalled. "In those days, I saw merely images of some of their memories but not all of it. At first, I didn''t understand what was going on but as I grew older, the images began to turn into short clips. Initially, those clips only showed their most recent memories. Like, I might see a clip of Siwan bro ying football from six hours ago. Stuff like that."

    "But I was so scared and confused that I didn''t tell mom and brother anything. Besides, whenever I mentioned to them about these images in my head, they used to think it was nothing more than a child''s imagination."

    "One day, when I was around ten or eleven," he recounted. "I touched mom and saw one of her very old memories. It was of herte husband, Kang Danny."

    Jina froze upon hearing that name but Hobin was lost in his tale and did not notice her reaction.

    "He was trying to kill mom," he whispered. "In a hospital. Everything else was a blur except for Mom and Danny. I thought I saw my brother in the background and someone else was with him but I couldn''t be sure. Afterwards, I asked mom about Danny and she was shocked because she never told me anything about him."

    "When I finally revealed my strange visions to her, she took me to a renowned psychiatrist who examined me," he went on. "He gave me medicines but nothing worked and I kept on having these images in my head. Memories which weren''t even mine. My powers were uncontroble because I could see the good and bad memories of people upon the slightest touch. For the next five years, I didn''t touch anyone. Not even my mother and brother."

    "But the psychiatrist had a different method ready," Hobin stated.

    "What was that?" Jina asked. She did not realize that she had held her breath, engrossed in his tale.

    "When the treatments weren''t working, he stopped trying to suppress my powers," he said. "And began to focus on helping me control them. It was difficult but he was the bait. He kept on making me exercise my mind until one day, I was able to shake his hand without barging into his memories. It took me another year topletely master my abilities until it became second nature of mine to block people''s memories away. Since then, I''ve never read my family''s memories. They''ve been through enough and I don''t wanna make them relive their nightmares. It''s the least I can do for them."

    "You still use it though," Jina said. "Is it to help people?"

    "Nah," Hobin replied. "I''m done helping people. I don''t use it all the time. Only in emergency cases like Haeji''s or when I have to find holes in a suspect''s testimony. That''s it."

    "But given that you were able to read Minki''s memories, even the ones he made as a ghost," she said. "Shows that you can read the memories of anyone as long as they have a body whether it''s their own or possessed."

    Hobin nodded. "I never knew I could use my abilities like this," he frowned. "Even I was surprised today."

    He sighed and turned to her. "Now it''s your turn," he said. "How did you end up with this...weird power?"

    "Powers," Jina corrected. "I have two."

    Hobin raised an eyebrow. Jina slowly narrated to him about her family and how she got the power tomunicate with ghosts and other creatures of the dark from her mother''s side.

    "Ghosts and any other spirits," she went on. "I can see it all. Even if someone is in aa and his spirit is detached from the body, I can see it. I can even touch them as if they''re human but their temperature is very cold."

    Both of them were quiet for a while, lost in their own thoughts.

    "Your other ability," Hobin finally said. "What is it?"

    Jina was reluctant to answer this question. She looked down at her fingers, fidgeting nervously at the thought of her other power which she got from her dad. Even he did not use it for many years because both of them agreed that it was a dangerous ability. No one should use it for the sake of their sanity.

    "It''s something no one should possess," Jina admitted. "But I guess, as the family hybrid, I''m a little weird."

    She chuckled at herme joke but Hobin could sense that beneath her silly joke was pure fear. The girl was afraid of her other power and he was now more curious.

    "Tinkerbell, I think we''re past having secrets," he reminded her. "Like it or not but we''re two peas in a pod and need to stick together. If you don''t tell me the full truth, how will we work together to bring down criminals?"

    "To be honest, I''d rather never use this power even on a heinous criminal," Jina said bitterly.

    "Just spill it!" Hobin frowned.

    Jina took a deep breath. "The other power I possess," she began. "Is that I can visit another dimension. It''s a dimension where only dead people can go but they can''t return. I can transport between the worlds of the living and the dead anytime I want. I''m not just a Seer of ghosts; I''m also a Transporter between the two worlds."

 Chapter 46 - Raven Wings

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    ....

    "A ce where only the dead spirits can go but can''t return?" Hobin asked, feeling confused. "But you can go there anytime you want? What is it? Afterlife?"

    "Not really," Jina winced. "It''s kinda hard to exin but from my experience, there are three possible ces a person goes to after they''re deceased."

    "Tell me about the ghosts first," Hobin said. "Why are the spirits of these people still here?"

    "Not everyone cane back as ghosts after death," Jina exined. "They must have a lot of regret or an unfulfilled wish which keeps them bound to the living world. Like in Minki''s case, it was his regret of not being able to fulfill Wonho''sst wish and also his desire to protect Haeji was strong. He had too many things tying him here."

    "Also, remember the teen drug case?" she asked him. Hobin nodded.

    "The one where the girl killed her parents," he stated.

    "The parents of that girl also came back as ghosts," Jina revealed. "They''re the ones who told me that their daughter killed them. Their regret was that they could not take care of their daughter properly and were also afraid that she would hurt their son."

    Hobin frowned, trying to take in the information. "What happens when their wishes are fulfilled?" he asked.

    "They move on," Jina shrugged. "As I said, they can go to three possible ces."

    She held up one finger. "First one is the Afterlife. If a person dies without any regrets or moves on peacefully, they''ll end up there. I don''t know what happens there because I''ve never seen it. No one has seen it and no one can return from there. Not even me. I''ve heard from shamans and exorcists that it''s a ce where only pure souls can go for reincarnation. That''s a rumor so I don''t know much about it."

    "Second one," she said, holding up two fingers. "Is the ce I can visit. It''s the World of the Dead."

    "That''s ame name," Hobin muttered.

    "What else can we call it?" Jina snapped. "House of the dead? Wondend? Anywaysбн"

    She cleared her throat.

    "This is where souls go for rehabilitation," she said. "People who have done terrible things but have a little bit of remorse in them. Souls which can be purged of their deeds before they can go to the Afterlife for reincarnation. Think of it as a rehabilitation center for souls."

    "But there are some souls who move there willfully," she sighed. "People who gave up on life and simply want to roam around freely on their own in a ce where nothing can reach them. They want to go there because they feel at peace. These souls aren''t bad people but they just need some time to get to terms with their thoughts before they can move on. My dad once encountered such a soul there who thought of it as a home. He never told us who she was but she probably moved on to the Afterlife by now."

    "And the third one?" Hobin asked.

    "Hell," she simply said. "But unlike the other two, Hell has its own rules. People don''t just die and go to hell. There''s a condition. Whether a person was good or bad while they were alive, they will end up in hell only if they make a deal with a demon."

    "There are demons now?" Hobin scoffed. "That''s bullshit!"

    "Says the guy who can literally read memories of people," Jina shot back. "Of course there are demons! They can even live among humans! But if someone does a deal with any demon, then they''re doomed. A demon will do anything as per the deal. But the price is too high."

    "What is it?" Hobin frowned.

    "The price is their soul," Jina revealed. "If you make a deal with a demon, your soul will be taken to hell after the time on the contract expires. From then on, you''re just doomed. No Afterlife, no World of the Dead. It''s just an eternity in the hellfire."

    Hobin winced. He had no intention of finding out more about any of these ces.

    "You seem to know a lot about this," he stated. "Even though you can go to only one of those ces."

    "I''ve had an encounter with a demon before," she admitted. "We managed to get rid of it but I saw a glimpse of Hell. It is not a ce I want to see again."

    She shuddered at the old memories. The night was growing darker and she let out a yawn.

    "Look, we''re going to work together from now on," she said. "And now that we know each other''s secrets, maybe we should put our differences aside and start working as a team? That way, we can help more people."

    Hobin gave her a wary look. "I have no intention of helping people," he said out loud. "I''m here for something else and once that goal is achieved, I''ll leave. The only reason I''m helping the police is so that I can-"

    "Find Wang Taehee''s culprit?" Jina finished the sentence for him.

    Hobin froze upon hearing that name.

    "How do you know about her?" he demanded.

    "Your brother told me," Jina said in a sheepish tone. "But if you just tell me what happened to her, I might be able to help you! Come on! I can see ghosts. Maybe one of the serial killer''s victims has returned as a spirit? Then we might get a clue on how to catch him."

    To her surprise, he was walking away.

    "Hey!" she called him. "I can help-"

    "Sorry, Tinkerbell," he said, without turning back. "This is something I need to do on my own. Ghosts or not, that serial killer isn''t some you should mess with. He''s my opponent and I''ll bring him down myself."

    With that he left the rooftop, leaving behind a very confused Jina. She stood there for a while before deciding to go back to her apartment.

    If he wants my help, he''ll have to ask, she thought.

    бн.

    Hobin locked the door behind him and slumped on the floor.

    "Damn that TInkerbell!" he cursed in a low voice. He was not angry at her but rather at himself. Even after five years, the thought of that case made him go weak. Why was it so hard for him to let go of his obsession with that killer?

    "Save me...doctor, please!"

    The voice of a young college student was echoing in his ears, tormenting him.

    "You failed meбн" Taehee had uttered those words to him thest time they met. "You didn''t save me, doctor! You failed me!"

    Hobin shut his ears, trying to drown out the voice but they were all in his head.He stood up and rushed to the bathroom to wash his face. His heart was beating erratically and his head was a mess as the memories of Taehee''s tears haunted him.

    He leaned over the sink, trying to calm down but it was impossible. Looking at his reflection he was shocked.

    A pair of red pupils were ring back at him. The man in the mirror looked like him but had crimson eyes as if filled with blood. But there was something else.

    Long raven wings were attached to the back of his reflection, spreading out wide.

    "AH!" Hobin yelled and wed his back but there was nothing there. He looked back at his reflection to see that his eyes had returned to normal.

    "What the fuck?" he groaned, running a hand through his hair. He racked his brain for answers but found none.

    What was going on?

 Chapter 47 - Burn. Bald

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    ....

    The next morning, Jina was standing outside the apartment building with herndy, Mrs. Ahn, patiently waiting.

    "Thank you so much, Auntie, for agreeing to do this," Jina told the old woman. "It really means a lot!"

    "Don''t worry about it, " Ahn assured her. "I''m happy to help. Besides, everyone in this building likes you. They''ll be more than happy to help out as well."

    Jina smiled at her, feeling grateful.

    "I think that''s them," Ahn said, pointing at a deep blue Bentley which was approaching them. It stopped in front of them and the door smoothly slid open.

    A man in his mid eighties came out of it. His once brown hair had gonepletely white and there were many lines on his face but even at that age, he looked quite handsome. His dark eyes were covered by a pair of spectacles and his lips broke into a smile upon seeing Jina. Despite riding on an expensive Bentley, the old man was wearing clothes he bought from a discount store. He had stopped wearing expensive clothes many years ago, preferring to wear loose shirts and jackets. Even though he was in his mid eighties, he was still fit and active.

    "Old man!" Jina eximed and hugged him.

    "Who the hell are you calling an old man?" he grumbled but was still smiling. None of his grandchildren even called him ''grandpa'' but rather teased him as ''old man''.

    The man was Hwang Junho, who in his youth, was the richest man in the country. As a billionaire tycoon, he used to instill fear into the hearts of everyone. He was ruthless and demanding as a businessman, however, was a henpecked family man.

    But his life came crashing down when his wife was possessed and murdered by a demon right in front of his eyes. Seeing his beloved wife die in his arms, he left behind everything to pursue the demon for years until one day, he finally managed to destroy that monster. He was now an exorcist who went to different countries in order to help people affected by spirit or demon possession. His son and Jina''s father, Hwang Minho, now handled the business.

    "Where''s Miyoo?" Jina asked. As soon as she asked, a little girl of around five years old, climbed out of the car. She looked a lot like Jina except that she had dark hair and brown eyes like the twins. She had a chubbier face with full cheeks and a sweet dimple whenever she smiled. Her almond shaped eyes were looking at her older sister and she burst into a smile, extending her arms. Jina scooped her sister into her arms, kissing her on the cheek.

    "My little sis grew up so much!" Jina squealed, her heart fluttering in joy. She was meeting her sister after months and had missed her a lot. Miyoo was the quiet one in the family, preferring to observe rather than talk much. She was gentle and unlike the twins, did not give much trouble to their parents.

    "Sis," Miyoo simply said, hugging her sister. She spoke little but showed affection through hugs.

    "Look at my granddaughters!" Junho said, teary eyed with happiness. "Such good kids!"

    "They''re good kids," Mrs. Ahn agreed. "I''ll help the chauffeur with the luggage. You two can catch up."

    She went on to instruct the chauffeur on where to keep Miyoo''s belongings. SInc she was going to live in the country for a few months, she had a lot of luggage.

    "When are mom and dading back?" Jina asked her grandfather.

    "Your mom has been posted to Country T in the Middle East and your father went with her," Junho said. "That ce is right now very turbulent which is why they sent Miyoo back home. It was a hard decision but once all the crying stopped, it was finally decided that Miyoo will stay here until your parents can get out of that ce."

    "Mom was crying, huh?" Jina sighed.

    "No, your dad was crying," Junho replied.

    "Daddy cry," Miyoo said in her deadpan tone. Jina fought the urge to facepalm herself.

    "I''ll be off now," Junho announced. "I''ll be living with the twins until my work here is done."

    Work? Jina wondered but decided to ask himter. She bid him farewell and carried Miyoo inside.

    "Miyoo, I''ll be back by 6 PM, okay?" she told her sister. "Follow auntie Ahn''s instructions and don''t go anywhere. She''ll take care of you. Stay in her apartment, okay?"

    Miyoo nodded and kissed her sister''s cheek. Jina handed Miyoo to Mrs. Ahn, exining to her about Miyoo''s food schedule and habits. The old woman nodded and reassured Jina that everything would be okay. Jina dashed off after saying goodbye to her sister, alreadyte for work.

    Once she was gone, Mrs. Ahn turned to Miyoo.

    "Let''s help you freshen up, dear," the kind old woman said. "And then I''ll make you some dumplings, okay?"

    Miyoo nodded and took the old woman''s hand. After freshening up and filling her belly with Mrs. Ahn''s hot dumplings, Miyoo was in Mrs. Ahn''s living room, randomly coloring on a paper. The front door was locked but suddenly, it clicked open.

    The little girl looked up to see a pale figure standing outside, watching her. Mrs. Ahn was cooking in the kitchen and did not notice when Miyoo stood up and ran towards the person. She stepped on the corridor but there was no one there.

    Something passed by her, heading for the stairs. Miyoo chased it, climbing the stairs on her own. Shended on the top floor and saw the pale figure''s back. It was slowly walking towards a door and stopped outside it. The figure turned to see the child who had followed it, showing her its full face.

    Half of the face had been burnt as if doused in acid. Her hair had been shaved off and her fingernails had been ripped apart, stained by blood. She looked at Miyoo with one eye because the other eye was an empty socket.

    Without a word, the ghost went through the door. Miyoo stood in front of the door which had the number ''20'' on it. The door was slightly open. She slowly opened it to find an auburn haired figure sleeping on a box bed.

    The pale ghost was watching him for a while before vanishing into thin air.

    Miyoo slowly shuffled towards the man and stared at him as if examining him. She slowly poked his forehead. The man slowly opened his eyes, frowning.

    "Burn," Miyoo said. "Bald."

 Chapter 48 - The Dungeon

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

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    ....

    Darkness. Wherever he looked it was just darkness. His senses were alert and he was sure that it was a dream but the eerie silence was daunting. The ce was dark but he could make out shadows of stone walls which held him a prisoner. There was no furniture except a bed and bamboo closet. The stone walls were cold and he felt suffocated. The window was high above, far away from his reach.

    Hobin tried to walk towards the window but to his shock, he was chained to the walls!

    "What the hell?" he muttered. A small mirror stood right across him and he was shocked to see his appearance.

    His hair was ck and long. He was not wearing only a pair of torn pajamas and his eyes were glowing red.

    But to his horror, the raven-like wings were nowrger, reaching almost fifteen feet high and twenty feet wide. They were ck in color with sharp edges which could cut anyone down. The thick feather on them smelled a little like sulphur and he was totally shocked to see himself in that state.

    "Where am I?" he gasped in panic. "What the hell are these?"

    The wings were attached to his shoulder des. He tried to free himself but there was something acidic on the metal chains, burning his skin. There was a salt circle around his feet. Hobin tried to step on the salt but felt a jolt of electricity as soon as he touched it.

    "AGH!" he screamed in pain. The salt was also burning him!

    Panting heavily, he looked around but there was no escape. For some reason, he felt that he must escape that room not simply to be freed but rather for something else. His heart was enraged and he had no idea why.

    The sounds of several bells echoed from somewhere, rming him. It was going to start!

    Start? What was going to start?

    Hobin racked his brain, trying to remember what he was supposed to do but came up with nothing. The bells were getting louder and his ears were starting to ache in pain.

    "AGHHHH!" he screeched as the bells tormented him. His ears were bleeding by the sounds as if a thousand knives were piercing them. The sound was torturous to him and he must get out of there at once!

    But the bells were too much to handle and he was going to lose his consciousness. He kneeled on the floor, his hands struggling to be freed from his binds.

    "Shut out the bells!" he gritted in pain, closing his eyes. "SHUT THEM OUT!"

    Suddenly, something flew in front of him. He felt a soft touch on his forehead and looked at the mirror.

    A blue butterfly sat on his head, fluttering in despair. It kept on softly bouncing against his head as if trying to tell him to wake up from the dream.

    Hobin felt his consciousness fading as the butterfly helplessly poked him. He tried onest time to free himself but the chains were too strong even for him. As he descended into an eternal slumber, a familiar face shed in front of him. He wanted to reach out and touch her but before he could do that, the darkness engulfed him once more.

    бн.

    Hobin slowly woke up. A pair of brown eyes were staring at him. He blinked several times, frowning as the face of a little girl appeared in front of him. She was staring back at him with her deep brown eyes with a deadpan expression.

    "Burn," she said. "Bald."

    He slowly got up and crossed his legs. The girl looked oddly familiarбн

    "Kid, who are you?" he asked groggily. "Where are your parents? How did you get in?"

    The girl pointed at his half open door. Hobin groaned.

    "Ugh that door!" He facepalmed himself. "Ipletely forgot to fix the lock!"

    He turned back to the kid who was still observing him.

    "Gingy!" she said in awe, pointing at his hair.

    "You like the color?" Hobin smiled. The little girl nodded but then she looked around as if searching for something.

    "What''s your name?" he asked in a gentle tone. "Where are your parents?"

    "Miyoo!" she replied. "Mom, dad not here. They far away."

    Hobin studied the girl carefully. Why does she look so familiar? He wondered. He had seen those eyes somewhereбн

    Then it hit him.

    "Tinkerbell!" he realized. "Are you Tinekerbell- I mean Hwang Jina''s rtive?"

    They looked very simr only that this kid had chubby cheeks and dark hair, simr to the twins. Her nose was also smaller. Miyoo was wearing a bunny hoodie with shorts. Unlike the other siblings who were loud and spunky, the little girl was more subdued. Probably the only normal one in the family, Hobin thought.

    Miyoo was still looking around as if she was expecting to see someone when her eyes lit up. She reached out for the bedside desk and picked up a coin.

    "Penny!" she said in awe. "Money!"

    "I take that back," Hobin sighed. "You''re definitely their rtive."

    He grabbed his phone from the nightstand, letting the child y with the coin. He dialed Jina''s number. She picked up after a few rings.

    "What is it?" she hissed. "I''m busy! The Chief is going to scold me now!"

    "Who''s Miyoo?" he asked.

    Jina frowned. "That''s my sister," she replied. "Why?"

    "She''s in my apartment," he stated. "ying with a penny."

    "Huh? Mrs. Ahn was supposed to watch over her. How did she get out of that ce? Anyways, just take her back to Mrs. Ahn''s! She''ll get worried."

    "Fine."

    Hobin hung up the phone only to see that the little girl had fallen asleep on the floor. He sighed and scooped her up in his arms. She was still holding the penny in her hand but he did not bother to take it from her.

    He went downstairs and ran into Mrs. Ahn, who looked worried.

    "I guess you''re looking for her," he said, pointing at the sleeping child.

    "Yes!" Mrs. Ahn eximed in relief. "The door was closed! I don''t know how she got outбн"

    She took Miyoo in her arms and let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Doctor Ohm," she said gratefully. "I''m sorry for the trouble."

    "Don''t mention it!" he said with a bow. Hobin watched as Mrs. Ahn carried the child away. Miyoo briefly fluttered her eyes open and saw a pale figure standing behind Hobin.

    "Burn," she sleepily mumbled. "Bald."

 Chapter 49 - Guiding The Ghost

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    ....

    "WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?" Taejoon shouted at Jina. They were in his office and he had heard about her undercover operation with the team. He was furious that they kept it a secret from him,pletely ignoring the fact that the precinct Captain had already given them the written approval for it days ago.

    "Captain Gwi gave us the permission-" Jina began but Taejoon mmed a file in front of her.

    "You took the witness with you to the ce where the murderers were!" he used her.

    "I had my entire team there who protected her!" Jina argued. "We got permission from the Captain! And my teammate was hurt while apprehending the murderer, showing that she did her job well!"

    "You dare to talk back?" Taejoon snarl.d "Do you have any idea how much trouble I was in when the Captain asked me about the covert mission and I had no clue about it?"

    Jina resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Taejoon was on a two week leave. How the hell would he know about the mission anyway?

    "The Captain simply asked you to hand over the report once I arrive," she pointed out. "We caught the criminals with due procedure! I already prepared the report and I will submit it to you."

    "You think a mere report is enough?" he barked at her. "This is a breach of trust between me and your team!"

    "From now on, all cases will be approved by me," he went on. "You''re not allowed to take on any case on your own! Do you understand me?"

    Jina red back at him. Cases were assigned as per which team was the closest to the crime scene. The Chief of the department would intervene only when necessary but Taejoon was breathing down her team''s neck nor allegedly ''breaching'' his trust which made no sense since he was not around.

    "Fine," she said curtly. "My team will only respond to the distress calls after you assign us. So even if a person is dying, my team will only go to the crime scene after you sign the papers to assign us. That way, if the victim dies or the murderer gets away, it''ll be your responsibility."

    She did not back down and instead drove him to a corner. Taejoon tried to look intimidating but in reality, he was gulping and already regretted his choice of words. Hwang Jina knew the procedures like the back of her hand and was aware that if the police team waste to the crime scene, then the Chief of the department was questioned first.

    "Is that okay, with you, Chief?" she asked, deliberately stressing on the word ''Chief''.

    Taejoon scowled at her. "Go ahead and take whatever case you have to!" he snapped. "Don''te crying to me when you fail or end up harming a civilian-"

    "Did we ever fail or harm a civilian?" she shot back. "You im to be our Chief but you don''t trust us! My team has been busting their asses day and night to find that little boy''s killers and now that we''ve seeded, at the cost of Jiwoon''s injuries, you''re trying to threaten us? You''ve taken civilians undercover too! That too without the Captain''s permission."

    In one of his early cases, Taejoon had taken civilians undercover to catch a gang but had to face the heat because he did not follow procedures. He was watching Jina with disgust but she did not care.

    "If that''s all, I''ll go back to work," she stated. Turning on her heels, she left Taejoon there,pletely speechless.

    "Tough time with the Chief, boss?" Woohee asked when Jina sat down at her desk.

    "When does he not give me a tough time?" Jina grumbled. "I''ll finish off this file and visit Jiwoon. Anyoneing?"

    "I''ll go!" Chanmi spoke up. "I promised her that I''ll bring her clothes."

    "I''ll go too," Woohee said.

    Jiwoon''s injury was not serious but there was some internal bleeding so the doctors advised her to stay at least two nights. They put her on medication to stop the bleeding and would observe her condition.

    Jina quickly finished her work and put the files aside. Chanmi and Woohee followed their boss out of the precinct, towards thetter''s car.

    "What''s gonna happen to the little girl?" Woohee asked as they got into the car.

    "Well, she was badly drudge so the doctors are detoxing her," Jina sighed. Siwan had been giving her hourly updates on Haeji''s condition. She was healing rapidly and her adoptive parents were relieved as well. They were paying for her full treatment and her adoptive mother was also with her at the hospital.

    Half an hourter, they pulled up in front of the hospital. Getting out of the car, they headed straight for Jiwoon''s room first.

    She was lying on the bed, looking a little bored. As soon as she saw her colleagues, her eyes lit up.

    "Boss!" she smiled.

    "Oi, the two of us are partners!" Jina reprimanded her partner. "Why are you calling me boss?"

    "I got used to it," Jiwoon snickered. "And thanks for bringing my clothes, Chanmi."

    "I also cleaned your apartment for you," Chanmi said, putting the duffel bag on the floor. Jiwoon thanked her and they began to chat. Jina filled her in about what happened after the murderers were caught.

    "I hope those monsters get what they deserve," Jiwoon muttered.

    "We did what we could," Jina said. "Completed the investigation and handed over the files. It''s up to the court now. We can''t do anything now."

    "But they''ll get punished for sure," Woohee added. "The evidence is overwhelming. They can''t escape."

    Jina nodded and nced at the door. Minki was standing there, waiting to talk to her.

    "I''ll go and check up on Haeji," Jina told her colleagues. "I''ll be back, okay?"

    "Okay boss!" Chanmi chirped while Woohee nodded. Jina left the room and ushered Minki to follow her. She walked back to her car downstairs and a few secondster, the ghost appeared beside her.

    "How''s Haeji?" she asked.

    "She''s fine now," Minki replied. "I stayed with her all night to look after her."

    He smiled at her but there was a hint of sadness behind it. Jina waited for him to speak.

    "She''s gonna go to her new home after getting out of the hospital," he went on.

    "Yes," Jina nodded. "I heard."

    "But where will I go?" he asked. "What''ll happen to me, sis?"

    The little boy looked at her with his pleading eyes. He was sad and scared of what was going to happen to him after this and Jina knew that it was time to have a little talk with him. But she was not the right person to talk to him.

    "My grandfather might be able to help you," she finally said. "I''ll tell him toe here. He won''t be able to see you but I''ll interpret your words to him. He''ll be able to guide you."

    "Really?" Minki asked in surprise. "Can he help me?"

    "He will," Jina promised.

 Chapter 50 - Crazy Family

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    ....

    "Old man, how long will you be sulking over your defeat?" Minyoon yawned as hezily leaned against the couch. Junho had been grumbling all morning because he lost twenty dors to the damn twins for misidentifying them all day. He was in the open kitchen, trying to cook noodles but in reality was probably burning them to a crisp since his cooking skills were abysmal.

    "How can someone get our identities wrong twenty times?" Yoonmin asked out loud. He was sitting at the dining table, reading a book on business modules. "Our hairstyles are different now."

    "I have pink hair at the moment and Yoonmin is stuck with that thug look," Minyoon told his grandfather.

    "I got it!" Junho scowled at the two evil geniuses. "You two have the same faces! Anyone would get confused. I''m an old man after all."

    "You haven''t been able to tell us apart since the day we were born," Yoonmin pointed out, turning a page in his book. "That has got to be some kinda record."

    "We''ve probably earned half our ie from you, old man," Minyoon nodded. Junho merely groaned and continued to cook. The twins lived in a t above their aunt''s house, upying the space to themselves. It was really a penthouse which they rented from their uncle.

    They had their own bedrooms along with a guest room where Junho asionally stayed whenever he was in town. At the moment, the three of them were enjoying azy Sunday. Thanks to Jina''s punishment, the twins were not allowed to go out so they were tormenting their grandfather instead.

    "Old man, guess which twin am I?" Minyoon asked. Junho frowned as if trying to recognize him.

    "Yoonmin!" Junho dered. "You''re Yoonmin!"

    "Nope!" Minyoon said in a cheery tone. "I''m Minyoon. Now pay up."

    "You''re lying!" Junho imed. "That''s Minyoon!"

    He pointed at Yoonmin who shook his head and hid his face behind the book out of embarrassment. Yoonmin knew very well that his grandfather lost on purpose, letting his grandsons extract every penny he had under the pretext of his bet. The old man was grumpy but had a soft spot for all his family members. This was his weird way to yfully banter with his grandsons.

    "Here!" Junho pretended to scowl, handing Minyoon two one dor notes.

    "Twenty one against zero," Minyoon smirked. He handed one note to Yoonmin while pocketing the other one for himself.

    The doorbell rang. Minyoon was about to answer the door but to his surprise, Yoonmin hurried over to open it. Even Junho was curious to see his usually cool and aloof grandson getting so hyped up.

    Yoonmin opened the door to find Soobin standing outside.

    "Did you get what I wanted?" he panted. Soobin was taken aback by Yoonmin''s state. He looked as if he was running.

    "Y-Yes!" she squeaked.

    Soobin was shy because this was also Minyoon''s house and she was eager to catch a glimpse of her dear idol. She was tiptoeing over Yoonmin''s shoulder to see if her Minmin was there but Yoonmin blocked the way, making her scowl.

    "Here are the mercs," she said.

    She handed Yoonmin a bag full of merchandise. Soobin collected it all from various fans for a charity campaign Minyoon hadunched. Yoonmin had told her to bring the merchandise to their penthouse which confused Soobin a little because she could have just sent it via courier. But the strange guy just kept on insisting that she should bring it herself as the president of the site.

    Minyoon and Junho were peeking at Yoonmin from behind a pir. To their absolute shock, Yoonmin was...blushing?

    "Old man, is that my thug twin?" Minyoon asked in disbelief. "Is he blushing?"

    "He is," Junho nodded,pletely stunned.

    It was usually Minyoon who got attention from girls thanks to his pretty boy image. Yoonmin''s thug look, on the other hand, scared girls away. He had adopted the bad boy style simply to keep people from annoying him especially after his twin became popr. People sometimes confused the two of them so he went for this rouge and rebellious style.

    And now, he was blushing in front of a girl?

    "This I gotta see!" Minyoon eximed. He was about to go and tease his brother when his grandfather held him by the cor and pulled him back.

    "First tell me, who''s the girl," Junho hissed.

    "She''s a ssmate!" Minyoon replied. "Her name is Soobin. She recently moved to town and was also a witness to one of sis'' murder cases-"

    "Tell me the important details!" Junho snapped.

    "She seems like a good person and was good with kids at the orphanage," Minyoon recalled. "And I think she''s a waitress at a nearby cafe."

    "Ah, now I know why Yoonmin likes her," Junho realized. "The girl is independent from a very young age. Grandpa approves."

    "I don''t think any of us would care much for your approval," Minyoon muttered.

    Both of them watched as Yoonmin conversed with the girl. Soobin was trying to catch a glimpse of Minyoon but Yoonmin was blocking her way.

    "Are there any more merchandiseing in?" Yoonmin asked, trying to keep his tone steady. He could not help himself. For some reason, he felt bbergasted whenever Soobin was around and mildly irritated whenever she spoke about his twin. He could have asked her to send the mercs via courier but a very tiny part of him wanted to see her outside of school.

    "I think another batch wille in tomorrow afternoon," Soobin said thoughtfully. "I''ll have someone deliver it-"

    "As the president of the fansite, you should take responsibility and deliver it yourself," he imed. "After all, the delivery man might break stuff! Mypany isn''t gonna pay for the broken mercs. You''ll have to answer the fans yourself in that case."

    "Huh?" Soobin frowned. "I can''t travel all the way here so much! The taxis charge a lot and I have to change two buses to reach this part of town. And the subway station is far away!"

    "You don''t want to see your idol?" Yoonmin baited. "After all, he lives here."

    Soobin thought about it, weighing the pros and cons. The only pro was that she was going to visit Minyoon''s house a lot and that outweighed the hundreds of other cons.

    "That''s right," she nodded. "But I also want discounted rates for his next concert! I''m already spending a lot on traveling just to see him!"

    Yoonmin scowled a little before replying, "Fine! I''ll give you half off."

    "Yaii!" Soobin cheered. "I''ll see you tomorrow then!"

    With that, she danced away, happy that she was going to visit her idol''s house again. Yoonmin sighed and closed the door. He turned around to find his twin snickering while his grandfather was peering at him with suspicion.

    "What are your ns with that girl?" Junho asked in a stern tone.

    "Nothing!" Yoonmin imed. "Nothing at all! S-she''s just Minyoon''s fan and wanted to drop off some broken mercs she bought from us. I''ll exchange them for her."

    "Remember the family tradition, Yoonmin," Junho stated in a serious tone. "If you wanna marry her then you gotta earn more than your dad. All Hwang men follow this tradition!"

    "Is that why your father chased you out of the house when you wanted to marry grandma?" Minyoon asked. "Coz you couldn''t earn more than him and great grandpa thought you were not worthy of grandma?"

    Junho gritted at the awful memory. Histe wife was adored by his father as if she was his own daughter and to him, his own son was worthless because Junho earned only a hundred thousand dors less than his father. It took months for Junho to close that gap and finally, he was allowed to marry his beloved.

    "I''m fifteen you freaks!" Yoonmin snapped at them. "A minor!"

    "Then you still have three more years to close that gap," Junho nodded. "Work harder my grandson and win over your girl!"

    My family is crazy, Yoonmin groaned inwardly.

    "I''d rather stay celibate!" he stated. "Ya''ll are mad!"

    "Hey, we want you to seed in winning her over!" Minyoon imed.

    "I can give tips to you," Junho offered. "I may not look like it but I was quite thedies'' man back in my time-"

    They were all bickering like kids when the doorbell rang again.

    "Is it her again?" Junho asked excitedly. "Can we meet her this time?"

    "No!" Yoonmin yelled at them. "Stay away!"

    He went on to open the door but it was not Soobin. It was Jina.

    "Sis!" he eximed, stepping aside to let her in. "What brings you here?"

    But Jina rushed to her grandfather.

    "Old man, I need your help," she said.

    "What happened?" Junho asked.

    Jina took a deep breath before saying, "Can you please send off a spirit?"

 Chapter 51 - Released

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    Mass chapter mission time! Support me in win win by unlocking the privilege chapters to get mass releases. MR will be given based on the following conditions:??

    1000 privilege chapter unlocks= 3 extra chapter mass release

    5000 privilege chapter unlocks= 5 extra chapter mass release

    10,000 privilege chapter unlocks= 10 chapter mass release.

    This is applicable for every month! Please do support this book by buying as much privilege chapters as possible <3

    ....

    Jina, Junho and Minki were on the terrace of the penthouse. Minki sat next to Jina while Junho sat on her other side. Junho carefully listened to the whole story about how Minki was killed and now that he hadpleted his work, he needed guidance on what to do.

    "Hmm," Junho nodded. "To be honest, if hisst wish has been fulfilled, then he really should be moving on."

    Minki was confused. "Moving on?" he asked.

    "Old man, Minki doesn''t understand what that means," Jina interpreted. "Can you tell him?"

    Even though Junho could not see Minki, the ghost could listen to the old man clearly. Junho cleared his throat and began to exin.

    "Moving on means that you can go to the Afterlife," Junho said in a gentle tone. "The ce where people go after they pass away. I know that maybe you''d want to stay here with your friends but do remember one thing. Your friends will grow up and start to live their own lives one day. They''ll have friends, families and do their own work. You''ll remain in their memories but they won''t be able to see you nor hear you. If you choose to stay now, then you''ll only feel sad over it. While they''ll grow older, you''ll remain in this state for eternity. Take our advice and move on."

    Minki was scared and gripped Jina''s arm. Thetter patted his palm to reassure him.

    "Minki, grandpa is correct," she told him. "I know you''re scared but that''s okay. Everyone is scared to know whates after death. We are scared as well. But trust me when I say that seeing everyone move far away from you will be scarier. Haeji will grow up one day and have her own life. Your culprits have been punished. I know you might have had many aspirations and your life was cruelly taken away from you. But if you move on to the next phase, you''ll be at a better ce far away from all the bad people. And it will be peaceful there."

    "But...I won''t be able toe back!" Minki said in a sad tone. "What if it''s a scary ce?"

    "I can''t tell," Jina admitted sadly. "But you''re a good soul. You''ll be in good hands, I''m sure of it."

    From Jina''s tone, Junho could tell that the kid was scared to move on. He did not me the child; even grown ups were afraid of death.

    "Minki," he began. "Don''t you worry at all. Your loved ones here will remember you for your bravery. As long as they remember you, you''ll be happy and at peace. Here, you''ll feel very lonely and isted. Even if Jina can see you, there''ll be an empty void. It''ll not be the same as being around people of your age."

    "What if they forget me?" Minki asked Jina.

    "We''ll remember you for sure!" Jina said. "And I''m sure Haeji will remember you as well. She might not be able to see you but she''ll definitely remember you."

    She patted his head in a gentle manner. The boy was conflicted but it was the best they could do. If he stayed back, he would only hurt himself more and that was worse than death.

    Minki thought about the time he was on the street when no one could see or hear him. He was never ignored like that when he was alive and that moment was very scary for him. People passed by him, not even sparing a nce at the little ghost who was trying to get their attention. They felt like aliens to him and he did not belong in their world. Even now, he felt that he was stuck between two worlds, not here nor there. He remained in an unending limbo with no escape.

    "I''ll...I''ll move on," he finally said. "I don''t know what''s gonna happen to me but I''ll move on to this Afterlife ce you''re talking about. It might be scary but at least I''ll belong somewhere and not be stuck in between two worlds."

    Jina smiled. She turned to her grandfather and whispered, "He''s ready."

    "Would you like to leave now or do you need some time?" Jina asked. She expected the ghost to say he wanted time but Minki shook his head.

    "I want to leave now," he said, trying to sound brave. "If I dy, I might not wanna leave. Can you help me leave now?"

    Jina expressed his request to Junho. The old man nodded and said, "Wait here then."

    He went back inside and emerged a few minutester with a vial of holy water.

    "What''s he going to do?" Minki asked, feeling hesitant.

    "He''s going to purify you with some holy water and then you''ll be able to move on," Jina exined. "My grandfather is a skilled exorcist. He has done this many times."

    "W-Why can''t you do it?" Minki stammered. "You can see ghosts, right?"

    "Seers like me will fall weak if we try exorcism," Jina revealed. "It''s too risky for us because of our overwhelming abilities. Which is why only an exorcist or shaman can purify souls."

    "Tell him to stand in front of me," Junho ordered. Jina nudged Minki. The boy trembled a little but went to stand in front of the old man who was smiling.

    "He''s standing on the spot," Jina informed her grandfather. "He''s scared."

    "It''ll be okay," Junho told the boy. "Don''t worry at all."

    With that, he sprinkled some holy water in the direction where Minki stood and muttered under his breath.

    "Oh you who seek release from your earthly bounds, purify your soul and ascend to your fate," he chanted. Junho repeated the chant three times, still sprinkling the water on the boy.

    A light began to erupt from within Minki''s heart. He was startled but to his surprise, it did not hurt. On the contrary, it was a pleasant feeling as if he was really happy and satisfied. The light was growing brighter until it engulfed his entire body.

    Jina watched as the boy turned around to wave her goodbye.

    "Thank youбн" he said. His voice was hollow and he was starting to disappear, fading until he waspletely gone. They stood there for a while, silently praying for the child.

    "He''s in a better ce now," Junho said. He looked at Jina who was crying a little.

    "What happened?" he asked, startled by her tears.

    "Nothing," she sighed. "I just remembered Shinho."

    She looked up at the sun, remembering the day Junho had heeded to his request and helped him to move on.

    "He''s probably up there in the sky now, huh?" she asked.

    Junho was silent for a while before replying, "Who knows? Sometimes fate works in the strangest ways."

    He patted his granddaughter''s head in an attempt tofort her. "Let''s go in," he said. "Yoonmin has a crush on a girl and we want to pester him about it!"

    Jina shook her head in dismay. Sometimes she wondered who was the kid in the family and who was the adult.

    "I''ll join you in a while," she said with a smile. Junho nodded and went back inside to continue his childish feud with the twins. Jina stood there for a while, staring at the spot where Minki had disappeared. She then took out her phone and texted Hobin.

    "It''s done," Jina wrote. "Minki''s soul has been released."

 Chapter 52 - A Bet

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    Mass chapter mission time! Support me in win win by unlocking the privilege chapters to get mass releases. MR will be given based on the following conditions:??

    1000 privilege chapter unlocks= 3 extra chapter mass release

    5000 privilege chapter unlocks= 5 extra chapter mass release

    10,000 privilege chapter unlocks= 10 chapter mass release.

    This is applicable for every month! Please do support this book by buying as much privilege chapters as possible <3

    ....

    *Three Weeks Later*

    "The little fairy cast her magic and freed the prince from his dungeon," Haeji read out loud. Hobin smiled and pped.

    "Very good!" he eximed. "See? You''re not stuttering at every word anymore!"

    Haeji giggled and shed her lopsided tooth. After the culprits were caught Haeji''s condition had improved a lot. After going through the traumatic experience of almost being buried alive, she was unconscious. But the second trauma also seemed to have snapped her out of her catatonic state and the moment she woke up, she made some grunting sounds as if trying to say something.

    Over the next few weeks, Hobin worked to make here out of the shell. Her new adoptive parents were kind people and had aided her in every way possible. They even moved her early to their home so that they could take better care of her. Thanks to the constant care, Haeji had recovered well enough and had begun to talk again.

    "It''s a miracle!" Haeji''s new mother, Mrs. Kim, eximed. "I thought that we''d lost her forever."

    "If treated with love and care, children can get over their traumas much more easily," Hobin exined. "It gets difficult to treat traumas when the memories are forcefully suppressed."

    "It''s all thanks to you, doctor," Mrs. Kim said gratefully. She was a king woman in her early forties with brte hair. Her husband and she had been trying to conceive a child for years but failed so they decided to adopt. When they met Haeji, they were ecstatic and even bought a new house to raise the child. Upon hearing of Haeji''s sudden trauma, they did not give up and continued the treatment.

    The owner of the orphanage was ashamed of what his daughter-inw did and cut ties with her. Aera, the murderer, and her aplices were in the process of being tried. She tried her best to wiggle out of prison but the evidence was overwhelming. Wonho''s body was exhumed from the underground room and the autopsy results were enough to seal their fate. Furthermore, her minions confessed to killing Wonho and Minki, implicating Aera even further. The skin tissues under Minki''s nails matched with Aera''s and she was going to face two consecutive life sentences if punished.

    "She''s brave," Hobin nodded at Haeji.

    "Will the treatment take longer, doctor?" Mrs. Kim inquired.

    "Well, she has improved a lot," Hobin stated. "And she''s in a new environment now, so she''s away from the ce which gave her so much trauma. I''ll cut back on the appointments to only twice a week but if you feel that she''s having any problems, just let me know as soon as possible. And make sure she takes her medicines on time."

    "Alright doctor," Mrs. Kim nodded. "We''ll follow your treatment n properly."

    She turned to her daughter and said, "Say goodbye to the good doctor, Haeji."

    Haeji did not respond but got off the chair and went around the table towards Hobin and nted a kiss on his cheek.

    "Goodbye doctor!" she said cheerfully.

    Hobin ruffled her hair. "Be good," he said.

    She nodded and followed her mother out of the cabin. Hobin leaned back, feeling ted that Haeji was finally getting better.

    Siwan peeked in to see if his brother was busy or not.

    "You free?" he asked.

    "My next patient will bete," Hobin said. "What is it?"

    "Mom sent crab cakes," Siwan smirked and held up a bag of crab cakes which their mother, Doyoung, had sent for them.

    "Woah!" Hobin eximed. He loved crab cakes especially the ones made by their mother. Siwan put the bag in front of him and sat on a chair. Hobin did not waste time and took out a box and sniffed it.

    "Smells so good," he said, his mouth watering up. "I''ll heat it."

    He had a small microwave in his room. Putting the cakes on a te, he turned on the microwave and set it up to heat the food.

    "How''s your police work going?" Siwan asked. "Got any new casestely?"

    "Haven''t really looked into any new cases after the orphanage one," Hobin said. "I guess this ce isn''t as interesting as I thought it would be."

    "You think crimes are interesting?" Siwan frowned.

    "The criminal mindset is interesting," Hobin corrected his brother. "Unfortunately, I didn''t find any interesting criminals yet. All of them were easy."

    "They were easy coz you keep using your powers on them," Siwan pointed out. "If you can read their minds, then you can obviously tell who''s the criminal."

    Hobin thought about it for a while. "I guess you''re right, bro," he nodded. "I really haven''t challenged myself. Let''s ce a bet thenбн"

    He grinned and leaned forward. "I''ll not use my powers for the next case," he promised. "If I win, I get your convertible."

    Siwan snorted. "Yeah right!" he imed. "You can''t stay without using your powers."

    Even though Siwan was outwardly taunting Hobin, in reality, he was looking out for his little brother. He felt that the more Hobin used his powers, the more his little brother would be dependent on them. Hobin was a brilliant doctor on his own but Siwan wanted him to be even better and not rely on his abilities too much. For some reason, he felt that the more Hobin used his powers, the more danger he was going to be in.

    It was a ridiculous notion but Siwan could not shake it off. Lately, he noticed that Hobin was a little too lost in his thoughts and was hiding many things. He was aware that Hobin had a greater purpose toe to this country and that was connected to Wang Taehee. If that was true, then Hobin was putting himself in peril, something which worried Siwan.

    "I will prove it to you," Hobin vowed. "I can work without my powers."

    The microwave pinged and Hobin took out the te from it. He picked up a fork and put one cake in his mouth.

    "What''s on the news today?" Siwan wondered and turned on the television in the cabin. Instantly, a news sh popped up.

    "The body of the missing heiress, Song Rachel, has been found buried under her family mansion''s basement," one reporter was stating. "She has been missing for the past three weeks and there were rumors of her running away. Her father is the famous pharmaceutical tycoon Song Yohan. He ims that he has been looking for his daughter but found no traces of her and is shocked to know that she was buried in his very own basement."

    "Move!" A familiar voice yelled at the reporter. Jina appeared on the TV but she was focused on the body which was now being examined by the CSI.

    "Song Yohan?" Siwan frowned.

    "You know him?" Hobin asked.

    "His wife is one of mom''s old friends," Siwan said. "The girl was just eighteen. Tragic."

    Hobin leaned back on his chair and thought hard. "Brother, I think I found my next case," he slowly said.

 Chapter 53 - Mansions & Basements

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    Mass chapter mission time! Support me in win win by unlocking the privilege chapters to get mass releases. MR will be given based on the following conditions:??

    1000 privilege chapter unlocks= 3 extra chapter mass release

    5000 privilege chapter unlocks= 5 extra chapter mass release

    10,000 privilege chapter unlocks= 10 chapter mass release.

    This is applicable for every month! Please do support this book by buying as much privilege chapters as possible <3

    ....

    Jina and her team had arrived at Song Yohan''s mansion. The giant European style mansion stood in the middle of the city like a magnum opus which was untouchable to themon folks. Sprawling across several acres ofnd, it was cited as one of the most beautiful architectural sights of the country.

    Thewn was neatly trimmed with a walkway adorned with exotic flowers on both ends. A small koi pond was located right off the walkway surrounded byrge pebbles and the path leading to the mansion was tiled with several colorful bs. The grass was bright green and well kept while the dogs were kept locked in arge kennel. The canines red at the police and crowd which had gathered there, barking loudly at them.

    Reporters flooded the front gate but they were not allowed to enter because the CSI was still investigating. Jina was irritated by the crowd and yelled at them.

    "MOVE IT!" she shouted. "Let us through!"

    Upon seeing the detectives, the media swooped in on them.

    "Detective, how did she die?" One reporter demanded.

    "Is it true she ran away?"

    "Was she killed by her family?"

    "Get away, you lot!" Jaebum yelled at the pesky reporters. Together with Dahoon, he pushed them backwards in an attempt to clear the way.

    "Ugh, I just hate these reporters," Jiwoon muttered. "Can''t they let the family live in peace?"

    "They''re really the worst," Woohee agreed. "Making stories out of people''s grief."

    But Jina was not listening to any of them. She had bigger things to deal with.

    As soon as she entered the house, a woman in her mid fifties came running to her and hugged her.

    "Jina!" she eximed. "Thank god, you''re here!"

    This was Yoo Seohyun, Rachel''s mother and the wife of Song Yohan. The Song family was one of the investors of Jina''s father and their families shared good rtions. Jina even met their daughter, Rachel, on several asions. While she disliked the kid, she never thought that the girl would end up like this.

    Seohyun''s posh and elegant features were now distorted by her makeup. She had been crying nonstop for hours. Her ck hair was a mess and she was wailing loudly in Jina''s arms.

    "My daughter!" she cried. "My sweet daughter!"

    Jina pitied the woman''s state and hushed her.

    "I''m here now, auntie," she consoled the aggrieved woman. "We''ll find the culpritбн"

    Her team was behind her, feeling awkward to be in the presence of the rich family.

    "Looks like having richese with their own set of problems," Chanmi muttered.

    "Rich or poor, it doesn''t matter," Jiwoon said. "Criminals and death don''t see status."

    A lean figure approached them. It was a man in his early sixties. The man''s skin was lined with wrinkles and his goatee was almost white. His grey hair was neatly back brushed and unlike his wife, he did not seem distraught nor sad. On the contrary, he was calm and poised.

    "Uncle Yohan," Jina greeted. "I''m really sorry for your loss-"

    "The body is downstairs," he said in a steely tone. "I believe the cops will investigate this thoroughly. If you need any help from us, please let us know."

    Jina was not unsurprised by his cold attitude but her team was shell shocked.

    "Is he the father?" Jiwoon whispered to Jina.

    "Yes," Jina replied. "He''s Rachel''s father."

    Seohyun red at her husband who waspletely unaffected by their daughter''s death. She sprang to her feet and yelled at him.

    "Are you that heartless?" She shrieked. "Our daughter just died! Her body was found rotting in the basement after weeks! Why are you so cold hearted?"

    Yohan pretended not to hear her and vanished from sight. Jina held Seohyun back, trying to prevent the woman from gouging out her husband''s eyes. Song Yohan was a cold and calctive businessman who never gave time to his family. He was mostly detached from everyone and was not the fatherly type. His daughter, Rachel, was a notorious spoiled brat and got into trouble every now and then.

    But even Jina could not help thinking that his reaction was quite unnatural.

    "Auntie, we''ll have to go and investigate," she told Seohyun. "Chanmi, can you please stay here and keep herpany?"

    Chanmi nodded and stayed back with Seohyun while the others went downstairs to investigate the body.

    "Don''t you think it''s strange that the body of their girl was buried under their home and the parents did not know?" Woohee asked as they headed for the basement.

    "It''s really weird," Jaebum agreed. "And the dad''s reaction is even weirder. Why wasn''t he affected at all?"

    "Song Yohan isn''t the affectionate type," Jina stated. "He puts business before family. Many rich people do. I''ve seen it all the time but to be this unaffected...It''s fishy for sure."

    "Boss, do you think he killed his daughter?" Woohee suggested.

    "We can''t make assumptions," Jina said.

    "But it still doesn''t answer why they didn''t know their daughter was buried here," Jaebum pointed out. "I mean, if she was killed here, that means she must have screamed for help."

    Hearing Jaebum''s question, one of the CSI officers said, "The body wasn''t buried very deep. It was a shallow grave. Her hand was sticking out."

    "What?" Jaebum eximed. "And no one saw it? But if she was killed here, someone must have heard her cries!"

    "You don''t know much about these mansions, do you?" Woohee asked.

    "What do you mean?" Jaebum frowned.

    "This whole mansion is soundproof," Jina revealed. "You can scream on one floor and the people upstairs will hear nothing. Not a sound can go outside the premises. That poor girl had no chance."

    "But there are household staff here," he pointed out. "They must have cleaned the cer many times."

    "Large mansions hide terrible secrets," Jina grimaced. "You don''t know what goes on behind these walls. This body was found after three weeks but some bodies can''t even be found. Burying a body in a mansion is much safer than elsewhere."

    They entered a basement which was quite dark. There were stacks of alcohol lined up against the walls and arge clearing in the middle which was now swarming with CSI officers. The body was surrounded by forensic doctors who were collecting samples. A foul smell enveloped the whole ce, making them almost gag.

    "The body rotted a lot," Jiwoon said, covering her nose with a handkerchief. "And there are really a lot of policemen here. More than necessary."

    Jina was unaffected by the stench and put on her gloves.

    She crossed over the warning signs to take a closer look at the body. What she saw next, made her blood freeze.

    "Oi Tinkerbell!"

    The others turned around to find that Hobin had also arrived. But Jina did not respond to him, her eyes fixed on the body in front of her.

    "Can''t you hear me?" Hobin asked in irritation when he reached her but she silently pointed at the body. He followed her gaze and his eyes widened in shock.

    Rachel was not merely killed. She waspletely massacred.

 Chapter 54 - Buried Beneath

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    Firstly, a little bit of caution. The description of this particr case might be too much to handle so please read with care.??

    Mass chapter mission time! Support me in win win by unlocking the privilege chapters to get mass releases. MR will be given based on the following conditions:

    1000 privilege chapter unlocks= 3 extra chapter mass release

    5000 privilege chapter unlocks= 5 extra chapter mass release

    10,000 privilege chapter unlocks= 10 chapter mass release.

    This is applicable for every month! Please do support this book by buying as much privilege chapters as possible <3

    ....

    "What the fuck?" Hobin cursed under his breath.

    They were staring in shock at the body which was partially rotting. The victim''s hair waspletely shaved off or rather, torn off to the point that they could see the dried blood on her scalp. Her nails were also ripped off from her fingers and she waspletely naked with bite marks all over her body as if a wild animal had attacked her mercilessly.

    But the worst treatment was saved for her face. Someone had poured acid all over it, causing the skin to burn and melt off to the point that she could not be identified. One of her eyes had melted so much that it was gone and there was only an empty socket in its ce. The only thing left on her body was a locket which had her picture on it.

    Jina waspletely shocked upon seeing the state of Rachel''s body. The once blonde and fair skinned girl who was vain about her beauty, was reduced to this state. She could not help but feel extremely angry at the murderer who had tortured this girl like this. Her blood was boiling but she kept her cool.

    "The fucking murderer annhted her," Dahoon whispered. Hobin stared at the corpse.

    "Those are not teeth marksбн" he said, barely managing to keep his voice steady. "Those are canines. From a dog probably."

    Jina took a deep breath.

    "Start questioning the parents," she ordered her team. "Spread out and ask the neighbors about the past three weeks and what happened on the day Rachel went missing."

    Hobin wore his gloves and stooped down to examine the body. From the state of the body, he deduced several things but he needed more clues. He scanned the surroundings.

    Soundproof walls, he noted. Wine bottlesбн

    He frowned and walked towards the bottles to sniff them one by one. Hobin kept on smelling them until he reached one particr bottle.

    "Oi Tinkerbell!" he called out to Jina. "I think I found one of the murder weapons."

    Jina quickly walked over to him and he handed her the bottle. "Careful," he warned. "That''s highly concentrated sulphuric acid."

    "Son of a bitch!" she cursed and sniffed the bottle. "He hid the acid in this?"

    "That''s how the murderer snuck the acid in here," Hobin nodded. "He poured it in this bottle and snuck it in to rece the wine. He must have brought the victim here and assaulted her before killing her off for good."

    "Let''s look for more clues," Jina nodded. She handed the bottle to a CSI officer and together with Hobin, began to look for more clues. There was a torn rope lying underneath one of the wine shelves. It had blood marks on it.

    "The killer must have used this to tie her up," Jina said, holding up the rope.

    "Tell me about the dad," Hobin said. "I overheard some of the officers saying that he''s a stone cold bastard."

    "I''ll tell you once we''re outside," she murmured. He nodded and they continued to search for more clues but found no more.

    "Officers, we''re gonna do a UV test now!" one of the CSI agents dered. Please step behind me."

    Everyone stood behind the officer and the lights were turned off. The officer took out a UV light and shone it on the walls to check for blood stters.

    "The way she''s been killed, there must be a lot of hidden blood stains," Woohee whispered.

    "There won''t be any," Hobin stated with confidence.

    "How can you be so sure?" Jaebum frowned. "The girl was killed brutally! Of course there''ll be a lot of bloodstains!"

    But Jina had a hunch that Hobin was correct. And he was.

    The blood stters, if any, werepletely wiped clean and not a single drop was left behind. The officers were all shocked but Hobin was grim. It was just as he had expected.

    "We won''t find anything here," he said. "No fingerprints nor bloodstains."

    "The CSI will wrap up the body and send it to theb," Jina said. She did not dare look at Rachel''s body again. The girl died a painful death and it had shaken Jina pretty badly.

    At that moment, Jiwoon and Dahoon approached them.

    "We talked to the mother," Jiwoon told them. "On the night when Rachel went missing, there was a party on the mansion''s roof. Rachel had her exams so she was in her bedroom studying. Her mother was thest person to see her in her room. Rachel was mostly vain and narcissistic but a very good student. She took her studies very seriously which is why she didn''t go to the party upstairs. Her mother sent her dinner to her room via a maid."

    "The maid went to Rachel''s room with the food but did not find her there," Dahoon stated. "But the bathroom''s shower was apparently running so she assumed that Rachel was in there. She left the tray outside and went back to the party. That''s all they know about herst whereabouts."

    "Why didn''t the parents file a missing report?" Jina asked.

    "The father refused," Dahoon revealed. "He imed that his reputation will be ruined in the business fraternity so he did not file aint and was using his own methods to track her down."

    Jina exchanged a worried nce with Hobin. "Get a list of all the guests and staff members who were present at the party," she instructed. "Ask the neighbors and also Rachel''s friends. Did she have any enemies or rivals? Dig up all the dirt you can. Check her social media activities. Everything. Stat!"

    "Let''s go outside," she told Hobin. He nodded and followed her out to the garden. They stood in a corner, away from the prying eyes of the reporters.

    "Her dad''s reaction is totally aloof," Jina told him. "He''s acting as if nothing happened. I know he loves his business more but his daughter died and he had no emotions for her? No grief, no anger. Nothing!"

    "Hard to tell," Hobin said. "Some people don''t show their grief easily. But then again, if he''s truly like that then he''s a sociopath, detached from emotions. Nah, he might not be the killer. What we''re looking for is a psychopath."

    "How is that any different?" Jina asked.

    "Call everyone to the bureau," Hobin instructed. "I''ll exin everything there. Oh and another thing."

    "What?"

    "I promised my brother that I won''t be using my powers for this case," he revealed. "And I agreed. I''ll try to solve this case based on my wits and knowledge."

    Jina sighed. "Fine," she said. "As long as you can help us solve it, I don''t care whether you use your powers or not."

    Hobin nodded. Jina nced over his shoulder and grimaced. Hobin also turned around to see that Rachel''s body was being carried off for autopsy.

    "She wasn''t a good person but she didn''t deserve this," Jina said. "No one deserves such a terrible death."

    "Unfortunately for her, the killer did not seem to think that," Hobin muttered.

    They continued to watch as the body bag containing Rachel was hoisted on an ambnce which sped off into the distance until it vanished. Jina was about to leave when she caught the sight of a grey haired man staring at the ambnce with an impassive expression on his face. His eyes briefly met hers before he, too, turned away and vanished into the room.

 Chapter 55 - Burnt Pride

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    Firstly, a little bit of caution. The description of this particr case might be too much to handle so please read with care.??

    Mass chapter mission time! Support me in win win by unlocking the privilege chapters to get mass releases. MR will be given based on the following conditions:

    1000 privilege chapter unlocks= 3 extra chapter mass release

    5000 privilege chapter unlocks= 5 extra chapter mass release

    10,000 privilege chapter unlocks= 10 chapter mass release.

    This is applicable for every month! Please do support this book by buying as much privilege chapters as possible <3

    ....

    Rachel''s body was being examined by Kyuhyun in theb while Jina''s team had gathered the initial information from the family and neighbors. They were still waiting for the guest list and Kyuhyun had told them that he could provide the autopsy results within a week but he already gave them the actual cause of death: acid burn.

    The team was now gathered in the briefing room where Hobin was waiting for them. He had prepared a slide show in order to exin to the team what sort of killer they needed to look for. Even Taejoon was joining them this time because he was keeping an eye on the investigation since it dealt with a rich family.

    Once everyone settled down, Hobin began.

    "Victim name is Song Rachel," he said. "She was eighteen years old and a budding socialite. She was one of the students at the prestigious Dalton High School and a senior who was quite popr. Her peers called her spoiled because she had narcissistic tendencies. She was extremely proud of her looks and even modeled on several magazines-"

    "Get to the point!" Taejoon barked. "We don''t have all day!"

    "I don''t like interruptions," Hobin said, unabashed. "If you''re bored, you can leave."

    Everyone snickered and Taejoon gaped at the brat who just shot him down. Jina, in an attempt to diffuse the tension, spoke up.

    "Based on my experience with her, she was also quite rude to others," she said. "I''m sure she had rubbed many people the wrong way. Is that what you''re also saying?"

    "Yes," Hobin nodded. He clicked on the slide and showed everyone the body. Taejoon was totally horrified at the state and wanted to vomit. Rarely had he seen such atrocity and this was just monstrous.

    "As you can see, the first thing the killer did was rip off her hair," Hobin exined. "Which means, he or she was tearing off her pride. Rachel was a part time model for shampoo brands. This is one of the ways to ''destroy'' her."

    "Secondly, her nails were also ripped off," he continued. "From her credit card history, it was clear that she had manicured her nails the day before she went missing. Another attack on her pride on her looks. However, he did not rip off her pedicured toenails. Which means he was targeting her fingernails only. Maybe she hurt this person and this is rted to her nails. She might have attacked the killer in the past. Look into any assault she might have been involved in recently."

    "Thirdly, her whole body had been bitten by dogs," he stated, pointing at the marks. "But she wasn''t raped. The killer stripped her naked and bit her all over to stain her with canine marks. It was a sadistic way to see his intended victim being tortured in front of him. Maybe he even got a sexual kick from it. This indicates that the unsub might have had a sexual history with her or at least fantasized about her at some point in time. He used trained dogs to y out that fantasy, to put her at his mercy."

    "However, he was smart. He knew that if he raped her, there would be DNA evidence and he could not risk that. Moreover, by doing this, he was also ruining her pure image by making her attacked by dogs. When people would see these marks, they would naturally assume she was probably raped and hence in their eyes, she was no longer ''pure''. It''s like a sadistic pun on the saying, ''All men are dogs'' and Rachel attracted these ''dogs''. That was the killer''s third revenge on her. Strip off her dignity."

    "Finally, when he was done staining her body, he poured highly concentrated acid on her to destroy thest remnants of her pride. The face she was so sure of. The face which was the envy of many was reduced to melted skin and bones."

    There was a long silence at his words as everyone tried to absorb the facts.

    "The killer did not simply want to kill her," Jina said, standing up. "He wanted to destroy her. This...this was a crime of passion. He harbored a lot of hate for her."

    "The killer was also gloating," Hobin added. "There''s a reason why he did this crime inside Rachel''s very own home. It was to show off his mightiness. The mansion Rachel lived in is the best in the country. It''s the epitome of elegance and pride. Rachel was the princess of the ivory tower, unharmed and untouched. The killer wanted to send a message."

    He put his hands on the table, looking at everyone.

    "His message is loud and clear," Hobin said. "Look at me. I touched you. I entered your home and touched you. I reached you. Me."

    There was an ufortable silence at those words. Even Taejoon was speechless.

    "The killer knew very well that the mansion is soundproof and had nned this for days," Jina continued from there. "And given how big the ce is, it was easy for him to sneak around, unnoticed. Moreover, he left behind the acid and rope in an attempt to boast of his achievement. In his eyes, by killing Rachel, he had done something very great and wanted to show it off through the tokens he left behind."

    "But how did he manage to clean off the crime scene?" Jaebum asked. "Even with soundproof walls, someone must have seen the killer. It should take hours to clean up the scene."

    Hobin pointed at Woohee and asked, "What did you find out about the family?"

    "They''re social elites," she said at once. "The father is mostly at work while the mother is either at kitty parties or shopping. She even went abroad several times a month, unaware of the things happening in her house. Also, there are over a hundred staff members and most keep changing every week. They are working in the garden or in the kitchens. One maid told me that the house is so big that she did not visit every room. And no one ever went to the cer except for a cleaning staff who cleaned it once a month. That''s how Rachel was found."

    "Bingo!" Hobin said. "The house is too big. We looked up Rachel''s social media and saw that she put up statuses about sneaking her boyfriend into the mansion several times and no one even knew. If the killer was well acquainted with the family, then he''ll know that they''re very distant and hence, was aware that the family members barely checked in on one another. The staff were mostly busy and did not care about their employers much either. This was premeditated murder. The murderer scanned the mansion first and decided that the basement was perfect. No one went there anyway."

    "The killer snuck in the acid and dog to the basement on the night of the party. Once he had the crime scene set, all he had to do was wait for the party and lure Rachel into the basement. It was a party and no one would hear her screams. Once there, he tortured and killed her before burying her in it. The reason he didn''t bury her properly is because he wanted her to be found. He knew it would take days or even weeks for someone to find the body. It was another way for him to gloat that the daughter the Song''s were looking for was buried beneath their feet all along. Everyone was searching for her outside but no one looked in their own home. It was the killer''s little victory."

    "He''s a psycho!" Jiwoon winced. "A cold blooded psycho. I bet it''s the dad! He was so aloof!"

    "He was at the party that night and hence, has an alibi," Jina sighed. "Kyuhyun said that Rachel died around three weeks ago, probably on the same night as the party."

    "Could have hired someone to do it," Chanmi suggested.

    "Perhaps," Hobin said. "But professional killers won''t go this far. They''ll simply kill and leave. Why torture the girl like this?"

    There was no answer to that. They were all wondering how someone could kill another person off in such a manner.

    "Whoever killed her had a major grudge against her," Jina said. "Find anyone who might harbor ill feelings towards Rachel and bring them in. "Question everyone and if needed, get search warrants issued for the school and the Song mansion. Track everyone rted to Rachel but throw that bloody killer behind the bar!"

    "Yes!" Her team dered and sprinted off. Taejoon also grudgingly walked away, a little impressed by the youths who had taken charge of the case. Once everyone was gone, Hobin turned to Jina.

    "Did you see any lingering spirits at that ce?" he asked.

    "Shockingly, no," she admitted. This was something which bugged her for a while. Rachel''s spirit was nowhere around that mansion. Did she move on? Jina wondered. But it seems unlikelyбн

    "Let''s go and find that killer," Hobin suggested. "It''s the only thing we can do."

    Jina nodded. "Let''s get that monster!" she dered.

 Chapter 56 - Assembly Hall

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    Mass chapter mission time! Support me in win win by unlocking the privilege chapters to get mass releases. MR will be given based on the following conditions:??

    1000 privilege chapter unlocks= 3 extra chapter mass release

    5000 privilege chapter unlocks= 5 extra chapter mass release

    10,000 privilege chapter unlocks= 10 chapter mass release.

    This is applicable for every month! Please do support this book by buying as much privilege chapters as possible <3

    ....

    All the students were summoned to an emergency assembly the next morning. The students passed by the halls, whispering about the news sh that morning which had shook them up very badly. All throughout the school there was a sense of dread and confusion amongst them. Passing by the entrance hall, everyone''s eyes wandered to one particr locker.

    It used to belong to a blonde beauty with dark blue eyes and an arrogant smile. A picture of her in a cheerleading costume was framed in front of her locker with several flowers and messages ced in front of it. Some of the senior students were quietly sobbing while the others looked grim.

    Soobin was also passing by the locker with her friend Jung Sera.

    "This is so sad," Soobin murmured. "She didn''t deserve this."

    A television above their head was reading out the news sh about Rachel''s death.

    "Song Rachel, the only daughter of Song Yohan and Heiress to Fei Pharmaceuticals, has been found dead in her own mansion''s basement," a news anchor reported. "Her body had been buried underneath the basement and was found rotting and her face had been burnt with acid which was likely the cause of death. A reporter on the scene also saw bite marks on her body which implies that she was probably sexually assaulted before being killed offбн"

    Soobin winced and looked away from the TV. She turned to Sera but to her surprise, her friend looked worried. Sera''s dark eyes were unfocused as if she was thinking of something and her chubby fingers were fidgeting. She was a foot shorter than Soobin, very chubby with full cheeks and short hair. Sera was fearfully staring at Rachel''s memorial.

    "Sera?" Soobin poked her. Sera jumped in fright.

    "What happened?" Soobin asked. "Why do you look so scared?"

    "Nothing!" Sera imed. "I...I was just thinking about the news. It''s scary."

    "You knew her, right?" Soobin asked. "Your brother is in her ss. And they were dating too."

    "They broke up weeks ago," Sera replied.

    "Where is he? Shouldn''t he be a little concerned about his ex?" Soobin frowned.

    "He''s with the upperssmen," Sera said. "Let''s go to the assembly."

    Without another word, she pulled Soobin away. Meanwhile, the Hwang twins were not far behind, slowly walking with the crowd.

    "Can''t believe Rachel is dead," Minyoon said in a grim tone. "We just saw her a few weeks ago at the concert."

    Rachel was one of the premium members of Minyoon''s fanclub. She had always unted her wealth and influence at the concerts or events, bragging that she was close to Minyoon. Rachel even tried to date him on quite a few asions but Minyoon turned her down under the pretext that he was a celebrity and it would ruin him if the fans found out. Truthfully, he just wanted to get away from her.

    "As sis says," Yoonmin sighed. "Life and death are both unpredictable. She lived a very sheltered life and yet, died a horrible death."

    All the students gathered at the assembly hall where the Principal was about to make a speech. The twins stood right behind Soobin and Sera, watching the stage with intent. Everyone was buzzed with gossip and they could hear snippets of some of the discussions.

    "She was such a snooty brat," one girl was saying. "She made many enemies here."

    "I heard that she was cheating on her boyfriend with some college guy," another student said.

    "Poor Hyojin," one of the seniors said. "Having to deal with a cheating bitch and now, he''s gotta suffer coz she died."

    Soobin winced, feeling very ufortable. She did not know Rachel well but to hear people being so condescending towards her death was totally uncalled for.

    "Hey!" she snapped at a group who was bitching about the deceased girl. "Someone just died! Pay some goddamn respect to her! You don''t have to like her but at least don''t speak ill of the dead."

    "She made a lot of our lives here miserable!" one student shot back at her. "She deserves it."

    "What else do you expect from a country bumpkin like her?" a tall brte sneered and pointed at Soobin. "She has no ss. Of course she''ll support that dead bitch!"

    Soobin was about to yell at them but someone stepped forward to face the group who wasughing at her.

    Yoonmin''s face was darkened in fury. He was ring down at the students who were puzzled and to some extent, scared by his reaction. They were in awe of Minyoon but equally fearful of the other twin who roamed around the school looking like a thug. It was difficult to believe that a hooligan like that was the twin brother of the nation''s heartthrob.

    "Your dad works in my dad''spany, Yang Kelly," Yoonmin said to the brte girl.

    "So?" she frowned.

    Yoonmin crossed his hands on his chest and pretended to think. "Imagine what''ll my dad do when he finds out that your dad once tried to steal from my ount," he revealed. "I remember very clearly that my dad once handed him a cheque to deposit my monthly allowance in my ount but your father attempted to take that money for himself. Thankfully, I had the cheque number and asked the bank to track it. They notified me that the money was cashed out by your father, Senior Manager Yang. I didn''t tell my dad but confronted him and took my money back."

    He smirked at Kelly who was now mortified. She was sweating when he added in a whisper, "If I catch you bad mouthing others, then I''ll tell everyone what your father did and throw you in the limelight. Let''s see how you handle all the ridicule."

    Kelly red at him but did not dare to say anything. Yoonmin turned away from the lot only to be confronted by the quizzical look of Soobin and the amused expression of his brother.

    "What did you tell here?" Soobin frowned.

    "Nothing," Yoonmin imed but his brother put his hand around his shoulder and leaned in to his ear.

    "Little bro, if you want advice on how to win over the girl, then you can watch mytest drama and get tips-"

    Yoonmin threw him a deathly re which made Minyoon shut up immediately. Soobin, on the other hand, was blushing upon seeing the twins being so touchy touchy. Her fangirl mind was already concocting forbidden fanfiction between the twins and how to publish them online.

    "The forbidden love of the thug and the idol!" she gasped in glee. "That fanfic will be a hit!"

    She was starry eyed while the twins only stared at her, bewildered by her sudden excitement. Sera, on the other hand, was staring at the trio with an envious gaze. She was staring at Soobin, who had gained attention from the Hwang twins within a matter of days whereas she was always overlooked and bullied.

    The Principal came on stage and the hall immediately went silent.

    "Students, I have summoned this assembly today to inform you of terrible news," he said grimly. "Our star pupil, Song Rachel, was found dead in her home. Her already bereaved family and friends are shocked by the event and they requested nothing more than privacy. We will be remembering her-"

    The students were already bored of the Principal''s lecture and were eager to leave. Sera was looking down at her feet, her face slightly wincing. She nced at her brother, Hyojin, who was standing at the front row. He was extremely depressed by Rachel''s death and was beingforted by his friends.

    On her left were Soobin and the twins who were among the few students who were listening to the Principal. Sera quietly backed away, unnoticed by everyone as always. Even the teachers did not notice her sneaking out of the hall.

    Once at the hall, she slowly made her way towards the girls'' washroom and locked the door behind her.

    Unbeknownst to her, a pale figure was shadowing her closely, its eyes full of rage and murder.

 Chapter 57 - Humiliation

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    Caution, this chapter deals with a sensitive issue like bullying??

    Mass chapter mission time! Support me in win win by unlocking the privilege chapters to get mass releases. MR will be given based on the following conditions:

    1000 privilege chapter unlocks= 3 extra chapter mass release

    5000 privilege chapter unlocks= 5 extra chapter mass release

    10,000 privilege chapter unlocks= 10 chapter mass release.

    This is applicable for every month! Please do support this book by buying as much privilege chapters as possible <3

    ....

    Sera closed the washroom door behind her and entered an empty stall. She pulled down her pants and sat on the toilet to relieve herself. For the past few weeks, she had been stressed and tired. Her sleep cycle was a mess and she was totally drained from the experience.

    Memories of *that* night was shing through her mind and she was terrified of the secret she was hiding.

    I can''t tell anyone, she thought to herself. Otherwise, I''ll be in troubleбн

    Sera was so engrossed in her thoughts that she did not notice cold air slowly seeping through the cracks of the door. The mirrors on the walls were getting chilled from the misty breeze and a pale figure was slowly floating to and fro the washroom. It raised one hand and knocked on the stall door.

    "It''s upied!" Sera said. She was about to flush the toilet when there was another knock on the door.

    "I''ming out!" she eximed. "Wait!"

    But the knocking did not stop and continued. She was irritated and was about to curse at the person outside when her eyes fell on therge opening below the stall door and she was shocked.

    There was no one standing outside.

    "W-Who''s there?" she squeaked. "Who are you?"

    Knock. Knock. Knock.

    The knocks continued and Sera was cowering against the toilet, her panties still down. She was trembling in fear as the knocking went on and on for a long time, ying with her mind.

    "Stopбн" she whispered, closing her ears. "Please...stopбн"

    Sera closed her eyes and shut her ears, shaking. Am I going to die? She wildly wondered. "I don''t wanna die!

    "Fu fu fuбн"

    That voice! I know that voice! Sera realized but did not dare to say anything. Her heart trembled as she heard the knocks get louder and louder to the point that someone was about to break down the door.

    "Come out my little hippoбн" the cold voice whispered. "Won''t you y with me, Hippo?"

    "Noбн" Sera gasped. "Noбнyou''re-"

    Suddenly, there was a tremor under her feet and the ground began to violently shake, throwing Sera off the toilet. Dirty pee and water sshed all over her and she was screaming loudly.

    "HELP!" She screamed. "SAVE ME! SAVE ME!"

    She scrambled to unlock the door but something threw her backwards. The door flung open and a pair of invisible hands dragged her by the feet.

    "AHHHHHH!" Sera screamed as she was being pulled out of the washroom.

    Hearing her cries, the other students came running only to find Sera lying on the ground, her private part exposed and she was smelling like pee. Many of the students burst outughing while others scrunched their noses, disgusted at her state. Some of the students took out their phones and began to click her picture.

    "Hippo, look here!" one of the girls taunted her. "Show us that fat ass!"

    "Hippo, you''re famous now!" another boy giggled.

    "She actually took the spotlight away from Rachel!"

    Soobin, Minyoon and Yoonmin were at the back, wondering what was going on. Their view was blocked by hundreds of students but they noticed that they wereughing and jeering. The teachers were also having a hard time pushing past the students who were packed in front of the hall.

    "What''s going on?" Minyoon frowned. Yoonmin stood on a stool to see what was happening. His eyes widened and he quickly turned to Soobin.

    "It''s your friend!" he yelled. Soobin was shocked and pushed past the crowd, stepping on several toes on her way.

    "Go away!" she screamed at them before managing to reach Sera who was curled in a feral position. Her body was drenched with toilet water and she was crying as the camera shed at her.

    "GET AWAY FROM HER!" Soobin roared and pulled up Sera''s panties to cover her. She put her jacket around Sera and red at the crowd which was having fun at her friend''s misery.

    "Put that away!" she yelled at the kids. She grabbed a few of the phones and stomped on them. The other kids cursed at her.

    "This is harmless fun!" one of the kids yelled.

    "We''ll put it on social media, ya country bumpkin!"

    The twins now came forward with the teachers who were ring at the students. A couple of teachers took Sera to the nurse''s room while the others were confiscating everyone''s phones and giving out punishment to the students who took pictures. The Principal also arrived to see themotion and scolded all the students.

    "All the students will have to spend three hours of detention after every ss!" he dered. "For this heinous act!"

    The students began to protest but there was no mercy for them. The teachers went on to lecture them and finally the students were allowed to go to their sses.

    Meanwhile, Jina and Chanmi had arrived at the school to question the students. They had just entered the hallway to notice that the students were being sent to their sses, all of them looking disgruntled and annoyed. The Principal spotted them and frowned.

    "May I help you?" he asked Jina.

    "I''m Detective Hwang Jina," she said, showing him her badge. "And this is Officer Shin Chanmi. We want to question you and some of the staff here about Song Rachel."

    "Ah okay," the Principal nodded. "My staff and I can answer the questions but you''ll have to understand that you cannot ask the students anything since they''re minors and their guardians aren''t here."

    "We''ll be asking the senior ssmen," Jina stated. "The ones who are 18 at least. They won''t need guardians."

    The Principal could not counter that. He stiffly nodded and was leading them to his office. Jina was passing by the girl''s washroom when she paused and turned towards it. She stepped into it, frowning a little. The weather outside was warm but the air inside the washroom was really cold!

    "Boss!"

    Chanmi called her. Jina turned around to see that they were waiting for her.

    "Are youing?" Chanmi asked.

    "Yes," Jina nodded and followed them to the Principal''s office. She nced at the washroom one more time, unsettled by the feeling which was creeping in her heart.

    Something was wrong.

 Chapter 58 - The Hated Girl

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    Mass chapter mission time! Support me in win win by unlocking the privilege chapters to get mass releases. MR will be given based on the following conditions:??

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    This is applicable for every month! Please do support this book by buying as much privilege chapters as possible <3

    ....

    Soobin was in the gym''s shower room , waiting outside one of the shower stalls where Sera was washing herself. After a while, Sera turned off the shower, wiped her hair and put on her gym uniform before stepping outside, looking quite shaken up.

    "Are you okay?" Soobin asked in a gentle tone.

    "I''m fine," Sera mumbled. "What about you? Did the earthquake hurt anyone?"

    "Earthquake?" Soobin blinked. "What earthquake?"

    Sera was now confused. "Y-you didn''t feel any earthquake?" she nervously asked.

    "No," Soobin said, shaking her head. "We were all at the assembly when we heard you scream. There was no earthquake."

    Sera was now visibly scared. Was she imagining things now? Her heart thumped hard against her chest and she bit her lip, unable toprehend anything. Soobin was now rmed at Sera''s strange behavior.

    "What happened in the girls'' toilet?" she asked. "Why were you screaming?"

    "Iбн" Sera trailed off, feeling very nervous. She was not sure what happened and it was such a crazy phenomenon that she was now scared to even narrate it.

    "I saw a cockroach and was scared," she lied. "And I probably thought the ground beneath me was shaking while I ran from the cockroach and then I fell on the floorбн"

    She hid her eyes, trying not to cry but it was impossible. The humiliation was freshly etched into her head and she was embarrassed. All the students had seen her without her panties and she was crying hard thinking about the utter embarrassment. Everyone was now going to outcast her even further.

    "Sera, don''t worry about the others," Soobinforted her. "I''m sure the teachers will punish them-"

    "You don''t understand!" Sera eximed tearfully. "School punishment doesn''t matter! I''ll be theughing stock now! Everyone will make fun of me for exposing myбн I''ll be a social pariah!"

    "Why do you care so much about those people?" Sera frowned. "They always made fun of you! Ever since my first day, I''ve seen how those people treat you and you still flock around them. Why? You''re better than that! They don''t deserve a friend like you. You always tell me how fake and shallow they are. So why are you looking for their approval?"

    Soobin was truly looking out for her friend but Sera was not listening. She wanted to be free of this miserable nameless existence.

    "They call me a Hippo, Soobin," she sobbed. "Coz I''m fat and ugly! No one wants to be my friend. Do you have any idea how many times I had to eat lunch alone in the bathroom because I was too scared of Rachel and her gang? Yeah, they made my life miserable! They were the worst!"

    Soobin was speechless. She did not know much about the school and its people yet. Other than the twins and Sera, she was not acquainted with many people but only heard of some cases of bullying among the rich elites. But thisбн

    "Your brother used to date her, right?" She asked. "Then why did she bully you?"

    "Because she wanted to!" Sera said bitterly. "In front of my brother, she was sweet and innocent but behind his back, she made my life hell! She even-"

    Sera stopped herself.

    "What did she do?" Soobin asked but Sera turned on her heels and ran away.

    Yoonmin stood outside the gym, waiting for the girls. Minyoon had to go back to ss but Yoonmin stayed behind to make sure that Soobin and Sera were okay. He was typing a message to this secretary about an investment when Sera came running out. She briefly nced at him, blushed and continued to run.

    "Sera!" Soobin called her but Sera disappeared around a corner. Soobin was disheartened by the turn of events. Yoonmin observed her and let out a loud sigh.

    "What is it?" Soobin sneered. "I''m not in the mood for your snarky remarks."

    "Are you an idiot?" he asked. "Isn''t it clear that she wants to be alone?"

    "I''m just trying to help!" Soobin eximed. "She just went through a traumatic experience!"

    "Which is why she needs to be alone with her thoughts," Yoonmin pointed out. "The more you''re gonna chase her, the more she''ll be distraught. Just let her be."

    "It''s not thatбн" Soobin bit her lip. There was something which bothered her. She sat on the floor, crossing her legs, thinking about the absurd people around her. Yoonmin sat next to her and nudged her.

    "This school is really weird," she admitted. "Someone died and yet, no one is sorry for her. And Sera. Sera was humiliated by the entire school and no one came to help."

    "You did," Yoonmin said. "You helped her. As long as there''s one person who stands up for her, she''ll be fine."

    "She wants to be liked by others," Soobin mumbled, looking down.

    "Don''t we all?" Yoonmin asked. "I mean, if fans didn''t like Minyoon and spent money on him, mypany would have died. Of course we wanna be liked so that we can survive!"

    Soobin rolled her eyes. "You are really insensitive!" she snapped at him and stood up.

    "What''d I do?" he asked, feelingpletely dumbfounded. "It''s true! Companies run on the customers'' approval-"

    "Are you reallyparing money with someone''s feelings?" she scolded him. "She''s a person not an object for sale!"

    Yoonmin was about to say something but Soobin stormed off. He slowly got up and walked along the empty hallway feeling a little irritated and dejected.

    "Why is she always angry at me but dotes on Minyoon?" he mumbled with a scowl. "We look the same!"

    He was trying to figure out what Soobin meant when he nearly bumped into someone.

    "Oh sorry- sis!" he eximed when he saw his sister and one of her officers. Jina and Chanmi had just finished talking to the Principal and were heading towards the senior ssroom where Rachel used to study when she ran into Yoonmin, who seemed a little lost. She was peering suspiciously at her brother.

    "Why are you outside of ss?" she asked.

    "I was helping that girl, Sera," he exined. "She was...let''s just say that she was in a sticky situation and everyone made fun of her. Only Soobin, Minyoon and I stepped up to help her. It was really weird. But why are you here?"

    "It''s for an investigation," Chanmi replied.

    "Ah yes, the Song Rachel Case!" Yoonmin realized.

    "You don''t have to worry about all that," Jina told him. "Go to ss. We''ll handle it."

    But Yoonmin did not leave immediately. "I just wanna tell you something, sis," he began. "A word of caution, actually."

    "What is it?" Jina frowned.

    "In this school, no one''s gonna tell you their true feelings about Rachel," Yoonmin revealed. "Even her friends. So don''t trust anyone''s words here. Andбн"

    He took a deep breath and said, "Every student here had a motive to kill her. She was a bully after all."

 Chapter 59 - Date Of Death

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    Mass chapter mission time! Support me in win win by unlocking the privilege chapters to get mass releases. MR will be given based on the following conditions:??

    1000 privilege chapter unlocks= 3 extra chapter mass release

    5000 privilege chapter unlocks= 5 extra chapter mass release

    10,000 privilege chapter unlocks= 10 chapter mass release.

    This is applicable for every month! Please do support this book by buying as much privilege chapters as possible <3

    ....

    Hobin and Jaebum were heading for the forensicb where the initial autopsy of Rachel''s body wasplete.

    "Doc, I must warn you, Kyuhyun can be a little cuckoo," Jaebum remarked. "Good bloke but very oblivious."

    "Meaning?" Hobin asked, raising an eyebrow.

    "You''ll see," Jaebum replied in a cryptic way. They entered theb and found Kyuhyun was stooping over Rachel''s corpse holding a surgical saw. He was wearing protective sses as he began to slice through the skull.

    "I think I''ll wait outside till this is over," Jaebum said, feeling sick at the sight of rotten brain and bones sttering all over the surgery table. He quickly ran out and Hobin thought he heard the poor bloke throw up outside.

    "You must be Doctor Lee Kyuhyun," Hobin said.

    "Doctor Lee Kyuhyun," Kyhyun stated, not looking at him. "Age 29. Height 5 feet 11. Born on-"

    "I know," Hobin said. "Detective Hwang gave me a very detailed information checklist on you. I''m Doctor Ohm Hobin."

    "Doctor Ohm Hobin, age 24," Kyuhyun parroted. "Psychiatrist at the National Hospital and a dual citizen of Country K and UK. A consulting psychiatrist for the police and also a fellow at-"

    "I know Doctor Lee," Hobin cut through his words. "Please tell me about the victim and what you found."

    "Victim Name is Song Rachel and she was 18 years old," Kyuhyun immediately started. "She died on 24th of July 20XX-"

    "Wait, how did you manage to track down the exact date of her death?" Hobin frowned.

    "Her menstruation cycle implies she starts to bleed every month between the 13th and 16th for exactly seven days," Kyuhyun replied like a robot. "From the state of her ovary and her purchase history, I was able to deduce that she had bought the sanitary pad on 15th which means her periods started on the 16th and ended on 23rd. Moreover, there is evidence of carnal activity in her clitoris which suggests that by 24th her periods had stopped. After that, there has been no more activity on her body because the body went into rigor mortis by the 25th."

    "Wait, she was raped?" Hobin frowned. "But the CSI''s initial investigation said that she was merely bitten on the body but there was no semen or sperm around the crime scene to suggest anything as such."

    "Based on theck of sperm and semen in the crime scene along with the state of the muscle tissues, it was not forced pration," Kyuhyun parroted. "The male might have used protection. There are no traces of drugs in her body which suggests she was conscious and of sound mind. Moreover, the carnal activity-"

    "Sex."

    "Did not take ce at the crime scene," Kyuhyun said, not bothering about the interruption. Does this guy live in his own world? Hobin wondered.

    "Tell us about the death," Hobin sighed. Kyuhyun took apart the bone on the skull to reveal the partially rotting greyish brain in it.

    "The unsub hadpletely pulled her hair apart with more than necessary force," Kyuhyun exined. "The bone on the skull is fractured and there was a lot of internal bleeding but she was still conscious perhaps. The acid burnt away part of the fractured skull but the brain remained intact. The loss of blood due to the hair removal and acid burns killed her."

    He covered the brain again and then moved towards the nails.

    "The nails were sliced open with a thead screwdriver," he stated. "There is metal residue stuck on the skin which matches residue from a screwdriver."

    "And the bite marks?" Hobin inquired.

    "German Shepherd," Kyuhyun stated. "The shape of the marks match that of the German Shepherd breed. The canine marks are cut exactly six centimeters into her skin. Partial skin was torn off but the dog was trained specifically not to eat her flesh. It only bit her as per the unsub''s orders."

    "It must have taken years to train a dog to be that precise," Hobin noted. "Otherwise they would be enticed by the scent of blood and eat the flesh of the person."

    "The cause of death was the acid which was exactly 0.5 pH in concentration," Kyuhyun continued. "Enough to burn arge amount of skin even with one drop. Judging from the extent of her burns, a quarter of a beacon was poured on her skin, causing her to die within five minutes."

    Five minutes, Hobin thought. Rachel died an agonizing death, her skin and pride burnt by a madman.

    "When will the full autopsy resultse out?" Hobin asked.

    "Three days with full guarantee," Kyuhyun said, going back to the body. "No more no less than that."

    With that, he diverted his attention to Rachel''s corpse, indicating to Hobin that their time in theb was over. Hobin thanked him and left theb. Jaebum was standing outside, waiting for him.

    "She had sex before she died," Hobin revealed. "There are traces of sexual intercourse while she was alive. It wasn''t rape though."

    "Was it the killer?" Jaebum frowned.

    "Who knows," Hobin said. "Where''s Tinkerbell and the other officer?"

    By now, everyone in the team knew the nickname the doctor gave to Jina.

    "Boss and Chanmi have gone to interrogate the boyfriend," Jaebum replied. "I''ve also talked to Dahoon. He checked the CCTV camera from that night. Some things came to light."

    "Firstly, Song Yohan was at the party for only one hour before he left the mansion and returned the next day," he went on. "He was covered in dirt that time which is fishy."

    The dad lied, Hobin realized. But why?

    "What else?" he asked.

    "Two other people were seen hanging around there," Jaebum stated. "Two people who were not invited to the party. One was the boyfriend, Jung Hyojin. He was seen sneaking into the mansion from the back door. Someone had let him in. Might have been Rachel. And hear this. He was carrying the same bottle of wine in which we found the acid."

    "And the second person?" Hobin asked.

    "It was a girl," Jaebum stated. "She looked like she was what, 14 or 15, maybe. Anyways, she was seen carrying a rope and was creeping into the mansion like some kinda thief. Her face isn''t very clear on the camera though. The IT experts are trying to clear it out for us."

    "I''ll inform Detective Hwang," Hobin said, taking out his phone. He dialed her number and waited until she picked up.

    "The boyfriend was at the mansion that night and probably had sex with Rachel," he told her at once. "Ask him about that night."

    "I can''t," Jina groaned from the other end.

    "Why not?" Hobin frowned.

    "Because he called awyer and is now refusing to reply to any questions," Jina revealed.

 Chapter 60 - Darling Son

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    Mass chapter mission time! Support me in win win by unlocking the privilege chapters to get mass releases. MR will be given based on the following conditions:??

    1000 privilege chapter unlocks= 3 extra chapter mass release

    5000 privilege chapter unlocks= 5 extra chapter mass release

    10,000 privilege chapter unlocks= 10 chapter mass release.

    This is applicable for every month! Please do support this book by buying as much privilege chapters as possible <3

    ....

    The atmosphere inside the Principal''s room was tense. Jina and Chanmi stood at the front while the Principal was sitting with Jung Hyojin and awyer. The eighteen year old Hyojin was one of the most popr students in the school. His dark hair was dyed with purple streaks and his eyes were tense. He was a foot taller than Rachel and the boy wore his football jersey.

    "Are high schoolers allowed to dye their hair?" Chanmi whispered. "Isn''t that against the school rules."

    "Not when one of your parents is a member of the school board," Jina muttered. Thewyer was talking to the Principal in a hushed tone before turning to the cops.

    "Good afternoon officers," he greeted them. "My name is Hyun Charles l and I''ll be representing my client, Jung Hyojin."

    "I''m Detective Hwang Jina," Jina said. "And this is Officer Shin Chanmi. We only want to ask a few questions to your client."

    "My client is not interested in answering any of your questions without valid grounds," Charles stated. "He is exercising his right to remain silent. Do you have any evidence to prove that my client is an important witness or suspect in this case?"

    Jina and Chanmi looked at each other. They could not mess with thiswyer without valid evidence to back them up. Moreover, they were bound by thew and could not even take the boy for interrogation.

    "He was Song Rachel''s boyfriend," Jina pointed out. "We need to ask him questions about when he saw Rachel for thest time."

    From the corner of her eye, she saw Hyojin shifting in his seat as if he was ufortable.

    "They are exes," thewyer rified. "They broke up weeks before Ms. Song''s unfortunate demise. He has nothing else to tell you. My client''s parents will be arriving in a while and I must say that-"

    At that precise moment, the door burst open and a woman in his early fifties came running into the room. She was wearing an expensive ck trench coat with bright pink stockings. Her branded bag was shing in front of her and her ash colored hat was almost falling off her head. The woman looked a lot like her son but was chubbier and shorter with sagging eyes.

    She red at Jina and charged at her.

    "You bitch!" she yelled, slightly pushing Jina backwards. "How dare you try to arrest my son? You dirtbag of a cop!"

    A nerve twitched on Jina''s forehead. I must not insult civilians, she chanted in her head.

    Aloud, she said, "No one is arresting him. We just want to ask him a few questions about Rachel-"

    "I know you lowly policemen very well!" Mrs. Jung screamed. "You guys only want bribes which is why you''re harassing my poor kid! I will sue you! You don''t know my family!"

    Jina raised an eyebrow. She studied the woman from head to toe but did not make any remarks. Chanmi was annoyed at the woman and was about to tell her that the woman did not even possess the fraction of wealth Jina had but was stopped by her boss. Jina shook her head, continuing the ruse.

    "We''ll leave now," Mrs. Jung went on. "We''re not gonna waste time on riffraff like this! Come my son!"

    She pulled her darling boy with her and left the room. Thewyer went with them while the Principal looked apologetic.

    "I''m sorry detective," he said. "She''s one of our new trustees and we had to inform her about this."

    "She''s new money as well," Jina said. "They recently became rich, right?"

    The Principal was taken aback by the statement but nodded. "Her husband''s healthcare application became a viral hit and they got investment from Silicon Valley entrepreneurs. They''ve recently purchased a vi and are going to throw avish party tonight. An exclusive party only for the top elites of the country."

    "Really?" Jina asked thoughtfully. "Thank you for your time, sir. We might have to bother you again but rest assured, we''ll make sure that the investigation is over as soon as possible."

    She thanked the Principal and together with Chanmi, left the premises. Once outside, Chanmi burst out.

    "Boss, why didn''t you let me tell her that you''re the heiress to the Hwang family?" she demanded. "That would have shut her mouth!"

    "The Hwangs show off their love for money but not their wealth," Jina said, dialing a number on her phone. "Rather, we p people on the faces with more finesse."

    Chanmi was confused but her boss winked. Jina heard someone answer the phone.

    "Young Miss!"

    It was Jongin, her father''s secretary who was in town at the moment.

    "Hello Secretary Jongin," Jina greeted. "Did we receive an invitation from the Jung family? They have a party at their vi, right?"

    "We did but no one epted it yet," Jongin said. "Master Minyoon said he has a paid fan event while Master Yoonmin said he''s busy with investors. Chairman Junho straight up called them boring, preferring to babysit Miss Miyoo instead."

    "Tell them that the eldest daughter of the Hwang family will be attending," Jina ordered

    "Er...but you will need a date, Young Miss," Jongin told her.

    At precisely that moment, Jina spotted an auburn haired man getting out of a taxi. She shed an evil smile at Hobin who was visibly confused by her change in attitude.

    "I already have one," she dered. "Deliver me the finest gown you can find. The more expensive the better."

    "Understood Young Miss," her father''s secretary replied at once. "We''ll get you the best one!"

    Jina hung up the phone to find Chanmi and Hobin stare at her with a mix of confusion and awe.

    "Boss, you''re great!" Chanmi said gleefully.

    "What are you nning?" Hobin asked suspiciously.

    But Jina only patted his cheek and said, "You''ll know everything in due time. Just make sure you have a fine tux ready for tonight, babe."

    Hobin was now traumatized. B-Babe? What the hell was going on?

    Jina merely winked and got into her car with Chanmi. Hobin was still standing there,pletely shocked.

    "Are youing or not?" she yelled at him, breaking him out of his reverie.

    "I better get free dinner!" he grumbled getting into the car.

    "I''ll add a free dessert too, okay?" Jina sneered while Chanmi only looked from her boss to the Doctor Demon.

    Is it me or do these two make a very good couple? She wondered.

 Chapter 61 - A Shadow

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    Mass chapter mission time! Support me in win win by unlocking the privilege chapters to get mass releases. MR will be given based on the following conditions:??

    1000 privilege chapter unlocks= 3 extra chapter mass release

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    This is applicable for every month! Please do support this book by buying as much privilege chapters as possible <3

    ....

    A maroon Maybach stopped in front of the mansion and Mrs. Jung came out of it with her darling son. She was doting on him, constantly worrying for his welfare. Lawyer Charles was closely following them.

    "Look at the stress my son has been put through!" she was saying. "How dare that detective do this?"

    "She was merely doing her duty, ma''am," Charles pointed out. "They can''t do anything without proof."

    "Make sure that bitch gets transferred!" Jung growled. "I don''t want her near my son!"

    Hyojin, who was being pampered by his mother, lowered his head and stayed quiet. He was tired and scared but he could not tell anyone about Rachel. Charles, on the other hand, was peering at Hyojin with suspicion.

    Jung sat her son on a couch and cooed at him. "Do you want anything to eat, dear?" she asked. "Fried rice? Baked potatoes? Or your favorite, Beef Steak with marinated sauce?"

    "I''m not hungry," he said, his gaze still lowered. He did not look at his mother as if he was afraid of something. His gestures did not go unnoticed by thewyer who was examining the boy very carefully.

    "I''ll go and get you a te full of fried rice!" Mrs. Jung insisted. "My poor boy. My poor poor boyбн"

    The front door slid open and a timid looking girl entered the house. She was drained and exhausted by the day''s events.

    "I''m home," Sera said in a dejected tone. Mrs. Jung frowned at her daughter who was wearing a different set of clothes from the ones she was wearing in the morning.

    "Where''s your uniform?" she asked.

    "I had to get rid of them," Sera replied. "It got stainedбн"

    Before her mother could ask anything else, Sera ran upstairs and locked her room. Mrs. Jung turned to her son but he was also heading to his room.

    "Where are you going?" she asked in surprise. "You need to eat! And what''s going on with your sister?"

    "Mom, we''re really tired," Hyojin mumbled. "Rachel''s death and everything. It''s too much to take in. Just leave us alone."

    "I''d like to speak to you," Charles suddenly spoke up. He turned to Hyojin who was confused and even a little scared. Mrs. Jung was also bewildered.

    "What''s there to talk about?" she demanded. "My son knows nothing about what that whore did! They broke up-"

    "Thew will not see that," Charles stated. "He''s an ex-boyfriend and normally, the police will look into the ex-boyfriend of the victim first. I need to ask your son some questions alone so that I can protect him from any future harm."

    Hyojin mumbled something like, ''follow me''. Charles nodded and followed Hyojin to his room, leaving Mrs. Jung bbergasted in the hallway. She wanted to demand that they tell her the secret as well but then, her phone rang. It was her husband, Jung Mooshik.

    "Yes dear," she greeted him over the phone. "The preparations for the party are going well. The hotel hall is ready."

    "Good because a very important guest ising!" Mooshik''s excited voice resonated from the other end. "The heiress to the Hwang empire, Hwang Jina, has agreed toe to our party! Can you imagine that?"

    "Really?"

    Her husband had been trying to secure an investment from the Hwang Corporation for months but they had ignored him. Mooshik did not give up and kept on following them and even sent an invitation to the Hwang Group''s CEO, Hwang Minho, to attend their first social party. The CEO was no longer in the country but his children were invited. The Hwang twins had fully packed schedules and the daughter was unreachable. The Jung''s never saw the daughter but they kept on pestering Hwang Minho''s secretary to convince her.

    Finally, after many weeks, she agreed.

    "This is going to be an important event for us," Mooshik said. "Make sure you treat her well."

    "I will!" Mrs. Jung said at once. "I''ll ensure that she''spletely satisfied with our party and they''ll invest in yourpany. This is just perfect!"

    And I''ll finally be a socialite! Mrs. Jung thought in glee. What could go wrong?

    бн.

    Charles followed the troubled teenager to his room. Once they were inside Hyojin''s room, Charles closed the door and turned towards his client.

    "Sit down," Charles ordered. Hyojin sat on a chair, fidgeting with his fingers. Charles adopted a gentle yet firm tone in order tomunicate with the kid.

    "Tell me about your rtionship with Rachel," he said. "What happened?"

    "I thought we were going great!" Hyojin replied. "Everything was perfect! We were the most good looking couple on campus. She was the cheerleading captain while I''m the star of the football team and we were even going to the same college!"

    "But then, she hooked up with a college dude in a frat party," he said bitterly. "Last month, we snuck into National University and there, she slept with a random college guy. I caught them in bed and was shocked. She said sorry and that it won''t happen again but I was really angry. And then-"

    Hyojin narrated the rest of his tale to Charles who was nodding, urging him to tell the truth.

    "You can''t tell my parents!" Hyojin begged. "If mom and dad find out, they''ll be totally devastated! I can''t tell anyone about this. I''m scared!"

    "I can''t promise anything," Charles sighed. "What you said could incriminate you. The detective is still on to you. Moreover, by hiring awyer beforehand, you''ve only increased their suspicions. They''re gonnae at you by hook or by crook. Beware."

    Hyojin was now even more scared. He had no idea how to wiggle himself out of this mess. Rachel had died but even after death, she was tormenting him from the grave.

    "Woof!"

    He was startled when something barked from outside the door. Opening it, he saw that his German Shepherd, Tommy, was standing outside, barking loudly for its master''s attention. As soon as the door was opened, the dog barged in, but growled at Charles, baring its sharp teeth

    "That''s one scary looking dog," Charlesmented. The dog had a mean streak in it. Its pupils were dted into a ruby red color and it was bigger than the armchair Charles sat on. There was a faint stench of raw meat emitting from the dog while its posture was aggressive as if it was ready to attack.

    "He doesn''t like a few people," Hyojin muttered. "Especially Rachel. Every time she came near him, Tommy would try to bite her."

    "Anyways," Charles said. "I''ll be off. I have to read the case files on Rachel''s death. The autopsy results are crucial. You better pray they don''t find anything useful in it otherwise, you''ll be arrested. I''ll try to prevent that so please don''t do anything stupid in the meantime."

    Hyojin nodded as Charles walked out of the door. The dog was still growling at thewyer but thetter did not care and left the mansion. Hyojin turned to the dog and began to pet him.

    "Are you worried for me too?" he mumbled. "Don''t worry, I''ll be fine. I won''t go to jail this easilyбн"

    The dog was suddenly rmed and barked loudly. Hyojin craned his neck to see what Tommy was barking at. Sera''s room was right across the hall and a tall figure seemed to be peeking from it, looking at them.

    Hyojin frowned. His sister was not that tallбн

    He rubbed his eyes to make sure he was seeing it correctly but when he nced at the room again, there was no one.

    I must be seeing things, he thought and went back to petting the dog. But the dog''s gaze was fixed on Sera''s room, sensing that something wasing for them.

 Chapter 62 - On The Set

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    Mass chapter mission time! Support me in win win by unlocking the privilege chapters to get mass releases. MR will be given based on the following conditions:??

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    This is applicable for every month! Please do support this book by buying as much privilege chapters as possible <3

    ....

    The spot lights were shining brightly on Minyoon''s pearly face, illuminating it. Beads of sweat rolled down his forehead and he was panting a little, feeling out of breath. But he shook the sweat off, the sight dazzling everyone in view.

    He shed his perfectly white teeth at the camera and raised a protein shake.

    "Pepe Shake, the secret to my endurance!" he beamed.

    "AND CUT!" The director dered. "Wonderful! Magnificent!"

    There was a loud round of apuse for Minyoon as he bowed to them. He was wearing a sleeveless blue shirt with orange sweatpants. The makeup team had sshed him with waterproof makeup and even sprayed water on him to make the shot look authentic. He was at the set of amercial and he was exhausted from the daylong shooting.

    The set was at an indoor location which had been decorated to look like a gym. Minyoon was standing beside a line of jogging machines while a few dumbbells were scattered around his feet. Arge spotlight was hung directly above the set, shing a blinding white light over everyone.

    Some of the female staff were breathing heavily, their eyes not leaving Minyoon at all.

    "I know he''s really young but my god is he hot!" one of the staff panted.

    "I bet his sweat looks like little drops of heaven," another woman sighed. "Three years and he''ll be an adult! Hard to believe he''s just fifteen!"

    Minyoon nced sideways to find that his sister, Miyoo, was sitting on a chair next to the director''s one. He went over to his sister whom he was babysitting for the day. Yoonmin had to go to an emergency meeting and would be cooped up in the boardroom for hours. Their grandfather was supposed to look after her but he was suddenly summoned to investigate some unusual activities uptown and he could not take Miyoo so Minyoon stepped up and brought her to his set.

    She was wearing her favorite Mickey Mouse cap which had mouse ears and a simple blue frock. Miyoo was a little awed by the lights around her and she was staring at them, her tiny mind thinking they were in some kind of wondend.

    "Min bro, lights!" she softly eximed, pointing at them.

    "My baby sister is growing up!" Minyoon squealed. "I need to take a pictureбн"

    He took out his phone and began clicking pictures of Miyoo in that cute posture. Ever since he opened the Instagram ount for Miyoo, she became a social media star. She had over a hundred thousand followers who gushed over her cuteness and people were even more thrilled to know that she was the nation''s heartthrob, Minyoon''s sister.

    "At least one of my sisters should be an influencer," he muttered. "Jina sis could have been a model but she had to go and chase stinky ghosts!"

    He turned to Miyoo, who was still starry eyed at the colorful lights dancing in front of her.

    "Miyoo, selfie?" Minyoon insisted and pulled his sister to hisp to click their photo. Miyoo gave a small smile and held up a victory sign when suddenly, a burnt face shed on the phone''s camera.

    Startled, she pped at Minyoon''s hand, causing the phone to fall.

    "What happened?" Minyoo frowned at his sister but she was not looking at him. Her eyes fell on a bald, naked figure which was now standing in the middle of the set, ring at them. An intense feeling of anger was emitting from that bald woman. Her remaining eye was oozing with hatred, her murderous instincts scaring the little girl who wentpletely still.

    Her heart was pounding hard, unable to look away from the nakeddy who was still ring at them with hate. No one else could see that pale woman, passing by her as if she was nothing more than air.

    "Minyoon, the next shot is ready!" the director told him. "Go on! Your sister will be fine with us over here."

    "Okay!" Minyoon eximed and put Miyoo back on her chair. She was still scared but Minyoon did not seem to have noticed it. A scriptwriter came to him and began to exin his next lines. Miyoo saw that that bald girl''s eye was following Minyoon like a predator about to pounce on its prey.

    "Alright, I''ll start now!" Minyoon was saying as he walked towards the set but Miyoo jumped out of her chair. She rushed towards her brother, grabbed his led and bit biting his right thigh. She barely reached till his knee but kept on biting his thigh, not letting go.

    "Huh?" Minyoon was shocked. Miyoo''s face was turning red but she was determined and would not let her brother go.

    Everyone was a little taken aback and one of the staff members came forward to pick up the child but Minyoon stopped her

    "I''ll take care of it," he said. "She''s probably hungry. We should take a break."

    "Okay," the director agreed. "One hour break then."

    Minyoon quickly picked up his sister in his arms and was heading towards his vanity room when an ear piercing crash echoed throughout the noisy set. Miyoo held her brother tight, hiding her face in his shoulder while Minyoon turned around in shock.

    The spotlight had fallen on the spot where Minyoon was supposed to stand just moments ago.

    "Burnбн" Miyoo whispered, her voice trembling. "Baldбн"

    Huh? Minyoon frowned. He looked at his sister and then at the broken spotlight. The director was shouting at the crew who were equally confused by the event. They were all being scolded for their carelessness and another group of people was cleaning up the shattered ss.

    "Let''s go," Minyoon told his sister and headed straight for his vanity room. Miyoo peeked up from her brother''s shoulder only to find that the bald ghost wasing closer and closer.

    Minyoon headed straight for his make-up room and shut the door behind him.

    Outside in the corridor, the pale figure was stalking the handsome boy who had once rejected her. The skin on her face was burnt beyond recognition, some of it peeling off as she staggered towards the room where he was hiding. The bite marks on her body no longer hurt her but were glistening under the fluorescent lights which lit up the corridor.

    Her once beautiful hair was torn off with brute force, exposing part of her skull but she no longer cared. There was only a zing fire of vengeance in her heart and her mind was no longer under her control.

    Instead, she was consumed by a primal urge to kill all those who wronged her. She could no longer distinguish between friend or foe. Whoever came in her way were going to face an agonizing death, feel the pain which she had endured. The monstrous girl was now beyond any hope, her blood lust being her only obsession.

    The door slowly slid open and the bald figure stood at the entrance for a while. She saw the bright pink hair peeking from a chair. Minyoon had his headphones on and his eyes were closed. His back was turned to the ghost who was approaching him. The bald figure slowly limped towards him, her hands stretched outбн

    Suddenly the chair turned and a red powder hit the pale entity which screamed in agony, falling backwards. She looked up to see Minyoon was holding a jar of red powder, his gaze furious. He was scanning around as if trying to sense where the ghost was but he could not see it at all He could only rely on a five year old to point at the ghost.

    Miyoo, who was hiding behind the couch, came out to help her brother.

    "Down!" Miyoo pointed at the spot where she saw the ghost fall. Minyoon threw more of the red powder on the ghost, following Miyoo''s instructions.

    "Right!" Miyoo said. Minyoon turned to his right and managed to sprinkle at the ghost two more times with the red powder. The bald ghost let out a shriek and vanished.

    "Min bro, gone!" Miyoo said. Minyoon let out a sigh of relief and put the powder on a desk. He picked up Miyoo and hugged her.

    The moment Miyoo bit his thigh, he knew that she saw a ghost. Since Miyoo could barelymunicate with others, all the siblings devised a n to help her with her abilities.

    Whenever Miyoo would see a ghost around, she would run to her nearest family member and bite their leg as a signal. While Jina and Junho were experts in shooing away ghosts, Miyoo was still too young so whoever took care of her, would carry a mixture of red peach powder and salt which was concocted by a shaman. It was an effective measure against all kinds of ghosts, demons and poltergeists.

    Hence, the moment he locked the door, he told Miyoo to point at where the ghost was while he would throw the powder on it until it disappeared.

    "Are you okay?" he asked his sister, feeling worried. "Are you scared?"

    Miyoo shook her head but was teary eyed. The ghost was going to attack her brother!

    "Don''t cry!" Minyoon consoled her. "Big bro is fine! See?"

    Miyoo sniffed up tears as Minyoon showed off his muscles in an attempt to reassure her that he was fine.

    "Strong," she mumbled.

    "Yes, big bro is very strong!" Minyoon quipped cheerfully. It took him a few more minutes topletely calm her down before she fell asleep, exhausted. Minyoon called one of his assistants to clean up the red powder and waited for him toe.

    Patting a sleeping Miyoo, he nced at the powder on the floor, frowning. Miyoo said two words which made him suspicious.

    "Burn and bald," he muttered. "It''s Rachel. But why would shee after me?"

    He took out his phone and called his grandfather. Junho picked it up within one ring.

    "Old man, there''s something you should know," Minyoon said at once. "My dead schoolmate is haunting me and I don''t know why!"

    There was a pause on the other end before Junho asked, "Is it the same ssmate whose case was sshed all over the news?"

    "I think so," Minyoon frowned. "Why?"

    On the other end, Junho gulped and nced at the catatonic college boy who was lying on a bed, in aa.

    Junho had just checked the phone andptop of theatose boy and found a very explicit video where the boy was having sex with a blonde high school girl. The boy''s face was hidden well but the girl''s face waspletely exposed.

    "I think your little friend is hunting down all those who angered her while she was alive," he revealed. "Last night, she attacked a college boy and sent him into aa. I found their explicit video in his phone which he was sharing with his friends."

    "But do ghosts attack like this?" Minyoon questioned him. "Jina sis said that ghosts are only concerned with their unfulfilled wishes! Rachel must have had an iplete wish! I get why she would want to harm the college boy but what did I do? Why would she attack me? Is it because I had rejected her months ago?"

    "Ghosts are souls who retain their humanity but Rachel no longer possesses any humane nature," Junho said in a grim tone. "She died with a lot of hate and anger. There''s not a shred of her humanity left and now, she''spletely psychotic."

    He took a deep breath before adding, "She''s no longer a ghost. We''re dealing with a vengeful poltergeist."

 Chapter 63 - A Stunned Demon

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    ....

    "I hate this," Hobin muttered as he put on the coat and stared at himself in the mirror. There was no doubt in his mind that he looked handsome, ethereal even. He never shied away frompliments about his look.

    His turquoise shirt was perfectlyplimenting his fair skin. The navy blue coat fit his buff figure,plimenting his handsome features with finesse. He wore matching pants which highlighted his long legs, adding a touch of sensual elegance to his already breathtaking looks. His fiery auburn hair was back brushed, giving him a sleek look and his dark eyes were sharper, the most shaped pupils more profound.

    But if there was one thing Ohm Hobin loathed, was going to parties. He would have to pretend to enjoy himself with obnoxious strangers whereas he preferred to sleep in or eat during his free time. Thanks to his strict exercise regime and tendency to walk a lot, he never gained weight.

    "I hope there''ll be pretty girls!" he sighed. "I don''t wanna be stuck looking at Tinkerbell all night."

    Ever since Jina had roped him in as her date, Hobin had been grumbling endlessly. He tried to wiggle out of it but Jina lured him in by saying that he still had a bet to win. Siwan even promised him the sports car if he won the bet without using his powers.

    "This is so annoying!" he groaned. "I wanna sleep! But then the carбн"

    The thought of the car''sfort and speed made Hobin drool. I want that car! He decided.

    Taking his special police badge and wallet into his pocket, he left his apartment and headed over to Jina''s. He knocked loudly on her door.

    "Oi Tinkerbell!" he called out. "We''re gonna bete!"

    "So?" her annoyed voice came from within. "Let them wait!"

    Hobin groaned. Jina had been strangely mysterious about what she was going to do. Ever since Mrs. Jung had insulted her, she seemed to be on a personal vendetta against the woman. Earlier that evening, a couple of strange men in ck suits had arrived at her apartment and delivered a dress for her.

    What is this woman doing? He wondered. Hobin shook his head and simply leaned against the wall, scrolling through his phone out of boredom. A whileter, he heard the door to Jina''s apartment open.

    Instantly, the scent of fresh lilies hit his nostrils, making him freeze for a moment. He felt someone quietly walking towards him as he could hear the swoosh of her dress behind her as she stepped forward taking delicate steps.

    He slowly looked up to meet the soft mahogany colored eyes staring back at him.

    BA-DUMP!

    Hobin''s heart was racing as he ogled at the green gown beauty in front of him.

    Her long hair was tied into an elegant bun with only a couple of strands falling on her light skin which was shining like a diamond. She shed a small smile at him with her scarlet lips. There was a mix of an innocent charm and a deadly seduction in her which was alluring to all those who looked at her.

    The bottle green quinceanera gown looked as if it was fit for a princess. It was long sleeved sans the small part on her shoulder which was kept exposed. The neckline was stitched into a butterfly like design, the wings being the straps holding the gown tightly together. It highlighted her slim waist, making it look fragile as if the slightest touch would break it.

    The gown was shimmering with green sapphire stones embroidered by hand and the gown reached till the floor, moving like a long train as she walked by. A pair of matching earrings dangled from her ears, studded on the border with several diamonds.

    From top to bottom, Jina was dressed as a princess about to im her throne. Even Hobin could not find the words to describe what he was feeling at the moment. He was so used to her casual attitude, that he almost forgot that she was an heiress herself. Seeing her like this only made his ears go red and he forgot what they were supposed to do.

    "Well, how do I look?" Jina asked with a confident smile. She slightly twirled around to show off her style.

    Hobin did not say anything but began to step forward. Jina was a little taken aback by his intense gaze and she blushed a little but did not back off. His eyes kept her rooted to her ce and he was standing too close to her. She felt his warm breath on her face, slightly tickling her.

    A hand snaked around her waist and pulled her closer. Her instinct should have been to back away or hit him but for some reason, she did not hate this proximity. Unbeknownst to them, their hearts were beating in unison, throbbing hard against their chests as they stood like that, simply gazing at each other.

    Jina felt his other hand reach for the pin holding her hair together and slowly pulled it apart, letting her long hair fall loose.

    "W-what are you doing?" She stammered. Hobin cleared his throat.

    "You were really looking like Tinkerbell in that hairstyle," he imed. "Best to let your hair stay loose."

    Jina pouted at him. Hobin held hisughter in with great difficulty because she was now looking like an angry little minion in his eyes.

    "I look stunning!" she boasted. "Haters can shove it!"

    She made a face at him before strutting away in her high heels. Hobin watched her leave, smiling to himself. He should have probablyplimented her but her reactions were too funny and cute to miss.

    "The Jung family has no idea what''s about to hit them," he sighed and followed her out of the building.

    бн.

    In a far off part of the town, Hwang Junho was standing inside a bedroom. He looked very worried and tense as he stared at the catatonic youth in front of him. The boy was young, around 19 or 20 and was a college student.

    The boy''s entire room looked as if a storm blew over. Shards of ssy all over the floor and objects were thrown randomly. His shirts had been torn as if by an animal and the furniture werepletely broken. Only hisptop and mobile were left intact for some unknown reason.

    His parents had heard his screams and entered the room only to find that he was rotating in the air, screaming for help. They tried to bring him down but an unknown force stopped them until the youth fell into aa. He fell on the bed,pletely limp. After witnessing this scene, the parents called the local temple who in turn contacted Junho about this.

    He was now standing with the boy''s parents who were bereaved.

    "Heined about noises in the night," the boy''s father, Mr. Lin said. "I thought he was just joking butбн"

    He broke into tears and how wife was consoling him.

    "Noises?" Junho asked.

    "He said that he heard someone knocking on the window every night," the mother, Mrs. Lin replied. "We looked everywhere but there was no one. And then, yesterday we found him floating in the air! I never thought that I''d see something like this and that too with my boy!"

    She sobbed hard at her son''s condition. "And to top it all, he made that disgusting video with that girl!" she went on. "He shared it with his friends. I''m shocked!"

    Rachel. Junho recognized her from the news report and also that she was from Dalton High, the same school where the twins studied. He was frowning at the urrences. There was no doubt that Rachel had returned as a poltergeist but why was she attacking random people? How was this boy rted to her or her death?

    Why isn''t she going after her killer? He wondered. Why did she try to harm Minyoon? I must find out.

 Chapter 64 - Burning Rage

    Minyoon brought Miyoo home where Yoonmin was already waiting for them.

    "Grandpa told me everything!" Yoonmin said at once. "Is Miyoo alright?"??

    "Shh!" Minyoon hissed, pointing at Miyoo who was still sleeping. "Don''t wake her up! She keeps on worrying about the poltergeist!"

    He gently put Miyoo on the couch and covered her with his jacket. She stirred, sucking on her thumb as she slept. The twins sat on another couch, discussing what happened.

    "Why would she attack you?" Yoonmin frowned. "It makes no sense! I thought ghosts only attacked their killers or people they hated."

    "The old man said she''s a poltergeist," Minyoon replied. "I don''t know what that meansбн"

    Just at that moment, Junho came bustling into the house. He was exhausted, having to travel miles outside the city to talk to the parents of the college boy.

    "Is she alright?" Junho instantly demanded, pointing at Miyoo. "And what about you? Did that poltergeist attack you again?"

    "She''s fine," Minyoon assured him. "And no, Rachel didn''t attack me again. I think I got her good."

    "No you didn''t!" Junho said grimly. He sat on an ottoman and faced the twins. "This is serious," he went on. "Rachel is no longer a mere ghost. She''s much more dangerous."

    "What do you mean?" Minyoon frowned. "You mentioned that she''s a poltergeist. What''s that?"

    "A poltergeist is a manifestation of strong feelings," Junho exined. "Not every soul bes a poltergeist. There are vengeful souls who retain their humanity. They merely haunt others out of spite but they still have the consciousness of a human. Those souls are just nasty beings and can be easily exorcised if needed."

    "But poltergeists are different," he went on. "When a person dies under very violent circumstances, a very strong rage boils in them. They die with that rage and after they return as spirits, they turn into poltergeists. As poltergeists, they don''ttch onto a particr ce like ghosts do. Theytch onto the people they hate or think are responsible for their condition."

    "But why would Racheltch onto me?" Minyoon asked, feeling shocked. "I barely knew her! She was just a fan but nothing more to me!"

    "Tell me more about this girl," Junho said.

    "She was quite a rude person," Yoonmin recalled. "Snobbish and narcissistic. She threw her weight around a lot and was considered to be the most beautiful girl on campus. Her parents are rich so she used to treat a lot of people very badly. She was stubborn andбн"

    He furrowed his eyebrows. He just recalled something and turned to Minyoon. "I remember when Rachel proposed to you and you refused her, she went berserk," he slowly said. "Do you remember how she burst into your vanity room at the fan event and destroyed all your posters?"

    "Oh yeah!" Minyoon eximed. "I had to call the security on her. Ever since then, she never talked to me but used to throw a dirty re at me whenever we passed each other in the hallway."

    "Also, she began to write nastyments on our fansite," Yoonmin nodded. "I had to delete hundreds of them."

    Junho was thinking hard. "That exins it," he said. "Rachel''s hatred for you is still strong even in death. If she was as arrogant and spiteful as you im, then she''ll not just attack you. She''ll go after everyone whom she thinks has wronged her in her life. People she had tiffs with or she held strong grudges against. There was already a lot of rage in her. And if you add the way she died, she''s in full berserk mode!"

    Both the twins were staring at him in shock. "Can''t you exorcise her?" Minyoon asked, feeling a little worried now. "I mean if she''s trying to kill me just coz I rejected her once, who knows what she''s gonna do to the others who pissed her off?"

    "Poltergeists can''t be exorcised," Junho stated. "I encountered a poltergeist many years ago and it wasn''t easy to get rid of it."

    "What happened that time?" Yoonmin asked.

    "There was a pediatrician named Kang Danny who killed his youngest son," Junho recalled. "That kid''s ghost came to us seeking help. So we started to investigate Danny and found out that he was also illegally harvesting organs from orphan children and selling them to wealthy buyers. Unfortunately, the souls of those orphans manifested together and their collective rage turned them into a single poltergeist. When Danny was caught, he tried to kill his wife and eldest son but the poltergeist appeared and dragged him away before pushing him into a boiler, letting him burn to death."

    There was a long silence at that. Miyoo stirred and mumbled something incoherent but was still asleep.

    "What happened then?" Minyoon asked, his voice almost a whisper. "How did you get rid of the poltergeist."

    "We couldn''t but it went quiet on its own," Junho exined. "After all, it only hated Danny. The source of its rage was dead and it had no one else left to hate. The ce where it all took ce was a hospital so we had all the patients shifted elsewhere. The fire from the boiler spread everywhere and burnt the whole ce down. After the fire died, we purified the ce. Since then, it''s been quiet. No poltergeist activity. Nothing."

    "Are you telling me that until the source of her rage dies, she''ll keep haunting us?" Minyoon eximed.

    "Possibly," Junho said. "But there''s no guarantee. We''ll have to find the source of her anger. In this case, the killer. Think of anything that might be her source of anger. Anyone who had a grudge against her or wanted to kill her."

    "I know almost everyone at school hated her, but anyone wanting to kill herбн" Yoonmin trailed off. Then he jerked up straight.

    "Sera!" he realized. "Didn''t she bully Sera a lot?"

    "I don''t know," Minyoon frowned. "I haven''t seen it."

    "But when Soobin was having a fight with that Kelly chick, I overheard Kelly saying that Sera was tormented by Rachel at some point," Yoonmin said.

    "You only overheard it coz Soobin got involved," Minyoon muttered but his twin ignored the jab.

    "Moreover, remember at the assembly, Sera was crying for help?" Yoonmin further pointed out. "She was all drenched and scared. Why would someone run out of the washroom, exposing their privates? Don''t you think it was strange?"

    "This Sera," Junho began. "She hated Rachel? And she was running aroundmando?"

    "Yes!" Yoonmin eximed.

    Now Junho was worried. Rachel was not after one person but multiple people and she would not stop until they died.

    "This is more serious than I had imagined," Junho said. "We need to tell this to Jina as soon as possible!"

    "I think sis went to a party held by Jung Sera''s family," Minyoon said. "She mentioned that she has to go there for some work."

    "Probably to investigate Rachel''s case," Yoonmin informed them. "She''s the lead detective."

    "Didn''t we all receive an invitation?" Junho asked. The twins nodded. Junho thought for a while before pping his hands together.

    "Minyoon and I will stay behind!" Junho said. "Someone has to watch Miyoo and I can''t leave Minyoon all on his own either. That poltergeist might attack him. Yoonmin, you should go and check it out."

    He paused before adding, "Wear a pink wig and go. You''ll pretend to be Minyoon for the party."

    "Are you sure he can pull off my cool charisma?" Minyoon whined. "He can''t even talk to Soobin without being all blushy blushy! How do you expect him to handle my fans at the party?"

    Yoonmin pped his twin on the head. "She''s not gonna be there!" Yoonmin eximed, going red in the face.

    "That''s what you care about?" Minyoon scowled. Yoonmin red at him.

    "Oh shut it!" Junho snapped. "We all know my future granddaughter-inw is too good for this worthless kid!"

    "W-who the hell are you calling worthless?" Yoonmin stammered, his ears flushing red. "And stop calling her your granddaughter-inw! We''re going off track!"

    He took a deep breath and said, "I''ll go to the party dressed as Minyoon and get all the details from Sera. Happy?"

    "I still think you can''t pull it off, but oh well," Minyoon shrugged. "Just don''t ruin my rep brother. I worked hard on it. And you better not give out autographs there. They ain''t free ya know."

    "I''m the one who sells them, idiot!" Yoonmin snapped. "I know!"

    "That''s settled then," Junho said. "Yoonmin, will go to the party and talk to Sera about what happened to her. Also, get a list of people Rachel might have hated or had grudges against. It''ll help us narrow down the suspects and also find the source of her wrath. Take a protection amulet with you so that the poltergeist doesn''t end uping after you. I doubt she will but what if she mistakes you for Minyoon. There''s no telling."

    "Yes, old man," Yoonmin nodded. "I''ll go."

    бн..

    The hotel''s ballroom was buzzing with excitement. There were many important guests who had been invited at the first party thrown by the Jung family. Avish assortment of buffet had been ced out with the menu consisting of continental, Middle Eastern and European delicacies. The servers carried trays of delicious finger food including mini sausages, tarts, cheese and olive along with a variety of beverages for the guests.

    An orchestra was ying on avish stage decorated with golden tiles and a shimmering backdrop of matching threads. They were now ying a piece from Mozart''s discography while a wine fountain was sparkling in the middle of the hall.

    The guests ranged from celebrities to politicians, talking andughing with each other. Mrs. Jung was parading with pride, wearing a pastel pink gown with no sleeves. It was sparkling brighter than the golden decorations, almost blinding others but no onemented on it. She bought it from an online outlet but imed the dress was designer wear. It hugged her too tightly, and despite her difort, she tried to bear it with a smile. Her shoes were also too high and she was trying her best to bnce herself on them.

    "Mrs. Yeon, I hope you''refortable!" Jung was saying to a famous actress. "And Mr. Yu, I hope you''ve drank our finest wineбн"

    Ugh, these shoes are killing me! She bemoaned.

    "Momбн"

    She turned around to find her daughter, Sera. Sera was wearing a sparkling brown dress which barely reached till her knees. She was notfortable with it but her mother made her wear it to look ''fashionable''. Her whole face was full of thick makeup which her mother had put on despite her protests and she was totally overwhelmed.

    Next to her was Soobin, who was wearing a simple blue floral dress. Her hair was partially tied into a bun while the rest was let loose. Sera had invited Soobin because she wanted a friend to apany her but Jung''s nostrils instantly red upon seeing her.

    Compared to her own daughter, who wasced with makeup and an expensive dress, Soobin''s simplicity stood out more.

    "I invited Soobin," Sera told her.

    "I hope I''m not intruding, Mrs. Jung," Soobin said politely.

    "I have other guests to attend," Jung said, feeling annoyed. She had no time to attend to this riffraff because the heiress to the Hwang empire wasing. Moreover, Jung''s secretary just informed her that the idol, Hwang Minyoon was also avable and would join his sister at the party.

    Soobin''s smile faded when Jung ignored her and walked towards the entrance. Jung approached one of the guards at the front.

    "Did she arrive yet?" She hissed.

    "We just got a call from the valet," the guard replied. "Her limo just arrived. They''re here."

    Jung smirked and waited anxiously for them. Her husband was running a littlete so she was going to receive the honorary guests.

    "There they are," the guard whispered to her. Mrs. Jung straightened her back as the silhouette of a couple began to approach her. She kept on smiling but once her eyes fell on the girl, her smile turned into a sneer.

    "What the hell are you doing here?" she demanded when Jina and Hobin were at the threshold. "This is an invitation only party! Not for random scums like you!"

    "I was invited!" Jina said in a cheery tone. She held up the invitation card which Jongin had given her and also shed her police badge at Mrs. Jung. Jung felt a chill down her spine when she read the name on the badge and the card.

    "H-Hwangбн" she stuttered.

    "I''m Hwang Jina," Jina revealed. "A detective and also the eldest daughter of Hwang Minho, the most influential man in the country. Since, my father isn''t here, I''ll be representing him at this party!"

 Chapter 65 - Petty Heiress

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    Mass chapter mission time! Support me in win win by unlocking the privilege chapters to get mass releases. MR will be given based on the following conditions:??

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    ....

    Mrs. Jung was shocked to the core. She had to check and double check the name. This lowly detective was the heiress of the Hwang empire? Impossible!

    Jina was innocently smiling at the woman, hiding her mischievous thoughts while Hobin held back hisughter. It was fun to see that Mrs. Jung''s face had turned red with embarrassment but he knew that the old hag was not going to admit it.

    "No way!" she imed. "Y-You''re just a lowly detective-"

    "Miss Hwang!"

    All of them looked around to see a brte beauty in her early fortiesing up to Jina and hugging her. The woman was a famous actress named Lan Sunmi and one of the most famous celebrities of the country.

    "I didn''t know you wereing too!" Lan eximed. "Oh my! I never thought I''d see the heiress to the Hwang Industriese toбн"

    She nced at the drab party with a little disdain before saying, "To this party."

    Lan emphasized on the word ''this'' further adding to Jung''s humiliation. Jina was enjoying the woman''s face going red with shame but she kept quiet.

    "Don''t say that!" Jina giggled. "This party is quite...good."

    Lan''s eyes fell on the handsome man next to Jina. "And who is this young man?" she frowned a little. "I''m sure I know almost everyone here but I''ve never run into you before."

    "Doctor Ohm Hobin," he said, introducing himself.

    "Ohm Hobin...you''re the world famous psychiatrist!" Lan gasped. "I know all about you! You were quite a celebrity back in the UK! The Checkmate Murders. You solved it, right?"

    Jina was astonished. She knew that Hobin used to work with the UK Police but she did not know he was that well known. Hobin smiled and shrugged.

    "That''s me!" he said. "I caught him. It wasn''t difficult."

    "Not modest," Lanmented. "I like that. And I''m assuming that you two hit it off at the police force. How long have you two been dating?"

    Jina shifted ufortably but Hobin replied, "We''re good acquaintances. I''m new to town so Miss Hwang here took up the initiative to get me acquainted with the social circle he But enough about me! I think Mrs. Jung feels left out."

    Jung, who was hoping that she would be spared from the humiliation, was suddenly thrust back into the limelight. She gulped and nervouslyughed.

    "Oh don''t mind me!" she imed. "You all should catch up-"

    "Nonsense, Mrs. Jung!" Jina giggled. "You must be going through so much strain. After all, having to host a party under such dire circumstances. I must say, you''re very brave. I was amazed!"

    Mrs. Jung was mortified. Lan asked, "What circumstances?"

    "Oh you don''t know?" Hobin replied. "You''ve heard about Song Rachel''s murder right? The heiress to Fei Pharmaceuticals?"

    "Ah, the poor girl!" Lan eximed. "I met her a few times at her father''s mansion. Quite...an interesting child. I shouldn''t speak ill of the dead. But what does she have to do with Mrs. Jung?"

    Jung was about to reply that there was nothing to worry about but Jina beat her to it. "Her son was dating Song Rachel. In fact, he visited her on the night of her murder. Imagine how devastating it must be to visit your lover for thest time. He must be distraught but Mrs. Jung still went on with this party. Then again, life must go on."

    Jina shed a wide smile at Mrs. Jung who waspletely shaken up. Her son visited Song Rachel on the night of her murder?

    "My my!" Lan remarked. "That''s terrible! I really hope he''s okay, Mrs. Jung. Is he going to treatments? Maybe Doctor Ohm can treat him."

    "He''s fine!" Jung replied. "He''s a little sick so he couldn''t attend the party. But he''ll be fine. Please excuse me!"

    She quickly walked away, leaving them alone. Lan was grinning a little at the woman''s state and now that she had some hot gossip, she was not going to let this chance go. Jina and Hobin, on the other hand, had nned this from the start. If there was one ce where rumors would spread like wildfire, it was a socialite''s party. Lan was a notorious gossip monger and they knew that this news was going to be sensational on all tabloids the next day, giving the police enough reason to take Hyojin into custody without that peskywyer.

    "You must excuse me as well," Lan said. "I just spotted an acquaintance."

    She hurried off to spread this news. Hobin grabbed a couple of drinks from a nearby waiter and handed one to Jina who epted it.

    "Cheers to our evil genius minds?" he smirked.

    "Cheers!" Jina grinned at him. Both of them sipped the wine and immediately winced.

    "Ugh, cheap wine!" Jina remarked. "The woman might try to be a socialite but she has no ss at all."

    "You''re being very petty," Hobin remarked.

    "I''m a Hwang and we''re petty as hell!" Jina imed. "It''s our family motto. Earn money and be petty to your haters. There''s no in-between!"

    "That exins why your height is petty as well," Hobin muttered. Jina scowled at him before her attention fell on Soobin. Thetter had also spotted her and was approaching their way.

    "Jina sis!" she squealed and hugged her. "Thank god you''re here! I was feeling really ufortable here!"

    "You''re invited here too?" Jina asked.

    "I was invited by Sera," Soobin said, pointing at a chubby girl standing at a corner. "She''s the daughter of the woman who hosted this party. I didn''t want toe but after what happened today, I thought I should ept her invitation. Plus, she felt really bad forshing out on me."

    "What happened?" Hobin frowned.

    "Something happened to Sera in the girls'' washroom this morning," Soobin replied. "She was shouting and came out of it with her panties down! The other students made fun of her but me and the twins stood up for her. The entire school was punished for being so mean to her. Only the three of us were let off the hook."

    "Wait, did you just say that something happened to her in the girls'' washroom?" Jina frowned. "Do you know what happened?"

    Soobin shook her head. "She won''t tell me."

    Her eyes suddenly fell on someone behind Jina. "Minmin!" she gasped.

    Jina frowned and turned around. Even Hobin raised an eyebrow when his eyes fell on the pink haired youth who just entered. But Soobin did not seem to have noticed their skepticism at one half of the Hwang twins.

    Standing at the doorstep was Yoonmin disguised as Minyoon.

 Chapter 66 - Nothing Is More Complicated Than Siblings

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    Mass chapter mission time! Support me in win win by unlocking the privilege chapters to get mass releases. MR will be given based on the following conditions:??

    1000 privilege chapter unlocks= 3 extra chapter mass release

    5000 privilege chapter unlocks= 5 extra chapter mass release

    10,000 privilege chapter unlocks= 10 chapter mass release.

    This is applicable for every month! Please do support this book by buying as much privilege chapters as possible <3

    ....

    Yoonmin saw that his sister was puzzled by his sudden appearance. She was one of the few people who could tell the twins apart and it seemed that her psychiatrist partner also figured it out. Soobin, however, was beaming at him in a shy manner which took him by surprise.

    Did she not recognize me? He thought, feeling a little hurt. Tch!

    "What are you doing here?" Jina asked suspiciously. "Where''s your other half?"

    "You mean Yoonmin?" Yoonmin asked. "He''s busy babysitting Miyoo!"

    He sounded a little nervous. Unlike Minyoon who could pull off a twin switch, Yoonmin was terrible at it. Thankfully, his sister and the doctor were not making any remarks.

    "Minmin, I thought you said you won''te!" Soobin eximed. "But I''m d you''re here! Sera will be happy to see you!"

    "Y-yes," he muttered. "How is she now?"

    "She''s fine," Soobin told him. "A little upset but I think she''ll get over it. We just have to make sure those nasty kids don''te near her at school."

    "What happened to Sera?" Hobin asked sharply.

    "Wellбн" Soobin quickly described what happened at school, shocking both Jina and Hobin.

    "And they took pictures of her in that state?" Jina was disgusted by the kids who participated in the bullying. "That''s horrible!"

    "It was," Yoonmin nodded. "Luckily, she wasn''t hurt. Whoever did that to her wasn''t even caught. It''s like the person vanished in thin air."

    Jina''s eyes widened a little at hisst words. It was obvious that he was trying to give her a hint but could not do so in front of Soobin. Was Rachel back as a ghost?

    But howe I didn''t see her? Jina wondered. If I could only talk to Yoonmin in privateбн

    She shot a pleading gaze at Hobin who nodded. "Soobin, take me to your friend," he said. "I might be able to help her. It''ll be good if she talks to someone."

    "Good idea!" Soobin agreed. "Let''s go doctor!"

    She led Hobin away. He nodded at Jina before following Soobin. Jina then rounded on Yoonmin.

    "You, speak!" she hissed. "Why are you disguised as Minyoon? Where is he?"

    "Sis, that Rachel girl isn''t gone," he revealed. "She''s a poltergeist. And now, she''s after everyone whom she hated."

    He recapped everything Junho told him and why he was pretending to be Minyoon at the party.

    "We are trying to hide Minyoon until this case is solved and the poltergeist leaves," he concluded. "Grandpa is preparing an amulet for him. And now that Miyoo saw the poltergeist, she''s scared as hell."

    "Ugh!" Jina scowled. "Not another one! I hate these things!"

    "Oh yeah, the old man mentioned that you dealt with a poltergeist before," Yoonmin realized. "Was it as scary as the old man imed?"

    "Scarier," Jina shivered. "Butбн"

    She nced at Hobin who was now talking to Sera at a corner. He was smiling at her as if trying to win her over. Jina bit her lip in worry.

    The poltergeist she had encountered many years ago was the one which killed Siwan''s father. Would this bring up any of those bad memories for Hobin''s family?

    "Anyways," she said, tearing her eyes away from the doctor. "We need to talk to Hyojin and also, keep an eye on Sera. If she was Rachel''s enemy, then surely Rachel woulde after her."

    "It all makes sense now," she went on. "When I passed by thedies'' washroom in the school, I felt something was off. There were no spirits in it but I definitely sensed some dark activity. No wonder I haven''t seen the poltergeist yet! It''stched onto the people it hated in life. Which is why it''s going around tormenting them only. Normal spirits will travel anywhere which is why I run into them often. Poltergeists only stalk their intended victims so it''s rare for me to run into them unless they appear in front of me. That must be why Miyoo saw it too. She saw it when the poltergeist was about to attack Minyoon."

    "Well, Minyoon is under protection spell so I doubt Rachel would be there," Yoonmin said. "And the college guy she slept with is also in aa. That leavesбн"

    "Sera and Rachel''s dad," Jina concluded. She paused before adding, "And I''m guessing that the poltergeist will find two of her victims here so she won''t stay away."

    Yoonmin frowned before following her gaze. Song Yohan had just arrived, wearing a dapper suit. His greying hair was neatlybed and he looked elegant and arrogant. People around him were murmuring with curiosity.

    "Didn''t his daughter just die?" Lan was whispering to the guests. "Why is he here?"

    "Isn''t it heartless? His daughter isn''t even buried!"

    "What a crazy guy!"

    Yohan ignored all theirments and kept on walking forward, his head held high. Even Jina was taken aback by his indifference to his daughter''s death. How could a man be so cold?

    "Man, seeing this guy makes me feel that my family is much better!" Jina muttered. "We might be petty but at least we aren''t as cold hearted as him!"

    "No, we''re just a bunch of crazy idiots who drive mom nuts," Yoonmin snorted. Jina giggled and patted her brother on the head.

    Meanwhile, Hobin was conversing with Sera while Soobin stood nearby.

    "You must have had it rough," Hobin told Sera. "Having to put up with so much bullying."

    Sera looked at her locked fingers, trying not to cry. "They call me a Hippo at school," she whispered sadly. "I don''t even know what I did wrong. When I was new to the school, I barely made any friends whereas my brother was damn popr. He''s the golden child while I was the dark horse in the family. Mom and dad love me but I was just so lonely at schoolбн"

    "Are you jealous of your brother?" Hobin asked gently. Sera looked mortified but he patted her shoulder and said, "It''s okay. It''s a natural thing."

    He took a deep breath and added, "I have a brother too. He loves me a lot and has protected me all his life. But sometimes, I feel really resentful."

    "Why?" Sera asked curiously.

    "I love him but I was also jealous of him," Hobin admitted. "You see, I was the loner in the family. My mom and brother were good to me but there was always a nagging feeling in my heart that I didn''t belong with them. Something in my head used to torment me for even thinking of myself to be a part of their familyбн"

    His voice croaked as he recalled the times he had been envious of Siwan for having an identity. Siwan did not have to worry about who his parents were nor about how to control any unwanted powers. He lived a normal life, growing andughing like a kind person that Hobin saw him as. Hobin, on the other hand, had to fight everyday against his own powers, hiding them from the world. Even though Doyoung doted on both of them, Hobin felt that he was still an outsider.

    And he hated himself for thinking that way.

    "Most of us are jealous of our siblingsбн" he said. His gaze temporarily fell on Jina and Yoonmin who were now smiling freely, no traces of malice of envy between them.

    "But in the end, we''ll protect them with our lives," Hobin smiled. "Nothing is moreplicated than the rtionship between siblings. So it''s okay. If you were jealous of him, then it''s okay. You''ve got nothing to be ashamed of."

    "I really am jealous of my brother," Sera sobbed. "But I do care for him. I really do! It was Rachel who was using him."

    "Rachel?" Hobin asked, feigning ignorance. "Who''s that?"

    "My brother''s ex," she replied in a thick voice. "Doctor, don''t tell anyone but I knew that she was cheating on him. I was out shopping a few months ago and caught her kissing another guy! A college guy. She spotted me and since then, threatened me not to tell her brother. She made my life miserable! Even paid one of her guy friends to pretend to like me and when I confessed to him, he humiliated me in front of the entire school! They taped the confession and sent the video to all the students to shame me!"

    Her eyes were now welled up with tears. "Even my brother maintained a distance from me at school. He said that he could not risk his reputation and be seen with a loser like me! Out of anger, I didn''t tell him what his girlfriend was doing to him."

    "But karma got that bitch!" Sera imed. "Her bad deeds caught up to her and now look what happened to her."

    Hobin observed the girl who was now crying a lot. But there was a visible bitterness in her tone which was spewing out.

    "Only Tommy was my real friend at that time," Sera went on. "And now, Soobin is also kind to me. I''m d that she made me talk to you. I feel really good."

    "Who''s Tommy?" Hobin asked.

    "Tommy is our pet dog," Sera revealed, wiping her eyes. "A German Shepherd."

 Chapter 67 - Lost In Their Own World

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    Mass chapter mission time! Support me in win win by unlocking the privilege chapters to get mass releases. MR will be given based on the following conditions:??

    1000 privilege chapter unlocks= 3 extra chapter mass release

    5000 privilege chapter unlocks= 5 extra chapter mass release

    10,000 privilege chapter unlocks= 10 chapter mass release.

    This is applicable for every month! Please do support this book by buying as much privilege chapters as possible <3

    ....

    "Mr. Song!"

    Yohan turned around to see Jina standing there. "Jina," he noted. "I''m surprised to see you here. The Hwang''s normally do not attend this...sort of party."

    He was looking disdainfully at the cheap decoration. If the Jung''s were not a prospective partner, he would not have attended this gathering which was clearly not very well done. His attitude was as cold as ever, not flinching from his usual aloofness. The only reason he was talking to Jina was due to the fact that her father''spany is his biggest investor.

    "I didn''t get the chance to properly convey my condolences to you," Jina said. "That day...It was quite rough for you and your family."

    "It was nothing much," Yohan shrugged. "Tragedies happen."

    He spoke as ifmenting on the weather, not the death of his only child.

    "Umm, Rachel''s autopsy will beplete by tomorrow so you can collect the body-" she began.

    "I''ll ask my secretary to pick it up," Yohan said. "I have a meeting tomorrow and then an event the next day. I''mpletely booked for the next five days. I''m afraid her funeral will be held next week. Do you have a morgue where we can keep her body until the day of the funeral?"

    Unbelievable, Jina thought. How could a man be so cruel? Did he really not care about his daughter''s death at all?

    "Your daughter died and yet you seem to be living life as if nothing happened," she noted. "As a cop, I have to admit that''s suspicious."

    "Life has to go on," Yohan remarked. "If I sit and cry for all tragedies, then I won''t be able to get anything done. Her mother is distraught but I''m sure after her usual detours, she''ll recover in no time."

    Usual detours? Jina frowned.

    "Now if you may excuse me, I have to meet someone," Yohan went on. "I''ll see you around."

    With that, he walked away. Jina was now even more suspicious of the Song family. The father was a stone cold bastard but his words made her alert. She took out her phone and dialed Jiwoon''s number.

    "Boss," Jiwoon greeted.

    "Track Yoo Seohyun''s activities," Jina instructed. "Her husband just told me something which makes me suspect that she''s hiding something. Look into her mobile locations, bank ount. Everything. There''s something amiss. Also, did you find anything in Rachel''s possessions?"

    "She''s been having a secret affair with a college guy," Jiwoon replied. "We went over to his ce but to our shock, he had an ident and was in aa. It happened after Rachel died so we looked into his alibi. Turns out, he was at his college library that night. Apparently, it was exam time so he was studying. We checked the CCTV cameras. But we found videos of him and Rachel having sex. Also, Rachel had transferred ten grand to his ount. He must have been ckmailing her."

    And that got him into aa, Jina added in her head.

    "Anything else?"

    "A burn book," Jiwoon stated. "Kinda like how they did it in that movie, Mean Girls. She has a diary full of secrets about all her ssmates. This girl wrote down all their dirtyundry but there are two pages missing. One was dated a month before her death. The other one was dated three years ago"

    Two missing pages? Jina was now convinced that Rachel''s death was linked to those two missing pages.

    "And get this," Jiwoon went on. "She and her ex, Jung Hyojin, got back together a few days before her death. He was seen at her house on the night of her murder. I think we have enough evidence to at least bring him in for questioning."

    "Send a team to his house on my signal," Jina said. "His parents are here at the hotel now. If we take him in without his guardians present, it''ll get us into deep trouble. They can even sue us. Wait for them to go back home after the party and then bring him in."

    "Understood," Jiwoon replied and hung up. Jina was now thinking hard. Rachel and Hyojin were together that night but who''s the second person? She wondered.

    She was so engrossed in her thoughts that she did not notice a tall figure approaching her.

    "Penny for your thoughts?"

    Jina jumped and turned around to see Siwan. He was shing a charming smile at her. Wearing a dark beige suit with neatly parted side hair, Siwan looked was carrying off a rugged handsomeness which would probably appeal to a lot of the women. Some were whispering loudly, pointing at the new arrivee.

    "You were invited too?" Jina eximed happily.

    "As the heir to the Kang family, I was," Siwan sighed. "I didn''t want toe but I spotted you. You look beautiful!"

    "Thanks!" Jina beamed. "But you didn''t bring a date?"

    "Iбн" Siwan hesitated. He had wanted to ask Jina to apany him to the party but after seeing on the TV about how she was handling Rachel''s case, he backed out thinking that she would be too busy. But now that he saw her there, he was berating himself for not asking her sooner.

    "My date couldn''t make it," he lied. "So I came on my own."

    "Which dumb girl will say no to a handsome guy like you?" Jina wondered.

    "Would you have apanied me if I had asked you?" Siwan teased but in reality he wanted to hear her answer.

    "At any other party, yes," Jina replied. "At this one? Your date is lucky she skipped. So far, I doubt anyone is liking it here."

    She pointed at the disgruntled guests who no longer hid their dismay. The party was boring with no entertainment and thevish buffet set out was too nd for them. Even the drinks were not upto the mark and there was a rising anxiety among them. Mrs. Jung was in a fix, running around the whole pce trying to appease the guests.

    "I can see that," Siwan nodded. "She''s just a budding socialite. She has a long way to go."

    "With the attitude she threw at me today, she''ll be fighting an uphill battle," Jina sighed. Just then, a slow music began to y and the lights of the hall went dim.

    "Ladies and gentlemen, please do enjoy waltzing on the dance floor with your partners," the MC of the evening announced.

    Siwan held out his hand for Jina.

    "May I have a dance with this beautifuldy?" he asked.

    "Duh!" Jinaughed and took his hand, leading him to the dance floor. The two old friends were smiling andughing. Siwan put his hand on her waist and stood close to her. He gazed at her lovely face, still unable to fathom how beautiful she looked.

    The moment he entered the party, his eyes fell directly on her and he was taken aback by her smile, shining brighter than a star. As they slowly spun around on the dance floor, his heart was beating wildly against his chest. Jina was softly smiling at him and she felt totallyfortable with her old friend, unaware of what was going on in Siwan''s heart.

    "Hey, you''re a good dancer!" sheplimented him.

    "Maybe it''s coz I''m with you!" Siwan said. Jina merelyughed and followed his lead. They swayed to the slow music which resonated around them. Siwan''s focus was totally on her, not moving his eyes off her. It seemed to him that time had stopped and it was just the two of them who were embraced in an eternal dance.

    Unbeknownst to him, a lone figure was watching them from afar. Hobin stood on the edge of the dance floor, his eyes fixed on his brother and Jina who looked like a couple.

    For some reason, there was a hollowness in his heart which was tormenting him. He did not know why but his insides felt as if someone had grabbed them and was twisting them in a sadistic way. The two of them were so lost in their own world that there was no space for anyone else in their bubble.

    He slowly backed off, turning away from them. The jealousy towards his brother which he had hidden away for so long was now erupting again and Hobin hated himself to feel like that.

    "Siblings areplicated," he muttered in dismay. He did not look back and quietly left the party.

    Jina thought she saw a familiar silhouette leaving through the front door but her view was blocked by Siwan.

    "What happened?" he asked when she looked around.

    "Nothing," she said, shaking her head. "Nothing at all."

    But her gaze was still on the entrance as if hoping to catch a glimpse of someone.

 Chapter 68 - A Fans Hard Work

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    Mass chapter mission time! Support me in win win by unlocking the privilege chapters to get mass releases. MR will be given based on the following conditions:??

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    5000 privilege chapter unlocks= 5 extra chapter mass release

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    This is applicable for every month! Please do support this book by buying as much privilege chapters as possible <3

    Also, mass release of five chapters this Sunday (8th August) as a gift from me :3

    ....

    Yoonmin waspletely flustered. Soobin and Sera were standing near the grand staircase, enjoying the party while he was stuck with a few of Minyoon''s fangirls who hade up to him, blocking his way.

    "Minmin, can we click a selfie?" one annoying girl giggled at him. He winced as she and her friends stuck close to him to take pictures.

    "Sure," he gritted. As a celebrity, his brother was always taking pictures with fans and posting on his social media ount to increase followers. His friendly image sold out in millions of dors and the social media sites endorsed Minyoon''s profiles well. It was part of their ie, after all.

    Unfortunately, Yoonmin did not possess his brother''s patience when it came to fans.

    "Minmin you look so scary today," the annoying fan noted. Yoonmin was literally pressing a forced smile at the camera, making him look awkward and even frightening. The girls were a little hesitant because they were used to Minyoon''s charming smile.

    "I''m just tired," Yoonmin lied. "Excuse me!"

    With that, he turned red and ran away from the clutches of the crazy fans. He hated taking pictures and Minyoon''s fans annoyed him to no end. Instead, he headed straight towards Soobin only to find that she was surrounded by a few admirers herself.

    "Hey, don''t you go to Dalton High?" a curly haired senior asked her. "I saw you a couple of times in the hallway."

    "Yes!" she eximed. "I''m in freshman year."

    "You''re really cute," a tall blonde boy said. He was not as tall as Yoonmin but looked quite athletic and charming. "What say, we go to a club afterwards?"

    "I''m a minor though," Soobin replied. "And I have to go home early."

    "You should go," Sera told her. "It sounds fun. Going clubbing with seniors. Not every freshman can get an opportunity like this!"

    She was coaxing Soobin to ept who was a little confused by Sera''s insistence. Sera, on the other hand, was hoping that if Soobin went out with one of the seniors, maybe Sera herself could get closer to her crush Yoonmin.

    She had been observing Yoonmin from afar for a long time but after Rachel''s horrible prank, she was too scared to ask him out. What if he thought that she was a tramp who would ask out any guy in sight?

    So she waited for the right moment but to her dismay, Yoonmin barely acknowledged her. He never noticed any girl and was always busy with his agency, which only shunned Sera further from him.

    However, for the past few days, Yoonmin had been getting too close to Soobin. He was the one who stayed behind with Soobin when Sera was humiliated. His eyes were only on Soobin and that made Sera very jealous. If Soobin went out with someone else, maybe Yoonmin would notice Sera.

    Hence, she was pushing Soobin to date someone else.

    "You really should go and have fun!" Sera imed. "Come on."

    "I-" Soobin was in a fix. She wanted to refuse but Sera was telling her to go and she did not want to disappoint her friend. Maybe Sera wants to go as well but is too shy to admit it, Soobin concluded.

    But before she could reply, she felt a hand wrap around her shoulder.

    "Beanie!" Yoonmin beamed in an attempt to act like his brother. "I see you''re going to a club! How fun!"

    Kill me, Yoonmin winced in his head. Kill me now.

    "Y-yeah we were just inviting her," the blonde guy stammered, taken aback by the closeness between the girl and idol Hwang Minyoon. The way they were standing so close together, it looked as if they were quite intimate.

    Moreover, there was an intimidating look in the idol''s eyes which scared him. Even the curly haired guy was shaking in fear at the dangerous re ''Minyoon'' shot at them as if he would bury them alive.

    "Minmin!" Soobin eximed. "Do you wannae as well?"

    "Of course I will!" Yoonmin said with a wide smile while sending silent death threats at the seniors who winced in fright. Sera was also surprised to see that Minyoon was being so chummy with Soobin.

    Is she close with both the twins? She wondered.

    "A-actually the club is closed by now!" the blonde boy squeaked.

    "Yes!" the curly haired boy added. "It''s closed now. Bye!"

    They scurried off, leaving Soobin very confused. Huh?

    "Are you two close?" Sera asked. She could not help herself. If Soobin liked Minyoon then she could help her get together with the idol and have Yoonmin to herself. That would be much easier!

    "We''re just friends," Soobin said quickly. While she admired Minyoon and was a total fan of his, she was not interested in him in any other way at all. Moreover, she did not want to be crucified by other fans who might falsely assume that they were more than friends.

    "Really good friends," Yoonmin replied. "She even helped out my sister a few weeks ago. Since then, we''ve been best friends!"

    "Minmin, what are you doing?" Soobin hissed but Yoonmin did not heed to her. For some bizarre reason, he did not want any other guy bumbling around Soobin while he was away. It was really annoying to see those dimwits hit on her so he stepped up to keep them away.

    "You two look good together!" Sera snickered. Then suddenly, she heard someone call her name. She turned around to see that it was her mother who summoned her.

    "I''ll be back," she said. "You two can enjoy the...party."

    She snickered again before leaving them alone. As soon as Sera was gone, Soobin turned on Yoonmin.

    "Minmin, why did you say we''re best friends?" she demanded. "She''s gonna think wrongly of us!"

    "We are friends!" Yoonmin imed.

    "Yes, but this will create strange rumors and I don''t want that!" Soobin mumbled, her face slightly red. "Don''t lie about these things!"

    "Fine!" Yoonmin said, rolling his eyes. "But were you seriously going to the club with those jerks?"

    "Sera wanted to go," Soobin said, looking down. "I didn''t but since she''s upset, I thought-"

    "You don''t have to please her," Yoonmin said. "She needs to learn to stand up for herself. If she wants to go, she should say it clearly and not use you as a cover."

    "Guess you''re right," Soobin sighed. "Anyways, thanks foring here. At least there''s one friendly face around. Everyone else here is so hostile to me. Especially Sera''s mom. She hates me."

    "Why?" Yoonmin asked.

    "Because I''m not rich," Soobin shrugged. "I''m not part of all the mor and elite people. Being here just reminds me that I can''t be part of this world."

    Yoonmin noted the sadness in her tone which surprised him.

    "You''re sad that you''re not part of this world?" he asked.

    "I''m sad that I''m constantly reminded of it," she admitted. "This morning when Yoonmin wasparing the feelings of fans with money, I felt really angry!"

    Yoonmin shifted ufortably but Soobin did not notice. "I mean, to him, the money the fans spend on you is just profit," she went on. "But it''s so much more to us. Every penny I spend on your merchandise and events is earned from endless shifts at the restaurant. I scrubbed thousands of dirty tes, cleaned up the whole ce hundreds of times a day and received k from numerous customers just to earn them. And Seraбн"

    She took a deep breath before continuing, "Sera works hard to make friends. She wants people to like her for who she is and not treat her like dirt! What''s wrong in working hard for others? There''s nothing wrong with it. I understand her feelings and seeing her fail because of those horrible people is painful."

    "Which is why when Yoonmin said that we spend money on idols because we like them, I lost it," she went on. "Coz we''re not just spending money on you! We work hard and spend our money on you so that one day you''ll notice us and our efforts! The mercs don''t matter to us. What matters to us, is to be acknowledged by you. It''s the same with Sera. She also wants people to appreciate the hard work she puts in so that they can finally notice her."

    Yoonmin inwardly cursed himself. So that''s why she was pissed! He realized.

    "Ugh, I just had to ruin it," he muttered.

    "What did you say?" Soobin asked.

    "Nothing!" he lied. "Fans work hard for me and I''ve never acknowledged them. It''s time to change that-"

    "AHHHHHHHHH!"

    Everything happened in a blink of an eye. A body came crashing down the staircase, falling not far away from the spot where Soobin and Yoonmin stood. Soobin shrieked when the heavy figure fell next to her. On an instinct, Yoonmin grabbed her and shut her eyes so that she did not have to see the mangled body of the man. He cradled her in his arms, feeling her shiver in fright.

    The guests were also shocked and began to gather around the man who was now lying on the floor in a pool of blood.

    "It''s Song Yohan!" one of the guests

    "OUT OF THE WAY!" Siwan yelled. "Jina, control the crowd! And call an ambnce!"

    "Gotcha!" she eximed and began to yell at the crowd to stay back.

    Siwan stooped near Yohan''s motionless body, checking his pulse. Yohan''s head was injured and he was unconscious. Siwan checked his breath and began to administer CPR on the man.

    "One...Two...Threeбн" Siwan pressed Yohan''s chest and gave him mouth to mouth.

    "I called the ambnce!" Jina eximed. "And-"

    She froze. Her eyes fell on a pale, naked figure which was staring at the crowd beneath her. Even though her skin had been burnt and her hair was gone, her arrogance was still intact. The girl was ring at everyone with one eye as if she was going to destroy them with her sight alone. Her hatred was only increasing at the sight of the disgusting people who were partying while she was suffering in hell.

    Kill...she wanted to killбн

    Jina''s trance was broken by Siwan''s voice.

    "He''s alive!" Siwan dered. "We need to take him to the hospital. Now!"

 Chapter 69 - An Envelope

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    Mass chapter mission time! Support me in win win by unlocking the privilege chapters to get mass releases. MR will be given based on the following conditions:??

    1000 privilege chapter unlocks= 3 extra chapter mass release

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    This is applicable for every month! Please do support this book by buying as much privilege chapters as possible <3

    Also, mass release of five chapters this Sunday (8th August) as a gift from me :3

    ....

    Mrs. Ahn was throwing away trash bags when she noticed her new tenant entering the building.

    "All good, Doctor Ohm?" she asked Hobin. Thetter stopped to chat with her.

    "Yes, Mrs. Ahn," he replied with a smile. "Why are you out sote?"

    "Don''t ask!" Mrs. Ahnined. "I''m just so fed up nowadays. I''ve been clearing out old junk from previous tenants for the past few days and it''s exhausting! Look at this!"

    She pointed at a box full of what looked like stale food and expired animal food which stank like hell. Hobin wrinkled his nose in disgust.

    "What''s that?" he asked, feeling a little nauseous.

    "That''s junk from a rotten git!" Mrs. Ahnined. "He actually used to live in your t. After the Lee family moved away, he came to live there for a month or two. But he was always bringing really ferocious animals to his apartment. Cats, dogs, wild birds and what not. I once saw him bring in a snake! Can you imagine that?"

    "Anyways, the animals made a lot of mess in the building," she went on. "So I told him to leave. I don''t mind house pets but he was letting them run around loose. The Kim family downstairs own a Golden Retriever and I never had any trouble with that gentle little thing! But the tenant in question, Shin Changseob, was just the worst!"

    "He does sound like a pain," Hobin winced. Thank god the animal stink from my apartment is gone, he added in his head.

    "He was," Mrs. Ahn agreed. "Anyways, I''ll have to clean these out. The trash collectors will take it from here."

    "Good night Mrs. Ahn," Hobin smiled and went back into the building. Once he reached his t, he turned on the lights and took off his coat. Slumping on a bean bag, heid back and closed his eyes.

    The image of his brother and the Tinkerbell dancing together was circling around his head. For some reason, seeing them together was causing a strange pain in his chest. His heart was beating too fast for his liking and his insides felt as if his guts were being twisted in a cruel manner.

    Hobin had flirted around with a lot of women but those were just harmless stuff. He was never serious about anyone nor did he evermit himself in a rtionship because he did not want to end up hiding his secret from a person who might fall in love with him. It would be unfair to that person.

    Tinkerbell was the first person outside his family to know about his powers. Maybe it was their shared experiences of being born with abilities beyond their control or their perceptions of the world around them, but he felt a connection with her.

    Even though the Kang''s considered him to be a part of their family, Hobin had unconsciously held himself back from being fully open to them.

    Was it his recurring nightmare about the monstrous man abusing a little child or was it the visions he had about the raven wings on his back, but Hobin knew that he was much different from his mother and brother. It was not just his abilities which made him different; it was something else. But what was it? It was yet toe.

    Which is why when Jina revealed her powers to him, he finally felt relieved. There was someone in the world who had epted him with an open heart and understood the pain he went through to keep his abilities hidden every single day. She was someone he could share his frustrations and exhaustion with. Also, he could listen to her rant out her feelings about her powers.

    So seeing Jina with Siwan was making his heart ache.

    "Ugh, I''m being an idiot!" he scowled at himself. "It''s not like I''m losing a girlfriend! She''s more like a little annoying pet!"

    His phone was ringing in his coat''s pocket but he ignored it. He was in no mood to talk to anyone at all.

    Meanwhile, at the party venue, Jina was annoyed. She had been trying to call Hobin for over an hour but he did not pick up at all!

    After Song Yohan''s ident, the rest of the party was cancelled. All the guests were rounded up for questioning but the CCTV camera showed that Yohan had tripped and fell off the stairs. Before that, he was talking to a man in a brown coat who had a very distinctive toad-like appearance with several blisters on his face. Yohan took an envelope from that man before dismissing him and was walking along the stairs when he tripped out of nowhere.

    That was what the other people saw. Only Jina could see Rachel''s figure on the camera, pushing her father off the railing.

    How many more people is she going to hurt? Jina wondered.

    She was in the security room of the hotel with Woohee. Jaebum was at the ballroom, questioning the witnesses. Everyone was shaken up by the incident. Mrs. Jung was yelling at the cops but once they threatened her with arrest for tainting a possible crime scene, she went mum.

    "Where''s the envelope which Yohan had?" Jina asked.

    "It''s still in his breast pocket," Woohee sighed. "The paramedics were in such a rush to take him to the hospital. We''ll need to ask the doctors to keep it safe for us."

    "Ugh, if only this dumb guy would go there and pick it up!" Jina gritted in anger, trying Hobin''s number for the umpteenth time. Siwan was at the hospital but Jina could not disturb him when he was busy tending to Song Yohan. Jiwoon, Chanmi and Dahoon were outside the Song''s residence, keeping an eye on Hyojin.

    "I''ll go myself!" Jina finally said. "That envelope must have evidence in it and I''ll have to check it out."

    She paused before adding, "Keep an eye on the Jung''s. Especially the girl, Sera."

    "Why her?" Woohee asked.

    "She went to Rachel''s school and was apparently a victim of her bullying," Jina stated. "My brother told me about it. She might have a good reason to want Rachel dead."

    Woohee sighed. "Kids really don''t know when to stop, do they?" she asked in a wary tone.

    Jina''s mind wavered back to Rachel. "They don''t," she agreed.

    With that, she headed off towards the hospital to grab the envelope before it fell into the wrong hands.

 Chapter 70 - A Clue

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    Mass chapter mission time! Support me in win win by unlocking the privilege chapters to get mass releases. MR will be given based on the following conditions:??

    1000 privilege chapter unlocks= 3 extra chapter mass release

    5000 privilege chapter unlocks= 5 extra chapter mass release

    10,000 privilege chapter unlocks= 10 chapter mass release.

    This is applicable for every month! Please do support this book by buying as much privilege chapters as possible <3

    Also, mass release of five chapters this Sunday (8th August) as a gift from me :3

    ....

    Seohyun rushed towards the operation theater where her husband had been taken in. She received a call half an hour ago that he had fallen off the stairs at a party. Her heart was racing as she made her way towards the VIP floor.

    Siwan was justing out of the operation theater. He did not perform the surgery on Yoha but rather assisted the neurologist in charge since there was ack of doctors in the hospital that night. Most had gone to a training session out of town and only a few doctors were avable nearby to assist the critical cases.

    As soon as he saw the bereaved woman, he immediately recognized her as Yohan''s wife.

    "Mrs. Song?" he called out. Seohyun, who was still searching for the operation theater, paused and walked towards him.

    "Yes!" she eximed. "How is he?"

    Siwan hesitated. "You might want to sit down for this, Mrs. Song," he said in a gentle tone.

    Seohyun was now rmed. She sat on a bench and Siwan sat next to her, looking apologetic.

    "We had to perform an emergency surgery on him," he exined. "His fall was quite serious and he sustained a deep injury on his head. The neurosurgeon is patching him up and we have stabilized his condition. However, he bled out a lot andбн"

    He took a deep breath before saying, "Your husband is now in aa."

    Siwan paused for a moment, letting the news sink in. Seohyun was frozen to her spot as the realization dawned on her. He expected her to be in shock or crying which was a normal reaction for a loved one.

    What he did not expect were her next words.

    "When he was brought in, did you by any chance happen to find anything in his jacket?" she asked in a calm tone.

    Siwan was taken aback by her question. Her husband was in aa and she was asking about the contents in his jacket?

    "You see, he might have some important bank books and cash," she went on. "People might take stuff out of there. After all, the party he attended was hosted by a nouveau rich. They''re not really the best hosts and might even take stuff from their guests. I just want to make sure my husband''s belongings are safe."

    "I think the on-duty nurse kept them safely in his ward," Siwan frowned. He was puzzled by the woman''s line of thought.

    As far as he knew, she had also recently lost her daughter and now, her husband''s life was at stake. Then why is she acting like this? He wondered.

    "I''ll be taking them," Seohyun said. "Also, please make sure that my husband gets the best treatment. Until he recovers, I''ll be taking over the business and also oversee our daughter''s funeral."

    Siwan could only nod as the woman stood up and went to meet the on-duty nurse. He was perplexed by the situation but could not stop her from taking her husband''s belongings.

    Seohyun walked up to the nurse and conversed with her. The nurse nodded and made her sign some papers before handing her over Yohan''s jacket. Seohyun checked inside it and to her relief, the envelope was in it. Thanking the nurse, she quickly left the hospital, leaving her sick husband alone.

    Shaking his head at the tant nonchnce of the elites, Siwan went back to his cabin. Even though he could go back home, he decided to stay back and help out the night shift staff.

    Sleep can wait, he thought warily.

    Just then, Jina came bursting into his cabin, startling him. She had changed out of the heavy gown by tearing off the bottom half and put on a pair of grey sweat pants which she borrowed from a hotel staff.

    "Where did you keep Song Yohan''s belongings?" she demanded.

    "His wife just took them away!" Siwan replied. "What-"

    She did not stop and darted towards the VIP floor. Siwan ran after her, calling her name but Jina did not stop. She ran past the nurses and ward boys until she reached Song Yohan''s room.

    "What are you doing?" Siwan huffed. He was panting heavily but Jina did not stop to listen. She cursed out loud.

    "Shit!" she yelled. "His wife took the jacket!"

    "Now will you tell me what happened?" Siwan asked, feeling a little annoyed.

    "Song Yohan was seen taking that envelope from a mysterious man at the party!" Jina revealed. "We need that envelope and check its contents. It might be a clue to Rachel''s murder!"

    Jina was now back to square one. The whole case was frustrating her to no end and she wanted to scream out loud. Not only was the murderer out atrge but there was a vengeful poltergeist who hellbent on killing Jina''s brother. The more she dyed in solving the case, the more danger Minyoon was in.

    "Iбн" she wanted to cry but tears just would note. She was not sad but rather angry at herself. Siwan seemed to have understood her frustration. He gently patted her shoulder.

    "It''s okay," he reassured her. "These things can happen. The case might look unsolvable now but I know that if there''s someone who can solve it, then that''ll be you, Jina."

    "I wish it was that easyбн"

    Jina slumped on the empty bed, feeling dejected. "I just feel that if I don''t solve it quickly, I''ll not be able to catch the murderer at all! Just one clue. I only need one bloody clue!"

    Siwan sat next to her and held her hand. "You will find it," he told her firmly. "There was a time when I thought I''d never be able to escape my dad. But I did, didn''t I? You helped me escape that time. So I know what you''re capable of. That monster will be caught. I know you can do it."

    Jina shed him a small smile. "Thanks," she said, feeling grateful. "For believing in me."

    "Anytime," Siwan smiled and ruffled her hair. He gazed at her with affection but she was too upied with her thoughts to notice the soft look in his eyes which were only reserved for her.

    "Mrs. Song-"

    Both of them jumped when they saw a nurse entering the ward. The nurse seemed flustered and was holding an envelope in her hands.

    "Doctor Kang!" she eximed, blushing a little. "I''m sorry! I thought Mrs. Song was in here-"

    "What is it?" Siwan asked. "She left already and the patient is in the post-op room."

    "We put the wrong envelope in Mr. Song''s jacket," the nurse revealed. "It got mixed up with one of our patient''s blood reports! One of the new nurses took out the real envelope from the jacket and mixed it up with the reports! She didn''t even check the name. This is the real one."

    She handed Siwan the envelope. Jina jumped up and saw Song Yohan''s name written on it. She quickly took the envelope from Siwan''s hands and ripped it open. Inside it were several photographs along with a pendrive. Taking them in her hands, Jina went through every one of them. Her dejected face turned hopeful.

    "Bingo!" she whispered in awe.

    "What''s in the photos?" Siwan asked, feeling curious.

    Jina held one up. Siwan''s eyes widened in shock when he saw them.

    "We hit the jackpot!" Jina smirked.

 Chapter 71 - Suspects

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    Mass chapter mission time! Support me in win win by unlocking the privilege chapters to get mass releases. MR will be given based on the following conditions:??

    1000 privilege chapter unlocks= 3 extra chapter mass release

    5000 privilege chapter unlocks= 5 extra chapter mass release

    10,000 privilege chapter unlocks= 10 chapter mass release.

    This is applicable for every month! Please do support this book by buying as much privilege chapters as possible <3

    Also, mass release of five chapters on Monday (9th August) as a gift from me :3

    ....

    "WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?" Mrs. Jung was yelling at Jiwoon who had just handcuffed Hyojin in front of her.

    As soon as news reached Jina that the Jung''s had arrived home, she gave the signal to arrest the boy. As per orders, Jiwoon and her team burst into the mansion to arrest Hyojin but the mother was putting up a fight. Sera was scared and timid, cowering behind a curtain as she watched her brother being taken away. Tommy the dog was barking at the police officers but Sera held him on a leash.

    Both Jiwoon and Dahoon had spotted the dog but did not say anything at the moment. They needed to bring Hyojin under their custody first.

    "Mom, it wasn''t me!" Hyojin imed. "I swear!"

    "Ma''am we have substantial evidence to bring him under our custody-" Jiwoon tried to exin but Mrs. Jung lunged at her. She grabbed Jiwoon by the cor and shook her hard. Dahoon, who was perplexed by the woman''s behavior. Jiwoon, however, was calm when Mrs. Jung spat at her.

    "LISTEN YOU!" Mrs. Jung screamed. "I''LL HAVE YOUR HEAD FOR THIS! I KNOW YOUR COMMISSIONER! I''LL COMPLAIN TO HIM ABOUT YOU, YOU FUCKING-"

    She hurled a string of curses at Jiwoon who was very patient. It was shocking to see a woman of such high stature cursing like a street beggar. Dahoon had to admire his senior''s patience because even an affable person like him was getting enraged.

    "Ma''am, you''re crossing the line!" he said hotly. "Your son was caught on camera, sneaking into the Song mansion on the night of the murder-"

    "LET HIM GO RIGHT NOW!" Mrs. Jung yelled.

    "Mom, save me!" Hyojin yelped, trying to be free of Dahoon''s grasp. Mrs. Jung was about to free him when Jiwoon''s hand grabbed hers.

    "You cannot take him," Jiwoon said in a very calm tone. "He''s a suspect and we have the authorization to arrest him."

    "I''ll have you transferred you bitch!" Mrs. Jung shrieked. "I''ll call themissioner. He''s my husband''s best friend-"

    "Just a minute," Jiwoon said. She took out her phone and dialed a number. Mrs. Jung was fuming while Jiwoon waited for the person on the other end to pick up the phone. Even Dahoon was confused by Jiwoon''s actions. He knew that she was reserved and only spoke when necessary but how could she stay so calm with a woman like this?

    "Hello, sir!" Jiwoon greeted. "I''m extremely sorry to bother you over the phone but I have this person here who is insisting on talking to you. She ims that her husband, Jung Mushik is your best friend. Would you like to talk to her?"

    Jiwoon put the call on speaker phone and the familiar voice of Police Commissioner, Shun Bodong, came from the other end.

    "Jung Mushik?" he was saying. "Who''s that? I don''t know any Jung Mushik nor his wife! I thought you were supposed to bring in that boyfriend of Song Rachel''s! Why are you wasting time elsewhere?"

    "I''m sorry sir, but Jung Hyojin''s mother is causing some trouble," Jiwoon exined. "She spat at an officer and also tried to manhandle Officer Dahoon."

    "Kwon Jiwoon, you know very well that if someone tries to obstruct the police''s work when they''re arresting someone, that person will also be jailed, right?" the Commissioner barked at her. "Didn''t I teach you personally at the Police Academy? Did you forget all these things already? If she''s causing problems, throw her in jail!"

    "Yes sir," Jiwoon replied. Mrs. Jung was fumbling while Dahoon was finding it hard to stopughing at the woman''s embarrassed face. Hyojin, on the other hand, was whimpering. His mother''s ruse was over. Mrs. Jung was only bluffing to get her son out of trouble but her lies were discovered.

    "You have two options," Jiwoon stated. "Either cooperate with us and let the police take your son into custody. Or, we can book a cell for you as well. Remember, if you choose option two, then your other child will be left alone. Do you want both your kids to suffer?"

    Mrs. Jung''s lips quivered but Jiwoon was patiently waiting for her answer.

    "Hyojin, we''ll get you out," Mrs. Jung promised. "As soon as the courts open, we''ll bail you-"

    "Courts will open on Monday," Jiwoon stated. "And given that we have enough evidence to interrogate your adult son without awyer for up to two days, we''ll be very thorough."

    "Momбн" Hyojin was now crying hard. He was totally devastated by the news that his mother was helpless and now, he was going to jail.

    "I''ll make you pay!" Mrs. Jung threatened.

    "You can try after Monday," Jiwoon replied. "Because if you have me transferred before Monday, then I cannot guarantee that my recement will be very kind to your son. Let''s go, Dahoon."

    "Yes boss number two!" Dahoon eximed and dragged Hyojin behind him. A couple of uniformed officers ran towards them as they exited the mansion, taking Hyojin under their care. They put him in the police van while Dahoon turned towards his senior.

    "Jiwoon sis, that was great!" he imed, dropping all honorifics. "You totally beat her."

    "People like her are always making false ims," she said with a small smile. "It''s not hard to figure it out. Anyways, let''s go."

    They escorted Hyojin to the police station. Upon entering the station, they were shocked to find someone else there: Yoo Seohyun.

    "What is the meaning of this, Jina?" Seohyun was shouting. "Why have I been arrested?"

    "You were simply summoned in for questioning," Jina pointed out.

    "You''re using me of murdering my own daughter?" Seohyun eximed. "Are you crazy?"

    "I''m suspecting you of murdering your daughter," Jina corrected. "Guards, take her to the interrogation room!"

    Two female constables came up and began to drag Seohyun away.

    "I''LL GET YOU FOR THIS, JINA!" she screamed at Jina but thetter did not pay any attention. She was busy going over the contents of the pendrive on herptop.

    "Jina, what''s going on?" Jiwoon asked, perplexed by Seohyun''s arrest. "Why is she here?"

    "Did she really kill her own daughter?" Dahoon wondered out loud.

    "Probably," Jina said. She handed them the pictures Jina found in Yohan''s envelope. "These are pictures which Song Yohan received from a man at the party," she stated. "Take a look."

    Jiwoon frowned and checked out the photographs. Dahoon''s mouth gaped open as he also saw the pictures.

    The pictures were of Seohyun getting intimate with another man. Moreover, the pictures were timestamped which meant that they were probably clicked on different days.

    "I have the negatives and the raw files of the pictures," Jina went on. "Also, there''s a small video clip where Rachel was seen confronting her own mother and also the other guy."

    "So now, we just need to find his identity!" Jiwoon eximed.

    "No need, I already know him," Jina revealed. "He was myst neighbor. Andбн"

    She leaned forward with a smirk. "He''s an animal trainer," she stated. "He trained German Shepherds too."

    "There''s one more problem, Jina," Jiwoon said. "Rachel''s boyfriend also has a German Shepherd. Which means we have a total of three suspects now."

    Jina leaned back, thinking hard. "What say, we apply our old trick?" she said slowly.

    "Our ''believe everything but trust nothing'' routine?" Jiwoon smiled. "Let''s do it!"

    They high-fived each other before getting down to business. Dahoon could only stare at them in wonder.

    "Those guys have no idea what''s in store for them," he muttered.

 Chapter 72 - Suspect-1: Hyojin (1)

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    Mass chapter mission time! Support me in win win by unlocking the privilege chapters to get mass releases. MR will be given based on the following conditions:??

    1000 privilege chapter unlocks= 3 extra chapter mass release

    5000 privilege chapter unlocks= 5 extra chapter mass release

    10,000 privilege chapter unlocks= 10 chapter mass release.

    This is applicable for every month! Please do support this book by buying as much privilege chapters as possible <3

    Also, mass release of five chapters on Monday (9th August) as a gift from me :3

    ....

    "So who gets to question whom?" Jiwoon asked. They had filled each other in with their findings and were already prepared to take either of the suspects down.

    "Rock, paper, scissors?" Jina asked. "Winner gets to be the aggressive bad cop and choose her suspect."

    "Cool," Jiwoon said. "On three. One...two...threeбн"

    "Rock, paper, scissors!" Both of them chanted in unison beforeying out their moves. Jina yed scissors while Jiwoon yed rock.

    "I win," Jiwoon smiled. "I get the rich woman."

    "Do I have to get the brat?" Jina moaned. "It''s bad enough I have one as my neighbor!"

    "Where is the doctor anyway?" Jiwoon asked. "I thought he''d be excited to see this."

    "Probably rotting in hell right now," Jina scowled. They were making their way towards the interrogation chambers. The suspects were kept in two separate rooms, isted from everyone. The two detectives nodded at each other before walking into their designated rooms, ready to question the possible culprit.

    Jina entered the room where Hyojin was handcuffed. He had his head buried in his hands and was distraught. The room was scaring him because the walls werepletely dark. Moreover, unlike other rooms, this one had no ss window either. It was a specially designed room which was used as a psychological ploy to prey on the suspects'' minds, especially the ones who were resisting to reveal information. The more a suspect felt uneasy and scared, the easier it was to make them talk.

    While Jina did not approve of this practice, it was amon practice which she had to resort to because the justice for victims was more important than a potential criminal''sfort.

    She let out a loud sigh.

    "This is barbaric," she said, feeling outraged. "How could the guards just leave you like this?"

    Hyojin looked up to find the pretty detective giving him a look of pity. She seemed to be sympathetic to his pleas.

    "And you''re barely an adult!" she went on, her voice tinged with a hint of pity. "Leaving you in handcuffs...Ugh! The police officers can drive me crazy at times."

    "Look, I''m not saying anything!" Hyojin eximed. "I know you guys very well. You''re trying to frame me! But I''ll be mum! I won''t say anything."

    "You don''t have to," Jina told him kindly. "I know it''s hard on you-"

    "You''re not the one in handcuffs!" he snapped at her. "How could you just arrest me like this?"

    "I''m sorry for the trouble," Jina said sincerely. "But we''re tied by thew. It was mandatory to bring you in. I tried to stop them but it was the Commissioner''s orders. We can''t refuse him. But I''m sure you understand that. After all, you can''t go against your mom either, can you?"

    Hyojin did not speak but kept his lips shut. He looked down at his cuffed hands, fidgeting in his seat. Jina put her file away and leaned forward.

    "Look Hyojin," she began. "I know your pain. You just lost someone you love. I''m sure Rachel''s death was devastating for you. After all, you guys were considered to be the best couple-"

    "I loved her!" Hyojin imed. "I really did! I loved her for years but I didn''t get the guts to ask her out. I wasn''t worthy of her then but after my parents became rich, I asked her out. We were in love. Deeply in love! You have no idea at all. And yet, you''re using me of killing her? Bullshit!"

    He was looking at her directly in the eye, angered by the usations charted against him.

    "Loveбн" Jina trailed off. His words triggered something in her mind and she was reminiscing about the little boy with whom she had once shared an innocent love.

    "If you knew that night would be thest time you''d ever see her," she began. "What would you have said to her?"

    Hyojin looked at her with a mixture of surprise and to some extent, pity.

    "Iбн" he trailed off. "I wouldn''t have left then. I would have stayed by her side to protect her. I''d have fought the killer off if I had to. But I wouldn''t have let her go. Never!"

    "Easy to say," Jina mused. "Hard to do."

    "You''re saying as if you let go of someone!" Hyojin sneered. "It''s the good cop-bad cop routine, isn''t it? You''re the good cop who pretends to be sympathetic-"

    "The boy I had loved was buried alive in the cold snow by his own father," Jina said in a thick tone. "For months he was abused and tortured until he could no longer even walk. You see, he was an illegitimate child and the father was obsessed with his own image. A famous doctor like him shouldn''t have a bastard child. Funny isn''t it?"

    She gave him a small smile. Hyojin blinked at her brutally honest feelings and was softening a little. Even though it seemed that she was trying to make him talk, there was an unmistakable pain in her voice which he was very familiar with.

    After all, he was also going through the same.

    "I couldn''t protect him," Jina revealed. "He died a slow and excruciating death. By the time he was found, it was toote. He was gone."

    "Just like Rachel," Hyojin muttered. Jina nodded.

    "Yes," she agreed. "Just like Rachel. In factбн"

    Jina hesitated before putting a photo in front of Hyojin. He stared at it, horrified at the state of Rachel''s corpse.

    "Thisбн" he whispered. "Whatбн"

    He was now feeling extremely sick at the state of Rachel''s body. Her once beautiful face...her luscious hair...all of it was totally annihted.

    "Whoever did this had poured out his or her hatred in the ugliest way," Jina said in a bitter tone. "We hid these pictures from the media but as her lover, you deserve to see them. Look at what happened to her! She was probably rude and obnoxious but do you honestly believe that she deserved to die like this?"

    When Hyojin was silent, Jina pressed on. "Hyojin, this is the same girl whom you love so much that you forgave her infidelity!" she pointed out. "You met her on the night of the murder and you can''t even deny it coz it''s on camera. But if you tell us the truth, we can catch her killer. Look at these marksбн"

    She pointed at the bite marks. "These are done by a German Shepherd!" she said. "That really does put you under suspicion here! You own one too. Moreover, your father owns a telehealthpany! You have ess to the chemicals which killed Rachel!"

    "Are you saying I killed her?" Hyojin demanded.

    "I''m simply pointing out how you will be used of doing so," Jina corrected him. "But I want to help you, Hyojin. I can free you but only if you tell me the truth about that night. Please, Hyojin. Tell me everything that happened between you two after you guys got together. And did she ever tell you anything? Anything about someone who might try to harm her? Anything?"

    Hyojin bit his lip. He was still staring at the picture. The burnt corpse was once the love of his life and it was hard to imagine the torment she had gone through. He clenched his fists together and took a deep breath.

    "A week before her death, Rachel called me to her mansion," Hyojn began. "I remember it very wellбн"

 Chapter 73 - Suspect-1: Hyojin (2)

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

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    1000 privilege chapter unlocks= 3 extra chapter mass release

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    This is applicable for every month! Please do support this book by buying as much privilege chapters as possible <3

    ....

    *A Few Weeks Ago*

    Hyojin was really annoyed. It was the hundredth time that week Rachel called him and he was in no mood to listen to her excuses. After he caught her with the other guy at the college frat party, Hyojin lost all his faith. She tried to tell him that it was just a mistake but Hyojin was too distraught to listen to her.

    He ignored the call and concentrated on his school work. There was a test the next day and he was at the library, cramming for the quiz. Hyojin was so busy with his work that he did not notice a shadow walking towards him.

    "You''re not picking up my phones now?"

    He looked up to see a blonde beauty with porcin colored skin and a beach body. Her long locks were hanging loose around her hair and she was looking at him with her hazel eyes.

    "Leave me alone, Rach," he groaned. Hyojin was about to pack up his stuff but Rachel stopped him.

    "Look, please just talk to me!" she begged. "I swear, it was a mistake! I was drunk and-"

    "Rachel, I can''t get that image out of my head!" he said hotly. "I''m hurt and angry at your behavior! How can you throw away our rtionship so easily? You slept with another guy!"

    He spoke in a hushed tone. Even though he was angry at her, he did not want to tarnish her reputation at the school. They were the golden couple, perfect in every way. The kids at school loved them together and the news of their breakup was not public yet. Rachel, however, was not going to give up. She kept on pestering him with their rtionship and kept on following him everywhere.

    "Baby, you don''t understand!" Rachel pleaded. "I...I haven''t been in the right mind! I don''t know what I did that day! I''m...I''m just so angry and betrayed that I''m pushing everyone away!"

    Her hazel eyes were brimming with tears and she looked away to wipe them off. Hyojin exhaled warily and said, "Look, I can''t forget the fact that you slept with someone else. Am I not good enough for you? If you liked someone else then why didn''t you just break up with me and then get together with him? I can''t believe that you''d do this to me!"

    "Hoyjin, you don''t know anything!" she imed. "YouбнPlease, can we just go elsewhere? At my house perhaps? I really need to tell you something. Juste with me and let me exin only once. Just once!"

    She looked as if she was on the verge of a breakdown. Hyojin sighed, feeling conflicted over what to do.

    "Fine," he agreed. "Let''s go."

    Rachel gave him a small smile and they walked out of the library, heading towards Hyojin''s bike. They get onto it and Hyojin speeds off towards Rachel''s mansion. All throughout the journey, Rachel was quietly crying which made Hyojin feel very ufortable.

    He would be lying if he imed that he no longer felt anything for her. Despite her betrayal, he loved her deeply. He was in love with her for many years but due to the vast difference in their status, he had hidden his feelings away. But when he got the chance to ask her out in their senior year, she immediately said yes and also imed that she also felt the same way.

    Hyojin stopped in front of the mansion. They got off and Rachel pulled him towards her room. They hurried through the front door and were climbing up the stairs when she almost crashed into a servant.

    "Can''t you see where you''re going?" she snapped at him.

    "S-sorry, young miss," he apologized. Rachel red at him before heading towards her room with Hyojin.

    "You''re still being mean to others!" Hyojin told her as soon as they were in her bedroom.

    "I''m sorry, I''m just so stressed!" Rachel said. She slumped on the bed and motioned him to sit with her.

    "Rachel, what''s going on with you?" he asked. "You''re pushing everyone away from you! This...this isn''t good at all! And that night at the partyбн"

    He trailed off, not willing to recall those painful memories. His mind was still torturing him as the image of a naked Rachel pinned underneath that frat boy was reying in his head.

    "Iбн" Rachel sobbed. "I''m so sorry! I was wrong! I shouldn''t have done that at all but I was drunk and angry. I was just so angry!"

    She was now crying hard and leaned forward to cry on his shoulder. "It''s my mom!" she eximed. "She''s having an affair!"

    Hyojin froze in shock. "What?" he hissed. "How do you know?"

    Rachel hesitated before taking out a diary from underneath her bed. She flipped through the pages and stopped at one page in particr. It had a picture of her mother, Seohyun, kissing another man.

    "I saw them kissing outside a cafe," Rachel revealed. "I even followed them and found out that they have been sleeping with each other. I was so angry and hurt but I couldn''t tell anyone out of fear for my mother''s reputation. But the secret was driving me nuts! I was binge drinking at clubs and also started to go wild. I couldn''t tell anyone at all and it affected me mentally so much that I didn''t know what I was doing!"

    She was crying harder, her eyes and nose gone all red. Hyojin instantly held her hand andforted her, feeling a little guilty for not noticing her pain.

    "That night at the party, I lost myself again," she admitted. "I drank a lot and when that boy hit on me, I just didn''t know what was right or wrong! I just wanted to get away! So I went with him and one thing led to another. He made me drink more until I had no idea what I was doingбн"

    She sniffed, while Hyojin was conflicted.

    "I know I hurt you," she went on. "But I just didn''t know how to deal with this stress! And it affected my judgement-"

    "I''m sorry too," Hyojin said. "I should have been more attentive towards you. But I was too focused on the football team and school! I''m a terrible boyfriend-"

    "It''s okay!" Rachel said quickly. "I understand that you were angry. You love me a lot and you were hurt by what I did. But can''t we get over all that? Let''s start over! I really missed you!"

    With that, she leaned over and kissed him. Hyojin was taken aback by her sudden kiss but soon, it turned urgent and demanding. Before he knew it, their clothes were flying everyone and they began to make love as if nothing happened at all.

    бн.

    *Present*

    "We got back that day," Hyojin went on. "She told me everything about her mother. On the night of the murder, I went to her mansion with a bottle of wine. But it was for the two of us only! I snuck in through the basement and then towards her house. However, it was unnecessary for me to sneak in through there."

    "Why do you think so?" Jina asked.

    "Have you seen that house?" Hyojin asked. "It''s huge! Rachel used to tell me how she didn''t meet up with her parents for days despite living in the same house. In fact, her parents lived in the opposite end of the house and had no idea what happened in Rachel''s part of the house. Which is why on the night of the party, I might have snuck in through the basement but I left from the front door. No one even noticed me."

    Jina leaned back, studying the new information.

    "You two had sex that night?" she asked.

    "Yes," Hyojin admitted. "We did. I left after my mom called me up and told me that Tommy was sick and needed to be taken to a vet. So I left in a hurry."

    "Wait, Tommy was at the vets that night?" Jina frowned.

    "Yes," Hyojin replied. "He had food poisoning and was really sick so I took him to the vet and he was there overnight."

    "And the bottle of wine?" Jina asked. "What happened to it?"

    "Rachel had it," Hyojin replied. "She liked to collect wine bottles as a hobby. There are several such wine bottles in the basement."

    "And you entered the house through the basement? There''s a secret passageway there?"

    "There''s a door in the basement which is really old," Hyojin recalled. "It''s actually easy to open it if you know how to twist the knob correctly. Rachel used that route quite a few times to sneak out of the house and attend club parties. She said that no one else knew about that door''s w."

    Back to square one, Jina groaned. If the vet part stands true, then Hyojin was not the murderer.

    I hope Jiwoon has better luck than I did, Jina wished.

 Chapter 74 - Suspect 2: Seohyun (1)

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    Mass chapter mission time! Support me in win win by unlocking the privilege chapters to get mass releases. MR will be given based on the following conditions:??

    1000 privilege chapter unlocks= 3 extra chapter mass release

    5000 privilege chapter unlocks= 5 extra chapter mass release

    10,000 privilege chapter unlocks= 10 chapter mass release.

    This is applicable for every month! Please do support this book by buying as much privilege chapters as possible <3

    ....

    Seohyun was sitting in a room simr to the one Hyojin was put in. She was staring at the photosid out before her and she was shaking. Jiwoon was towering over her with both hands on the table. She eyed the woman in front of her like a hwk, not flinching from her stance. Her usually calm demeanor was reced by a menacing aura which was almost choking Seohyun.

    "Shin Changseob," Jiwoon stated. "A man who trains animals, especially German Shepherds. Moreover, he did many odd jobs which include a stint at your husband''spany. Is that where you met him? At Fei Pharmaceuticals?"

    "I''m not answering anything," Seohyun quivered but Jiwoon was not having any excuses.

    "You don''t have to," Jiwoon said. "Let me tell you a story."

    "The story has a poor suffering female lead, a cold husband and a dashing young man who is our male lead," Jiwoon went on. "The female lead is a beautiful woman who has it all. A rich husband and a daughter. They live in a ptial home which is the envy of everyone. She had it all. Money, riches, the perfect life and luxury. Yes, she had everything...except love."

    Jiwoon threw her a steely gaze. Seohyun shifted in her chair but remained silent.

    "Her husband was always too busy and also had many affairs with other women," she went on. "In fact, the female lead caught him in the act many years ago and since then, they do not even share the same bed. How long has it been since you slept with your very desirable husband? One year? Two years? Orбн"

    Jiwoon leaned forward and whispered, "Fifteen years?"

    Seohyun was still quiet, putting on a facade of dignity which Jiwoon was determined to smash.

    "So a helpless housewife who is forced to watch her husband have many affairs at home while her own daughter was also bing rowdy," Jiwoon went on. "Tell me, were you jealous of your daughter''s active sex life?"

    "What nonsense is this?" Seohyun spat. "Why would I be-"

    "Your daughter was everything you wanted to be when you were younger," Jiwoon imed. "You wanted to party and have fun! Date men and party around. However, your parents went bankrupt when you were twenty and to save theirpany, you entered into a loveless marriage with Song Yohan, is that right?"

    "What does my marriage have got anything to do with my daughter''s death?" Seohyun demanded.

    "I''m getting to that," Jiwoon said. "Anyways, our female lead gets more desperate. Her daughter had a new boyfriend and they were having an active sexual rtionship, something which the female lead craved.

    "So, one day, when the female lead goes to her husband''spany for some work, she runs into a handsome animal trainer. That guy was brought in to train some of the dogs for thepany''s R&D wing. While he was training them, the female lead flirted a little with him. He told her that he trained animals and even invited her to his own facility where he kept quite a few animals."

    "The new guy was everything our poor heroine wanted," Jiwoon went on. "He was young, handsome and oozed a raw sexual aura which was undoubtedly seducing our female lead, right? There he was, someone who could give her the pleasure she wanted."

    "So our heroine dove into the pool of lust," she smirked. "It must have been a lot of fun. For the first time in years, she felt alive and rejuvenated. She was now living the life she always wanted. A double life. One which was full of luxury and the other was full of sexual pleasures. The heroine...or rather, you had it all, Yoo Seohyun."

    "You''re mad!" Seohyun imed.

    "That''s what your daughter told you when she found out, right?" Jiwon grinned. "What else did she call you? A slut? A whore-"

    "You''re crossing the limit!" Seohyun shrieked.

    "Like you did with Shin Changseob?" Jiwoon demanded. She pointed at the pictures and said, "The pictures speak for themselves. There are videos of you with your lover! Your husband had you spied on! He knew that you were having an affair and he was now looking for proof. You couldn''t divorce him because the prenup agreement you had signed was airtight. If you divorced him, you wouldn''t get a single penny from him and also lose custody of Rachel! She was already an adult and obviously, she would choose to live with her dad. After all, he was richer and more influential than her loser of a mom who was having an affair with another guy!"

    "Yohan had many affairs too!" Seohyun shrieked. "And yet, I''m the bad guy here? I was forced to marry him at a young age and when I gave birth to a girl instead of the boy he desired, he went off to sleep with others!"

    "And in the process, you two turned your own daughter''s life into a joke!" Jiwoon snapped. "You were always jealous of your daughter. You loved her but way too jealous of your daughter''s independence. Rachel was free while you were stuck."

    "But when she found out about your affair, she threatened to expose you!" she used and mmed her hands on the table. Seohyun jumped, her mental state in tatters. The officer was telling the truth but she was too weak to ept it.

    "And you had your daughter killed," Jiwoon concluded. "In the worst way possible. You wanted her to suffer the pain and trauma. You wanted to destroy her beauty and her pride. It was your way of taking revenge, wasn''t it?"

    Seohyun was now crying hard. "Stop itбн" She moaned. "It''s not trueбн"

    "A selfish and sexually frustrated mother was jealous of her own daughter," Jiwoon stated. "And killed her. No, not kill. Completely destroyed her."

    "NO!" Seohyun burst out. "It wasn''t me! I didn''t kill her! I...I''ll tell you what happened on the night of the party."

    She took a deep breath and began to narrate her tale. "Last month, Rachel spotted me and Changseob kissing outside a cafe. She took our pictures and threatened me with themбн"

 Chapter 75 - Suspect 2: Seohyun (2)

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    Mass chapter mission time! Support me in win win by unlocking the privilege chapters to get mass releases. MR will be given based on the following conditions:??

    1000 privilege chapter unlocks= 3 extra chapter mass release

    5000 privilege chapter unlocks= 5 extra chapter mass release

    10,000 privilege chapter unlocks= 10 chapter mass release.

    This is applicable for every month! Please do support this book by buying as much privilege chapters as possible <3

    ....

    *A Month Back*

    Seohyun just left the cafe when she heard someone calling her from behind.

    "Mrs. Song!"

    She turned around only to find her lips to be captured by another man. Momentarily stunned, she soon gave in, enjoying the way his tongue was caressing hers.

    "Let''s go to my ce," a dark haired man in his mid thirties murmured. His jet ck eyes were staring back at her with a fierce passion and full of lust. There was no denying that he desired her and was eager to spend more time with this beautiful older woman who fell into his bed easily.

    "I thought you said that there''s a cop living next door!" Seohyun said.

    "She''s on duty today," Changseob winked. "I talked to her in the morning. She won''t be back till night. We can continue our work in my t."

    "We just met a few moments ago!" Seohyun giggled like a schoolgirl.

    "But that was just coffee," Changseob replied. "I still want my dessertбн"

    He leaned in to kiss her more, not caring that it was the middle of the street.

    "Someone might see us," Seohyun said.

    "So? Your husband isn''t in town and your daughter is probably at school," he said in a seductive tone. "Let''s goбн"

    He pulled her hand and led her towards his apartment which was not far from the coffee shop. Changseob was living in a small rented apartment for two months but he was nning to move soon. As an animal trainer, the ce was too small and could get congested when he had to bring in many animals. Moreover, the stench was unbearable so many of the neighbors alsoined. He had recently moved the animals to a nearby shelter except for a dog which was still with him.

    "This ce sure is small," Seohyun remarked when they entered it. "When are you moving to your new ce?"

    "Soon, my love," Changseob replied. There was a loud barking sound which startled Seohyun.

    "What was that?" she frowned.

    "It''s this dog," Changseob sighed. "A German Shepherd. I''m supposed to be training it but the animal is a total monster. It keeps on trying to bite me so I have to wear a full PPE suit whenever I feed it. Thank god there aren''t any more animals in the house at the moment. He would''ve scared them."

    "It sounds scary," Seohyun whimpered. Changseob smirked and lightly kissed her.

    "Don''t you want to check out my new bed?" he teased. He slowlyid her on the bed, busy taking off her clothes. Soon, the sounds of their moans could be heard through the door. For hours, they did not leave the bedroom and pleasured each other in every way possible.

    Seohyuny on Changseob''s bare chest. Both of them were naked under the nket, content with their affair.

    "Yohan will not spare me if he finds out," shemented. "He has so many affairs of his own but if I try to have another guy, he''ll go berserk."

    "Just leave him," Changseob said. "Come to me! We can be very happy together!"

    "I can''t," Seohyun said bitterly. "My parents''pany is still running thanks to him. If I leave him, he''ll stop funding it and my brother, who runs it now, will go bankrupt. He''ll hate me for it. I can''t leave Yohan."

    "Fucking bastard!" Changseob cursed. "He''s such a crappy husband! Just expose his affairs and you can get a legitimate reason to divorce him!"

    "The prenup I signed all those years ago was absolutely inescapable," Seohyun replied. "He''ll tear me apart and take away everything. I''ll not get any of his money. Not even a cent. Moreover, he hates me for giving birth to a daughter and not to the son he so desired. Do you know, he doesn''t even talk properly to Rachel? Ever since she was young, Rachel did everything she could to get his attention but there isn''t a single day when he was kind to her. It affected her a lot and now, she''s gone haywire! The girl is sleeping with everyone and not even sorry about the consequences."

    "What do you mean?" Changseob asked.

    "Iбн" Seohyun sat up. "I saw-"

    Her words were interrupted by the doorbell. They were both alert at the sound.

    "I''ll go and check," Changseob said. "You hide in the bathroom, okay?"

    She quickly hid in the bathroom, listening intently while Changseob answered the door. He put on a robe before heading out to check who it was. Seohyun waspletely quiet and remained still, trying not to attract any attention.

    "WHERE IS SHE?"

    Seohyun froze in shock. Rachel?

    She was about to grab the lock to stop her daughter from entering when Rachel burst in through the bathroom door. Rachel stared at her mother''s naked body, disgusted by her actions. Changseob appeared behind her, helpless.

    "You...HOW DARE YOU?" She screamed at Seohyun. "Having an affair behind my father''s back?"

    "It''s not how you think-" Seohyun began but Rachel grabbed the clothes off the floor and threw them at her mother.

    "Get fucking dressed!" Rachel ordered. "Ande with me otherwise I''ll send dad the pictures I''ve taken of the two of you!"

    She was ring at them and meant every word of her threat. Pushing Changseob out of the way, she waited outside the bathroom to wait for her mother.

    Seohyun''s nostrils red. She slowly wore her clothes and followed her daughter out. Changseob held her hand, trying tofort her but Seohyun had another n. She calmly faced her daughter.

    Rachel was still furious at her mother''s betrayal. "I''m gonna give these to dad," she dered. "And get you thrown out! How dare you ruin my dad''s reputation? He''s gonna divorce you and you won''t get a cent-"

    The sound of a p echoed throughout the t, causing even the dog in the other room to start howling again. Rachel was shell shocked that her mother had hit her. Seohyun never hit her before and always doted on her but for the first time, she pped her daughter. To add further to the shock, Seohyun grabbed Rachel by the chin.

    "Listen up, slut!" Seohyun growled. "You think you can ckmail me? But I know your deeds too! You''re sleeping with that college frat boy, aren''t you? You''re cheating on that boyfriend of yours!"

    Changseob''s mouth fell open while Rachel was mortified.

    "How did you find out?" she demanded.

    "Your bank called me," Seohyun revealed. "They told me that you took out ten grand from the ount. I had your activities traced and found out that you''ve been not just sleeping with the guy but also made pron videos with him. He was threatening you that he''d sell those videos on the and ruin your reputation. So you gave him money and also kept on sleeping with him. But that''s not the worst thing you did, was it?"

    "W-What do you mean?" Rachel stammered.

    "You realized that this is a big business opportunity," Seohyun imed. "So you and that boy had seduced other girls to make videos of them. He recorded his sexcapades and together, you two were selling it online. I know all about it."

    Rachel was now visibly scared of her mother who had the upper hand. Seohyun grinned while Changseob was also victorious.

    "We can make a deal, little girl," Changseob said. "You stay quiet and we''ll stay quiet. All of us will live our lives the way we''ve been living and no one has to suffer. Your family stays happy and you can also stay happy. Do we make ourselves clear?"

    Rachel red at them with spite. She wanted to rip out their smirks but they were onto her and there was no escape.

    "Fine," she finally whispered. "I''ll not tell dad. But don''t you daree near me again! Our rtionship is over!"

    Seohyun felt as if someone was stabbing her heart. Even though she loved Changseob, she was also sad that Rachel would never trust her again. She did not want thing to end up like this but it was inevitable.

    "Fine," she finally said. "I won''t. I''ll not go anywhere near you."

    Rachel pushed her away and left the apartment, shutting the door behind her and effectively, leaving her mother behind. Forever.

    бн..

    *Present*

    "Since then, I haven''t talked to Rachel," Seohyun said. "I carried on my affair and Rachel was also going on with her activities."

    "What about Changseob?" Jiwoon asked. "Where is he?"

    "He''s still in town," Seohyun said. "But he discovered that he was being followed by someone and warned me. It was a private investigator who was working for my husband. He dug into the matter and found out that the PI was going to give my husband all the evidence of our affair at Jung''s party. When I heard he got into an ident, I panicked and tried to take the envelope-"

    "But it fell into our hands," Jiwoon concluded. "So you have substantial reason to murder your daughter."

    "It wasn''t me!" Seohyun imed. "I was at the party that night!"

    "The CCTV footage shows that you were missing for a while," Jiwoon pointed out.

    "Iбн" Seohyun took a deep breath. "I was in my bedroom with Changseob. We were...Anyways, if you don''t believe me, you can talk to my maid, Hana. She always covers for me whenever I''m with Changseob. That night, I was with him for a while before going back to the party."

    "How did he enter the party?" Jiwoon frowned.

    "There''s a door in the basement which unlocks if you know how to twist the knob," Seohyun said. He entered through there and even left through it. There''s no camera around that ce because I had it secretly removed a year ago. Even Yohan doesn''t know about this. Moreover, I''m in charge of what the servants do in the house. I pay them more for their silence. They ignore everything happening around them."

    "Song Yohan doesn''t know about what happens in his own house?" Jiwoon questioned.

    "When the space in a house increases, so does the space between the people," Seohyun sadly mused. "Sometimes, we lose the people we love within our own homes and when that happens, we can never find each other again. Wee to our world, Detective. I pray that you can get out of it. Rachel couldn''t and now, I can''t either."

    With that, she finally broke down,menting the loss of her only child. Jiwoon did not stay back but rather walked away, closing the door behind her.

 Chapter 76 - The Burnt Girl (1)

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    Mass chapter mission time! Support me in win win by unlocking the privilege chapters to get mass releases. MR will be given based on the following conditions:??

    1000 privilege chapter unlocks= 3 extra chapter mass release

    5000 privilege chapter unlocks= 5 extra chapter mass release

    10,000 privilege chapter unlocks= 10 chapter mass release.

    This is applicable for every month! Please do support this book by buying as much privilege chapters as possible <3

    ....

    Hobin quickly rushed to the precinct. He had finally read one of Jina''s many messages and was berating himself for not responding to her earlier. Inside the police station, he scanned for her but to his surprise, Siwan was sitting at her desk.

    "Bro!" he eximed. "What are you doing here?"

    "Giving a statement," Siwan replied. "You left the party early so you don''t know, do you?"

    "What happened?" Hobin asked, sitting beside him. Siwan quickly told him what happened with Song Yohan and how his wife tried to steal an envelope. The police had already arrested her and another suspect which Hobin immediately deduced as Hyojin, the boyfriend.

    "Where''s Tinkerbell and her crew?" Hobin asked.

    "Jina and her partner are questioning the suspects I guess," Siwan sighed. "I don''t know about the rest."

    Right at that moment, Jiwoon came out of the interrogation room and saw Hobin.

    "Doctor Ohm!" she greeted. "We''ve been trying to get a hold of you for ages!"

    "What happened in the interrogation?" he asked.

    Jiwoon shot a nce at Siwan who was also listening in. "I think Detective Hwang and I will be giving a briefing to the others in a while," she said. "I''m sorry but I can''t tell it here becauseбн"

    Her eyes went to Siwan again who seemed to have realized what she meant. He was a civilian and the police could not leak information to him about any case.

    "I''m sorry if I intruded!" he quickly apologized. "I was just waiting for an officer to take my testimony."

    "I''ll do it," Jiwoon offered. "Doctor Ohm, you can meet up with the others in the briefing room. They''ll update you on what we''ve found so far."

    Hobin nodded and immediately ran off while Jiwoon turned to Siwan. She handed him a form to fill up.

    "Please write your testimonial on this and sign it," she instructed. "Sign here, here and hereбн"

    She pointed at all the ces for him to put his name on. Siwan followed her instructions and signed his name on his final testimony.

    "Kang Siwanбн" Jiwoon read. "Ah yes! You were the pediatrician who helped our boss at the orphanage."

    "And you''re the detective who got injured on-duty, right?" Siwan asked. "We didn''t meet that time but I saw you when the paramedics were carrying you away."

    They shook hands and sat down, waiting for Jina toe out of her interrogation.

    "This case must be tiring out everyone," Siwan said. "I''ve never seen my brother so tense. Even Jina is grim."

    "We''re being pressured by the higher ups to solve it as soon as possible," Jiwoon shrugged. "But it''s not that easy. We have to look at every angle."

    She was gently shaking her head. "People are really strange," she said. "Parents who didn''t even know that their own daughter was buried in their mansion. A girl who died a painful death inside her own home, a ce where she was supposed to be safe. I guess it''s one of those cases where we question everything."

    "Big mansions hide the worst secrets," Siwan mused. "My own half-brother was brutally tortured and killed by my father in our mansion but we didn''t know until it was toote."

    "Oh," Jiwoon said. "I''m really sorry to hear that."

    "Don''t be," Siwan said. "He''s in a better ce now. And his tormentor is dead too. What matters is that I''ll be a good brother to Hobin. I couldn''t love Shinho but that doesn''t mean I''ll abandon my brother again."

    "When you find someone to protect, I guess, you''d want to do everything to protect them," Jiwoon said in a cryptic tone. Her eyes were ssy as if she was remembering something unpleasant. Siwan waited for her to speak but she shook the memories away.

    "Anyways," she said. "I''m d that you have the determination to protect someone, Doctor Kang. I wish I had your courage."

    Before Siwan could ask Jiwoon what she meant, she got up and walked away, ready to start her briefing. He stared at the strange woman until she disappeared from view.

    "Weird," he muttered but waved off all thoughts. He checked his watch and realized that it was nearly 5 AM in the morning and his shift would start soon. He got up and left the precinct, vaguely thinking of telling his mother to send more crab cakes for them.

    бн

    Jina just finished her interrogation and entered the briefing room where her team and Hobin were already seated. Jiwoon stood up to address everyone.

    "We''ll go over the case details," she announced. Quickly, they recapped everything they found out from the suspects. Once they were done, Hobin spoke up.

    "Let me get this straight," he said. "When Hyojin left, Rachel was still alive, right?"

    "Yes," Jina replied. "He said that he left around 8 PM. His call records verify that he received a call from his mother that night. Also, I called the vet over for questioning. He agreed but informally told me that Hyojin and his dog Tommy were at the clinic all night."

    "8PMбн" Jiwoon began. "Seohyun met up with Changseob between 11 PM and midnight. They were together for a while. Apparently, a maid was covering for them. So Changseob left after midnight through the basement."

    "That means he must have seen something!" Jaebum spoke up.

    "Or he might have killed Rachel," Chanmi said.

    "I doubt it," Hobin said. "He was having sex with the mom, right? Then why would he bring a dog along with him? If it was a heat of the moment murder, then he might have been a suspect but it''s more likely that he''s a witness."

    "I agree," Jina nodded. "It waste at night. He left through the basement. He must have seen something but is too scared to talk. We''ll need to dig him out and also, Rachel''s secrets. She was filming porn videos. Maybe it''s in herptop or on that college guy''sputer. Bring everything in."

    "We didn''t find anything in herptop nor her phone," Woohee said. "But I''ll have her items cross checked again to see if anything is missing."

    "That burn book," Hobin began. "We have it with us? Can I read it?"

    "It''s in the evidence room," Woohee said. "I want to read it too."

    "Dahoon, where are we with the CCTV footage of the mansion and the party?" Chanmi asked.

    "I''m still clearing out the image," Dahoon replied. "The girl looks like a teenager. If she''s someone from Rachel''s school, then I can match the structure of the face with the students'' pictures and I might be able to get a clear photo. It''s my only shot."

    "I''ll tell the school to send the files," Jina said. "Our only possible witness is Shin Changseob. We must find him!"

    "And that PI who was hired by Song Yohan, bring him in," Jina went on. "Also, question the school students. "Get a direct court order if needed but that school is definitely hiding too many secrets. Tell them that if they don''t cooperate, we''ll have to start charging the minors and that won''t be good for their image. Get the Captain''s signature but get it done!"

    "Yes boss!" everyone eximed. They all immediately set off for their tasks. Hobin stayed behind to talk to Jina.

    "What you wrote in the text, is it true?" he murmured. He held up the text he received from her.

    It said, "Rachel is a poltergeist. More danger. Come quickly!"

    "Yes," Jina stated. "She''s a poltergeist and is now attached to all those whom she hated or ahd a beef with in her life. She already sent her dad into aa. Sera and Minyoon were attacked too. The college boy she had an affair with is also catatonic. She already made up with her boyfriend so I doubt she''s gonna attack him. That leavesбн"

    "Her mother and the lover," he nodded. "She''lle after them as well. What do we do now?"

    "We''ll have to search for her," Jina said. "She''ll look for her victims and kill them."

    "What If she can''t find them?" Hobin asked. "Changseob moved away a few days before I came. Does she even know where he is?"

    "Then she''s gonna go to all the ces where she thinks her enemies are living and keep looking for them until she finds them. She''ll look for him and I''m sure of it."

    She took a deep breath and admitted, "If Miyoo hadn''t seen the poltergeist that day, Minyoon could have died! I justбн"

    Jina was too scared to think of the possibility of any harm falling onto her siblings.

    "She must have been scared," Hobin said. "She''s young. These things can affect her mind and make her more introverted than she already is."

    "You''re right," Jina agreed. "She can''tmunicate properly even at this age. The only thing she could say at that moment to warn Minyoon were the words ''burn'' and ''bald''-"

    "Come again," Hobin said. "Did she say, burn and bald?"

    "Yeah," Jina frowned. "Why?"

    "Oh noбн" Hobin muttered. His mind was recapping the first time he met Miyoo when she entered his t while he was sleeping.

    "What happened?" Jina demanded. "Why do you look so worried?"

    "Didn''t you just mention that the poltergeist will keep on looking for her enemy at the ces where she thinks they might be living?" Hobin asked.

    "Yes," Jina replied slowly.

    "I think Rachel is loitering around our building," he revealed. "That day when Miyoo arrived, she saw the poltergeist entering my room because Miyoo uttered those same words to me!"

 Chapter 77 - The Burnt Girl (2)

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    Mass chapter mission time! Support me in win win by unlocking the privilege chapters to get mass releases. MR will be given based on the following conditions:??

    1000 privilege chapter unlocks= 3 extra chapter mass release

    5000 privilege chapter unlocks= 5 extra chapter mass release

    10,000 privilege chapter unlocks= 10 chapter mass release.

    This is applicable for every month! Please do support this book by buying as much privilege chapters as possible <3

    ....

    Junho and the twins were staring at the auburn haired man with suspicion. They were closely observing Hobin like vultures about to jump on a dying animal. Hobin, on the other hand, waspletely unfazed by the three idiots who were pretending to be tough. He knew very well that these three were nothingpared to Tinkerbell''s brute strength.

    Jina had brought him to the twins'' apartment to talk to Miyoo in the hopes that she would open up to a skilled psychiatrist. But they were first being interrogated by the three stooges in the living room.

    "You''re being a little too friendly with our elder sis," Minyoon stated. "Why?"

    "Coz we work together and I have to tag along when ites to psychotic cases like this," Hobin said in a deadpan tone.

    "I heard that you''re a yboy," Yoonmin said. "How many girlfriends do you have? Are you trying to y with my sister?"

    "Oi!" Jina eximed angrily. "I don''t like yboys! He''s not my type!"

    "She''s not my type either," Hobin said outright. "I like tall girls. Not someone who barely reaches by shoulder-"

    "I''ll kick you in the nuts!" Jina threatened.

    "Are you saying that my granddaughter isn''t worthy of you?" Junho scoffed. "Oh please! I know guys like you well! You pretend not to like a girl but in reality are secretly in love with them and hope that you can trap her!"

    "Is it because you were one of those guys in your youth?" Yoonmin muttered.

    "Can we stop this nonsense and focus on my case?" Jina argued.

    "NO!" The three of them shouted at once.

    "We''re assessing him first!" Junho imed.

    "Assess himter!" She snapped. "We have a poltergeist to catch!"

    The three of them scowled at Hobin who feigned an innocent smile at them only to annoy them even more. Meanwhile, Miyoo was sitting on the dining table, oblivious to everything else. She was simply braiding her doll''s hair and was lost in her own world or simply did not care about what the grown ups did.

    "That''s her, right?" Hobin said, pointing at Miyoo. "She saw the poltergeist?"

    The trio were now shocked. "How does he know?" Yoonmin asked.

    Jina and Hobin looked at each other. She took a deep breath and quickly revealed Hobin''s powers to them and also mentioned that the poltergeist was probably going to all the ces where she met her adversaries in the hopes of running into them.

    "That''s what happened," she concluded.

    "This guy can read minds?" Junho frowned. "This is very strangeбн"

    "Have you ever heard of a phenomenon like this?" Hobin asked, slightly hopeful. "Detective Hwang told me that you''re an exorcist. Did you ever run into someone who has...special powers like mine?"

    "No," Junho said, shaking his head. "I mean, I''ve exorcised creatures who can read minds but never met any other human who might be able to do this."

    "Creatures?" Hobin echoed. "What do you mean creatures?"

    "asional demons who stray into this world and possess people," Junho replied. "They try to read the minds of the people around them to manipte others and create havoc. But that''s just it. I''ve never seen a human do that."

    He was now peering at Hobin with a little more trepidation. Hobin was now a little scared of the old man who seemed to be thinking something.

    A heavy tension now lingered in the air which made even Miyoo look up to see what the adults were doing. They were grim faced and even scared as if something bad was going to happen. Minyoon had his hands in his pocket while Yoonmin was a little defensive too. Junho remained calm but cautious and Jina looked from him to Hobin who was now visibly nervous at the possibility of being a demon.

    "Are you saying that he might be a demon?" Jinaughed. "Well, he is nicknamed Doctor Demon!"

    "It seems unlikely," Junho said. "If he is a demon, he wouldn''t be able to enter this house. I''ve put charms around it. But I want to checkбн"

    He took out a sachet of red powder from his pocket and said, "Take this powder in your hand."

    Hobin reached out and Junho sprinkled some of the powder on his palm. The others watched as if waiting for something to happen.

    To their relief, nothing happened. Only Hobin was confused by the whole thing.

    "So...what does this mean?" he frowned.

    "This is a mixture of peach skin and salt," Junho exined. "It can effectively hurt any spirit or demon. Since you can hold it without any problem, it means you''re a human. Your powers might also be inherited like Jina and Miyoo''s."

    "But my birth mother did not mention any such powers to my adoptive mother," Hobin pointed.

    "Then your dad might have had it," Minyoon spoke up. "Like how our dad can travel to the ce where dead people can go and he passed it to elder sis. Same with you, probably."

    "Now that we have established that he''s a human," Jina said loudly. "Can we please talk to Miyoo and confirm that the poltergeist she saw was Rachel''s?"

    "You better not be reading her mind!" Junho warned.

    "I can''t," Hobin said warily. "I promised my brother I won''t read anyone''s minds for a while."

    "She might not speak much," Juno went on. "But she has seen too many things in her life-"

    "Like the one time when she caught you hiding a stash of money which you earned from your exorcisms so that we can''t find it?" Minyoon slyly asked.

    "How did you know about that?" Junho growled to which Minyoon barely shrugged. Jina and Yoonmin merely groaned while Hobin was wondering what he had done in life to deserve this much scrutiny from this wild family.

    "Just go and talk to her!" Jina told him. He sighed and walked over to Miyoo, who was still staring at him with herrge eyes.

    "Red!" she said, pointing at his hair.

    "You like the color red?" Hobin smiled. "Wanna touch it?"

    He sat on a chair and stooped down so that she could touch his hair. Miyoo reached out and patted his head.

    "Mushy," she said. "Red!"

    "What the hell is he doing?" Junho hissed but Jina shushed him.

    "Miyoo, were you scared when you saw Burn, Bald at Minmin bro''s ce?" Hobin asked. Miyoo nodded.

    "Burn, Bald," she repeated. "Bad."

    "She is, isn''t she?" Hobin asked. "Did you see her before that day?"

    Miyoo nodded and pointed at Hobin. "House," she simply said. "Red."

    "At my house?" Hobin asked. Miyoo nodded again.

    "Did you see her again?" Hobin asked. Miyoo seemed to be thinking hard before she shook her head. He nced at the others and gave a thumbs up.

    "I''ll leave you to your dolls now," Hobin said, gently patting her head. He was about to leave when Miyoo held his finger.

    "Will Red y with Miyoo again?" she asked, her eyes full of hope. Loud gasps echoed from her siblings while her grandfather looked as if he was going to faint from shock.

    Their sister spoke a full sentence!

    "Red will y with Miyoo whenever she wants!" Hobin chirped. "In fact, I can help you braid your dollsбн"

    Like an excited child, Hobin sat with Miyoo to y with her. The little girl seemed to have gotten attached to him which puzzled Jina to no end.

    "How are kids attracted to a brat like that?" she wondered out loud.

    "She''s even giving him a star sticker!" Minyoon said, feeling outraged.

    "I didn''t receive a star sticker!" Junho cried. "Howe he got one?"

    "Coz you look like a creepy old man," Jina muttered but she was smiling. "Just be thankful that we got a free therapist for Miyoo."

    Unlike them, Miyoo was aplete introvert and rarely talked unless it was necessary. Initially, everyone was worried about her but it turned out that she was just a shy child who was having trouble converting her thoughts to others. She was scared by the spirits who seemed to wander in and out of sight, making her crawl to a shell.

    But the incident with Minyoon seemed to have shaken her up and she was trying to be more responsive to people so that she could warn them like she had done with her brother. Moreover, Hobin was effective in dealing with children''s psyche so he might be able to guide her in a way no one else could.

    Maybe this guy can help Miyoo tomunicate with people, she thought happily.

 Chapter 78 - The Burnt Girl (3)

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    Mass chapter mission time! Support me in win win by unlocking the privilege chapters to get mass releases. MR will be given based on the following conditions:??

    1000 privilege chapter unlocks= 3 extra chapter mass release

    5000 privilege chapter unlocks= 5 extra chapter mass release

    10,000 privilege chapter unlocks= 10 chapter mass release.

    This is applicable for every month! Please do support this book by buying as much privilege chapters as possible <3

    ....

    "My poor son!" Mrs. Jung was wailing at the police station, loud enough for everyone to hear. "My poor, poor son! I''m gonna sue everyone here!"

    After two days of thorough questioning, Hyojin was finally released from custody. All his alibi checked out and he was officially cleared by the police but Mrs. Jung was turning it into a fiasco. Woohee and Chanmi were wary of the woman who was creating a scene while Sera, who came with her mother, was standing quietly in a corner.

    "Ma''am, your son was brought in as a suspect and he''s legally an adult!" Woohee stressed. "You can''t sue us at all."

    "Oh shut up!" Mrs. Jung snarled at her. "I''m not gonna spare any of you!"

    The officers were getting annoyed by her but they could not do anything to stop her. She could shout and scream for hours but it was of no use anyway. No matter how many times they exined thew, she was adamant on her stance.

    "What''s with all themotion?" Jiwoon frowned. Upon seeing her, Mrs. Jung immediately red up again.

    "Where''s my son?" She shrieked. "WHERE IS HE?"

    "Signing his release forms," Jiwoon said curtly. "Any problem?"

    Her indifferent gaze made Mrs. Jung angrier but she did not dare to mess with her again. After the embarrassmentst time, she knew that Jiwoon was not someone she could mess with.

    "Please sit down and wait for your son toe out," Jiwoon said in a calm tone. At that very moment, Hyojin came out of one of the cabins and saw his mother.

    "Mom!" he eximed and hugged her.

    "My son! My precious son!" Mrs. Jung yelled. Sera came forward as well, happily crying.

    "Bro!" she sniffed. Hyojin hugged her as well, happy to be reunited with his family.

    "If you find out anything about the case, don''t forget to call us," Jiwoon told him.

    "He won''t be calling anyone-" Mrs. Jung began but Hyojin stopped her.

    "I will let you know as soon as I find anything," he promised. "I''ll make sure that Rachel''s killer is caught!"

    "Hyojin, you don''t have to do this!" Mrs. Jung said but he shook his head.

    "You don''t know what that monster did to her," he growled. "I saw the photos, mom. Hepletely destroyed her! He...he didn''t just burn her with acid. Her hair was ripped off from her skull and he made a dog bite all over her body! And thenбн"

    He trailed off, still haunted by the memories of what the other detective had told him. After hearing what happened to the girl he had loved, he could not stay still and decided to help the cops in any way he could.

    Mrs. Jung was gaping at her son but Sera went very still upon hearing the graphic description. Her hands were mmy and she was now scared.

    Jiwoon, who was standing close, noticed her expression and frowned. Why is she so scared? She wondered.

    "Let''s go," Mrs. Jung said. "This was such an embarrassing time for us! First the party was disliked by the guests, then Song Yohan fell into aa! And then my son was arrested. I''m just so frustrated! We''re going home and styling low. You understand me?"

    "Yes mom," Hyojin replied. He was dragged away by his mother but Sera was still absent minded. She was thinking about what her brother just saidбн

    "Sera!" her mother called. "We''re gettingte, dear."

    "Coming!" she said and scurried after her mother. As soon as they left, Jiwoon turned to Chanmi.

    "That girl," she began. "What do we know about her?"

    "She''s a student at Dalton High as well," Chanmi replied. "Junior to Rachel though. I heard that she was humiliated by that girl a lot."

    "Keep an eye on her," Jiwoon ordered. "Get more information about this girl and her rtionship with Rachel. When her brother was talking about Rachel''s corpse, she seemed distressed."

    "Yes detective!" Chanmi nodded. "I''ll collect all the information I can."

    Just then, Hobin entered the precinct. His duty at the hospital was over and he came over as soon as he could.

    "Where''s Tinkerbell?" he asked.

    "At the Song Mansion, looking for more clues," Jiwoon replied. "You''re done with the burn book, doctor?"

    "I am," he said. "It''s enough to scar anyone for lifetimes!"

    They followed him to one of the empty meeting rooms where Hobin sat them down. "Rachel lied to her boyfriend about her affair," he began. "She''s been with that college guy for months. But she hid it from him and was taping those explicit videos to make extra cash."

    "We better not tell this to the boyfriend," Chanmi sighed. "He agreed to help us."

    "I agree," Hobin nodded. "Also, this burn book has all her dirty deeds in itбн"

    He flipped the pages and pointed at one para. "This girl, Moon Chaeyong, had stic surgery and Rachel was using that information to extract favors from her."

    Turning the page, he located another passage. "She was also ckmailing another boy named Hong Kijoo. He had illegally visited a red light district in the North and one of Rachel''s minions spotted him."

    Jiwoon flipped the pages and to her shock, the whole book only had things which Rachel used to ckmail people.

    "This thing consists of the secrets of hundreds of people!" she gasped. "And they are just teenagers!"

    "Her mom''s secret was here too," Chanmi replied. "But someone tore off those pages."

    "Probably Seohyun herself tore them off," Hobin said. "But what concerns me is this one."

    He pointed at one page which had Sera''s name on it. "Rachel made a friend of hers lure Sera into a love trap," he revealed. "And when Sera fell for it, Rachel humiliated her. She did this to her boyfriend''s sister because Sera had discovered Rachel''s affair."

    "Sera looked very scared when Hyojin was talking about Rachel," Jiwoon recalled. "Does this mean she knows something?"

    Before Hobin could reply, Dahoon came rushing into the room.

    "What is it?" Chanmi asked.

    "I cross checked the pictures of the students with the other suspect who was at Song Mansion that night," he revealed and put the printout of the image on the table. Hobin, Jiwoon and Chanmi nced at the picture. It was Sera.

    "I guess, the Jung''s aren''t done with police stations yet," Jiwoon sighed. "We gotta brace up for another shouting round."

    "How about I talk to her at her house?" Hobin asked slowly. "I''m sure she''ll respond better to me. She did at the party."

    "Arresting her will be moreplicated than her brother," Jiwoon agreed. "Awyer will be present and she can''t answer us."

    Something then struck him. The poltergeist was already targeting Sera but they had assumed it was because of previous grudges.

    Was it possible that Rachel was targeting Sera because thetter was a witness to the murder?

    Hobin got up, eager to go and question Sera. "Tell Tinkerbell to meet me at the Jung Mansion. I''m heading there."

    "Shouldn''t you wait for the boss to arrive and then go to question the suspect?" Jiwoon frowned but Hobin shook his head.

    "There''s no time!" he eximed. "If Sera saw something that night and is hiding it, then the sooner we get it out of her, the better."

    Without another word he sped off.

    I just hope the poltergeist doesn''t turn up, Hobin prayed.

 Chapter 79 - The Burnt Girl (4)

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    Mass chapter mission time! Support me in win win by unlocking the privilege chapters to get mass releases. MR will be given based on the following conditions:??

    1000 privilege chapter unlocks= 3 extra chapter mass release

    5000 privilege chapter unlocks= 5 extra chapter mass release

    10,000 privilege chapter unlocks= 10 chapter mass release.

    This is applicable for every month! Please do support this book by buying as much privilege chapters as possible <3

    ....

    Jina was standing in the middle of the Songs'' living room while the officers searched the house. Seohyun was sitting on a couch, stony faced and angry at Jina for the intrusion.

    "You''re ransacking my home," Seohyun said. "I''m never going to forget this!"

    "Funny how you can call this a home when your own daughter was found buried underneath it," Jinamented. "That too while you were upstairs, getting it on with your lover."

    There was no trace of sympathy in her voice for Seohyun. The little pity she felt for the woman for losing her child vanished in thin air. After all, she was ckmailing her own child in order to hide her dirty secret. Moreover, her tant ignorance of her daughter and the subsequent jealousy turned Rachel into a spoiled brat with no conscience. Even after death, Rachel''s hatred and rage had turned her into a monster which was hellbent on killing people.

    Jina could not help but wonder what would have happened if Rachel''s parents had actually cared about her. If they had checked up on her everyday, maybe Rachel would have never been mean to others. She would not have trapped so many people in her scheme and destroyed their lives. The girl could have been kinder and mature which might have saved her life.

    But it was now toote. And the parents did not seem to be sorry for their actions at all!

    "Don''t you feel even a little bit of regret that it was your carelessness which had caused your daughter''s death?" Jina asked out loud. "After all, if you were attentive to her and took responsibility for your actions, she might have been alive."

    "I was-" Seohyun began but Jina snorted.

    "Lonely?" She said. "That''s ame excuse. If you were lonely, then you could have done something to pass time. Take up a hobby, a job or spend time with your daughter like a normal mom. But you wanted an affair and look what happened. While you were in bed with your lover, your daughter was killed right beneath your feet."

    "That''s enough!" Seohyun snapped, getting to her feet. "You better stop otherwise I''ll-"

    "You what?" Jina threatened, looking straight into her eyes. "What''ll you do?"

    Seohyun gulped but Jina was not unfazed at all. She kept on looking at Seohyun, silently demanding the woman to even dare to challenge her. An officer came downstairs. The sounds of his footsteps diffused the tension between the women.

    "Ma''am, we''ve looked everywhere but we did not find the pages of the burn book nor the harddrive full of videos," the officer told Jina.

    "Did you check every nook and corner of the mansion?" Jina asked. "We should be checking all the rooms and ces so that we don''t miss out on anything. After all, we don''t want to be like the owners who don''t have any idea about their own house."

    She shot a disgusted look at Seohyun who was trembling with guilt and averted her eyes.

    "We did," the officer said. "I personally checked all the rooms but didn''t find anything. But we''ll keep searching."

    Jina nodded and dismissed him. Seohyun gave her onest re and walked away, seething with anger and embarrassment. Instead of waiting around, Jina headed straight for the basement to give onest shot.

    Unlikest time, the basement was well lit; the police officers had installed a few spotlights for the CSI to ease the investigation. Initial investigation was already over but they were keeping the ce sealed up until full check wasplete and only police officers were allowed to enter. Jina climbed over the ''Do not cross'' tape and entered the crime scene.

    She stooped down to check the shallow grave where Rachel was buried but she was not expecting any sort of clue to pop up. It was hard to believe that someone was killed in such a brutal way in that ce.

    "Ummm."

    Jina looked around to find a thin servant in histe twenties, calling her.

    "Madam, I was instructed to clean the master bedroom but the officers are not letting me," he informed her. "Could you please talk to them?"

    "You can''t clean this ce until we give the clearance," Jina said. Then something hit her.

    "Where''s Hana?" she asked. "One of your mistress'' personal maids."

    "Hana is in the kitchen," the servant replied. "She''s scared because she was questioned by the cops yesterday. Shall I call her?"

    "Take me to her," Jina ordered. The servant nodded and led the way to the kitchen. He pointed at a slim maid in her forties who looked visibly distressed.

    "That''s Hana," he said. Jina thanked him and walked over to Hana who took one nce at her and became defensive.

    "I already told the cops that the mistress was with her lover that night!" she imed. "Why are you bothering me?"

    "I know what you told the cops," Jina said. "I want to know what you did with the pages from Rachel''s burn book. I know that you carry out your mistress'' dirty deeds. Don''t you dare lie to me."

    Hana gulped and looked away. "The day after the party," she began. "Ms. Rachel went missing. It was not unusual, really. Ms. Rachel was quite impulsive. There were times when she disappeared for weeks but eventually turned up. She would go abroad or crash over at a hotel. Sometimes even lived with her boyfriend. So none of us paid much heed to it. Once she ran out of money, she would return."

    "But for some reason, the mistress was tense. She told me to search Rachel''s room and bring her anything I could find which might expose the madam''s secret. I found that burn book and showed it to her. In it, there were pages which detailed madam''s affair. So she tore those two pages off and gave them to me. I burnt them-"

    "Wait a minute," Jina stopped her. "Two pages? Are you sure?"

    "Yes," Hana confirmed. "There were two pages. I remember the page numbers clearly. They were pages hundred to hundred and one."

    "Were there any other pages missing?" Jina asked urgently. "Think about it. Any pages which you noticed were torn off?"

    Hana thought hard. "There was one page which was torn off," she nodded. "But I didn''t think much about it. I only got rid of the pages detailing madam''s affair."

    Jina was now even more confused. If two pages were torn off by the maid then where was the third page? Was it with the killer?

    "I must find that page!" she swore.

 Chapter 80 - The Burnt Girl (5)

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    Mass chapter mission time! Support me in win win by unlocking the privilege chapters to get mass releases. MR will be given based on the following conditions:??

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    ....

    "Sera, are you sure you don''t want to go shopping with me?" Mrs. Jung asked her daughter.

    They had just returned from the police station and Mrs. Jung wanted to put all the drama behind her. Hyojin muttered something about wanting to go for a walk and without another word, headed off despite his mother''s protests, taking Tommy with him. Mrs. Jung could only sigh and turn to her daughter.

    "It will be good for you," she went on. "After all, you were also tense about your brother and I think you need to go out more!"

    "No mom," Sera mumbled. "I wanna stay back. I''m not in the mood. Besides, I didn''t sleepst night out of tension. I''ll stay home. I''ve already called up Soobin and she agreed to skip school to apany me."

    "Why do you keep on hanging around that poor girl?" Mrs. Jung scolded her daughter. "I know such girls very well! She''s after our money and nothing else. You''ll see. She''s gonna snare some rich guy and marry him. Who knows, she might be after my Hyojinбн"

    "Mom, Soobin doesn''t even know my brother well," Sera said. "Besides, she was the only one who stood up for me when the whole school was-"

    She stopped herself from talking about the incident from a few days ago.

    "Anyways, you should go and shop," Sera insisted. "I''ll be fine. Really."

    Mrs. Jung pursed her lips but did not say anything. "Your lunch is in the fridge," she stated. "Heat it up. The maid is noting today so you''ll be home alone. If you need anything, call me, okay?"

    She kissed her daughter''s cheek and bid her goodbye. Sera watched as her mother got into the car and drove away. As soon as Mrs. Jung was out of sight, Sera sighed in relief and closed the front door behind her.

    Sera waspletely alone in the house. It was a weekday and everyone was off to work while the maid took a day off. Sera did not mind; she had been left alone in the house many times. As an introvert, she was fine living alone.

    Slowly dragging her feet up the stairs to her room, shey on her bed. Her mind was reying what Hyojin had narrated about the way they found Rachel''s body and she could not forget the gruesome details.

    Sera might have despised Rachel and was d that she died but after hearing the story of her death, she felt nauseous. She could not even imagine that the most beautiful girl in school had her beauty and life snatched away in such a horrific manner.

    But most of all, she could not get rid of the look Rachel had given her just before she was being dragged to her deathбн

    Fear crept in Sera''s heart and she was nervous about what was going to happen if anyone found out about what she did. Her hands were shaking and she was trying her best to fight off the guilt which was eating her alive. The image of Rachel''sst moments was torturing her and no matter how much she justified her own actions, Sera knew that she could not let go of that burning memory.

    "She deserved it," Sera chanted. "She was a horrible person and she deserved it. That''s right! She deserved to die!"

    Getting off the bed, Sera went into her bathroom to wash her face. She wanted to get rid of that memory which was torturing her. It would not let her live in peace. Even in death, Rachel''s memories were haunting her like a sadistic demon which wastched onto Sera.

    As she sshed water one her face, she looked in the mirror. Her in face was staring back at her. There were dark circles underneath her eyes and her skin had be sullen. She had not been able to sleep for weeks, keeping the dark secret in her heart. Sera turned away from her reflection and left the bathroom.

    However, the reflection was still watching her. Its gaze followed her silently, targeting the unsuspecting girl. Unlike Sera''s dull eyes, there was a fierce rage in its gaze and the burning hatred would not die.

    Seray back on her bed and tried to get some sleep until Soobin arrived. She pulled the nket over her body and closed her eyes. Her eyes were droopy. Sera was so tired that she was almost falling immediately into a deep sleep.

    But in her semi-conscious state, she felt as if the nket was being slowly dragged off her. A little annoyed, Sera pulled it back up. She was falling asleep again when suddenly, the nket was yanked off.

    "What the-" she yelled as she sat up but in an instant, her vision was covered by the nket. It felt towards her and someone was wrapping it around her.

    "Who''s there?" Sera shrieked. "Who''s there?"

    She felt a pair of hands grab her and pushed her backwards on the floor. Sera was about to sit up but something kicked her and she fell back again. Panicking, Sera cried for help, struggling to be freed but the nket was pressing against her as if someone was controlling it.

    "LET ME GO!" Sera begged, blindly fighting to free herself. A pair of hands pushed her back and grabbed her throat. Sera wheezed when she felt the grip tighten around her neck, cruelly choking her.

    "P-Pleaseбн" Sera whimpered. "P-please don''tбн"

    To her horror, a familiar voice spoke to her, sending several chills down her spine as she was being strangled.

    "Did you listen to my pleas?" Rachel''s menacing words echoed in Sera''s ears. "When I was begging you? When I was at your mercy? Did you save me?"

    The hold around Sera''s neck was now tighter and she was coughing. Her vision was beginning to get darker and she was losing her breath.

    "R-Rachel?" she whispered.

    "DIE!" Rachel screamed at her. "DIE!"

    Suddenly, there was a scramble of feet and someone burst into the room.

    Soobin, Jina and Hobin had stumbled into the room to find Sera being attacked.

    "Sera!" Soobin yelled and along with Hobin, rushed to free Sera from the nket while Jina saw the poltergeist clearly. Rachel''s burnt face turned towards the detective.

    Within an instant, Jina threw salt at Rachel, causing her to scream in agony. She kept on throwing salt at the poltergeist until it was forced to flee by jumping out of the window.

    Soobin watched helplessly as Hobin performed CPR on Sera who was unconscious. Finally, she coughed and began to breathe but was still in a critical state.

    "We''ll have to take her to the hospital!" Hobin shouted. "Now!"

 Chapter 81 - Suspect 3: Sera (1)

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    Mass chapter mission time! Support me in win win by unlocking the privilege chapters to get mass releases. MR will be given based on the following conditions:??

    1000 privilege chapter unlocks= 3 extra chapter mass release

    5000 privilege chapter unlocks= 5 extra chapter mass release

    10,000 privilege chapter unlocks= 10 chapter mass release.

    This is applicable for every month! Please do support this book by buying as much privilege chapters as possible <3

    ....

    Sera woke up in the hospital where the doctors had treated her. She was not sure how long she had been there but she saw Soobin''s worried face in front of her.

    "Where am I?" Sera croaked.

    "At the hospital!" Soobin replied. "Are you okay?"

    Jina and Hobin were also in the ward where Sera was admitted. She was confused and dazed because the doctors had sedated her. They said that she was not seriously hurt but needed rest so that she could recuperate.

    Hobin had called Jina and informed her about Sera''s possible involvement in Rachel''s death. She immediately rushed to meet up with him at Sera''s house where the rest of the events urred.

    "What...happened?" Sera asked. "And why are they here?"

    She pointed at Jina and Hobin who were still there, watching her. Jina sat at the foot of the bed, attempting to be gentle.

    "Sera, you were attacked in your house," Jina exined. "Someone tried to kill you and we managed to save you. When we removed the nket from you, there were marks of strangtion around your neck."

    Sera''s eyes widened in shock. The memories were now rushing back to her and Rachel''s cold voice was resonating in her head.

    "Did you listen to my pleas?" the voice had demanded. "When I was begging you? When I was at your mercy? Did you save me?"

    She was now shaking in fear and sat up only to feel dizzy.

    "Don''t stress yourself!" Soobin told her but Sera was holding onto her for life.

    "It was Rachel!" Sera imed. "I know it! It was her!"

    "Butбн" Soobin was thoroughly confused. She did not see anyone in the room. In fact, she had met up with Hobin and Jina at the doorstep and they heard Sera''s cries. The front door was locked so Jina broke the living room''s window and all of them climbed through it. They found Sera wrapped around in a nket and screaming but there was no one in sight.

    However, the detective had thrown salt at something invisible which only made Soobin more bewildered.

    "Sera, why do you think it was Rachel?" Hobin asked. "She''s dead."

    "It was her!" Sera insisted. "I know it was! She''s gonna kill me! I swear I''m telling the truthбн"

    Sera started to sob. The voice, the hatred in it had scared her and she was sure that it was Rachel. Only she hated Sera that much and was even willing toe back from the dead only to kill her. Sera was not imagining things at all!

    "Soobin, can you wait outside?" Jina requested. "We want to talk to Sera alone. Also, if you see Sera''s mother, then stop her from entering. Doctor Ohm and I will be talking to her."

    "Why-" Sera began to ask but Jina shot her down.

    "If you want to get out of this mess, then you''ll have to listen to us," she said in a steely tone. "Your mother will only increase our problems and the more we dy, the more you''re in danger. Next time, we might not be able to save you."

    That shut Sera up. The fact that Rachel was haunting her from the grave was a nightmarish thought and she was trembling at the memory of her near death experience.

    Soobin seemed to have gotten the gist of the seriousness of the situation and nodded.

    "I''ll do everything I can to stop her!" she promised and hurried out of the ward. Hobin closed the door shut and spun a chair around to sit next to Sera''s bed.

    "Sera, you know very well what you heard there," he said. "Tell us exactly what happened.

    "I''m telling you that it was Rachel!" she imed. "I was home alone and about to fall asleep when the nket was pulled off of me! There was no one there but suddenly, the nket was wrapped tightly around me and I felt a pair of hands choking me. I heard Rachel''s voice whichбн"

    Sera trailed off, looking away. She felt really guilty and scared of telling the next few words because it was going to incriminate her. Jina seemed to have understood her dilemma.

    "Sera, if you''ve done nothing then you have nothing to worry about," Jina stressed. "But if you have seen something on the night of Rachel''s death-"

    "I don''t know!" Sera lied. "I wasn''t there-"

    "Your face was caught on camera," Hobin stated. "We know you''re a witness. Now, you can either tell us the truth right now and agree to cooperate with us without getting arrested. Otherwise, we''ll have to go through the procedures and be forced to arrest you. Thetter is not going to be pretty. Your brother has an alibi for that night but you won''t be lucky. If the evidence is against you, then you''ll be sent to juvie. Do you want that, Sera?"

    Sera was now even more nervous. She was sweating heavily, scared by the prospect of being jailed.

    "B-But I didn''t do anything!" she said. "I really didn''t!"

    "You were caught on the camera, Sera," Jina said. "Your name is in Rachel''s burn book. You have way too many reasons to kill her. And given that you have trained a German Shepherd, you''re a very strong suspect. Only you have the extreme level of hatred for her."

    Jina was trying to be as gentle as possible but the truth was only scaring Sera. Hobin quickly jumped in.

    "But if you tell us the truth, then we can save you," Hobin said. "From the police and also Rachel''s ghost."

    "Y-You believe me?" Sera asked in astonishment. Jina shot a confused look at Hobin. What was he doing?

    Don''t expose my powers! She prayed inwardly.

    "In my profession, I''vee across people who have encountered ghosts," he lied smoothly. "I know that Detective Hwang here doesn''t believe in ghosts but I do. I''m a psychiatrist and I know that some things can''t be exined with science. So yes, Sera. I believe you."

    "Why would Rachel''s ghoste back?" Jina asked out loud, ying along with his scheme. "It''s really rubbish! I''m sure that Sera is hiding something about the murder but a ghost? That''s impossible-"

    "She wille back and she wille back to kill me!" Sera burst out. "I know it! Rachel hated me for exposing her affair to my brother. I was the one who tricked him into going to that college party that night so that he could see her deeds! She has hated me since then."

    Sera was now crying hard, making Jina and Hobin feel pity for her. She was clearly distressed but they had to weasel out the truth from her.

    "And now, she hates me even after death because Iбн," Sera began. "Because, I didn''t save her that night! She knows it and now she''s punishing me for not saving her."

    Jina and Hobin looked at each other.

    "What do you mean that she''s punishing you for not saving her?" Jina asked slowly.

    Sera took a deep breath and began to narrate. "That night, I went to her house to confront her about what she did to me," Sera revealed. "But what I saw shook me to the core."

 Chapter 82 - Suspect 3: Sera (2)

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    Mass chapter mission time! Support me in win win by unlocking the privilege chapters to get mass releases. MR will be given based on the following conditions:??

    1000 privilege chapter unlocks= 3 extra chapter mass release

    5000 privilege chapter unlocks= 5 extra chapter mass release

    10,000 privilege chapter unlocks= 10 chapter mass release.

    This is applicable for every month! Please do support this book by buying as much privilege chapters as possible <3

    ....

    *On the Night of the Murder*

    "Agh!" Sera yelped in slight pain. She had climbed over the wall and jumped off to trespass the private mansion. It was not hard to find the loophole in the security because her brother bragged that the so-called electric grills of the Song mansion was nothing more than a fluke to scare off intruders.

    She staggered to stand up and looked around her. The path she used was through the backyard and the servants were all busy that night. There was a party up on the roof and she could hear the loud sounds of music echoing through the grounds. It seemed that everyone was focused on the party and no doubt Rachel would be there as well.

    "Perfect!" she muttered and silently made her way through the grounds. Hiding behind a wall, she checked if there was anyone around the front door. There were a few maids who were gossiping amongst themselves.

    "I heard that the young miss is really mean," one of the maids was saying.

    "She''s a nightmare!" another maid imed. "That night, I tried to enter her room to change the sheets but she threw a sandal at me and barked like a dog to drive me away. Nasty piece of work that girl is!"

    They were murmuring and nodding, not noticing that Sera was slowly sneaking in through the front door. Upon entering the house, Sera slowly walked towards the Eastern part of the house. There were a lot of rooms and she was unsure where Rachel''s room was. Passing past arge living room which was probablyrger than her own one, Sera tiptoed towards a wide corridor which had several rooms lined up on both sides.

    She pressed her ears against one door to make sure that no one was in it before slowly opening it. The room was dark but she could see the silhouette of a king sized bed along withvish Greek style furniture and a small bookshelf. It was a neat room but Sera recalled that Rachel''s room had arge picture of herself on one side.

    Closing the door of the room, she went on to check the other rooms in the corridor but none of them seemed to be Rachel''s room. Maybe she lives upstairs, Sera thought.

    Suddenly, she heard the shuffling of footsteps and quickly hid behind a wall. A maid was standing in the hallway, talking on the phone.

    "Yes ma''am," she was saying. "I''ll make sure that he enters the mansion. Shall I tell him to wait for you in the bedroom?"

    The maid was listening to the person on the other line and then nodded. "Understood," she said. "I''ll ry the message."

    She hung up the phone and quickly left the room. Taking her chance, Sera quietly rushed towards the grand staircase.

    For some reason, it struck her as odd that there were not many people downstairs at that time. Even if there was a party upstairs, surely, there should have been more security. But there was almost no security. Moreover, the rooms she had just checked were all empty and not a soul seemed to be living in them. The mansion was really big but there were so few people living in it. Moreover, the handful of inhabitants of the mansion live so far away from each other.

    Do they get lost in their own house? She wondered. Sera was wandering on the first floor, looking for Rachel''s room. Even on that floor, there were many rooms which looked as if no one lived in them. Sera must have checked at least twenty such rooms and all of them were empty. What did the Song''s do with so many rooms?

    But there was not much time. She took the risk of breaking into the Song mansion only so that she could steal Rachel''s burn book. After the humiliating experience of getting trapped in one of Rachel''s many pranks, Sera had enough. Rachel actually made her friend, Jumyeon, pretend to like Sera and make her confess her bussing feelings to him. Sera thought that Jumyeon was a good person because he was really sweet and attentive towards her. As someone who craved love and care, she thought that Jumyeon was the one for her.

    So when she confessed to him, she was confident that he would ept her only for him to cruelly reject her. To her further horror, Rachel came out of a hiding spot and filmed it all. She taunted Sera for daring to love someone despite being so ugly and itpletely broke Sera''s heart. Sera was insulted and jeered upon by the whole school. Even her brother did not step up to help her out of fear. He did not want his reputation to be ruined by associating himself with her.

    The burn book was Sera''s only hope to take revenge on Rachel. Once she got her hands on it, she was going to release the contents anonymously and expose Rachel''s activities to the whole school. She wanted to see Rachel humiliated just like how thattter did to her.

    There was a fierce fire of revenge burning in her and it would not go away until Sera made Rachel beg for mercy!

    "Where the fuck is her room?" she muttered. Sera was now standing in front of a couch which had been ced on one side of the corridor. She looked around, wondering which one was her room when she heard one of the doorknobs twisting. Quickly hiding behind the couch, she held her breath to see who wasing out of the room.

    The door slowly swung open and a person in ck clothes and a mask wasing out of the room. To Sera''s horror, he was carrying an unconscious Rachel and she waspletely naked!

    What the fuck? Sera thought in fear. Rachel seemed to have been knocked out as she was being carried away downstairs. Sera debated for a while before deciding to follow the guy. She quietly tailed him as he made his way towards a door right underneath the stairs which Sera deduced to be some kind of basement.

    She waited for a few minutes before going after him into the basement. Slowly descending the stairs she hid behind a wall to see what he was up to.

    The many Rachel on the ground and was intently watching her. His back was turned to Sera. She spotted a trunk a few meters behind the man so she quickly went towards it. Silently opening it, she scrambled inside to peek at what was going on.

    Her eyes fell on Rachel who was now stirring. As soon as Rachel''s eyes opened, they fell on Sera who was now peeking out of the trunk.

    As if in a trance or was it a desperate attempt, Sera never knew but Rachel weakly tried to move but failed. Her hands and feet were tightly tied. Moreover, she looked as if she was drugged.

    "Helpбн" Rachel whispered at Sera, begging her to do something. "Helpбн"

    She was desperately begging Sera but thetter was frozen to her spot. A hand grabbed Rachel''s hair and jerked her head up. Rachel was too weak or unable to fight back because her body waspletely limp.

    Sera watched in horror as the man put a foot on Rachel''s bare stomach and with brute force, yanked out arge chunk of hair.

    And thus began, the most horrifying sight that Sera had ever seen.

 Chapter 83 - Suspect 3: Sera (3)

    AUTHOR''S NOTE: WARNING! THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS GORE AND VIOLENCE SO PLEASE READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.

    Mass chapter mission time! Support me in win win by unlocking the privilege chapters to get mass releases. MR will be given based on the following conditions:??

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    10,000 privilege chapter unlocks= 10 chapter mass release.

    This is applicable for every month! Please do support this book by buying as much privilege chapters as possible <3

    ....

    Like a wild animal on a rampage, the masked person was tearing off every bit of Rachel''s hair from her scalp. He used such brute force to wrench away the once long, golden locks that blood was gushing out of Rachel''s head. Sera heard something crack and she was sure that it came from Rachel''s skull.

    She was trying her best not to scream out in fright. Her senses had gone numb and she could only stifle her gasps as the man kept on tearing away Rachel''s hair and also parts of her skin, leaving behind a bloody mess. Rachel had been drugged and was paralyzed because she was not screaming nor was she able to move.

    But Sera could see her eyes were screaming in silent agony, begging at her to save her. Sera could have snuck up behind the man and hit him but she waspletely stered to her spot in the trunk, only watching the terrifying scene in front of her.

    Please let it be over, Sera prayed. Just end this!

    She watched as the man tore off more hair until there was nothing more than a crimson liquid oozing out of Rachel''s head. Shockingly, Rachel was still alive, trying to move her lips but failing to do so. Her eyes were still moving, begging at Sera who was still immobile in the trunk, simply peering through it. She should be screaming for help but the fear would not let her even move.

    Just when Sera thought the worst was over, she heard the slow whimpering of an animal. She did not notice it in the dark but there was arge cage on the other end of the room. Sera peered closely at it but her sight was partly covered by arge wine cab. But the whimpers...why did it sound familiar to her? She was racking her brain to think which creature made that noise but her mind drew a nk.

    The masked man did not say anything but stood back and was staring at his deed. Sera could not see his face but she could tell that he was admiring his work. He was relishing what he had done as if it was giving him a sort of unnatural satisfaction.

    The man stooped down and groped one of Rachel''s bare breasts and kneaded it. Sera wanted to throw up at what he was doing and for once, she felt sorry for what Rachel was going through at that moment. She watched as the man kept on touching and molesting Rachel while shey there helpless and limp.

    Sera''s heart was beating fast and she wanted to get out of the ce as soon as possible but the nightmare had only begun. The man was touching Rachel all over to his heart''s delight but he was not going any further. Instead, he was snickering like a child who had been given candy. He was touching Rachel with both his gloved hands, feeling her to his heart''s content.

    Rachel''s eyes were still screaming at Sera to save her but thetter was now too shocked to do anything. Her mind was telling her to go and help Rachel but something in her was preventing her from moving at all. She simply could not do it.

    Finally, after what felt like hours, the man stood up, still snickering. Sera never understood how Rachel was still alive after losing so much blood. Either the girl had a strong will to live or was clinging on to hope that someone would save her. But if she thought that her ordeal was over, she was wrong.

    The man walked over to the cage. Sera tried to see what was in the cage but she could not. She could now hear the growling of what sounded like a dogбн

    Suddenly, she was scared. If it was a dog, then it could sniff her and discover that she was hiding in the trunk all this time!

    Sera quickly closed the trunk as silently as she could andy in the darkness. She pressed her ears against the trunk to hear what was going on outside. For a while, nothing happened. Was the man gone?

    Just when she thought of taking another peek, she heard the dog bark and pounce on something soft. She thought she heard Rachel''s body being flung and what sounded like the animal chewing on somethingбн

    Sera closed her mouth in shock, trying not to throw up as she heard the sound of flesh being bitten on. She did not dare to sneak a peek buty silently in the trunk, tears rolling down her cheeks. Yes, she hated Rachel and wished that she would be out of her life.

    But even Sera did not want this to happen. What was happening to Rachel was something no one should ever go through. Sera should be going for help but she was so scared of the crazy maniac that her body would not move. She did not have the courage to run for help and was helplessly hearing the dog maul the once beautiful girl whose heart was full of pride.

    Die. It was all Sera could pray for. Death was the kindest thing for Rachel at that time because even if she survived by miracle, she would live the rest of her life as a handicap which wouldpletely ruin whatever was left of Rachel''s mental state. The beauty she raved about was gone and she was reduced to a shell of her former self. Seeing other people move on and live their lives would be torturous for Rachel and now, death was her only hope.

    Sera tried to keep calm but the sounds of the animal feasting on Rachel was echoing through her ears and no matter how much she tried to shut it out, it was impossible. Finally, she heard a whistle and the dog stopped. It seemed to be prancing back to its cage and there was a clicking sound.

    Shaking and traumatized, Sera slowly lifted the trunk''s door a little to peek outside only to be shocked and go back into the trunk. The little peek she took was enough to scar her for the rest of her life.

    The whole ce was a bloodbath. Rachel''s body was now almost a lump of meat with the bleeding bite marks all over it. She seemed to have some out of her paralysis, still alive and grunting in pain. The severity of the pain was preventing her from crying for help but it was of no use anyway. The whole mansion was soundproof and no one could hear her anyway. Even the dog''s barks were not heard upstairs by anyone.

    What have Inded myself into? Sera thought in dismay.

    "Helpбн" Rachel was now trying to say. The drugs which the man had given her were now out of her system and she was whimpering in that state, desperate.

    "This is what you get for your deeds."

    A low, menacing voice spoke up. There was not an ounce of emotion in his tone and Sera heard him stepping close to the spot where Rachely. Sera lifted the trunk''s door again and watched as the man took out a wine bottle. He uncorked it and slowly tilted it, pouring a clear liquid on Rachel''s face.

    "AHHHHHHHH!" Rachel screamed loudly when the liquid touched her face. Like a skin eating virus, the liquid was burning her face. Smoke emitted from her skin as the liquid burnt her and melted her one eye. Sera could not watch anymore and shut her eyes, hiding in the trunk. She could not drown out Rachel''s screams and she shook in fear as she heard her once nemesis die a brutal death.

    Stop, make this stop! She begged. Make it stop-

    Suddenly, the trunk yanked open and Sera looked up to see the masked man staring at her. His eyes were covered by sunsses but he was aware that there was a witness. Before she could scream, he grabbed her and yanked her out of the trunk. The man dragged her towards Rachel''s body and made her look at it.

    "You dare to tell anyone what happened here, then I''ll make sure that you face the same fate as her!" he threatened her. Sera squealed in fright, trying not to look at the remnants of Rachel''s body. The girl she used to hate, the girl who turned her life into a living hell was lying dead in the worst possible way.

    And Sera did not have the guts to look at her.

    "I-I w-w-won''t!" Sera squeaked. "I won''t tell anyone! P-p-p-please let me go!"

    "I know you hate her too!" the man smirked. "I saw your picture and name in the burn book, Hippo! If you tell anyone about this, I''ll kill you and trust me, your death will be worse!"

    He let go of her and Sera was panting in fear.

    "Go!" he ordered. "Otherwise, I''ll kill you too!"

    Without another word, Sera ran off. She struggled with the basement door for a while before managing to open it and escaped the bloody cer. All that time, she thought she felt the still alive Rachel''s eye on her but she could not dare to look back. Sera simply wanted to run away and leave behind the messy nightmare.

    Little did she know, the nightmare was never going to let her go.

 Chapter 84 - Suspect 4: Changseob

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    Mass chapter mission time! Support me in win win by unlocking the privilege chapters to get mass releases. MR will be given based on the following conditions:??

    1000 privilege chapter unlocks= 3 extra chapter mass release

    5000 privilege chapter unlocks= 5 extra chapter mass release

    10,000 privilege chapter unlocks= 10 chapter mass release.

    This is applicable for every month! Please do support this book by buying as much privilege chapters as possible <3

    ....

    There was a long stretch of silence after Sera''s tale. Sera was now crying hard, feeling guilty and scared of what she had done. The nightmare had been stalking her since that day and no matter how hard she tried, she could not get rid of the look in Rachel''s eyes in her dying moments.

    "I know she''s out to punish me," Sera said in a thick tone. "And she should! I deserve to be killed by her! I couldn''t do anything to help her and now, she wants revenge on me. I...Iбн"

    She was sobbing hard, making Jina reach over to pat her head.

    "You were scared," Jina said. "Anyone would have been scared in your ce. But you should have told someone sooner."

    "I couldn''t forget that man''s threat!" Sera whispered. "He...he was so scary. I lived in this guilt for weeks and I can''t get rid of it."

    "You can if you reveal everything you saw that night," Hobin told her. "And if you need therapy, I''ll help you. But you''re not alone in this. Don''t be scared at all."

    The door flung open and a furious Mrs. Jung burst into the room followed by her son and a flustered Soobin.

    "I tried to stop her but she pushed me aside and-" Soobin began but Mrs. Jung marched towards Jina.

    "HOW DARE YOU TALK TO MY DAUGHTER WITHOUT MY PERMISSION?" she screamed. "I''LL SUE YOU! I''LL MAKE YOU PAY FOR TALKING TO A MINOR WITHOUT A LAWYER OR GUARDIAN-"

    "Your daughter wasn''t arrested," Jina pointed out. "We found her unconscious in her room and saved her."

    "You should be thanking us for being able to save her on time," Hobin added. "And you should spend less time at society functions and more time with your kids."

    "Why you little snooty brat-"" Mrs. Jung began but Sera spoke up. She was beingforted by Hyojin but she was a little more determined than before.

    "Mom, I''m going to help the cops," she stated clearly.

    "You don''t have to do anything!" Mrs. Jung snapped at her. "I''ll sue these cops-"

    "I''m a witness to Rachel''s murder," Sera revealed. "I saw what happened that night and I''m gonna give a statement to the police. You can be present there if you want but I''ll tell them everything, with or without you. I...I can''t live with this guilt anymore! I must tell them!"

    Mrs. Jung was whished and Hyojin was also shocked. Soobin watched everyone quietly, feeling awkward while Jina and Hobin nodded.

    "I''ll call my officers to take your statement in the hospital, in front of your mother," Jina said. "Since your face was caught on camera, you will have to testify anyway. You can call yourwyer, if you want but you''ll have to testify anyway."

    "But how did this happen?" Mrs. Jung demanded. "Why do you know what happened to Rachel? And-"

    "I was bullied in school!" Sera burst out. "Rachel and her friends bullied me because I knew about her secret affair with that college guy!"

    "What?" Hyojin eximed. "She said it was a one time thing-"

    "She''s been lying to you for months," Sera revealed. "She was sleeping with him for a while. I caught them kissing a long time ago. Since then, she''s been manipting you against me and also bullying me, bro. I went to her ce that night so that I could steal her burn book and expose her!"

    She turned to her mother, crying. "If you hadn''t been so busy with your new found wealth, you''d have seen how miserable I was! I''ve been depressed and angry for months! But you were only worrying about your status and nothing else. Just let me do the right thing and free myself from this nightmare. Please!"

    Her outburst silenced her mother who was now shocked by what went on behind her back. Hyojin stood up and faced his mother.

    "Let her do the right thing," he coaxed her. "Mom, don''t interfere in this anymore."

    A single drop of tear fell from Mrs. Jung''s eye and she wiped it off. "Alright," she conceded. "Detective, please go on with your work. I won''t interfere."

    бн..

    Two hourster, Jina and Hobin were back in the precinct, this time with Sera''s signed statement. Everyone except Woohee was at the meeting.

    "Sera didn''t see who it was," Jina told her team in another briefing. "But she said it was a guy."

    "We''re still in square one though," Jiwoon pointed out. "ording to her statement, she left the mansion around 11:30 PM. By that time, Rachel was dead. And Shin Changseob left the mansion well after midnight. Around 1 am ording to Seohyun."

    "So he''s not the killer either," Jaebum sighed. "But ording to Sera, the whole ce was bloodied. Which means that the basement was cleaned up between 11:30 PM and 1 AM. Within one and a half hours. Unless Changseob saw the bloody mess and stayed quiet too"

    "Don''t forget that there has been a timepse of three weeks before Rachel''s body was found," Dahoon stated. "Even if the killer cleaned up in such a short time, most of the DNA evidence was already gone within those three weeks."

    "Moreover the killer knew that the basement was soundproof," Chanmi stated. "How else can anyone just bring in a dog and no one hears its barks?"

    "The basement was soundproof too," Jiwoon replied. "No one could hear anything even if a bomb had exploded there!"

    "What concerns me is his statement," Hobin said. He pointed at the copy of Sera''s testimonial and showed them one particr line.

    "This is what you get for your deeds," he quoted. "What deeds? Which one is he referring to? Was it her porn business? Her tendency to ckmail people with their secrets? Or her bullying?"

    "Or none?" Jina added. "Maybe he''s talking about something else she had done. If this guy is part of the burn book, then he''ll probably be on the third missing page."

    At that precise moment, Woohee stumbled into the room.

    "Boss!" she eximed. "Sorry to interrupt but I managed to bring Shin Changseob into custody. The guy was about to run away on a train but one of the officers at the station called me up and told me that a man with the same description as our murder suspect was seen there. So I told him to stop the guy and keep an eye on him until I reach there."

    "Where is he now?" Jina demanded.

    "Interrogation room," Chanmi replied.

    "I''ll go and question him," Jina said. "Jiwoon, what''s the update on the PI?"

    "We called him and he''lle today to testify," Jiwoon replied. "I''ll question him."

    "I''lle to the interrogation with you," Hobin told Jina. Thetter nodded and they dismissed the meeting before heading towards the interrogation room.

    "I wonder what he''s gonna tell us," Jina sighed. "If he''s not the killer, which I''m sure of, then who else so we have left?"

    "Well, unless the angry poltergeist talks to us, we can''t be sure," Hobin stated.

    "She can but it''ll be a dangerous method," Jina said grimly. "I really don''t wanna use that method without the old man."

    They entered the interrogation room to find Changseob handcuffed. He winced upon seeing Jina. They never got along in the building because Jina knew that Changseob was a good-for-nothing idiot who only wanted easy money.

    "I''m tellng you!" he imed. "I''m not the murderer!"

    "I never mentioned any murder," Jina shrugged.

    "This is the guy who lived in my apartment?" Hobin asked warily. "Took me days to clean off the stench of animals fromy my ce."

    "That''s the old woman Ahn''s fault for not cleaning it!" Changseob imed. "I used to keep that ce clean all the time but she didn''t let me clean it onest time before leaving!"

    "So you know a lot about disinfection and chemicals?" Jina asked.

    "Of course!" Changseob imed. "I have to! Anyone who owns an animal must be well versed in it. After all, we have to clean up after them."

    "That means he must have cleaned up the ce after murdering Rachel as well," Hobin suggested.

    "Woah woah!" Changseob said. "I didn''t kill anyone! That girl was already dead when I found her."

    Jina and Hobin nced at each other. "You found her?" Jina frowned.

    "Yeah!" Changseob revealed. "That night, I left Seohyun in her room after...ummmбн"

    "We know you guys are banging each other!" Hobin said impatiently. "Just go on."

    "Well, I ran towards the basement and a strong scent of bleach and peroxide hit me," he recalled. "I thought someone was downstairs but there was no one. Instead, I saw aбн"

    He was scowling with disgust. "I saw a bloody body! I mean, literally it was a bloody body! It looked almost like a lump ofrge meat with no hair and burnt skin. I got shit scared and didn''t know what to do! If I told the police then I''ll be charged for trespassing. Also, my affair with the boss'' wife will be caught. I love her money but I wanted to keep my job as well! So I left the body there and ran. I didn''t want to fall into the mess!"

    "And then a few weekster, I found out it was the boss'' kid''s body," he went on. "I panicked and stayed low coz I knew that Seohyun would reveal our affair. Today I tried to run away but your officer caught me. That''s it!"

    "When you found the body, was the basement full of blood?" Jina asked.

    "The walls were always a dark color," Changseob snorted. "Made of red bricks and all! The floor was sprayed with white powder and a really strong peroxide chemical. It''s not avable easily though."

    "How can you tell?" Hobin frowned.

    "Well, it''s only sold to licensed people," Changseob said. "Fei Pharmaceuticals only sells it to medical professionals or institutes."

    "Fei Pharmaceuticals?" Jina echoed.

    "Yeah, the chemical smelled a lot like the one Fei Pharma produces," Changeseob revealed. "Ya know, the ones used in crime scene cleanup. Old man Yohan produces them after all! He should know about this."

 Chapter 85 - Tinkerbell & The Brat

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    Mass chapter mission time! Support me in win win by unlocking the privilege chapters to get mass releases. MR will be given based on the following conditions:??

    1000 privilege chapter unlocks= 3 extra chapter mass release

    5000 privilege chapter unlocks= 5 extra chapter mass release

    10,000 privilege chapter unlocks= 10 chapter mass release.

    This is applicable for every month! Please do support this book by buying as much privilege chapters as possible <3

    ....

    Jina let out a loud sigh of frustration. The cool night air did nothing to calm her nerves. Putting the chopstick into the noodles, she began to slurp, feeling very depressed.

    She was on the roof of her apartment building. After Changseob''s statement, they were back to square one with no suspects at all. Jiwoon had interrogated the Private Investigator Song Yohan had hired and he stated that Yohan was with him between 8 PM and 12 AM. It was impossible for him to be the killer as well. Even the bank transactions of all the suspects cleared out because none of them made any such payments which looked suspicious.

    Everyone was walking scot free including the murderer.

    Who is it? She wondered as she slurped her food.

    "Oi, Tinkerbell!"

    Hobin''s voice called her but she ignored him. After taking Changseob''s statement, Jina wanted to be left alone with her thoughts. She ordered Chinese food for dinner so that she could sit on the roof and eat while eating on sloppy noodles and chicken.

    She heard Hobin''s footstepsing closer and he sat next to her.

    "Are you really depressed over this case?" he sighed.

    "Of course I am!" she snapped. "There''s a crazy poltergeist on the loose and might kill my brother if I don''t find her bloody murderer!"

    Jina angrily stabbed her chicken with the chopsticks. Hobin watched her acting frustrated, not saying anything for a while.

    "Our killer sure knows how to clean," he sighed. "Totally butchered a person and still managed to clean up the crime scene like a pro."

    Jina scowled at him, sickened by the gruesome description of the murder. Thanks to that, she lost her appetite.

    "Did you have to remind me of that?" she asked, feeling nauseated. She put away the box of chicken which Hobin quickly picked up to chow on. He chewed the chicken happily while Jina shook her head in dismay.

    "I wonder what''s tying her to this world though," Hobin said.

    "What do you mean?" Jina asked.

    "Well, you told me that day that spirits are tied to this world due to an unfulfilled wish, right?" he asked. "And even if Rachel is a poltergeist, she''s still a sort of spirit, right? Then there must be something which is tying her here. Can''t be just blind revenge. That just seems to be a side effect. She''s haunting the people who hurt her even the slightest. I mean, your brother was attacked simply because he rejected her, right? But she didn''t attack her boyfriend yet. That means she''s only after those whom she hated."

    "Her mother wasn''t attacked though," Jina pointed out. "Nor Changseob."

    "But she was looking for Changseob," Hobin said. "In this house. Which means that she doesn''t know that he isn''t living here anymore. Her dad is down, Sera was attacked too and so was Minyoon. It''s only a matter of time before Seohyun will be attacked and if Rachel manages to find Changseob, she''ll not spare him."

    "My grandpa is already on it," Jina stated. "He''s waiting for one of his old acquaintances toe back to town. Once he''s here, he can help us."

    She sighed out loud while Hobin concentrated on his free food. "Do you see ghosts in almost all your cases?" he asked. "It seems that it''s a recurring urrence."

    "Not all," Jina admitted. "I do see them in most of the crime cases but sometimes, there are no ghosts involved."

    "What are you gonna do with this case?" Hobin asked. "Now that all the suspects are cleared and there are no more clues, will this case be closed?"

    "It''ll continue for a few months," Jina replied. "But it''ll go cold and Rachel''s poltergeist will keep on haunting these people until they die. Even Minyoonбн"

    Her voice croaked and she looked away. Hobin knew that she was trying hard not to cry but the thought of her little brother being in danger was tormenting her. She was hiding it but to Hobin, it was evident.

    "But you won''t give up on it," he stated. "You''re a softie. You can''t let it go."

    "Softie?" Jina echoed. "I am not a softie!"

    "Oh please!" Hobin scoffed. "You can''t see people crying. You can''t give up on a case until the killer is behind bars. Your teammates and family means the world to you and you''d karate chop anyone who''d try to harm them, living or dead. You''re a total softie, Tinkerbell!"

    "Stop calling me that!" Jina eximed, feeling annoyed. "I am not that tiny!"

    "Who the hell is talking about your height?" Hobin asked innocently. "I just think you look cute just like Tinkerbell."

    Jina gaped at him, going red in the face. Hobin shed her a cheeky smile before going back to his chicken.

    "Hey!" she protested. "I prefer being called scary! Or a badass cop! Not cute!"

    To her further dismay, Hobin patted her head as if petting a dog. "A look how tough this little midget is trying to be," he said in a sarcastically sweet tone. "Just like a little kitten chasing a thread."

    "What?" she eximed. "I''m a grown up detective! I solved many cases and criminals are scared of me!"

    "Yes, you''re a thirty something year old with the face of a five year old," Hobin said in a deadpan tone, teasing her. Jina''s cheeks puffed up in anger.

    "Give me back my chicken!" she demanded but he stood up and held it high.

    "Come and get it," he smirked. Jina got to her feet and scowled. She lunged at him to grab the box but he was too damn tall! Hobin watched as the Tinkerbell jumped up and down, pouting like a kitten as she tried to take the box from him.

    "Damn you tall people!" Jina cursed. She climbed on the bench, trying to get the box but she lost her footing and almost fell.

    In an instant, Hobin grabbed her by the waist and she fell on his chest. A strong scent of vani and cider hit Jina, making her gulp. Hobin was looking at her with his dark eyes full of an alien intensity which was difficult to fathom. He gazed at her, his heart beating faster than ever and there was a crazy urge in him to pull her soft cheeks. Her brown eyes were staring back at him, a mix of nervousness and surprise running through them.

    Jina was unsure of what she was feeling at that moment but it seemed that time had stopped. It was just the two of them under a moonless sky. The city around them was silent as if witnessing the intense moment between the two of them.

    As if in a trance, Hobin raised his hand and brought it close to her cheekбн

    "AHHHHH!" Jina yelped when Hobin pulled her cheek hard. "What the hell?"

    "I was just testing how tough you are," Hobin imed, still pulling her cheek hard, intentionally teasing her. "Ooh look at the tough midget!"

    "You brat!" Jina yelled and stomped him on the foot. Hobin winced in pain and jumped back. Jina rubbed her cheek which was nowpletely red thanks to the brat who squeezed it too hard.

    "You owe me dinner!" she dered.

    "Solve the case and I''ll treat you to popcorn," Hobin scowled, limping as he headed towards the exit. The woman was tiny but her hits hurt like a bitch!

    "I want a five star continental set!" Jina ordered, running after him.

    "And I want Angelina Jolie as my neighbor but I''m stuck with you!"

    "Hey, people feel safe when cops are their neighbors!"

    "Not when they hit you like this!"

    "You deserved it!"

    "Did not!"

    "Did too!"

    They bickered all the way back to their ts. As soon as they reached their floor, Jina pouted and stormed off after several unsessful attempts to extort free food from him. Once inside her house, she closed the door and stood there for a while, not doing anything.

    Then she burst into a fit ofughter. For the first time in many days, she felt lighter and amused. She sat on her bed, still smiling. Even though Hobin was bratty and annoying, it was fun to have him around especially during stressful times like these.

    "Brat!" she giggled.

    Back in his apartment, Hobin was also smiling. Earlier, he had gone to the roof for some fresh air but seeing Jina depressed and lost made him feel uneasy. For some reason, he did not like it when she felt that way so he tried to distract her from everything. To his delight, he was partly sessful.

    He had expected life in the new country to be dull and quite boring but to his surprise, he was enjoying it. For the first time, someone was treating him like a normal person and not a mind reading freak. Moreover, he had to admit that Hwang Jina was a smart detective in her own right. There was not a single dull moment with her around and she pulled people in like a ma. Even a loner like him ended up drifting towards her.

    "That Tinkerbell is a handful," he sighed. "But life is fun with her around."

    Whistling to himself, Hobin headed straight for the bathroom, to freshen up for a good night''s sleep.

 Chapter 86 - Babysitting

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    Mass chapter mission time! Support me in win win by unlocking the privilege chapters to get mass releases. MR will be given based on the following conditions:??

    1000 privilege chapter unlocks= 3 extra chapter mass release

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    10,000 privilege chapter unlocks= 10 chapter mass release.

    This is applicable for every month! Please do support this book by buying as much privilege chapters as possible <3

    ....

    "Oi Minyoon!" Junho called for his grandson. "When is the new babysittering in? We gotta meet up with Bomi before midnight!"

    "She''s here already," Minyoon replied. He was in his bedroom, wondering which jacket to wear for the asion. Apparently, his grandfather''s old acquaintance had returned from an overseas exorcism mission and was ready to meet them that night. The man had told Minyoon toe as well but they could not take Miyoo with them. Yoonmin was out for an urgent meeting so they urgently needed a babysitter.

    Fortunately, Minyoon had managed to hire a permanent babysitter for Miyoo.

    "Should I wear the pink one to match my hair?" he wondered out loud. Junho, irritated by his grandson''s tardiness, burst into the room.

    "You''re not going to a fashion show!" he snapped. "Just wear anything!"

    "Old man, this face makes money," Minyoon grinned, checking out his beautiful face in the mirror. "I need to look good even when I sleep. What if some fan clicks my photo and posts it on social media? I can make money just for sleeping like a handsome prince-"

    "How much money will one picture of your face sell for?" Junho asked. "I need a new TV set for my room."

    Before Minyoon could reply, the doorbell rang. Miyoo, who was out in the living room watching cartoons on her brother''s tablet, looked up. Junho opened the door to find Soobin standing there, looking very excited.

    "Hello grandpa!" she imed. "Minmin hired me to babysit his sister!"

    "Is that Soobin?" Minyoon asked,ing out of the room. He chose a ming red jacket for the meeting.

    "I''m here!" Soobin eximed cheerfully.

    "Aren''t you working at a restaurant?" Junho frowned. "Can you handle two jobs while juggling school work?"

    "I''m very good at working multiple jobs!" Soobin said excitedly. "I used to run a babysitting club back in my hometown and also worked at the local restaurant at night! And my grades are always good so I can manage!"

    She looked very determined to do the job. Even little Miyoo was watching from afar, curious about the stranger. Junho let Soobin in while Minyoon gave her the details.

    "Thanks for epting my job offer," he said. "This is the list of Miyoo''s requirements."

    He handed her a small paper. Soobin read the one short sentence written on it.

    "It only says that she goes to bed at 8 PM," she said. "What about food and other things?"

    "She doesn''t care," Junho said. "She''ll eat anything, anytime. Besides, if she gets bored, she''ll tell you what she wants to do on her own. But she doesn''t talk much so you''ll have to look out for some signs of what she wants tomunicate."

    "Like if she bites your thigh, it means she''s scared or it''s a danger sign," Minyoon stated.

    "Danger?" Soobin echoed.

    "Yes," Junho nodded. "And if she follows you around, it means she wants attention."

    "If you''re busy, then give her a penny and she''ll be happy for the rest of her life," Minyoon added. "The penny jar is in Yoonmin''s room upstairs. It''s the obsessively neat one with business books on the shelves. That''s it, really!"

    "Thigh bite means danger and give her pennies if she wants too much attention!" Soobin memorized. "Got it!"

    "If anythinges up, call us," Junho instructed. "Minyoon texted you our numbers, right?"

    "Yes!" Soobin eximed. "I have everyone''s numbers! Leave it to me!"

    "If Miyoo gives you a star, it means she likes you," Minyoon added.

    She nodded. The men bid her farewell and left the house, leaving Miyoo and Soobin alone. Soobin turned to Miyoo to bond with her.

    "Miyoo, right?" she asked cheerfully. "I''m a friend of Minmin''s! My name is Soobin and I''ll be taking care of you tonight. Are you fine with it?"

    Miyoo blinked at her as if trying to remember where she had seen this girl beforeбн

    "Yoonie," she mumbled. "Laptop."

    Soobin was confused by what she meant but Miyoo went back to her tablet. The little girl finally remembered where she had seen the girl. Her elder bro, Yoonmin, was gazing at Soobin''s social media picture a few days ago and Miyoo saw it.

    "Do you want to drink something?" Soobin asked. "Or do you want to eat something? Are you hungry?"

    Miyoo seemed to be thinking for a while before replying, "Egg rice."

    "Okay!" Soobin agreed. "I can make really good egg rice! You wanna see?"

    She was expecting Miyoo to refuse but to her pleasant surprise, the little girl sat up and nodded. Her face was deadpan but her eyes were beaming with excitement. Soobin carried the child in her arms and they went to the open kitchen. She put Miyoo on the counter top and began to scavenge the fridge for the ingredients.

    "Let''s make egg rice!" Soobin beamed. "But don''t touch anything, okay?"

    Miyoo nodded and watched as Soobin expertly mixed the eggs before frying them on a pan. She put in some cooked sticky rice in the middle of the partly fried egg and seasoned it with spices and meat before flipping the egg. Finally, she put it on a te and put it on a table. She then ced Miyoo on a chair before handing her a spoon.

    "How is it?" Soobin asked, sitting next to her. Miyoo took a spoonful of the Egg Rice into her mouth. For a moment she did not say anything but began to search in her pockets. Soobin watched as the child took out a sticker set and pulled out a star. Miyoo leaned forward and stuck it on Soobin''s face.

    "Star!" Miyoo dered.

    "Yaii!" Soobin eximed. "I love it already!"

    She watched Miyoo finish off her te like a good girl. Thankfully, it was not so hard to babysit the girl and Minyoon was paying Soobin a good amount too. But Soobin genuinely liked the child whose antics were just too cute.

    After dinner, they went back to the living room where Soobin ced Miyoo on the sofa.

    "I''ll open the window a little," Soobin said. "The fresh air will feel good."

    Miyoo watched as Soobin walked towards the window. But Miyoo''s eyes widened in fear.

    Right outside the window, a bald and burnt poltergeist was looking into the house as if searching for someone. The naked figure was holding a huge rock and aimed at the window.

    Miyoo quickly sprang off the sofa and ran towards Soobin but she tripped. Miyoo''s whimper caused Soobin to turn around and rush towards the little girl. She stooped down to tend to her.

    "What happened?" Soobin asked in shock. "Are you hurt?"

    To her surprise, Miyoo bit her knee. The little girl was suddenly very scared as if she had seen a scary ghost. Soobin was bewildered by the change in her and worried that something was wrong.

    "Miyoo, what-"

    CRASH!

    The sound of breaking ss echoed throughout the apartment. Broken ss shards flew everywhere and instinctively, Soobin shielded Miyoo with her body. Something heavy hit Soobin''s head and blood gushed out of her skull as she fell on the floor with Miyoo pinned underneath her arms.

    бн..

    "I told you, we''ll not be investing in that venture," Yoonmin was saying on his phone. His meeting had ended early and he was outside his apartment, talking to his secretary. "They''re not-"

    His words were interrupted by the loud screams of a child crying. rmed, he hung up his phone.

    "Miyoo?" he cried. He punched in the passcode and barged into the apartment only to be shocked by the sight in front of him.

    Miyoo was crying loudly, sitting in a pool of blood and broken ss while a girly unconscious on the floor.

    "Binbin!" Miyoo called. "Binbin!"

    Yoonmin quickly picked up his sister with one hand and with the other, rolled the unconscious girl over.

    It was Soobin.

 Chapter 87 - Remnants Of Life

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    Mass chapter mission time! Support me in win win by unlocking the privilege chapters to get mass releases. MR will be given based on the following conditions:??

    1000 privilege chapter unlocks= 3 extra chapter mass release

    5000 privilege chapter unlocks= 5 extra chapter mass release

    10,000 privilege chapter unlocks= 10 chapter mass release.

    This is applicable for every month! Please do support this book by buying as much privilege chapters as possible <3

    ....

    "Old man, this ce is weird," Minyoon muttered.

    "Shh!" Junho hushed him. They arrived at an old building which was situated downtown in a dested street. It was a small apothecary shop which was closed but above it was a studio apartment where the owner lived.

    Upon entering the apartment, they were greeted by a strong stench of rotten herbs and withered flowers. There were a few animals like rats and birds caged up on one side. On the other side were a series of tables which had different chemicals made from organic herbs. Some of the pots and beakers were bubbling with hot liquid and a few of the containers held colorful liquids in them. Minyoon was about to pick one to examine it but Junho pped his palm.

    "Don''t touch it!" he hissed. "You might end up getting possessed!"

    "Eh?" Minyoon was confused but did not dare to touch anything. There were also shelves with books on the ult which looked really old and were probably used many times over the years. Minyoon also noticed that there were different holy symbols hung on the walls which he recognized as charms to ward off spirits.

    "Where''s your guy?" Minyoon asked his grandfather.

    Before Junho could reply, they heard the shuffling of feet. Someone wasing.

    The door of one of the rooms slowly slid open and an old man in histe seventies came out of it. He had long white hair and wore decorative beads on his neck. The man was draped in orange clothes and looked like some kind of monk. He was slightly bent maybe due to a bad back and his face was quite wrinkled. But his bright blue eyes were alert and lively as if monitoring his surroundings.

    "Hwang Junho," the man said in a croaked voice. "We meet again."

    "Minyoon, this is Yoon Bomi," Junho stated. "A famous demonologist and shaman. I''ve met him several times over the past. He''s skilled in exorcism and well versed in the topic of spirits and demons."

    "H-Hi!" Minyoon stammered.

    Bomi was studying Minyoon. "Isn''t he the idol?" he wheezed. "My grandson is a fan!"

    "We''ll get you an autographter!" Junho snapped. "We''re here for your help."

    "Ah yes!" Bomi recalled. "The poltergeist. I do sense a mark on you."

    "Mark?" Minyoon frowned.

    "It''s a sort of im," Junho exined. "If a spirit is after someone, then their spirit energy leaves a mark on their intended victims. Since Rachel is after your life, her spirit energy sort of lingers around you."

    "How long is this mark gonna stay?" Minyoon asked, feeling aghast. "

    "Until the poltergeist exists," Bomi replied.

    "But is there any way to get rid of a poltergeist?" Minyoon demanded. "Do some voodoo on it! Exorcise it!"

    "You can''t exorcise a poltergeist easily," Junho sighed. "Thest time we encountered a poltergeist, we couldn''t do anything to get rid of it. The only reason the thing was gone was due to the fact that its murderer died."

    "No."

    Bothe Junho and Minyoon turned to look at Bomi who was thinking hard.

    "The poltergeist didn''t leave because the murderer was gone," Bomi stated. "There''s something else. Tell me about that poltergeist you encountered many years ago."

    "Well, there was a doctor who killed off many orphan children to illegally sell their organs," Junho recalled. "The spirits of those kids kinda mashed together and became a poltergeist. They had a lot of hatred and rage in them because they died a cruel death. So when they got the chance, they dragged the doctor to the very boiler where their bodies were burnt. They set him on fire and in the process, the whole hospital also burnt down."

    "That''s exactly why that earlier poltergeist left," Bomi said.

    "It left coz the hospital was burnt down?" Minyoon asked.

    "No!" Bomi snapped. "It died because when the hospital burnt down the remnants of their living selves also died. A piece of skin, important memorabilia. Anything which they might have owned or were attached to was also destroyed."

    "Maybe it was the boiler," Junho pointed out. "They were burnt in it after all. Even dragged their murderer into it."

    "It was," Bomi agreed. "And this poltergeist...the girl who just died. She''stched on to the people whom she hated or had a problem with during her lifetime. Your grandson is one of them. Until you find that thing which ties her to this world, it''ll be impossible to get rid of her."

    "How do we know which object ties her to this world?" Minyoon questioned him. "I mean, she has so many things! We can''t just burn her stuff without a good reason!"

    "He''s right," Junho nodded. "It''s nearly impossible to tell which object is tying her to this world."

    Bomi was in deep thought.

    "There''s no other way then," he nodded. "We''ll have to talk to her directly."

    "Do you meanбн" Junho began. He looked really worried about something which was rming Minyoon.

    "What? What is it?" Minyoon asked.

    "We''ll have to do a seance," Junho sighed. "And summon her to us."

    бн..

    Soobin stirred on the bed. Slowly opening her eyes, she saw a blurry silhouette of a child. Blinking several times, her vision began to clear and Miyoo''s sad face shed in front of her.

    It took her a while to remember what happened and Soobin sat up in a rush only to feel dizzy. She fell back against the pillow, her head hurting like crazy. Touching her head, she realized that it was heavily bandaged.

    "Don''t sit up!"

    A familiar voice spoke up. She looked around to find Yoonmin sitting on her other side.

    "Is Miyoo okay?" she mumbled.

    "Of course not!" he groaned. "The kid wouldn''t stop crying coz she thought you died!"

    "Binbinбн" Miyoo mumbled in a sad tone, poking Soobin''s cheek as if to make sure she was still alive.

    "Miyooбн" Soobin was also crying now. She was d that Miyoo was alright. "Were you really worried for me? I''m fine!"

    Yoonmin rolled his eyes as both girls began to cry hard. "Stop crying!" he eximed. "Both of you are fine! The stone didn''t hit you but only grazed you a little. In fact, the doctor said that you can go home tonight if you want."

    Both of them instantly stopped crying.

    "Oh," Soobin said. But she was still teary eyed. Slowly, she sat up.

    "What happened?" Yoonmin asked. "How did the ss break?"

    "Well, I was about to open the window," Soobin narrated. She quickly told him what happened and how a stone just randomly broke the window.

    "But we were so high up!" Soobin frowned. "And there weren''t any other houses nearby. I don''t know how the stone reached so highбн"

    Yoonmin nced at Miyoo who was listening to Soobin.

    "Binbin," she said. "Burn. Bald."

    "Huh?" Soobin was confused but Yoonmin understood.

    "Must have been some hater of Minyoon," he lied. "They''ve attacked us before. I''ll tell the guards to increase the security."

    But it was obvious to him that the poltergeist was probably targeting Minyoon and Soobin happened to be an unfortunate casualty.

    "I''ll tell my sister about this," he went on. "I''ll call your parents and inform them-"

    "Mom and dad are out of town," Soobin shrugged. "They''re on some business trip. It''s just me there."

    "Any guardian?" Yoonmin frowned. Why is this girl living alone? He wondered.

    Soobin shook her head, making him sigh. "I''ll tell sis to handle your forms then," he said, taking out his phone. "Don''t you dare move from here!"

    She scowled at him but then mumbled something. Yoonmin frowned at her, not being able to hear what she said.

    "What did you say?" he demanded. Soobin mumbled again, looking down but it was still unclear. Her face waspletely red and she could not look him in the eye out of embarrassment. Miyoo seemed to have heard it.

    "Thank you," Miyoo interpreted. "And sorry."

    Soobin was now even redder, still not looking at him. After theirst encounter, she felt guilty for bursting out at him like that. Yet, he saved her.

    "It''s the least I can do for my most profitable customer," Yoonmin imed, averting his eyes. Soobin gritted her teeth and threw a pillow at him which he dodged with ease.

    "Hey!" he protested but Soobiny back on the bed, refusing to face him. She mumbled something else. Miyoo nodded and turned to her brother who waspletely clueless about what happened.

    "Yoonie idiot!" Miyoo stated.

 Chapter 88 - The Seance

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    Mass chapter mission time! Support me in win win by unlocking the privilege chapters to get mass releases. MR will be given based on the following conditions:??

    1000 privilege chapter unlocks= 3 extra chapter mass release

    5000 privilege chapter unlocks= 5 extra chapter mass release

    10,000 privilege chapter unlocks= 10 chapter mass release.

    This is applicable for every month! Please do support this book by buying as much privilege chapters as possible <3

    ....

    "Follow me," Bomi said. Minyoon was apprehensive but Junho motioned him to obey. They followed the old man to arge room. The lights were turned off but it was lit with several candles which were ced in almost all corners of the room. There was a red circle drawn on the floor with a ouija board in the center. The board had a cursor along with alphabets and numbers written on it.

    A hexagon was drawn inside the circle, touching every edge. The windows were tightly shut and Minyoon felt very stuffy in the room. Beads of sweat rolled down his skin and he took off his jacket.

    "It''s hot!" he eximed.

    "Get used to it," Junho muttered. Bomi sat on one side of the circle.

    "Minyoon, sit there," he pointed on one arc of the circle to his right. "Junho, sit opposite him."

    Both of them took their spots. Bomi cleared his throat.

    "The seance we''re going to do is different from the usual spirit summoning," he exined. "There is no time limit to this ritual. So we can ask the spirit as many questions as we want."

    "Will the spirit possess anyone to speak through them?" Junho asked.

    "No," Bomi replied. "She''ll speak through this."

    He pointed at the ouija board. "The rules are simple," he went on. "Whatever happens, don''t let go of the cursor on the board until I tell you to. When the spirites, I''ll greet her and I''ll be the one to dismiss her with a proper farewell. You must respect the dead as if they''re alive. If they be hostile, the ritual will fail and she''ll be even more violent."

    "Minyoon," he turned to the boy. "You must be the one to question her but do it gently. Don''t get riled up. She''ll try to provoke you a lot but keep your cool."

    "I''ll try my best!" Minyoon nodded.

    "If you are ready, then put your finger on the cursor," Bomi instructed. "When the poltergeist arrives, she''llmunicate with this cursor. So it''ll move but you must not remove your finger from it."

    Minyoon and Junho put their fingers on the cursor. Bomi told them to close their eyes.

    "Now, we''ll begin," he whispered. Minyoon closed his eyes and heard Bomi begin to chant.

    "Oh you who are wandering the world of the living with hate and rage," Bomi muttered. "Tell us of your plights. Come to us and talk to us. Song Rachel, what is it that binds you here?"

    The room around them was now turning hotter by every second but Bomi did not break his enchantment. He kept on repeating the spell. Minyoon was feeling extremely hot now. His t-shirt waspletely soaked and his face was mmy but he tried his best to concentrate on the ritual. Junho was also feeling ufortable but kept his cool as Bomi kept on reciting the chant.

    Suddenly, the windows burst open and a gush of cold air came in. Minyoon thought that he felt someone''s cool fingers touch his neck. It made him squirm but he did not remove his finger from the cursor.

    But the fingers did not stop touching him. He winced as the fingers trailed down his arm and towards his palm. The cold hand was touching his palm, sending chills down his spine. Junho, too, felt the cold hand on his.

    "She''s here," Bomi announced. "Open your eyes."

    Minyoon opened his eyes but there was no one there. Surprisingly, the candles were still burning despite the cold air.

    "Where is she?" Minyoon frowned. Suddenly, the cursor moved, pulling his hand along the ouija board in random circles. The cold touch was now grasping Minyoon''s palm tightly, not letting go as it moved the cursor.

    Minyoon was now visibly scared but Junho warned, "Don''t be scared. As long as you''re holding the cursor, nothing will happen to you."

    Bomi was calmly watching the cursor move. "I give you my greetings, Song Rachel. Can you spell out your name for me?"

    The cursor stopped moving. Then slowly, it began to spell out the answer.

    "R-A-C-H-E-L," the cursor spelt.

    "Rachel...Are you Song Rachel?" Bomi asked.

    "Y-E-S."

    Bomi nodded at Minyoon, coaxing him to ask. Minyoon cleared his throat.

    "Hi Rachel," he said in a gentle tone. "Do you remember me?"

    There was a long pause but Minyoon thought he felt the air around him go colder.

    "Y-E-S."

    "Rachel, I want to say that if I''ve ever hurt you, I''m really sorry," he apologized. "I didn''t mean to hurt you. And I''m sorry for what happened to you."

    Junho was worried while Bomi was impassive. The air around them was swirling dangerously, getting colder and more sinister.

    "But I want to help you," Minyoon went on, ignoring the strange aura Rachel was emitting. "Please, let me help you. My sister is working on your case and she needs to know the truth. If you answer my questions, we can catch that monster who did this to you! So please, will you answer my questions?"

    There was another silence. Bomi and Junho exchanged a look, knowing very well what the silence meant.

    The spirit was undecided.

    "Do you know who your killer is?" Minyoon asked. Rachel was still for a moment. Her spirit was in the room, watching the three men who had forcefully brought her here. She was watching Minyoon with a mix of apprehension and hatred. Her mind was blinded with anger but the ritual was forcing her to answer their questions.

    "N-O," the cursor spelt out.

    Minyoon was disappointed but did not let it show on his face.

    "Will you be able to rest in peace after your killer is caught?" Minyoon asked.

    "N-O."

    "Why not, Rachel?" he asked. ""Is there something which is keeping you tied to our world?"

    The cursor did not move for several seconds. The room was now getting foggy and chilly. The men could almost see their breaths as they exhaled while waiting for the poltergeist to reply.

    "What''s going on?" Junho whispered to Bomi.

    "She''s getting angry," Bomi muttered. "Something about that object is angering her-"

    "AHHHHHHHHH!"

    Rachel''s vengeful screams echoed in their ears and an invisible force pushed both Junho and Bomi backwards. Their fingers slipped off the cursor and they were thrown off like a pair of ragdolls. Only Minyoon managed not to move his finger even though the cursor moved wildly all over the ouija board.

    "Rachel! Don''t-" Minyoon was yelling but the disk kept on repeatedly pointing at the same letters.

    "P-A-G-E! P-A-G-E! P-A-G-E! P-A-G-E!"

    Minyoon held on with all his might but Rachel was now so angry that she kicked him off the ouija board. She let out another ear piercing shriek.

    "AHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

    The trio shut their ears but it was impossible to shut her out. She was now attacking all of them indiscriminately. A storm was raging in the room, the gale violently hitting all of them.

    "Do something!" Minyoon yelled, hiding underneath a table. A piece of broken ss almost stabbed him but Junho managed to hit it away with his hand. He was shielding his grandson from the storm.

    The candles had all gone out and they were fighting in the dark against a crazy poltergeist who was hellbent on killing them. Bomi, who was trying to stand up, took out a charm from his pocket. He held it before him.

    "Oh you vengeful spirit who lost her way!" he shouted amidst the strong wind. "I order you to leave the ritual! Leave!"

    Rachel let out another cry but the charm''s powers overwhelmed hers and an invisible force pulled her out of the window, taking her away. As soon as she left, the gale stopped. Minyoon and Junho came out of their hiding spots, trying to catch their breaths.

    "Is she gone?" Minyoon panted.

    "For now," Bomi replied. "But she''ll be back and next time, she won''t go easy on you."

    "She wrote one word on the ouija board," Minyoon said. "Page. What page?"

    "We''ll have to ask Jina if she found any pages during the investigation," Junho said.

    "If you can find that page and burn it, then she''ll leave," Bomi stated. "Find that page at all costs!"

 Chapter 89 - Retaliation

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    Mass chapter mission time! Support me in win win by unlocking the privilege chapters to get mass releases. MR will be given based on the following conditions:??

    1000 privilege chapter unlocks= 3 extra chapter mass release

    5000 privilege chapter unlocks= 5 extra chapter mass release

    10,000 privilege chapter unlocks= 10 chapter mass release.

    This is applicable for every month! Please do support this book by buying as much privilege chapters as possible <3

    ....

    Jina met up with Yoonmin at the hospital where Soobin was admitted. Thankfully, Siwan was the on-duty doctor that night and he managed to patch her up before giving her the clearance to leave. Jina signed the discharge papers since Soobin was still a minor but they decided to keep Soobin at the hospital overnight.

    Miyoo was sleeping next to Soobin in the ward so Jina and Yoonmin were at the cafeteria, discussing the events of the night.

    "Rachel attacked your house?" Jina echoed. She was now very frustrated with the poltergeist which was ruining the lives of her siblings. Soobin was badly hurt and Miyoo could have been injured too. Thetter thought scared Jina to no end and she was getting angrier at the poltergeist by the minute.

    "Miyoo saw her," Yoonmin confirmed. "I think she went to attack Minyoon, thinking he would be there. But he went out with grandpa."

    "Where are they?" Jina asked.

    "They went to meet one of the old man''s friends," Yoonmin stated, sipping on his coffee."Someone who knows a lot about poltergeists."

    "This is so annoying!" Jina scowled. "Not only is her killer on loose but this crazy poltergeist is creating more ruckus!"

    "Why doesn''t she chase her killer?" Yoonmin frowned. "She should hate him the most!"

    "She probably doesn''t know who it is," Jina sighed. The cafeteria was mostly empty at that time of the night except for a handful of people. Jina ordered another cup of coffee and a meal for Yoonmin who had not eaten anything in the whole mess.

    "Are you okay, sis?" Yoonmin asked. "You''re stressing yourself too much."

    "I''m not okay," Jina mumbled. "I just can''t seem to concentrate on anything! Every suspect I question, turns out to have a rock solid alibi."

    Yoonmin did not reply but quietly listened to his sister rant her heart out.

    "Just one clue," she went on. "Only one clue. That''s all I need to reach the killer."

    Yoonmin was about to say something when he spotted two figures walking towards them. Jina turned around to see Siwan and Hobin both heading their way. T

    he brothers were wearing their white coats but they looked more like supermodels than doctors. Some of the nurses were giggling and blushing at them. Siwan did not seem to have noticed but Hobin winked at some of them which made Jina groan.

    "What are you doing here?" Jina asked Hobin.

    "I heard that my protege got hurt so I came over to visit," Hobin shrugged as he took a seat.

    "I informed him," Siwan told her. "He called me to check up on what I was doing. That''s when I told him about Soobin."

    "When did Soobin be your protege?" Yoonmin demanded, feeling a little irritated at the pretty boy.

    "She''s interested in psychiatry," Hobin slightly sneered. "So she''s been helping me out during weekends to learn more about it. She just does the basic stuff like filing and keeping database records."

    "Is that girl crazy?" Yoonmin eximed. "She''s juggling school, waitressing, babysitting and also works at your office? That''s vebor!"

    "Says a fifteen year old talent agency owner," Hobin said.

    "It''s not unusual for girls her age to do several part time jobs," Siwan said but Jina was also frowning.

    "Wait, this is strange," she pointed out. "Working and studying is fine, but this is insane. When does this girl get time to socialize? Or study? And isn''t she living alone now? Where are her parents?"

    "She said that they''re out of town," Yoonmin replied. Hobin threw him a surprised look.

    "You...you guys didn''t know that she was living alone?" he asked. Yoonmin now turned to him.

    "You knew?" he demanded.

    "She told me when she started working with me," Hobin revealed. "And her parents aren''t on a business trip. They were only living with her for the first few days when she moved here. Soobin moved to the city all by herself to study at Dalton High. It''s the only school she applied to and was desperate to get in. Her parents couldn''t afford the tuition fees so she works multiple jobs to support herself. They can''t live here with her because they have their own jobs back in the countryside."

    The others were looking at him in dismay. Jina leaned over and hit him on the head.

    "Ow!" he eximed. "What was that for?"

    "A teenager is living alone and you didn''t tell us!" she scolded him. "What if something happens to her!"

    "I thought it was normal in this country!" Hobin eximed. "I mean, your brothers are living away from your parents-"

    "We live in our aunt''s condo!" Yoonmin scowled. "Where we get 24x7 security! She lives in some shady neighborhood where murderers throw bodies in trashcans!"

    "Hobin, not every country is like the UK where teenagers can live on their own!" Siwan sighed.

    He turned to Jina and Yoonmin to add, "I''m sorry. He still doesn''t know the culture of this country well. If Soobin wants, she can move into our mansion. It''s close to the school and there are many household staff there who can look after her."

    "What about our mansion?" Yoonmin asked. "I can move back there and keep an eye on-"

    "No!" the adults said in unison.

    "I think she should stay with bro," Hobin agreed. "I''ll talk to her about this. And-"

    The rest of his words were cut short by a nurse who came rushing to Siwan.

    "Doctor Kang!" she gasped. "An emergency case just came up! A ten year old has been rushed into the hospital. He''s bleeding badly! We''ll also have to file a police report because he was hit on the head by the maid who was looking after him!"

    Siwan immediately got to his feet and the others also stood up.

    "I''ll tend to him," he told them. "Talk to youter!"

    He scurried off towards surgery. Jina, however, stopped the nurse.

    "Tell me about the incident," she ordered. "I''m a cop."

    She shed her badge at the nurse.

    "Well, the boy was ying and the maid hit him on the head with a vase," the nurse narrated. "The boy''s mother told me that apparently she scolded the maid a lot and she lost her cool which is why she hit the boy. That''s all I know."

    The nurse hurried off. Yoonmin shrugged but upon ncing at Jina and Hobin''s faces, he frowned.

    "What happened?" he asked.

    But the duo were still, their heads hit with the same realization.

    "The maid was scolded a lotбн" Hobin whispered.

    "So she hit the little boy in retaliationбн" Jina said. They looked at each other, knowing very well what the other was thinking.

    "What the hell is going on?" Yoonmin demanded.

    "The killer is a servant at the Song mansion!" Jina and Hobin eximed in unison.

 Chapter 90 - The Third Page (1)

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    Mass chapter mission time! Support me in win win by unlocking the privilege chapters to get mass releases. MR will be given based on the following conditions:??

    1000 privilege chapter unlocks= 3 extra chapter mass release

    5000 privilege chapter unlocks= 5 extra chapter mass release

    10,000 privilege chapter unlocks= 10 chapter mass release.

    This is applicable for every month! Please do support this book by buying as much privilege chapters as possible <3

    ....

    A rookie officer jumped in fright when the door to the IT room burst open and Jina barged in with Hobin in tow.

    "Where is the CCTV footage we collected from the Song mansion?" she demanded.

    "I''ll open the file," the officer replied and turned to the monitor. He opened a file and it began to y.

    "We''ll take it from here," Jina said and sat on a chair to control the monitor. Hobin sat next to her. He was still wearing his coat and was gazing at the monitor.

    The video of arge party appeared on the screen. "There''s Song Yohan," Hobin said, pointing at Yohan''s tall frame. "And there''s Seohyun."

    "That''s Hana, the maid who is Seohyun''sckey," Jina said. "But Sera imed that the killer is a man."

    "The household staff are wearing ck uniforms while the caterers hired from outside are in white," Hobin said. "I''ll keep an eye on the white ones and you on the ck ones. But I doubt it was a caterer. They''d have to know the house well."

    "True," Jina muttered. "But we''ll have to try."

    They watched the whole tape with intense concentration. The party started at 6 PM but Song Yohan stayed only for one hour. His alibi was already confirmed by the PI who worked with him to stalk Seohyun.

    "Hana didn''t leave either," Jina said after five hours of watching the tape. "But she''s gonna leave now with Seohyun. It''s almost 11 PM on the tape."

    "And Rachel was kidnapped around 8:30," Hobin yawned. They had been watching the tape for a long time, taking asional breaks but now both of them were dead tired. It was almost 10 AM on his watch and no one had slept a wink that night.

    "Go back to the 7 PM mark," Jina instructed. "The time when Song Yohan left."

    Hobin rewinded the video and yed the video again. Jina was watching it, trying to concentrate hard. Her eyes were red due tock of sleep but she was determined to catch the murderer.

    "I still don''t get it!" she eximed in frustration. "How do we know which servant it was? There are hundreds of them!"

    "It must be one which Rachel was particrly mean to," Hobin sighed. "But if we question the staff, he''ll be alert. It has to be someone who knows the mansion well. How many male staff do they have?"

    "Around twenty," Jina replied, checking the list of household staff on her phone which was given to them by Hana. "They''ve been working there for a long timeбн"

    Then she frowned and leaned forward. "Wait a minuteбн"

    She pointed at one part of the screen. "Zoom in on this guy!" she quickly said. "And take a screenshot of him. I need to figure something out."

    Hobin zoomed in on one of the servants and took a screenshot of it before printing the picture out.

    "Who''s this?" he asked.

    "You''ll see," Jina shrugged. "I just hope my theory is right. For that, I need to confirm something."

    She dialed a number on her phone and waited for someone to answer.

    "Hi, this is Detective Hwang," she told someone over the phone. "Listen, can you please stop by at the precinct in an hour to identify someone for us? We really need your help."

    Hobin watched as Jina crossed her fingers as if praying that the person would agree. She let out a silent cheer when the person agreed.

    "Great! I''ll see you then," she said and hung up.

    "Who was that?" Hobin frowned.

    "Someone who knows the murderer," Jina replied in a cryptic way. Within the next five minutes, she revealed her theory to Hobin who was surprised and to some extent, impressed.

    "You know, I think you''re not far off," he said slowly. "If your suspicions are correct, then maybe we have our guy."

    "All we need is the confirmation from our one and only lead," Jina added.

    бн..

    *An hourter*

    Hyojin was nervous, fidgeting in his seat. The officers did not take him to the interrogation room but put him in what looked like a meeting room and even though he was not arrested, he was still scared. What if they arrested him again? But the detective told him that it was just a routine procedure because they found something and they needed his help in confirming it.

    Jina entered the room while Hobin followed her in. She had a couple of smoothies in her hands and handed one to him.

    "My treat," she said with a smile. "Thanks foring here on such short notice."

    "Detective, am I in trouble?" Hyojin blurted out. "I swear, I really don''t have anything to do with Rachel or her murder-"

    "Hyojin, your sister''s testimony saved you," Jina said. "The timing of the murder and Sera''s statement match perfectly. Moreover, your alibi has been confirmed by the vet already. You and Tommy, both are out of our radar. Butбн"

    Jina sat next to him. "But we think that you may have seen the murderer."

    "What?" Hyojin asked, feeling surprised. "But I didn''t see anyone that night in the basement! I swear! I left before any of that happened-"

    "Not on the day of the murder," Hobin said. "Before that."

    He put forward the picture they had printed out. Hyojin frowned and picked it up to take a good look at the image. He instantly recognized the tall, thin servant boy who worked in the Song mansion.

    "Do you know who he is?" Jina asked.

    "Yes!" Hyojin eximed. "I do! This is one of the servants at Rachel''s mansion! In fact, on the day Rachel and I made up, I saw Rachel shouting at him on the way to her room."

    "What was he doing there?" Hobin questioned him.

    "I guess he was working thereбн" Hyojin trailed off but was thinking hard. "Now that I think about it, Rachel was alwaysining about this guy. Apparently, he used to lurk around her room a lot. She hated it whenever any staff did that and they were clearly instructed not to go near her room much but this boy used to roam around there a lot. She even demanded Hana to fire him. I don''t know if he''s still there."

    Jina and Hobin looked at each other and nodded. They finally got a lead.

 Chapter 91 - The Third Page (2)

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

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    ....

    At the Song mansion, the servants in the kitchen were busy preparing arge amount of food. Rachel''s funeral would be held the next day and they would have to cater to around hundred guests. Seohyun was locked in her room crying while their boss was still hospitalized. It was an extremely busy day and the kitchen was in chaos.

    "Oi kid!" Hana shouted at the thin boy who was cutting the carrots. "Where are the carrots? Why is it taking so long to cut them?"

    "I''m sorry, Ms. Hana!" The boy apologized. "I cut my hand so I''m a little slow today."

    "You always have a cut on your fingers!" Hana snapped at him. "Why are you such an idiot? And how do you get so many cuts?"

    She red at his hands. For some reason, this boy always has scratch marks and cuts on his fingers which make no sense. He lives in the outhouse with the other males servants and Hana saw no reason for him to have so many cuts. Moreover, he was in histe twenties and it was strange for a guy that young to have so many cuts.

    "I got them when I went to feed the stray dog outside," the boy said apologetically. His pasty skin was sweaty from the heat and he was trying to focus on the carrots.

    "Stop feeding those dogs, Seokhyun!" Hana scolded him. "They carry so many diseases!"

    "It''s just one dog, Ms. Hana," Seokhyun murmured. "He''s a good dog, really."

    "Well that dog is biting your hand off so I''d suggest you stop getting too close to that filthy mutt!" Hana said. "Now hurry up and cut the carrots!"

    Seokhyun nodded and picked up the knife again to cut the carrots. The servants around him were working and gossiping amongst themselves.

    "Poor Ms. Rachel," one servant named Ai was saying. "She was so young."

    "The girl reaped what she sowed," an old man by the name of Han grumbled. "She was mean to all of us. Made our lives hell."

    "She''d have had poor Seohyun fired!" Hana piped in. "Ugh! She just wanted to kick him out for no reason. He was just cleaning her room!"

    "You must have had it hard, eh Seokhyun?" Ai asked, pitying the boy. He was the youngest among them and had joined the mansion only a year ago. In a short amount of time, he managed to learn the work and also knew the mansion well. All the servants had ess to almost all the corners of the mansion even though it was too big for them to navigate in one day. In fact, they had a rotation wise cleaning system every week. They would clean one part of the house for one week before moving onto the next parts for the subsequent weeks.

    However, after Miss Rachel''s body was found in the basement, Seohyun ordered them to clean the house everyday and check every room at least once a day. She was now keeping tabs on the ce herself. After losing her daughter, Seohyun had seemed to have a wake up call and was now more involved in the household activities.

    "She made your life hell, right?" Hana asked Seokhyun. "I remember how she yelled at you for touching that horrible book of hers when in fact, I was the one who sent you upstairs to clean the room."

    "We shouldn''t speak ill of the dead," Seokhyun mumbled, still cutting the carrots.

    Another servant entered the kitchen and addressed Hana.

    "Hana, where are the cleaning chemicals which were brought inst month?" he asked her. "I can''t seem to find any of them!"

    "Huh?" Hana frowned. "Master''s secretary delivered around a hundred of those peroxides and cleaning stuff. You can''t find them?"

    "No," the cleaner replied. "I counted themst month and allotted around fifty chemicals for cleaning the house. But I only found fifteen of them! That''s a huge amount of chemicals missing!"

    Every month, Fei Pharmaceuticals delivered a hundred cans of cleaning chemicals and peroxides free of cost for the servants to use for the Song mansion. Each chemical can have a unique code so that if anyone tried to sell them, thepany would be able to track them down.

    "None of us touched them," Hana frowned. "They''re always kept in the shedбн"

    "What about the CCTV footage?" the cleaner demanded.

    "You know very well the footage in that area is broken," Hana sighed. "The madam broke it and never fixed it so her lover can enter and exit through the basement door!"

    "That''s strangeбн" the cleaner shrugged. "I guess they were used up by the cops when they checked this ce for clues."

    "Probably," Hana replied. "After all, those chemicals can''t be sold off without a license. If anyone tried, thepany would be notified."

    Seokhyun lowered his head and kept his gaze on the carrots while the other servants kept on gossiping about Rachel. Outside the mansion, Jina parked her car on the side of the street. She was apanied by Hobin, Jiwoon and Dahoon who were watching the mansion carefully.

    "This guy''s name is Seokhyun," Jina was saying. "No family name was found. He joined around a year ago and has been staying with the Song''s ever since. He has no criminal record but is known as a loner."

    "But he has no dog," Jiwoon frowned. "Where did he manage to find one?"

    "We''ll have to ask him ourselves," Hobin said. They got out of the car and headed towards the mansion. Jina and Hobin went to the front door while Jiwoon headed for the backdoor and Dahoon towards the basement. They were sealing off the possible exit points in case the suspect tried to escape.

    Jina rang the doorbell and waited. After a few minutes, the door clicked open and Hana''s face appeared.

    "Officer, we''re all busy and can''t answer any questions-" Hana was saying but Jina and Hobin barged into the mansion.

    "Hey!" Hana protested. "You can''t enter!"

    "Where''s Seokhyun?" Jina demanded.

    "Why do you want him?" Hana asked angrily. "We are-"

    Hobin, who was ncing around, saw the pasty looking man peeking out of the kitchen. But as soon as their eyes met, Seokhyun quickly ran.

    "There he is!" Hobin yelled. Jina did not waste another second and sprinted off after Seokhyun who was now running through the long kitchen. He pushed past the startled cooks and maids, making his way towards the backdoor. Picking up some trays, he threw them back at Jina, who dodged them.

    Chaos ensued and the servants were screaming as Seokhyun ran as fast as he could with Jina on his tail.

    "STOP!" she ordered but the guy was really fast. Seokhyun was almost at the backdoor when it burst open and a slim figure kicked him backwards.

    "AGH!" the pasty guy screamed and staggered on the floor. Jina jumped on him, locking his hands with handcuffs. Hobin also appeared, panting while Jiwoon emerged from the backdoor, twisting her foot a little. She had kicked him really hard and she probably sprained her ankle but leaned over to help Jina control the criminal.

    "Seokhyun, you are under arrest for the murder of Song Rachel," Jina dered. "You have the right to awyer and the right to remain silent."

    Hobin also stooped low, adding, "And to be honest, if I were you, I''d rather stay shut and face the punishment."

 Chapter 92 - The Third Page (3)

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    Mass chapter mission time! Support me in win win by unlocking the privilege chapters to get mass releases. MR will be given based on the following conditions:??

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    ....

    In the dark room, the pasty faced youth had been kept locked up, isted from everyone else. There were no windows nor any signs of sunlight. There was only a table and a chair in the middle of the room with a single white light right above his head. The light was only illuminating his torso but the rest of the room was kept dark and silent. The istion would have made any person anxious and jittery.

    But not him. He was not feeling lonely nor scared. There was not a single ounce of fear left in him. It was an alien feeling to him. In fact, he had no feelings in him.

    Instead, there was nothing more than a sadistic pleasure. The darkness was his friend. He thrived in the room, his true nature was masked by the light outside. But in this room, he was finally letting go of the facade he had kept up with for so long. His lips were curved into a grin, his heart free from all the restraints of the world. All he craved, was a crazed desire to torture the object of his affection just like he had done a few weeks ago.

    The door burst open and an auburn haired man entered the room. Hobin stared at the guy they had arrested.

    He was not much older than Hobin himself. His ash-like eyes were staring at Hobin. His curly hair was unkempt while his stature was unusually thin for his age. But the man was not scared nor did he seem to care that he was arrested.

    Hobin sat across the man, dragging the chair against the floor to make a creaking sound. It was intentional to make the suspect scared or nervous but Seokhyun sat there, grinning widely as if he was enjoying this.

    "I''m doctor Ohm Hobin," Hobin introduced himself. "A psychiatrist with the National Hospital."

    "You''re not a cop," Seokhyun said, raising an eyebrow.

    "I have special privileges," Hobin replied, sitting down. He put his hands on the table and leaned forward, studying the man in front of him.

    "I''m a licensed psychiatrist who has been employed by the police department and hence, I have the permission to interrogate a potentially dangerous and mentally unstable criminal," he went on. "It''s part of criminal profiling. There''s just you and me in this room right now. No one else will interrupt us."

    He was lying of course. Jina and Jiwoon were watching them through a CCTV camera. Even though Jina wanted to interrogate him, Hobin insisted on questioning the suspect alone. He wanted to gain an in-depth knowledge on the criminal''s psyche and the presence of a cop would interfere with his work.

    Moreover, Hobin argued, given the severity of his crimes, the suspect should be psychologically profiled first. That way, the cops could also get a clue on how to push for the maximum sentence for the criminal. Privately, he told Jina to stay still and keep an eye out for the poltergeist in case it attacked them. After much debate, Jina reluctantly decided to let Hobin do what he wanted to do.

    "You wanna deem me insane?" Seokhyun grinned. "For what?"

    "I wanna understand you," Hobin corrected. "You...you fascinated me."

    He put forward a picture of Rachel''s corpse. Seokhyun nced at it indifferently.

    "That''s Song Rachel," Hobin said. "Daughter of your former employer. You had a tiff with her, right? She wanted to have you fired."

    "Did she?" Seokhyun wondered out loud. "Didn''t do a very good job of it then."

    "You used to go to her room a lot," Hobin pointed out. "Even though she forbade you. Why?"

    "I''m a humble servant and I''m supposed to clean her room," Seokhyun said with a smile. "Is that wrong?"

    "Even when she threw a sandal at you?" Hobin asked. "Hana told us about that incident. A few months before her death, Rachel entered her room and found you in it. She threw a sandal at you and forced you to leave, am I right?"

    Seokhyun was silent but Hobin continued, "However, when Rachel was asked about it, she said that you were stealing from her room. The other servants searched you and also your room but found nothing. Since then, she has been tirelessly trying to have you fired. She never tried to get anyone else fired even though she was rude to all the staff. But you...she was targeting you in particr. Why?"

    Hobin was now ring directly at Seokhyun in the eye. "What did you see?" he quietly asked. "What did you find in there?"

    Seokhyun did not flinch but was studying Hobin as if he was amused.

    "You''re a very interesting person, Doctor Ohm," Seokhyun smirked. "I''m truly fascinated by your insights."

    "I know," Hobin said in a steely tone. "You think we''re alike. Actually, we are quite alike."

    "We are, aren''t we?" Seokhyun mused. "Abandoned by our families in an unknown ce. You probably grew up in a very loving household but they''re not your family. You love them but you''re not one of them, are you?"

    Hobin did not reply but waited for Seokhyun to finish. "You have the same deadass eyes as me," Seokhyun imed. "You...you feel as if you don''t belong with people. I can tell. You see, I''m like you. I don''t feel anything for others."

    "When Miss Rachel threw that shoe at me, I felt nothing," Seokhyun leered. "No pain, no humiliation. It was all numb here."

    He pointed at his heart. "It was empty there! She shouted at me, screamed something but I didn''t care. I wasn''t listening to her."

    Seokhyun leaned forward. There was a manic look in his eyes as if he was enjoying a secret joke with Hobin. He had found an unlikelyrade who understood him which was rare.

    "All I was thinking about," he chuckled. "Was how would it feel if I could just rip off her skin with my bare hands? Would she be in pain? Will she cry for mercy? How long will she cry for mercy?"

    "The thought of her pretty face burning away while she writhed in pain gave me a hard on," Seokhyun revealed, his eyes lit up in a crazed gleam. "And that was the first time I felt something. To put her under my mercy. Only her."

 Chapter 93 - The Third Page (4)

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    Mass chapter mission time! Support me in win win by unlocking the privilege chapters to get mass releases. MR will be given based on the following conditions:??

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    5000 privilege chapter unlocks= 5 extra chapter mass release

    10,000 privilege chapter unlocks= 10 chapter mass release.

    This is applicable for every month! Please do support this book by buying as much privilege chapters as possible <3

    ....

    Hobin leaned back against his chair. The light above them was illuminating Seokhyun''s face and Hobin was taking a good look at the suspect.

    To the untrained eyes, Seokhyun would look like a mild mannered timid servant doing his job but that was an illusion. He was working as a humble servant to hide his bloodlust. He was hiding himself in in view, knowing very well that the cops would ignore him and go for all those who were directly involved with Rachel.

    Who would suspect a poor servant who was doing his job?

    "You left the party at 7:30 PM," Hobin stated. "Was it to kill Rachel?"

    "Kill?" Seokhyun mused. He was silent for a while before he let out a cackle.

    "Kill? No, no doctor! I wouldn''t was to kill Miss Rachel!" he wheezed. "I could have killed her anytime but I didn''t. I had many chances. I just wanted to see what was beneath her pretty faceбн"

    His slightly yellowed teeth were shing under the light and a sinister look overcame the youth as he spoke.

    "I was curious about what will happen if I take off her mask," Seokhyun went on. "She wore many. The mask of being the most beautiful girl. The mask of pride and arrogance. I saw them all. I wanted to take off that mask and see what lies beneath."

    "And what did you find?" Hobin asked.

    Soekhyun was pondering the answer for a while, staring into Hobin''s eyes without blinking.

    "Just a weak little girl who craves attention," Soekhyun grinned. "Pathetic. I''m disappointed. I thought that we shared the same mind and face. Turns out, she''s a nobody."

    "Tell me about your fascination with Rachel," Hobin quietly ordered. Seokhyun grinned at him.

    Outside, Jina and Jiwoon were watching the monitor carefully. The poltergeist was thankfully nowhere in sight partly because she still did not know that her killer was caught.

    "Can he make this guy confess?" Jiwoon asked.

    "It seems like the guy wants to confess," Jina stated. "He''s not even denying that he killed her."

    "He gives me the creeps," Jiwoon muttered. "Is it me or...or is he really apathetic to what he did?"

    "God knows," Jina said. They held their breaths as they watched the monitor.

    "I was always fascinated by herбн" Seokhyun began.

    бн.

    *Few Months Ago*

    "Seokhyun!" Hana called for the pasty looking youth who had joined them. She was wandering all around the mansion, searching for Seokhyun. Her temper was only increasing because the new boy was always daydreaming or doing something else other than work.

    "Soekhyun!" she shouted, heading for the front entrance. "Seok-"

    Her eyes fell on the main gate. Outside it, a thin man was feeding a stray German Shepherd whom he had sort of adopted.

    "Seokhyun!" she called him as she approached the boy. "What the hell are you doing?"

    "Ratty was hungry," Seokhyun mumbled. "I''m just feeding him."

    Hana took a look at the ferocious looking dog which was slightly growling at her. The dog roamed around their street a lot and was quite dangerous. But after Seokhyun adopted it, the dog seemed to listen to him a lot and was almost domesticated.

    "He reminds me of my first pet, Sada," Seokhyun went on. "I trained him for many years before he died. The orphanage matron threw his corpse away. Didn''t even let me say goodbyeбн"

    "Well hurry up and go inside!" Hana snapped at him. "The young miss will return from school any moment and you won''t be able to clean her room afterwards! Go!"

    Seokhyun meekly nodded and slowly staggered back into the mansion. He had been working with the Song''s for a few months and was in charge of cleaning all the rooms. The rooms were cleaned on a rotational basis every week because it was not possible to clean all of them in one day. The mansion was too big for it.

    On week one, the servants were in charge of cleaning the bedrooms upstairs, week two was for the guest rooms and living room and on week three, they cleaned the study rooms, garden and basement. Today, Seokhyun was in charge of cleaning Rachel''s room.

    Most servants avoided going there whenever Rachel was home because she wantedplete privacy. Since her parents were always out or ignorant, they did not care what she did there. The servants knew that she snuck in her boyfriends time to time and stayed locked up in her room for long hours with them. Sometimes, the boys even spent a night at the mansion without the parents knowing.

    Seokhyun slowly made his way towards Rachel''s room which was on the upper floor of the mansion. The room was stered with sky blue wallpaper and had a wide balcony which Rachel kept closed most of the time. Her king sized bed was adorned with maroon nkets and cushions and there was an adjacent room where Rachel studied or spent her leisure time in.

    He first went to the study where he was cleaning her mahogany desk. When he was wiping herptop with a dry cloth, he identally turned it on. To his slight surprise, an explicit video was beginning to y.

    "Ahh...ahhh...ahhhh!" Rachel was moaning in the video but the guy who was banging her was not her boyfriend. Seokhyun knew who her boyfriend was so he did not recognize the boy. Curious, he moved the mouse and opened a file where there were several such videos. Some had Rachel while the other ones featured different girls with the same boy.

    "Are you recording this?" Rachel was panting in one video. "Make sure to blur my face when you sell it!"

    She was riding the boy cowboy style and waspletely naked. Her arrogant mask had fallen and now, she was a dominant force who was controlling the boy beneath her. She put him under her mercy, doing whatever she wanted with his body.

    Something triggered Seokhyun as he watched the videos. No, it was not the porn which enticed him. It was Rachel who was interesting. All these months, he did not care much about her and she was nothing more to him than his employer.

    But now that she was fucking another guy like a cheap slut, Seokhyun was interested to know what was she hiding behind her mask. Was it her usual arrogance? Or was she more dominant? The sight of her flushed yet victorious face as she rode the boy was making Seokhyun leer. She was the princess who was untouchable and unreachable. A taboo thought.

    And yet, he wanted to touch that taboo only to see what she was worth. Would she show him the same look when he would bring her to his mercy? Or would she show him something more? What was her true face? The snooty princess who was cruel to all? Or was she this dominant who wanted to control everything in her grasp?

    "WHAT THE FUCK?" Rachel yelled when she saw the lowly servant in her study. Seokhyun did not jump in fright but stepped back, his face impassive.

    "How dare you touch my things?" she shouted at him. Closing theptop''s lid, Seokhyun faced her. He lowered his head, pretending to be in shame.

    "I''m sorry madam!" he cried. "I was only cleaning this room! I didn''t see anything!"

    "GET OUT!" Rachel roared. "AND DON''T YOU EVEN COME IN HERE AGAIN!"

    Seokhyun quickly scrambled up and left the room. As soon as he left, she rushed towards herptop. To her horror, the video was still ying in it.

    "That bastard knows!" she realized. "He knowsбн"

    This is bad, she thought. I must get him kicked out of here! Somehow!

    Outside, Seokhyun''s ashamed face was slowly turning sadistic. A menacing smile curved on his lips as he thought about what he had just seen. He wanted to see that face again but only when she was under his mercy.

    "This is going to be fun," he chuckled. "I guess Ratty should be involved in the fun too."

 Chapter 94 - The Third Page (5)

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

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    This is applicable for every month! Please do support this book by buying as much privilege chapters as possible <3

    ....

    *In the Present*

    Seokhyun was still smiling at the memory of that day when he caught a glimpse of Rachel''s true nature.

    "I wanted to see if she would show me that side of hers," he went on. "But all I saw was a scared little brat who was pleading for her mommy and daddy. It was pathetic. I expected more."

    Hobin was sitting still while Jina and Jiwoon were visibly disgusted.

    "That''s his reason to kill a person?" Jiwoon winced. "What are we gonna tell the motive is in the court? That he wanted to see her sexual awakening?"

    Jina was at a loss for words. She came across many criminals but this guy was probably one of the worst she had seen.

    "Why did you use the dog?" Hobin asked.

    "I wasn''t supposed to use him," Seokhyun recalled. "If she had been a good girl and shown me her truly wild side, I wouldn''t have used him. Then I thought, maybe fear would make her awaken her sadistic nature. I was merely coaxing her to show her true face to me. But s! It didn''t work. She only became weaker and more pathetic."

    "You molested her naked body but didn''t rape her," Hobin stated.

    "I don''t want to have sex with her!" Seokhyun chortled. "How could I? Her weakass self didn''t entice me the way she did in that video! She was weak and I was disappointed. I thought touching her would make me feel something but all I felt was disgust. She couldn''t turn me on so she deserved what she got! It was all her deedsбн"

    He let out another manicughter which sent chills down Jina and Jiwoon''s spine. Only Hobin remained unaffected.

    "And the hair? Why did you tear it off with such force?"

    "I don''t like girls with long hair," Seokhyun shrugged. "I tore them off so that I could see her properly in her true form. Bald and naked. I wanted fear to give rise to her inner self."

    "How did you smuggle in the alcohol?" Hobin asked.

    "It wasn''t hard," Seokhyun replied. "Bought it off a cheap drugstore and poured it in an alcohol bottle in the basement. No one checked the ce much. It was cleaned only once a month by the servants so sneaking stuff in there was easy. And the ce is soundproof. No one heard Ratty''s barks that night. I knew the house inside out and carried out my n with ease."

    "And the acid was yourst resort to melt off Rachel''s so-called ''mask''," Hobin concluded. "What did you do next?"

    "I buried her in that shallow grave on purpose," Seokhyun stated. "I knew that no one was going to find her there because the people in that house are disconnected from each other. This was myst punishment for Rachel for not listening to me! She was rotting under her parents'' feet but no one knew. She was alone in that dark basement. Even the stench of her body couldn''t reach them because the ce was kept shut. Only the old madam''s lover used that route and he didn''t turn up for weeks. The servants don''t go there unless they clean it. I wanted to see how long it would be before they found her."

    "And you''ll emerge victorious thinking that you got away with her murder," Hobin guessed.

    "We''re servants, doctor," Seokhyun sighed. "No one looks at us. We''re ignored and mistreated. We''ll remain in the background. Who would think that someone like me could kill an untouchable beauty like her?"

    "But the moment she died, I felt alive," he went on. "I was aroused. I felt as if her death was my sexual awakening and now, I crave more, doctor. I want more."

    "Too bad you''ll spend the rest of your life in prison," Hobin said. "The face you''ve tried to see never existed. What did you do with the page from the burn book?"

    "Burn book?" Seokhyunughed. "You really think that a riffraff like me will be in her burn book?"

    Seokhyunughed loudly. "I''m not important to her, doctor. I didn''t touch her burn book. I''ve already admitted to her murder. I don''t think I have any reason to lie about the burn book."

    Hobin studied him. He knew that Seokhyun was not lying about this. But then, who took the third page?

    "I''ll let the police deal with you now," Hobin dered.

    He stood up to leave but Seokhyun let out anotherugh.

    "Don''t worry about me, doctor," he said. "I''m a psychopath. I know it myself and I don''t deny it. I have nothing to hide because I''ve let go of all facade. But you...you my friend, are still hiding."

    Hobin slowly turned around to face the man.

    "I can tell, doctor," Seokhyun prophesied. "You''re hiding your true face too. I was wrong about Rachel but not about you. You''re hiding behind a mask but for how long? You have toe out someday."

    "That''s where you''re wrong," Hobin whispered. "I have nothing to hide."

    "Do you, doctor?" Seokhyun challenged him. "Both of us know very well that only a psychopath can recognize another psychopath. The moment you entered the room, I knew that you were different. I knew that you''re hiding just like me."

    Hobin rolled his eyes and turned away but inside, his heart was beating fast. He did not betray his fears but Seokhyun seemed to know what was going on. The man was determined to take him down because now, Hobin interested him.

    "You''ll have to reveal your true face someday, doctor!" Seokhyun imed. "And when you do, you''ll target the one you love the most! I can tell, doc! No one is safe from you!"

    Seokhyun let out another menacingugh which was echoing in Hobin''s ears as he left the interrogation room. He tried not to shake in fear but the psychopath was correct. He was hiding something in his heart and it was going toe out soon.

    The image of his blood red eyes and the raven-like wings was swirling in his mind, haunting him. But the scary part was not the monstrous sight of himself in the mirror.

    He was scared of the hatred which overcame him every time his eyes turned red. The raw hatred which ached to burn down everything in his way.

    Above all, he was afraid of losing control of the monster inside him. It was sleeping now but Hobin knew that it was going to wake up some day and cause chaos.

    And when it woke up, no one around him would be safe. No one.

 Chapter 95 - The Third Page (6)

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    Mass chapter mission time! Support me in win win by unlocking the privilege chapters to get mass releases. MR will be given based on the following conditions:??

    1000 privilege chapter unlocks= 3 extra chapter mass release

    5000 privilege chapter unlocks= 5 extra chapter mass release

    10,000 privilege chapter unlocks= 10 chapter mass release.

    This is applicable for every month! Please do support this book by buying as much privilege chapters as possible <3

    ....

    Jina was waiting outside the room for Hobin. She sent Jiwoon to the meeting room to brief the team on the murderer.

    "He confessed," Hobin told her. "He told me everything about how he killed Rachel and why he did it. The dog he used is probably roaming around the Song Mansion."

    "Jaebum already contacted animal control and they nabbed the dog for us," she stated. "A vet is testing him and will send us the dog''s dental examination reports to match it with the marks on Rachel''s body."

    There was a long stretch of silence between them. Jina had seen and heard everything on the camera, including the part where the psychopath was baiting Hobin. Thetter did not fall for it but Jina was curious about what Hobin was hiding.

    It was not unusual for highly advanced criminals to psychologically manipte their interrogators. Inexperienced officers often found it difficult to question the suspects and had to be monitored by senior officers. Hobin was a trained psychiatrist and was able to withstand the line of questioning.

    However, she noticed that his face had hardened when Seokhyun was gloating about their simrities.

    "You wanna grab a bite?" she offered. "You owe me a treat anyway."

    Before Hobin could reply, they heard a minimotioning from the Homicide Department. Jina frowned and they headed towards the source of the noise.

    Several policemen were surrounding a pink haired youth, gushing over him.

    "My daughter is a big fan of yours!" one of the officers imed. "She loves all your songs so much! Can we take a selfie?"

    "I-" Minyoon was at a loss of what to do. He was being bombarded by the cops who were asking for autographs and pictures while Junho was trying to push past them to find Jina.

    "What the hell?" Jina scowled. "Of all the careers he could have chosen, he had to be an idol!"

    She mbered to her desk and took out a whistle. The sound of the whistle made everyone turn around.

    "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU ALL DOING?" she yelled. "GET AWAY FROM HIM AND DO YOUR WORK OTHERWISE I''LL SIGN YOU ALL UP FOR NIGHT DUTY FOR A MONTH!"

    Everyone immediately scrambled back to their workstations. Hobin was merely watching, trying not tough at the grandfather and grandson who were bbergasted. Minyoon looked as if he had just survived a storm. His pink hair was messy and his face paler than ever while Junho was scowling at the cops who gave them a hard time.

    "Sis!" Minyoon eximed. "Thank goodness, we found you! We need to talk to the two of you."

    They looked very serious. Jina and Hobin nced at each other before leading them to the empty break room.

    "Sit," Jina told them, pointing at the couch. "And tell me what happened?"

    "We conducted a seance," Junho revealed. "To summon Rachel."

    "A seance?" Hobin frowned. "Those things work?"

    "For those of us who can''t see ghosts or poltergeists, we have tomunicate with them through a seance," Junho exined. "We summon them and ask them questions."

    "We called Rachel''s spiritst night," Minyoon said. "And asked her why she''s still roaming around."

    "What did she say?" Jina asked, crossing her legs on the couch. "Did she give any clue?"

    "After almost killing us with her psychotic storm," Minyoon said. "She told us something about a page. We don''t know what it means. She only kept on repeating the word ''page'' but didn''t tell us anything else."

    Hobin and Jina were shocked. "Are you sure she said a page?" Hobin asked.

    "Yes!" Minyoon said. "I''m positive."

    "Did you guys find any page which might have been important to her?" Junho asked. "It''s the only clue we have. If we can burn the page, we can get rid of that poltergeist. Otherwise, she''ll keep on haunting everyone she hates."

    "Wellбн" Jina began. "We found a burn book which belonged to Rachel."

    She quickly summarized everything they found out about the burn book and how they arrested the real killer.

    "But he said he doesn''t have the third missing page," she concluded. "We looked for the page in the whole mansion but couldn''t find anything! It''s gone."

    "It''s not," Junho insisted. "It''s still with someone. If a person tore it out, the page is with him or her. She''s looking for it and can be freed only if we can find that page! And I''m sure she''ll attack someone soon."

    "Who''s left?" Minyoon frowned. "She already sent her dad to aa. Sera was attacked and so was I."

    "She doesn''t know where her mother''s lover lives," Hobin said thoughtfully. "She doesn''t know who killed her so Seokhyun is safe behind bars.

    "Unfortunately," Junho muttered under his breath. "Should have skinned him alive first!"

    "...The only one she didn''t attack yetбн"

    Jina let out a gasp. "She still didn''t attack her mother!" she eximed. "Seohyun!"

    бн.

    Siwan was in Soobin''s ward with Yoonmin. Miyoo was sleeping on the couch, tired afterst night. Soobin was looking down, feeling ashamed of her lie.

    "I''m sorry," she mumbled. "I didn''t want to trouble anyone."

    "You''re living alone in a big city!" Siwan gently scolded her. "It''s not safe for a teenager to live like this. What if something happened to you?"

    "I know," Soobin said. "I just didn''t want to worry anyone. I can really live on my own-"

    "No!" Yoonmin said sharply. "We can''t let you live like this! You''ll worry us more if you stay alone."

    Soobin lowered her head in shame. She just wanted to work and study well at Dalton High.

    "Why did you enter Dalton High?" Siwan asked. "You could''ve entered a high school in your hometown."

    "If you''re that crazy for your idol, you could''ve just attended his concerts," Yoonmin added, feeling a little jealous of his brother for unintentionally gaining Soobin''s favor.

    "I didn''t join the school for Minmin!" she snapped at him. "I entered Dalton High because it''s the only school which has a specialized medical college I can apply to after I graduate! Applicants from Dalton High get early eptance. If I can study hard this year, I can apply next year and get it before my ssmates. Also, the rmendation from a renowned psychiatrist is good for my record. So I''m working extra hours at Doctor Ohm''s office."

    Yoonmin wanted to curse himself for letting his mouth run. Once again, he let his jealousy get in the way and it was only ruining his chances with-

    Wait, he frowned to himself. What chances? I''m just looking out for my customer. That''s all!

    Aloud he said, "But you can''t live alone. You''ll have to live with a guardian."

    "I''m talking to her," Siwan told him, wary of the boy''s obvious crush on the girl. He turned to Soobin and added, "You can live in my mansion. There are maids and butlers who will take care of you all the time. You won''t be alone there. Moreover, I''ll take over as your guardian here. A minor will need someone to look after their wellbeing. If the police find out, they might force you to move back."

    "Butбн" Soobin trailed off. "I can''t afford to live in a mansion."

    Siwan smiled and patted her head. "You don''t have to pay rent. If you can get into college next year, I''ll consider that as payment. Okay?"

    "I won''t give up my part time jobs!" Soobin stated.

    "Fine but return within the curfew," Siwan said. "And you gotta study. Got it?"

    Soobin broke into a wide smile. She knew that Siwan was Doctor Ohm''s brother and a kind person so she was safe with him.

    "Okay!" she nodded. "I''ll stay at your ce! Thank you, Doctor Ohm''s big bro! Can I also call you big bro?"

    "S-sure," Siwan said. I sure am adopting way too many siblings, he sighed inwardly.

    But he was d that his family was increasing a little again. He smiled at the girl who was as lively as ever.

    "You should go home and pack," he said. "I''ll send my driver to pick you up from the hospital and he''ll help you pack up. Okay?"

    Soobin nodded while Yoonmin merely shrugged. He was still sulking over why Soobin could not just move into their condo.

    "Doctor Kang!"

    All of them looked around to see a nurse panting.

    "What happened, nurse?" Siwan asked.

    "Doctor Kang...It''s Song Yohan," she gasped. Song Yohan is missing!"

    "Missing?" Siwan eximed. "How? He''s in aa!"

    "He woke up this morning," the nurse revealed. "When I went to call the doctor, he slipped out of bed and left!"

    All three of them were shocked. Yoonmin was now thinking hard. If Song Yohan went missing then he was in danger!

    "We must tell this to sis," he said. "Now!"

 Chapter 96 - The Third Page (7)

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    Mass chapter mission time! Support me in win win by unlocking the privilege chapters to get mass releases. MR will be given based on the following conditions:??

    1000 privilege chapter unlocks= 3 extra chapter mass release

    5000 privilege chapter unlocks= 5 extra chapter mass release

    10,000 privilege chapter unlocks= 10 chapter mass release.

    This is applicable for every month! Please do support this book by buying as much privilege chapters as possible <3

    ....

    The Song mansion was crowded with a lot of people wearing ck clothes. They were downstairs, murmuring about the loss of a young girl. The funeral had just ended and the body was buried in a closed casket.

    "I heard that a servant did it," one of the guests whispered.

    "She was a mean child but to die like thatбн"

    "It''s a scary world," another guest said. "I feel sorry for the parents."

    Seohyun was sitting next to the piano, lost and unfocused. She was in no mood to entertain guests but she had to endure it. Ever since they found Rachel''s body and the police interrogation, she could not let herself grieve properly at all. Her heart was numb and dead but she had to live somehow. Every second of it was painful and Rachel med herself for not being a good parent.

    What if she had stayed with Rachel that night? What if she had broken off her rtionship with Changseob and catered to her daughter?

    The detective had told her that she was a jealous mother. No matter how many times Seohyun denied it, deep down, she knew that the detective was right. She was jealous of her own daughter and it was something which would haunt her for the rest of her life.

    "Mrs. Song you have our deepest condolences," one guest told her in a somber tone. Seohyun merely nodded, her red eyes dull and burning. She had been crying all night but was forced to hide her grief in front of the crowd.

    Suddenly, the crowd was starting to annoy her. She was not sure why. Everything was a blur and she just wanted it all to end. She felt suffocated and lost in the middle of these people who were showing sympathy to her.

    "I''m so sorry, Mrs. Song," another person was saying.

    "She was so young."

    "Everything will be fineбн"

    These were words of constion and yet, Seohyun did not want any of it. Even the kind words felt like poisonous venom to her and all she wanted was to be left alone.

    She got to her feet.

    "I want everyone to leave!" she announced. "Please! I...I can''t deal with this now! Please try to understand and leave!"

    The guests were surprised but slowly, they began to leave the premises, muttering between themselves.

    "We were just being kind," one guest muttered.

    "People have no consideration," another one imed.

    "Let''s just leave."

    One by one, they began to leave until there was no one left except for Seohyun and the servants. She red at them, silently ordering them to leave for their outhouse. Hana motioned all of them to follow her and they, too, left the main mansion.

    As soon as they were gone, Seohyun copsed on a couch, overwhelmed by the whole affair. She was finally letting go of her facade and broke down into tears. Clutching a pillow to her chest, she was crying hard,menting the loss of the daughter she had birthed and taken care of.

    "I''m sorry!" she cried. "I''m sorry, Rachel! Please...please don''t leave your mommy! Pleasee backбн"

    She wept alone for hours, regretting what she did to her own daughter.

    "If only I had paid attention to you!" Seohyun cried out. "If only I was a better person! This wouldn''t have happened! Come back...pleaseбн"

    CRASH!

    The sound of ss breaking startled Seohyun. She was now even more irritated. Who the hell stayed back in the house?

    It''sing from the basement, she realized. Wiping her tears, she marched towards the basement. mming the door open, she turned on the light and was about to shout at the person who was disturbing her only to be shocked.

    "Yohan?" she gasped.

    Her husband was still in his hospital gown. He was staggering around, his movements stiff and weak but it was as if a strange mania had ovee him. Seohyun rushed forward to help him get to his feet. Supporting his weight, she led him to a corner and sat him there.

    "Yohan, why aren''t you at the hospital?" she demanded. "And why didn''t they inform me that you were awake?

    "No...timeбн" Yohan gasped. His usually neat hair was matted with sweat as if he had walked all the way home. His face was unkempt and he had a stubble. Thea had left him increasingly weak but Yohan seemed very determined about something.

    "Take...me to my...roomбн" he begged. "I...mustбн"

    "Yohan, you need to go to the hospital!" Seohyun scolded him.

    "Noбн" Yohan insisted. "We-"

    His words were cut off when the light bulb burst and sent flying pieces of ss all over the ce.

    "AHHH!" Seohyun screamed in fear. She held onto her husband''s hands, both of them cowering against the wall.

    "W-what was that?" Seohyun squeaked. Before Yohan could reply, the door to the basement shut. An invisible force locked the knob, making it click. Seohyun was thoroughly confused and scared but Yohan seemedpletely calm.

    "Seohyunбн" he began. "Do you believe in karma?"

    "W-what do you mean?" Seohyun stammered. To her further shock, Yohan turned to her with teary eyes.

    "This is our karma," he replied. "For not taking care of our daughter. This is our karma."

    Seohyun was confused but the sounds of footsteps were approaching them. She could hear the echo all throughout the room,ing closer and closer. Seohyun looked around for the person but there was no one around. Only Yohan seemed to know what was going on but he remained still as if he had given up.

    The footsteps suddenly stopped, an eerie silence dawning over them.

    "Yohan, what''s going on-" Seohyun began but she was never able to finish the sentence. An ear piercing scream shattered the silence.

    "AHHHHHHHHHHH!"

    Seohyun shut her ears but Yohan looked ahead. He could not see the entity but he knew who it was. He saw it only briefly when he was almost plunging to his death that night at the party. Many people would think he was delusional but he knew what he saw. He could recognize the hatred in her remaining eye. After all, he turned her into a monster like that.

    Slowly, his lips began to move.

    "Rachelбн" he whispered.

 Chapter 97 - The Third Page (8)

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    Mass chapter mission time! Support me in win win by unlocking the privilege chapters to get mass releases. MR will be given based on the following conditions:??

    1000 privilege chapter unlocks= 3 extra chapter mass release

    5000 privilege chapter unlocks= 5 extra chapter mass release

    10,000 privilege chapter unlocks= 10 chapter mass release.

    This is applicable for every month! Please do support this book by buying as much privilege chapters as possible <3

    ....

    Jina was on the phone with Yoonmin while Hobin drove the car. Junho and Minyoon were in the back, reading from one of Junho''s books on exorcism.

    "Are you kidding me?" Jina scowled. "Yohan is missing?"

    "We''ve looked for him everywhere in the hospital," Yoonmin''s voice came through the speaker phone. "But we couldn''t find him anywhere.

    "He''s probably at the Song mansion," Hobin said. "We''re going there now to talk to Seohyun. The poltergeist is looking for the third page of her burn book and until we destroy it, she''ll keep on harming the people she hates."

    "I''m heading for the Song mansions well," Yoonmin replied. "It''s close to the hospital. I''ll get there faster."

    "Where''s Miyoo?" Jina asked.

    "I''m leaving her with Soobin," he said. "And Doctor Kang is here to take care of her as well. I don''t wanna take her anywhere near that crazy ghost."

    "It''s a poltergeist!" Junho scowled.

    "Whatever!" Yoonmin eximed in annoyance.

    "We''ll meet you there," Jina said. Yoonmin hung up.

    "Why will Yohan escape from the hospital?" Jina wondered out loud. "Makes no sense."

    "Maybeбн" Hobin began. "Maybe he knows something about Rachel''s death? Or is trying to hide his own deeds?"

    "But we already caught Rachel''s killer!" Jina pointed out. "What else could he possibly know?"

    "Today is Rachel''s funeral, right?" Junho frowned. "Maybe he wants to say goodbye to his daughter onest time?"

    "Oh please!" Minyoon scoffed. "Song Yohan is a stone cold bastard. Everyone knew he wasn''t affectionate towards Rachel. In fact, he never even visited the school for any parent-teacher meeting."

    "Even when Rachel died, he didn''t show any remorse," Jina said in a solemn tone. "He was so cold and aloof. The man wasining about a meeting on the day her body was found."

    "Probably," Hobin said.

    Jina turned to him. "What do you mean?" she asked. "You saw him. You saw how cold he was!"

    "He was cold," Hobin stated. "But I doubt he was unaffected. No matter how aloof and indifferent he was, Rachel was still his daughter. There must have been some remorse in him."

    "Not every parent feels love for their child," Jina mumbled. Her mind was going back to the way Kang Danny had abused and killed Shinho. People who were obsessed with themselves would never feel any affection even for their offspring.

    Junho, however, was on the same page as Hobin.

    "He''s notpletely wrong," Junho said. "Sometimes, it''s hard to tell what goes on in a father''s mind. Even if Song Yohan wasn''t a good father, he still made sure that the world knew who his daughter was. And to wake up on the day of her funeral, that needs a lot of willpower. He probably knows something."

    "I doubt it," Minyoon added. "If he was even the least bit considerate towards her, she''d have been alive."

    "I agree with Minyoon," Jina said. "I don''t think he loved her at all."

    "Let''s see," Hobin dered. "For now, let''s see if he''s at the Song mansion."

    Junho returned to the book, reading it carefully. Thankfully, he had brought a bag of supplies which he might need in case he had to perform an exorcism but without the missing page, he was not sure whether his ritual would beplete or not.

    "Let''s just hope nothing goes wrong," he muttered.

    бн.

    The cab dropped Yoonmin outside of the Song mansion. He got out of the car and was surprised to see the mansion waspletely silent. His long hair was tied into a bun and he borrowed a ck suit from Siwan before heading off.

    Isn''t a funeral going on here? He wondered. He walked upto the gate only to be stopped by a guard.

    "The mistress has forbidden us from letting any guests in," the guard said in an apologetic tone. "Sorry."

    "What about the funeral?" Yoonmin asked. "Aren''t we supposed to pay ourst respects?"

    "Miss Rachel has been buried already and the guests have been instructed to leave," the guard stated. "Sorry."

    Yoonmin sighed and thought hard. He took out his phone and texted his sister about the situation. She replied promptly.

    "There''s a secret passage at the back around the basement," she texted. "See if it''s still unguarded. Get in through it and check up on Seohyun. If she says anything, I''ll take responsibility. But find her!"

    The matter must be a life and death situation because his sister was telling him to illegally trespass. It was obvious that the poltergeist was going to target Seohyun and her life was in danger so Jina had to resort to this step.

    Yoonmin put his phone away and circled the mansion. He looked at the cameras only to find that there were none around. He quickly climbed over the wall and jumped on the other side,nding easily on his feet.

    "Basementбн" he muttered. There was a wooden door a few meters away. He quietly crept towards it and tried to open the door. It waspletely locked. He pressed his ear against the door but could hear nothing.

    "Guess I''ll have to jump in through a window," he decided. There were no windows around the basement but the living room was not far off. He walked around the mansion, looking for a window to enter through. Finally, he found one but that too was locked.

    "Let''s seeбн" Yoonmin examined the window carefully. He untied his long hair and managed to extract a bobby pin. Yoonmin always kept these pins with him so that he could easily open locks to sneak out of school and go to important work meetings.

    Inserting it in the lock, he fiddled with it until he heard a click. Opening the window, he climbed into the mansion.

    He expected someone to stop him but there was no one around, not even a maid.

    "This is weird," he muttered. The whole house was drowning in pin drop silence. Yoonmin could hear his heart racing as he wandered through the empty hallways, looking for at least one person. He did not dare to call out anyone because he would be caught.

    But something was not right. He went into the kitchen and there was no one there either. His footsteps echoed through the long corridor as he headed to the east side of the house.

    "Where is everybody?" he wondered out loud.

    SWOOSH!

    He turned around upon hearing something pass by. But there was no one around.

    A cold air was creeping in from somewhere and Yoonmin was getting more alert. The breeze was swirling around him as if examining him carefully. He could not help but think that he was being watched. Someone was around but he could not see anyone in sight.

    "Rachel?" he said out loud. "Are you here?"

    There was no response. Yoonmin did not expect any reply but why did it feel like he was being watched? And from where?

    KNOCK! KNOCK!

    Yoonmin jumped when he heard someone knocking on one of the doors to his right. He quickly opened it to find himself in the master bedroom. There was arge portrait of Yohan on one side of the wall and the room looked as if it had not been used for a few days.

    He entered further into the room, looking around. The sounds of his footsteps were breaking through the eerie silence. Yoonmin examined the portrait on the wall. It was undoubtedly made by a famous artist because the brushwork was intricate and made with care. He was about to leave when he suddenly noticed something.

    Turning around towards the portrait, Yoonmin noticed that one corner of the frame looked a little looseбн

    Yoonmin tapped on it only to realise that it was a movable block. He took it off to reveal a piece of paper hidden behind it.

    "What''s this?" he wondered out loud, unfolding the paper to read its contents. Going through what looked like a page from a diary, Yoonmin was astonished.

    Putting the paper into his pocket, he took out his phone to dial Jina''s number.

    "Pick up sis!" he prayed. "Pick up!"

    бн..

    Jina and the rest were stuck in traffic when she received Yoonmin''s call. She put him on speaker again.

    "Yeah, did you reach the mansion?" she asked him over the phone.

    "Sis, I...fouбн" Yoonmin''s voice was breaking off.

    "What?" she frowned. "I can''t hear you!"

    "What''s going on?" Junho asaked.

    "Yoonmin?" Minyoon called for his brother. "Where are you?"

    "Sis, I-AHHHHHHHHH!"

    Thest thing they heard was Yoonmin''s screams echoing through the phone before everything went silent.

 Chapter 98 - The Third Page (9)

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    Mass chapter mission time! Support me in win win by unlocking the privilege chapters to get mass releases. MR will be given based on the following conditions:??

    1000 privilege chapter unlocks= 3 extra chapter mass release

    5000 privilege chapter unlocks= 5 extra chapter mass release

    10,000 privilege chapter unlocks= 10 chapter mass release.

    This is applicable for every month! Please do support this book by buying as much privilege chapters as possible <3

    ....

    "OUT OF MY WAY!" Jina yelled at some pedestrians as she sprinted like lightning to reach the Song mansion. As soon as she heard Yoonmin''s cries, she dashed out of the car and set off on foot to rescue her brother. Hobin also charged behind her, putting Minyoon in charge of driving the car.

    "Detective, wait!" Hobin called her but Jina was not listening. She was now enraged and wanted to rescue her brother as soon as possible. Her heart was racing, both fearful and exhausted but she ignored her tiredness and continued to run.

    Hobin was panting but kept on chasing her. There was no telling what the poltergeist was going to do to Yoonmin and the others in the mansion so they would have to hurry. But Jina was beyond herself which was quite unusualбн

    Jina stopped in front of the mansion but the guards would not let her in.

    "You can''t enter!" one of the guards said. "The madam said-"

    "SCREW HER!" Jina yelled at them. "THEY''RE IN DANGER!"

    But the guards were adamant on not letting her in. Even when Jina shed her badge at them, they would not budge. Hobin caught up with her and pulled Jina aside.

    "Calm down!" He scolded her.

    "My brother-" Jina said hotly but he shot her down.

    "We''ll have to find another way to barge in!" he snapped at her. "If you''re gonna lose control, it''s gonna be over! Just calm down and think!"

    "Iбн" Jina whimpered. She was unsure of what to do now because poltergeists were not easily beatable like other spirits were. Thest time she met a poltergeist, it did not stop until it killed off the object of its hatred. In this case, Rachel hated so many people that Jina was sure that the girl would not stop until she killed everyone.

    "Let''s break into the ce," Hobin suggested. "I''m sure you can sense the poltergeist in there!"

    Jina took a deep breath and nodded. "Yes," she replied. "I can sense her. Let''s break in through the basement!"

    They went around the mansion only to find that Minyoon and Junho had also arrived, waiting for them at that spot.

    "I won''t be able to climb the wall in this age!" Junho scowled.

    "We gotta think of another way," Jina muttered. Hobin stared at Minyoon and nodded.

    "I guess we gotta knock out the guards," he sighed.

    бн.

    The guards were standing outside the main gate, alert for any intruders or visitors. There were only two of them on duty at that time because the other guards were sent to the hospital where their master Yohan was. He was missing and they were looking for him while the two guards remained behind to guard the mansion.

    An old man was limping past them, holding his aching back.

    "Aigoo!" the old man wasining. "My back! My damn back!"

    Suddenly, he copsed on the ground, wincing in pain. Rolling over the cold ground, the man was in agony as his back gave away.

    "Ahhh!" he yelped. "My back hurtssss!"

    The guards looked at each other before stepping forward to aid the old man.

    "Uncle, are you alright?" one of the guards asked.

    "Let us call an ambnce for you!" the other guard offered.

    "My backбн" the old man was saying. "I think it''s broken! I just had a hip surgery and it really hurts! Can you please help me?"

    The guards were about to lift him up when two other figures appeared and hit them on the head. They fell on the ground, unconscious.

    "Where do we hide them?" Minyoon asked but Hobin shot him down.

    "There''s no time!" he snapped, heading for the mansion gate. "Let''s go in!"

    He climbed up the gates and jumped over to the other side before pressing a button to open the gates from the inside.

    "Oi, help me get up!" Junho grumbled. "I really have a bad hip, ya know!"

    "Just admit that you''re an old man!" Minyoon scowled, helping Junho to get on his feet.

    Junho was about to argue but Hobin''s angry voice shouted at them, "IF THE TWO OF YOU DON''T HURRY UP, I''LL START CHARGING BY THE HOUR FOR MIYOO''S TREATMENT!"

    That shut them up and they quickly ran after him, leaving the guards on the road. They would have to worry about breaking a thousand differentwster. Saving Yoonmin and the others was more important.

    Meanwhile, Jina had already climbed in through the back wall. She was exploring the area until she reached the basement''s door.

    A cold shiver ran through her spine and she froze to the spot. There was no sounding from the basement due to the soundproof walls, she could feel that something was wrong. She slowly raised her palm to touch the door only to realize that it was cursed. The ce was emitting arge amount of spiritual energy which meant that the poltergeist''s powers were strongest in that very room. It was Rachel''s base, where she was probably at her peak and could do anything to anyone.

    "Yoonminбн" she whispered. Looking around, she searched for another way in until she found a window in the living room was wide open. Yoonmin must have climbed in through here, she thought.

    Following his steps, she also climbed into the mansion and hurried towards the basement.

    The energy was stronger on this side which scared Jina to no end. She tried to open the door but it was locked tightly. The poltergeist must be using some kind of trick to make sure that no one could get in.

    "Jina!"

    She spun around to find the others running towards her. Hobin also paused in front of the basement door, studying it carefully. Even though he was not feeling it as strongly as Jina, he could also tell that there was a sinister auraing from the other side of the closed door which was quite dangerous.

    "The door is shut tight!" Jina told them. "I can''t open itбн"

    "We''ll have to purify the door first," Junho said. "I can only unlock it for ten seconds through the purification ritual."

    He took out a charm from the bag he was carrying and posted it on the door.

    "Stand back," he ordered them in a serious tone. "I''ll kick that poltergeist''s ass today!"

    "If you break your hip in the process, I ain''t paying for the hospital bills, old man," Minyoon muttered.

 Chapter 99 - The Third Page (10)

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    Mass chapter mission time! Support me in win win by unlocking the privilege chapters to get mass releases. MR will be given based on the following conditions:??

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    ....

    Yoonmin''s eyes fluttered and he slowly opened them. His head was hurting, making him wince as he steadily sat up. Blinking his eyes several times, he realized that he was in some kind of wine cer underground. It took him a few seconds to remember what happened and he was now more alert.

    The paper! He realized and quickly checked his pocket. It was still there and he let out a sigh of relief.

    "But where am I?" he wondered out loud.

    "Who''s there?"

    A woman''s voice wasing from somewhere but he could not see anyone around him.

    "Where are you?" he frowned.

    "Up here!"

    Eh? Yoonmin looked up at the ceiling. His mouth gaped open in shock as he saw two figures stered to the wall above as if held by an invisible force. The ceiling was really high and if they fell, then they would be seriously injured or might even die. One of them was Song Yohan who was unconscious while the other must be his wife, Seohyun.

    "What...how the hell did you get up there?" he asked.

    "I don''t know!" Seohyun eximed. "I found Yohan sneaking into the mansion and before I could ask anything, something grabbed us by the feet and pulled us up here! I don''t know what''s happening!"

    She was now crying, her tears falling to the ground. Yoonmin was now alert,pletely aware that this was Rachel''s doing.

    "You''re Hwang Minyoon, right?" she asked. "The idol? Rachel was a fan of yours."

    "No," Yoonmin replied. "I''m his twin. And I think Rachel knows tooбн"

    "Rachel?" Seohyun echoed. "What do you mean?"

    But Yoonmin was now looking for a way to bring them down. Unfortunately, he left his salt bags back in the apartment and had nothing with him to use in a fight against the poltergeist.

    I''ll have to wing it somehow, he decided. The poltergeist was probably around somewhere but why was she quiet? This was unlike Rachel''s usually chaotic behavior. If her parents were at her mercy then why did she not kill them off already?

    "Rachel?" he called out. "Are you here?"

    "Why would Rachel be here?" Seohyun shrieked. "She''s dead-"

    Suddenly, Seohyun felt the grip on her loosen and she was being thrown up and down like a yo-yo. She screamed as she was flung around the room. Yoonmin stepped back, almost colliding with the flying woman before she was stuck against the ceiling once again.

    "I think you got your answer," Yoonmin said in a cool tone. "Your daughter is now a crazy, psychotic ghost who''s out to kill people."

    As soon as he said those words, the wine shelf next to him began to rattle. Several bottles fell on the floor and the shelf tilted over but Yoonmin jumped back. The shelf fell with a loud crash, the alcohol from the bottles flowing freely.

    "Rachel?" Yoonmin called again in his deadpan voice. "If you wanna kill someone, go ahead but don''t you think it''s gettin outta hand now? Your killer was already caught. Go and haunt him at the police station-"

    He narrowly avoided a wine bottle which was flung at him. It smashed against the wall, breaking into thousands of pieces, staining the red bricks with alcohol. Yoonmin only sighed.

    "I know you have daddy issues but isn''t it better to just talk to him?" he asked, feeling bored of the ghost already. "Just talk to him, free yourself from this world and let us go. It''s time to make lunch for Miyoo and she gets cranky when she''s not fed on time-"

    Another bottle came flying at him but he expertly dodged them. When growing up in a family which dealt with money and ghosts, it was easy to dodge flying items with ease.

    "Rachel, use your brains," he said out loud, scanning the area carefully. "If you couldn''t manage to hurt Minyoon, then do you really think you can win against me? I mean, he managed to beat you with a dash of salt! I may not have salt now but it''ll still be impossible for you to kill me-"

    SMASH! A few more bottles were thrown at him from the southern direction. Yoonmin casually pulled on the earring on his left ear, tired of Rachel''s dodge the bottle game.

    "I mean, I know you had a terrible death but what''s the point in chasing these people?" he went on, keeping an eye on the southern side. He looked at the floor and smirked. Poltergeists might be invisible but they could not hide their footprints on wet ground.

    "It''s not like your boyfriend won''t move on from you," he said out loud. Seohyun was still perplexed on what the young man was doing. Beside her, Yohan was beginning to regain consciousness. He stirred and opened his eyes to find himself in such a peculiar position.

    "Yohan!" Seohyun hissed. "Are you alright?"

    Her husband was still weak from hisatose state but his eyes were beaming with determination.

    "Seohyun," he began. "We are responsible for Rachel''s state. And now, we must save her from herself. It''s the only thing we could do."

    "What do you mean?" Seohyun asked. "What state?"

    "That night at the party, I didn''t fall from the stairs," Yohan revealed. "I was pushed."

    "What?"

    "I was on the verge of death," he said in a sad tone. "Hanging between life and death, when I saw...I saw Rachel looking down at me with contempt. She was not well at all, Seohyun. She was suffering!"

    Meanwhile, Yoonmin was still alert while talking to Rachel.

    "I know what''s written in that page of the burn book," he revealed. "But if you want the page, you gotta show yourself!"

    It was a bluff of course. He would not be able to see her anyway but he needed to distract her. ncing to his right, he saw that another bottle was being lifted in the airбн

    In an instant, he broke his earring and a pinch of peach powder fell on his hand. He blew it at the direction of the bottle, managing to hit the poltergeist straight on the face. The invisible entity staggered and fell backwards.

    Just then, the basement door flung open and a bunch of people barged in. Jina''s eyes fell on the poltergeist which was now getting on its feet and about to hurt Yoonminбн

    "GET AWAY FROM MY BROTHER YOU FILTHY BRAT!" she screamed and lunged at the spirit, tackling it back on the ground.

 Chapter 100 - The Third Page (11)

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    100th CHAPTER! YAIIIII! THANK YOU GUYSSSS <3

    Mass chapter mission time! Support me in win win by unlocking the privilege chapters to get mass releases. MR will be given based on the following conditions:

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    ....

    "This is so weird," Hobin muttered as he saw Jina roll on the floor all by herself, seemingly hitting something invisible. He could not see the spirits so he only saw Jina was fighting something invisible. Beside him the twins were also watching with curiosity.

    "How long do you think it''ll take sis to kick that poltergeist''s ass?" Minyoon asked as they saw their sister being thrown against a wall.

    "I''d say, ten minutes," Yoonmin replied when Jinanded a kick on the invisible entity. Or what looked like a kick.

    "Do you think the poltergeist will throw her up and down like a yo-yo?" Hobin wondered as Jina threw the invisible entity against a shelf, causing it to knock over.

    "Or like badminton?" Yoonmin suggested when the ghost pushed Jina on another shelf.

    "Shouldn''t we do something to help?" Minyoon wondered.

    Jina punched the burnt poltergeist on the face which would have hurt any living person like a bitch.

    "Nah, she''s good," Hobin said.

    "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU STOOGES DOING?" she screamed. "GET RID OF THIS BITCH ALREADY!"

    The three of them turned to Junho who was sitting on the floor, flipping through the pages of a book. He looked up when he felt their gazes on him and cleared his throat.

    "Jina, can you keep her upied for five more minutes?" he asked. "I need to draw a circle and a star before starting the ritual and burn the page in it-"

    "DOES IT LOOK LIKE I HAVE FIVE MINUTES?" She shrieked, narrowly dodging a kick. She was bleeding from the lips and her eye was swollen as well.

    "Well, you''ll have to stall her," Junho muttered as he drew a small circle with a star in it. "Oi Yoonmin! Gimme the salt and the lighter."

    "I''m Minyoon!" Minyoon frowned. He took out salt from the bag of supplies and gave it to the old man who took out a lighter and a few wooden sticks first. Junho lit the sticks on fire, creating a small bonfire to conduct the ritual.

    The poltergeist saw what he was doing and was about to attack him but Jina jumped on her, punching her hard.

    "Oi, doc and twins!" Junho yelled. "Don''t just stand there! Help me read this text!"

    "Didn''t you bring your sses?" Yoonmin scowled.

    "I forgot!" Junho imed. "How was I supposed to know that you''d get kidnapped by the ghost instead?"

    "Why is this thing written in fancy calligraphy?" Hobin frowned. Behind them, Jina was still struggling with the poltergeist and cursing at them for the dy.

    YOU JACKASSES-"

    "You''re doing great, sis!" Yoonmin said offhandedly, still trying to read the text. "Ancient schrs wrote this. What else did you expect? Printed copies?"

    "Old people are weird," Minyoon muttered. "I think this says...Oh you who are harming humanityбн"

    "No, I think it says ''Oh you who are harming humans and humanity,''" Yoonmin imed.

    "That looks more like the word ''spirit'' there," Hobin stated. "Oh you spirits who are harming humans and humanityбн"

    There was a murmur of agreement amongst them. Jina, already annoyed by their casualness, screamed.

    HURRY UP!"

    "Figured it out!" Hobin said, ignoring her. "Oh you spirits who are harming humans and humanity, I damn you to the depths of purgatory until your soul is purified and your legacy untarnished."

    He handed the book back to Junho who nodded and began the spell. Rachel let out a scream, throwing Jina off guard but she managed to extract some salt from her pocket and threw it on the spirit''s eye. The poltergeist yelped, temporarily blinded.

    There was a movement on the ceiling and everyone looked up to see that the Song''s were beginning to fall. The twins lunged forward as the couple fell on them.

    "AHHHH!" Seohyun screamed as they fell.

    "OUCH!" Both brothers yelled when Seohyun and Yohan fell on them, scared but unhurt.

    Rachel was now standing up but Jina tightened her grip around the poltergeist''s legs, not letting go. But Rachel was now dragging her body, enraged to see that her parents were alive. She was crawling forward to reach out to them but Junho had begun the ritual.

    "Oh you spirits who are harming humans and humanity, I damn you to the depths of purgatory until your soul is purified and your legacy untarnished," he chanted, throwing peach powder into the fire. The fire was burning brightly, the mes turning into a dark reddish hue.

    The twins managed to grab the couple and pulled them behind the mes but the poltergeist continued to approach them, dragging Jina behind her.

    Hobin picked up a bit of salt and sprang forward. He threw salt at the spot where Jina was being dragged, managing to hit the poltergeist a few times.

    "Oh you spirits who are harming humans and humanity, I damn you to the depths of purgatory until your soul is purified and your legacy untarnished," Junho continued to chant. "Oh you spirits who are harming humans and humanity, I damn you to the depths of purgatory until your soul is purified and your legacy untarnished."

    Suddenly, the poltergeist was thrown aback. Jina yelped when Rachel was pulled from her grasp, getting kicked on the face in the process. Hobin was about to help her when something strange happened.

    A sharp pain jabbed his head as if he was stabbed by a knife. He was finding it difficult to breathe and the air around him was suffocating him. The mes which burned behind him were hotter than usual and he sped his heart as if trying to catch his breath. Jina, still reeling from the kick, noticed Hobin''s strange behavior which went unnoticed by others.

    Several images began to rush into Hobin''s head and he closed his eyes. The figure of a small, scrawny boy was shing in front of him. Hobin found himself staring at the boy who was staring back at him with his innocent eyes as if pleading.

    A dark shadow was forming behind the boy, its raven-like wings spreading far and wide but the child did not seem to notice. Hobin knew who the boy was. He saw the boy in his dreams several times.

    "Save her," the boy whispered. "Fulfill the promise you madeбн"

    It all happened in the blink of an eye. Hobin felt as if he was about to fall back when a hand came out to grab him. He felt a soft touch on his palm, pulling him to safety.

    But in an instant, a new image shed into his mind. The face of that tiny girl with chocte brown eyes and hair was now in front of him. Her beautiful eyes were flooding with tears as she looked at him.

    "You''re really bad," she sobbed. "Why would you want this? Why do you want to leave us?"

    Leave? I don''t want to leave. I want to return.

    The words came into his mind before he could stop them. Why was he thinking like that? Where was he going? Where was he returning?

    "I will return," he promised. "And when I do, I''ll find you again. Until then, take care of yourself. Don''t let the bad guys get to you. Study hard and be an amazing Lady Cop! And we''ll meet again."

    Am I saying them? Who is she? Why am I making this promise to her?

    And why the hell is my heart aching in agony?

    "Noбн" she whispered. "Don''t go...Pleaseбн"

    She wept but his cold hand reached out to wipe off her tears. He did not speak but kept on smiling until he vanished, leaving herpletely alone.

    бн.

    "Hobin!" Jina''s voice brought him back to the present. He slowly opened his eyes to see her only to find himself staring at the same set of chocte colored eyes which he had been seeing in his dreams. Their hands were intertwined together. Hobin looked from their locked palms to her face which was full of worry for him.

    Only seconds ago, he watched those eyes cry for him.

    Jina had noticed that Hobin was acting a little strange and was about to fall back. She rushed to hold him and stop the fall. At that moment, he opened his eyes and it felt as if he was seeing her for the first time. A slow smile formed on his face.

    "Found youбн" he whispered.

 Chapter 101 - The Third Page (12)

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    Mass chapter mission time! Support me in win win by unlocking the privilege chapters to get mass releases. MR will be given based on the following conditions:

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    10,000 privilege chapter unlocks= 10 chapter mass release.

    This is applicable for every month! Please do support this book by buying as much privilege chapters as possible <3

    ....

    Hobin lost consciousness and was about to fall but Jina held him steady. The room was quite stuffy and he must have fainted due to it. Meanwhile, Rachel was squirming in pain as the exorcism was agonizing for her.

    "AHHHHHHHH!" The poltergeist screamed, almost tearing everyone''s eardrums apart.

    "Rachel!" Yohan cried. "Is that really our daughter? Is that her?"

    "Why do you care now?" Minyoon snapped, while Junho continued to shant in the background. "You ignored her when she was alive!"

    "Minбн" Yoonmin began but Seohyun stepped up.

    "He''s right," she said. "We ignored her when she was alive. It''s our faultбн"

    She was sobbing heavily while holding her husband steady. They were separated when their child was alive but after Rachel''s death, they had to think about their actions. Yohan, the once cold hearted and aloof father, was now breaking down while the spirit of his daughter screamed for his blood.

    "I''m sorry!" he cried. "I''m sorry for what happened to you! If only we had looked after you! If only we had stopped you from going astray...I...I can never forgive myselfбн"

    To everyone''s surprise, Yohan got to his knees and bent down in shame as if apologizing to his daughter with sincerity.

    "What''s he doing?" Minyoo wondered. Yoonmin did not say anything but handed him the paper from Rachel''s burn book.

    "Read it," he sighed. "And you''ll know why he''s truly sorry for what happened to his daughter."

    Minyoon took the paper and read it out loud.

    "This is for my dad," he read. "Dad, if I was born a boy, would you have loved me? Or would you have ignored me like you always do? I know I''m a bad person but don''t I deserve to be loved by you and mom? I know you hate me but Iбн"

    The rest of the words were scribbled out. Minyoon was astonished by this short note of confession.

    "She just wanted her dad to read this," Yoonmin revealed. "But this was also her biggest weakness. She''s afraid that if Yohan reads it, he''ll think that she''s weak and feeble. Which is why she became a monster so that her father will finally look at her. Little did she know, it was her father who took that page and safely kept it with himбн"

    He looked at the pitiful man who was still on his knees. Seohyun was also shocked to see Yohan''s disy of affection.

    "Yohanбн" she whispered. Yohan slowly raised his head, still on his knees as he began to narrate ehis tale.

    "The day after the party," he began. "I had decided to divorce you. I didn''t want anyone to find out about your affair and shame us. Besides, I was livid at you for birthing a daughter. I admit, I ignored her and let her do whatever she wanted because I didn''t care for her. That day, I decided that I''ll send Rachel away after the divorceбн"

    "I went to her room but it was empty," he went on. "I assumed she was out but her diary was lying on the bed, wide open. I was about to leave when I saw that there were some disturbing words on it. So I read the whole thingбн"

    Yohan winced in disgust. "The things I''ve read there horrified even a bastard like me," he said, feeling ashamed. "Porn production, high school bullying...our daughter turned into a monster! And we turned her into that. I neglected her but I never wanted her to be like thatбн"

    "And then I came to thisst page," he said. "It was written on the day she died. The only entry where she did not talk about her heinous deeds but was desperately seeking love from us. This was her single honest entry. I tore it off and re-read it in private."

    "I don''t know what it was. Something in me was breaking down that day. The divorce, my daughter''s wayward ways, our strange family. Everything was ruined but that piece of paper wasforting me. My daughter hates me and I was distraught by the thought. Suddenly, I couldn''t ignore her pleas anymore."

    "But then, she went missing," Yohanmented. "All of us thought she ran away but I was looking for her everywhere in secret. I didn''t want my daughter to turn into a monster. I wanted her to return so that we could help her! I even decided to cancel our divorce so that we can start overбн"

    "Only that she never returned," Minyoon sighed. Yohan nodded.

    "That night at Jung''s party, I thought I saw her," he admitted. "When something pushed me off the stairs, I was hurt and on the verge of death when I saw her figure. She looked the same way her corpse had but I was not scared. I wanted to talk to her. I tried to reach out but I fell into aa. When I woke up, I had toe to her funeral so that I could bid her goodbyeбн"

    He broke into a fresh bout of tears, feeling guilty for what he did to his daughter. Seohyun knelt down and hugged her husband, crying with him.

    Junho, who was almost done with the ritual, felt bad for the Song''s. They had many regrets and now, they would have to live in their guilt forever.

    The poltergeist had stopped screaming and listened to her father''s story. She was emotionless at that point, just staring at her parents with her eye. They were saying sorry to her but she no longer had feelings in her to forgive them.

    "She''s not forgiving," Jina said, pulling an unconscious Hobin with her. "But she listened. Which is a good sign. I hope."

    "What happened to him?" Yoonmin asked, pointing at Hobin.

    "Let''s worry about himter!" Jina sighed. "Free Rachel''s spirit first."

    "Waitбн" Yohan stood up. "If she''s really here, I want to tell her something."

    He took a deep breath and said out loud, "Your dad loves you very much. I''m sorry I didn''t tell you that when you were alive. I''m sorry I didn''t cry when you were found...dead. I just couldn''t cry that time because I felt that if I cry, I''ll have to ept that you''re goneбн"

    "But if you''re here and you can hear me, then don''t be sad anymore. We''ll love you, forever."

    Everyone was shocked to see the mighty Song Yohan in that state. He was now smiling a sad smile while his daughter watched him with an impassive expression. It seemed as if she wanted to say something but decided not to.

    "The page," Junho said. Minyoon handed him the page. Junho took it and burnt it in the fire.

    "I now release you from your earthly bounds," he dered. "Go and repent for your soul."

    A bright light shed before Jina, devouring Rachel. She began to disintegrate into thin air before finally, she was gone.

    But as Rachel disappeared, Jina thought that she had heard a faint, "I love you too, dad," before everything went silent once again.

 Chapter 102 - Kang Shinho (1)

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    Mass chapter mission time! Support me in win win by unlocking the privilege chapters to get mass releases. MR will be given based on the following conditions:

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    ....

    The grave darkness surrounded him like a nket, ensnaring him in its clutches. The small boy was shaking in a corner, not daring to look up. He was not sure why he was so scared but he knew that if he did, his life would be over.

    The boy felt cold. Really cold. There was a small window above him which showed the pearly snow falling from the sky. It was already winter and yet, he was wearing only a thin t-shirt and shorts with no shoes. He was not given any nket by the people who lived upstairs because they were unaware of his existence. No one knew that he was kept in that dreary basement except for one person.

    The door to the basement slid open and the boy slightly jumped. His breaths were hoarse and white due to the chilly weather. He could feel his heart pumping hard as he heard the familiar footsteps approaching him.

    Thud! Thud! Thud!

    He was now sweating in fear. Did he do something wrong again? All he wanted to do was catch a glimpse of his older brotherбн

    "What did I tell you about going upstairs?" a deep voice came out of the shadows.

    "I-I was hiding!" the boy squealed. "I swear! No one saw me! I only w-w-wanted to s-s-see Siwan bro''s birthday yesterd-"

    SLAP!

    The sound of the hit crackled throughout the basement. Shinho felt blood dripping from his already swollen lips. It was not the only injury on him. There were several such bruises on his body, some old and some new. He was underweight for his age because all he ate was bread and water that too once a day.

    A hand grabbed his chin and pulled him up. Shinho looked into the enraged face of his father. The usually neat and proper looks were marred with a mania which was only reserved for Shinho. His spectacles were skewed and his tanned face was red with fury. Tears welled up in Shinho''s eyes as the man who was his father looked at him with deep contempt and resentment.

    "D-dad...Iбн"

    SLAP! SLAP! SLAP!

    Kang Danny pped him several times, throwing the child on the floor. Shinho whimpered in pain, his nostrils hit by the scent of salty blood which was now flowing freely from his cuts. One of his old scars re-opened and was bleeding badly. He staggered to get up but Danny grabbed his hair and pinned him on the floor.

    "WHAT THE HELL DID I SAY ABOUT GOING UPSTAIRS?" Danny yelled at the boy. He was not afraid of being heard. His wife had gone out for a modeling assignment while Siwan headed off to camp that morning. It was just him and his other son, the one whom he loathed with a passion.

    "Dad...I''m sorryбн" Shinho begged. He was not sure what he did. What was his fault? Why did his father hate him?

    "You should have never been born!" Danny snarled. He pulled Shinho by the hair so hard that the child cried in pain. His face was bloodied and bruised. The thin frame of the boy was not strong enough and the constant abuse made him weaker by the day.

    "I w-w-won''t do it again, dad!" Shinho swore. "I''ll never get out of this basement ever again! I promise! I''ll never disobey you againбн"

    Then will you love me, dad? He wondered sadly.

    A slow smile formed on his father''s handsome face. But Shinho knew that it was not a smile of satisfaction.

    It was the smile of death.

    "Of course you won''t," he whispered. "I''ll make sure you never do it again."

    Shinho felt the grip loosen and he fell on the ground, weak with bruises. Was his father letting him go?

    He was dazed and confused but relieved that the torture did notst long. Instead, his father was backing out, possibly leaving him alone for that night. Shinho never liked to be alone when he was with his mother but after her death, he was brought to the Kang mansion by his father who wanted to hide his illegitimate son. Which is why Shinho was locked up in that room, cut off from everyone. No one knew about his existence in the house, not even his stepmother and half-brother.

    "You won''t do it againбн" his father''s voice came from somewhere. Shinho was seeing everything in a blur. He had already lost too much blood and his consciousness was fading.

    But his father''s tall figure wasing towards him. Why? Why was he returning?

    Danny''s hands were behind him, hiding something. He was watching his son with stone cold eyes and indifference. The weak, pathetic little boy was the reason why his image was in jeopardy. His existence was a sore point for Danny and he could not risk everyone knowing that he had a bastard child. If that happened, his carefully cultivated image would be ruined and he would be aughing stock.

    And that was uneptable to Danny.

    "You won''t do it again because I''ll make sure you''ll never do it againбн" Danny said. He slowly took out arge wine bottle and gripped it hard. Shinho''s eyes widened in fear when his vision cleared long enough to see what was going to happen.

    "Dad...please-"

    He could not even finish his sentence when the bottle came crashing down on his head.

    The walls were stained with red stains. The deathly silence of the cold winter night was broken by the cracking of a skull as the crazed maniac repeatedly hit the little boy, beating the life out of him until all that remained was a bloodied mess.

    Life is beautiful, huh?

    It was thest thing the boy thought before he fell into the depths of what seemed like an eternal slumber.

 Chapter 103 - Kang Shinho (2)

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    Mass chapter mission time! Support me in win win by unlocking the privilege chapters to get mass releases. MR will be given based on the following conditions:

    1000 privilege chapter unlocks= 3 extra chapter mass release

    5000 privilege chapter unlocks= 5 extra chapter mass release

    10,000 privilege chapter unlocks= 10 chapter mass release.

    This is applicable for every month! Please do support this book by buying as much privilege chapters as possible <3

    ....

    Is this heaven?

    The little boy''s eyes only saw white. He was not sure where he was nor what he was doing but everything around him was white. Shinho slowly sat up, trying to remember what happened.

    Dad hit me with a bottle, he recalled. Andбн

    Suddenly, it all came back to him. His father had hit him hard and he fainted. There was crimson blood everywhere around him but he was in the basement. The basement was a dark and scary ce for him. Then how did he get to this ce?

    It took him a while to realize that he was no longer in the basement. There were tall trees around him, looking down at like silent green monsters dabbed with a shade of white. The ground beneath him was snowy and soft while the world around him was silent as if dead.

    CRACK!

    Shinho was startled by the sudden cracking of twigs. There was a small clearing and he could see a shadow passing. Curious, he stood up and followed the shadow. It was of a tall, bespectacled man whom he instantly recognized as his father.

    "Dad?"

    Danny was dragging something in a sack in the middle of the night. The brown sack was tied up as if something was inside. Red stains were seeping through it and he was visibly nervous. His long, dark hair was tied into a ponytail while his sharp, smooth skin was bing paler by the minute.

    Shinho was scared and confused. He did not want to go in front of his father again. What if he tortured him again?

    But he was curious about the sack. For some reason, he could not help but wonder what was in it. He gulped and decided to follow his father.

    "The brat is a curse to me even in death!" Danny muttered. Curse? Who was the curse?

    He followed Danny until thetter reached a secluded spot. Danny picked up a shovel which he brought with him and hit the sack a few more times. Shinho was not sure but he was now feeling very sad. Usually, he was scared of his father but why did Shinho feel like crying?

    Shinho now ran towards his father, scared of what he was going to do.

    "Dad!" he shouted. "Dad!"

    But to his shock, Danny waspletely ignoring him. Instead, the man was digging the ground in a hurry.

    "Dad, listen to me!" Shinho tried his best to catch his father''s attention but it was as if Danny could not see him at all. What was going on?

    His eyes fell on the sack which was nowpletely scarlet. Blood was still dripping from it, scaring Shinho. He slowly reached down to take a peek into what was insideбн

    "AHHHHHHHH!" he yelled and jumped back. He was panting and his heart raced in fright. The face...those eyes...it was him! The person in the sack was him!

    "B-but I''m here!" Shinho whimpered. "I''m alive! I''m here! No! What''s going on?"

    He turned to his father who had now finished digging a shallow grave and scrambled towards Danny.

    "Dad, that''s not me!" he shrieked. "I''m here! I''m alive! That''s not me-"

    "Finally, he''s gone," Danny said, feeling triumphant. He smirked and kicked the sack into the hole he dug. Shinho was watching it all in shock.

    "D...adбн" he whispered but Danny did not hear him. The man was gloating at his death.

    Death. I''m really dead, Shinho realized. This is not meбн

    He looked down at his body. It was now shining a little like a small pearl. He was alive and yet, he was not.

    Danny was now standing over the grave, triumphant at himself. The secret he hid for so long was now buried underneath the ground for eternity. Shinho watched in dismay as Danny spat on his grave.

    "Serves you right for being so nosy," he said scathingly.

    He pulled up his coat to protect himself from the cold and walked away, leaving the pale young boy behind. Shinho''s eyes were on his father, hoping that he would turn around and look at him onest time. But Danny kept on walking, leaving his son''s grave behind him, content with keeping his image intact.

    The pale boy watched his father leave without him. Tears streamed down his face as he looked at the grave his father had buried him in. It was cold and scary down there. The boy was scared of the dark and the grave was hellish for him. The innocent looking boy was silently crying in the cold and deste ce, trying to call his father who was not even looking back.

    "Was I a bad boy, daddy?" he sobbed. "I''ll be a good boy. I''ll neverin! I''ll always stay away from you! I ''ll not even tell anyone that you''re my dad! But please don''t go! I''ll be good! I promise!"

    He was now sprinting after Danny but his father was going further away, leaving him to rot alone in that cold grave. The child ran and ran, calling for his father but his cries fell on deaf ears.

    "Dad!" Shinho cried as he followed Danny to thetter''s car. But Danny got into the car and drove off, not listening to his son''s cries.

    "Dadбн" Shinho whispered in dismay, losing all hope. He was truly alone now.

    бн.

    The child walked all night in the hopes of going back home but he was not sure where he was. There was not a soul in sight and he was already losing all hope. Snow had stopped falling and had covered the ground around him but surprisingly he did not feel cold. Moreover, he had been walking all night but he was not tired either.

    Shinho reached a clearing where he suddenly spotted arge mansion made of ss. He watched the winter wondend in awe because it was unlike any house he had ever seen before. In the midst of the forest, it stood tall and dignified with chilled windows. The snow surrounding it made the house look like a beautiful pce.

    But the most striking thing was that it was warm. Not literally though. There was something about the mansion which felt different from the one Danny had kept him in.

    The little boy looked in through the ss. Everything seemed to be bright in there. Even the furniture were of light colors soothing to the eyes. He could hear someoneughing freely in there and a couple came into view who were smiling at each other. They put down trays on the ground, both of them happy and deeply in love.

    One of them was a pretty woman in her mid twenties with long dark hair and doe-like eyes. She had soft, innocent features but there was an underlying toughness about her which made her unique. Next to her was a man with chocte colored hair. Even his almond shaped eyes matched his hair color and even though there was a slight arrogance in his vibe, there was something strangely familiar about himбн

    "Bunny uncle!" Shinho recognized.

 Chapter 104 - Kang Shinho (3)

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    Mass chapter mission time! Support me in win win by unlocking the privilege chapters to get mass releases. MR will be given based on the following conditions:

    1000 privilege chapter unlocks= 3 extra chapter mass release

    5000 privilege chapter unlocks= 5 extra chapter mass release

    10,000 privilege chapter unlocks= 10 chapter mass release.

    This is applicable for every month! Please do support this book by buying as much privilege chapters as possible <3

    ....

    Shinho was now looking closely at the man who was affectionately talking to the woman. He recognized the man instantly.

    A few weeks ago, Shinho had tried to escape from his father and ended up wandering around a mall. He did not know his way in the city because he was too young and unapanied. All he knew was that he had to get away from his father''s mansion at all costs.

    He was roaming around, dazed and confused when he saw a crowd of children gathered in the middle of the mall. Curious about what was going on, Shinho pushed past the crowd to get ahead. In front of him stood an entric group of people who were led by an even more entric bunny boss.

    Shinho was awed by that man. Even though he was wearing a silly costume, he exuded confidence like there was no tomorrow. He waspletely unabashed by his state. In fact, the man looked as if he hit the jackpot.

    "Allow me to introduce our ideas for the children''s theme park at Hwang Mall!" the bunny announced.

    "Are they circus mascots?" one parent muttered.

    "That''s Hwang Minho, the richest man in the country!" another man imed. "What''s he doing?"

    Everyone was whispering and making fun of the bunny man. Shinho saw him smirk as if he was enjoying the gossip.

    "Mr. Hwang, is this some kind of joke?" one of the men, who was an investor of the mall, asked.

    "No, it''s not!" Minho replied. "This is the perfect scheme to make money from children!"

    Behind him, a man in amb costume mewled in dismay.

    "You wanna dress up as freaks?" another investor scoffed.

    "We wanna earn money dressed up as freaks," Minho corrected. Shinho was gaping at the man. How did he ooze this much confidence?

    But even though he was talking about making money, there was a sense of pride in Hwang Minho''s face. He genuinely seemed to believe his method would work and he was passionate about it. Even to Shinho''s inexperienced eyes, it was obvious that this man was someone who was not only confident but also inherently kind. All this time, Shinho felt his own father was domineering but now it seemed that Kang Danny did not even hold a candle to this man who did not care about his image.

    "Follow me!" Minho ordered his staff who were also in costume. Themb came forward to whisper in his boss'' ears.

    "Boss, don''t make me do that again!" themb begged.

    "Nonsense!" Minho snapped. "You did it when Jina was young! We all did it! She loved it. If she loved it then all the other children would also love it!"

    "And now she''s too embarrassed to talk about it," themb muttered. The rest of the staff were conscious about being ridiculed but not Hwang Minho. His eyes were only seeing dors.

    "If that brings me money, then I''m ready to do it for the rest of my life!" Minho dered, unashamed and unfazed. "Now move move move move!"

    Shinho watched in awe as the circus troupe spread out to take their position. The bunny man motioned someone to turn on the stereo. Instantly a song began to y which Shinho recognized as Big Bang''s ''Bang Bang Bang!''

    In the next few minutes, Shinho witnessed probably one of the most awestrucking scenes of his life. The mighty rich man was breakdancing!

    He easily slid across the floor in a somersault while another staff member in a peacock costume was dancing like a ballerina. Themb high fived the bunny and rolled over on the ground to do a perfect split. Their choreography was well coordinated in a hrious way which made all the children excited. They were cheering at the bunny who was the center of attention, hyping the crowd more. Some kids even joined them in the dance, squealing in delight.

    Shinho found himself smiling at the man who was different from his own father. He was ying with the children, treating them with a lot of care. Everyone seemed to gravitate towards him because of his natural charisma and Shinho could not help but feel very happy. Heughed hard, something which he had not done in many months.

    The bunny momentarily met his eyes and shed a happy smile. Shinho was grateful to the man who gave him a brief moment of happiness in the dreary life he had been leading.

    But then his eyes fell on a familiar figure who had spotted him. He saw the fuming face of his father who was now marching towards him. Shinho quickly scrambled off, running in a random direction in an attempt to escape from Danny.

    "Come back here!" Danyn snarled, chasing Shinho but the child was faster. He dodged the crowd and headed straight for the elevator. Danny tried to grab him but the doors closed on his face.

    Shinho backed up against the elevator''s walls, scared for his life. If his father caught him that day, he would be tortured beyond imagination and the very thought of it was making him shake in fear.

    "I must escape!" he told himself. The elevator took him to the top floor and as soon as it stopped, he ran out of it. He was huffing and puffing, fighting for his breath but his feet were getting tired. The corridor hended on was circr in shape with only a couple of doors leading to the parlors inside. It seemed to be a private spot for important guests and there were very few people around. He spotted two men in balck clothes who were holding trays in their hands.

    Shinho quickly hid from view. He was afraid that if anyone caught him, he would be sent back to his father.

    "Remember, Master Hwang wantsplete privacy," one of the servers was saying. "He''s on a lunch date with madam and he doesn''t want to be disturbed."

    "Who thought the Money Lover will also manage tond a girl," the other server sighed. "He used to chase away all the women who tried to date him."

    They kept on gossiping until they disappeared behind a door. As soon as they were gone, Shinho came out of hiding. He was now taking a good look at the ce he was in.

    Unlike the crowded mall downstairs, this part of the mall was more elegant and luxurious. There were no shops around but were possibly fine dining restaurants or bars for rich people. Shinho felt a little out of ce in the midst of the gold painted walls and sparkling floors. He was wearing shabby old clothes which were now too big for him because he lost a lot of weight over the past few months. He was only wearing one shoe; the other one was left behind in the basement.

    "Woahбн" he gaped at the strange paintings which were hung on the walls. They were more like stters of ink and paint which were sshed on the canvas in a random manner. He inched closer to take a look at one of the long canvases which had nothing but red ink dots on it.

    "A million dors?" he gasped. "Who the hell pays that much for this? Even my y school doodles are better!"

    He pouted but kept on exploring the ce as if he was in wondend. Never had he seen such grandeur. The wooden ceiling was so high that Shinho felt as if it was almost high up in space. The railing around the staircase was glittering with round, ck beads which looked like tiny pearls. Shinho was about to touch one of them when he suddenly heard footsteps behind him.

    He spun around to find that his father was not far away. Danny did not spot him yet but Shinho ran for it. He sprinted towards a white door and barged into it.

    To his surprise, the bunny man from downstairs was standing in front of him. He was no longer wearing the costume but was dressed in a white silk suit and a fit, stylish ck vest. The man was startled to see the young boy who was petrified.

    What if the man handed him over to his father?

    Minho studied the boy who was visibly scared and upset. By the looks of his second hand clothes and torn pants, it was obvious that the boy was from the VIP section. But there was something about him which was unsettling to Minho. He was too thin for his age and there were a few bruises on his armбн

    "Please don''t hurt me!" Shinho begged. "I just want to hide!"

    Minho knelt in front of him. "What''s your name?" he asked in a gentle tone.

    "K-Kang Shinho!" Shinho squeaked. Please save me! He added in his thoughts.

    "Shinho, are you afraid of something?" Minho asked. The boy''s frightened demeanor was a red g and Minho was rmed. Was this boy being abused?

    Before Shinho could reply, there was a loud crash outside. Minho was distracted but Shinho was so scared that he ran off.

    "Wait!" he heard Minho calling him but Shinho was too scared. He did not even look back at the man, only wanting to escape.

    He did not know where he was running or for how long but after a while, he stopped in a corner and slumped against the wall, trying to catch his breath. Shinho did not know how he escaped his father but somehow, he managed to do it.

    Please don''t let him find me, he prayed. Please-

    Suddenly, someone grabbed his arm and yanked him up. Before he could scream, Shinho felt a hand over his mouth, preventing him from crying.

    "Don''t even think of escaping again!" Danny''s cold voice echoed in his ears. "Otherwise, I will cut off your feet and feed them to the dogs!"

    Shinho tried to struggle but was too weak to do anything. He was hungry and tired, not having the will to fight anymore. Danny dragged the boy with him, knowing fully well that Shinho would never be able to expose him. The damn brat had been threatened into his submission and would not dare to go against him again.

    "Your life will only get worse from here," Danny swore. "You dare to leave? You thought I''ll let you go? No, my dumb son! You''ll never be able to escape! As long as you''re alive, my image is in threat. I can''t let you go free. Not in this lifetime, son!"

 Chapter 105 - Kang Shinho (4)

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    Mass chapter mission time! Support me in win win by unlocking the privilege chapters to get mass releases. MR will be given based on the following conditions:

    1000 privilege chapter unlocks= 3 extra chapter mass release

    5000 privilege chapter unlocks= 5 extra chapter mass release

    10,000 privilege chapter unlocks= 10 chapter mass release.

    This is applicable for every month! Please do support this book by buying as much privilege chapters as possible <3

    ....

    Shinho came back to the present where he was standing outside the ss mansion. The couple inside seemed to be busy talking. Shinho was curious about the house so he went around the yard to explore. He had seen on TV that ghosts could pass through any object.

    I should try it, he thought. Cautiously stepping towards the wall, he touched it and to his delight, his hand went right through it!

    Laughing, he leaned his torso to pass through the wall. He was almost on the other side when his feet got stuck in the wall.

    "Huh?" Shinho was in dismay. He tried to pull his feet out but it was stuck. It seemed to him that his newfound abilities were still developing and he had to learn a lot more.

    He pouted and pulled his feet hard until they passed through the wall with a pop! Standing up, Shinho looked around the interior.

    Unlike the living room, there were no ss walls at the back. He seemed to have entered some kind of nursery which was stered with warm colors on the wall. The room looked like a picturesque dollhouse which Shinho had only seen from afar but this was different. He looked at the ceiling above him and was surprised to see it was nted with blue bricks just like the ones he had read about in fairy tales.

    At one corner was a fake tree made of sturdy wood attached strongly to the ground. On the top of the tree was arge treehouse. Shinho eximed in glee as he climbed the tree and entered the treehouse.

    Inside it was a tiny make believe kitchen. The counters were decorated with colorful stic utensils while several dolls sat around a table, ready for a tea party. Shinho never yed with dolls. In fact, he never had any toys. When he lived with his mother, they were too poor. Treats like toys were rare. And after she died, his father Danny was too busy locking Shinho up in the basement.

    Shinho giggled and began to line up the dolls in ssroom style on the table. He was excited to be in this toy room and was lost in his own innocent little world.

    "ss!" he eximed, pretending to be a teacher. "Today I will teach you how to add!"

    If there was something Shinho was exceptionally gifted at, it was Maths. When he was studying at elementary school, he was the brightest student and always got good grades. His mother used to be very proud of him but after he was forced to live with his father, he stopped going to school.

    Meanwhile, outside in the living room, the couple were idly having breakfast.

    "When are we gonna pick up Jina from the camp?" the dark haired woman was asking. She was Jeon Gayoon, a detective and also Minho''s lover. Together, they had a little daughter named Hwang Jina.

    "The camp bus will drop her off at the city on thest day," Minho replied. Gayoon pouted a little. She had hoped that they would pick her up before they left for their main mansion at the Capital. Jina was away at camp and even though it was only for three days, Gayoon missed her daughter already.

    "When are you joining work?" Minho asked. Gayoon had to take a long absence because a crazy serial killer''s spirit had attacked and injured her over a month ago.

    "Tomorrow," she sighed. For some reason Minho scowled a little.

    "Will you be working with that Taemin or Taejoon or whatever the hell his name is?"

    Taejoon was Gayoon''s partner in the force and truthfully, a very annoying man who kept on pestering Gayoon to date him. She firmly rejected him and he was even more sour when she started to date Minho.

    "If he annoys you a lot, break his back," Minho nodded approvingly.

    "Who''s gonna pay the hospital bills?" Gayoon sneered.

    "Kanji will," Minho said, unashamed of making his friend pay for everything. Gayoonughed out loud and patted his cheek.

    "Good idea, money lover!" sheughed but then suddenly froze. A cold breeze rushed at her from somewhere and she paused.

    "What happened?" Minho frowned. But Gayoon was quiet, listening to something intently. There was someone giggling andughing. The noise wasing from the toy roomбн

    "Minho, I think there''s someone in the house," Gayoon said. "Someone not alive."

    Minho was also alert now. A ghost had entered the mansion?

    "Stay here," he said in a firm tone. "I''ll go and get salt."

    To his surprise, Gayoon shook her head. "No," she murmured. "This ghost doesn''t feel dangerous. In fact, it seems to beбн"

    She hesitated.

    "Seems to be what?" Minho pressed.

    "ItбнIt''s the ghost of a little child!" she gasped.

    "A child?" Minho asked. "But what''s the ghost of a child doing here?"

    "I don''t know," Gayoon said. "Did a child ever die around here?"

    "Hell no!" Minho eximed. "You''d think that I''d let a child die around my property? Are you sure it''s a ghost?"

    His girlfriend had a very unique ability. She inherited the powers to see ghosts from her ancestors. But Gayoon was a strange case. Usually, when the women in her family gave birth, she would lose the powers and it would pass on to all her children who were girls. However, while Gayoon could not see the ghosts anymore, she could still feel and hear them whenever they were around.

    Minho also had an ability which he had recently discovered. He inherited it from his mother''s side. It was the ability to travel between the worlds of the living and the dead. In his case, only the first born child of the family could use this power. He could not see nor talk to spirits in the living world but in the dead world, he couldmunicate with them as if they were alive.

    And now, both their powers were passed onto their daughter, Jina.

    They were not unfamiliar with spirits of the dead people. Some were good but others like the serial killer they had encountered were pure monsters. However, Gayoon seemed to think that the ghost which entered their house was harmless.

    "It''s a child," she nodded. "I''m sure of it. What do we do?"

    Minho thought for a moment. "Let''s hear what he has to say," he finally said. "If it''s a child''s ghost, he might need our help."

    Gayoon smiled at him. If there was one thing Hwang Minho could not ignore other than money and his family, it was a child''s desperate plea for help.

    "Let''s do it!" she agreed. "I have a n."

 Chapter 106 - Kang Shinho (5)

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    Mass chapter mission time! Support me in win win by unlocking the privilege chapters to get mass releases. MR will be given based on the following conditions:

    1000 privilege chapter unlocks= 3 extra chapter mass release

    5000 privilege chapter unlocks= 5 extra chapter mass release

    10,000 privilege chapter unlocks= 10 chapter mass release.

    This is applicable for every month! Please do support this book by buying as much privilege chapters as possible <3

    ....

    After a while, Shinho thought of exploring more rooms in the mansion. He stepped out of the y room and walked along a long corridor. The little boy was gaping at the picturesque interior which oozed warmth and coziness.

    He had seen a little bit of Kang Danny''s mansion and for some reason it felt dreary. There was no depth nor warmth there because everything felt alien to him. The walls used to be drab and daunting as if suffocating him with their inness while the carefully controlled decor did not show off that a family lived there. In fact, it felt that Danny lived there alone because he had chosen every single thing there. From the furniture to the wall paints, everything was decorated as per his choice and his family had little say in it. Even if Shinho was kept in the main mansion with the family, he would have felt stifled there.

    But this ce...this felt like home. The walls were colored in different shades of blue, pink, purple and many other colors as if someone had a child randomly choose them. The furniture was bought ording to the colorbination of the different shades, mixing and matching to make the ce look more homely. Rays of soft sunlight were peeking through the ss ceiling above and Shinho could also see the snowkes which fell on the ss. They were of various shapes and sizes, covering the ceiling like a white nket.

    "Pretty!" the child gasped. He had never seen such a beautiful array of snowkes and was itching to make a snowman out of them.

    Up ahead was a kitchen. Even though he was not hungry, Shinho decided to peek into the room and to his surprise, there was flour everywhere. But in the middle of it wasбн

    "Chocte!" he squealed. Without much thought, he stepped on the flour filled floor and was about to pick up the bar but he stopped midway.

    A strong surge of fear was coursing through him and he froze in that posture. Choctes...no...he was not supposed to take any. Thest time he tried to take a chocte from Danny''s fridge, he was beaten up so badly that he could not stand up for days.

    "Noбн" he whispered. "Bad Shinho! Don''t take it!"

    As if triggered, he began to p himself hard. The sounds of his ps echoed throughout the kitchen but he kept on hitting himself.

    "NO!" A woman yelled and ran towards the ce where his footprints had stopped. She sensed his presence and grabbed him in an attempt to stop the child from hurting himself.

    "Don''t!" she begged but Shinho was in a trance. He kept on hitting himself everywhere he could, his mind still repeating the scenes of his death. The bottle...the bloodбн

    "I''m a bad boy!" Shinho eximed. "I hurt my dad! I''m a bad boy!"

    Gayoon was struggling to control the invisible ghost. She had to figure out his location from the flour they had spread on the floor. They were hoping to find the ghost and help him move on but it seemed that the child had some unfulfilled wishes too.

    "Don''t hurt yourself!" She tried to convince him but Shinho was totally out of control. He was not sure what he was doing but the trauma of his memories were bing too much to bear for him.

    "This childбн" Gayoon muttered. She looked around to tell Minho to help but he was scrolling on his phone.

    "What are you doing?" she cried.

    "You''ll see!" Minho told her. He put his phone down and positioned himself. This always works with kids, he thought.

    The music began to y and Big Bang ''Bang Bang Bang!'' echoed from the phone. Minho began to dance like an idiot, making Gayoon curse him inwardly. Not the dance again!

    "That''s not gonna work!" Gayoon imed but to her shock, the boy stopped struggling. Shinho was staring at the strange man who was dancing the same dance from the mall. He giggled and pped at the bunny who turned out to be a very good entertainer. Minho slid across the floor, finishing the dance with what he thought was a good performance. Minho slid across the floor, finishing the dance with what he thought was a good performance.

    "Once more!" Shinho yelled. "Once more!"

    "You like that?" Gayoon gaped.

    "Does he want more?" Minho asked.

    "He does," Gayoon groaned. Minho was happy to oblige and began to dance again. Shinho was now sitting on Gayoon''sp, thoroughly enjoying the free show while Gayoon wanted to bury herself somewhere out of embarrassment. What was it with this dance and children? How did they get hooked into this?

    Once Minho was done, he stooped on the ground and held out his palm.

    "I can''t see you but I''m sure we can high five at least!" he imed. Shinhoughed and touched Minho''s palm with his cold ones. Minho felt the cool air touching him, meaning that the child had calmed down.

    "Can we retire that dumb dance already?" Gayoon pleaded. "It''s embarrassing!"

    "It makes me millions of dors per week!" Minho grinned. "Thanks to my new strategy to make my executives dance around as mascots, the children are now using the ytown in the mall even more. And the more they use it, the more money I make! I see it as an absolute win!"

    "It''s fun!" Shinho agreed. "I love it!"

    "The kid says it''s fun and he likes it," Gayoon interpreted. "But what''s your name? How did you get here?"

    But Shinho was still looking at Minho with wide eyed wonder.

    "Bunny uncle!" Shinho called Minho.

    "Bunny uncle?" Gayoon frowned. She turned to Minho and said, "He called you bunny uncle. I think he knows you! He''s calling you bunny uncle. He must have seen you at the mall that day!"

    "Mall?" Minho frowned a little.

    "He was in the washroom too," Shinho told her. He was not sure what was going on but it seemed to him that the pretty aunt could talk to him and she was interpreting everything on his behalf.

    "He saw you in the washroom," Gayoon said.

    Washroom...Minho thought hard and then it finally hit him. The image of a small boy in shabby clothes popped into his mind and he was suddenly fearful. That day, the boy was alive. And nowбн

    "Youбн" he began. "Are you Kang Shinho?"

    "Yes," Shinho confirmed. "My name is Kang Shinho."

    "He is Kang Shinho," Gayoon whispered. It seemed to her that Minho knew the boy. His expression was hovering between guilt and sadness as he began to connect some dots. Minho was silent for a while.

    "That man that day...was he your father, Shinho?" Minho asked. "And did he...did he kill you?"

    Shinho whispered something into Gayoon''s ears which horrified her. She looked sick and disgusted by what he had told her. Minho could feel his girlfriend''s disgust only rising and he was fearing the worst.

    "Yes," she confirmed, her face wincing. "His father killed him."

 Chapter 107 - Kang Shinho (6)

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    Mass chapter mission time! Support me in win win by unlocking the privilege chapters to get mass releases. MR will be given based on the following conditions:

    1000 privilege chapter unlocks= 3 extra chapter mass release

    5000 privilege chapter unlocks= 5 extra chapter mass release

    10,000 privilege chapter unlocks= 10 chapter mass release.

    This is applicable for every month! Please do support this book by buying as much privilege chapters as possible <3

    ....

    The couple immediately got to work. After Shinho described to him what happened to him and how his father tortured him, they used their connections to first dig up his body before sending it to the police station. Gayoon immediately took charge of the case while Minho was stealthily working against Kang Danny to take him down at all costs. Since Minho was even more influential than Danny, it was easy for him to manipte Danny to do his bidding.

    They also brought Shinho to their real mansion in the city. It was even bigger than the one in the country and was built like a maze because their daughter apparently loved Alice in Wondend so Minho had it renovated ording to her choice.

    But it was not their wealth which charmed Shinho. It was their kindness. They came up with a clever device to help Shinhomunicate with Minho even without an interpreter. He always kept a pen and paper near him which he used to convey his thoughts to Minho. Minho, in turn, was unusually gentle with the boy. Gayoon was also very affectionate towards him, considering him to be a part of their family already. The only person Shinho had not met was their daughter.

    "You can stay in Jina''s room for now," Minho had said. "You''ll also find new sets of writing pads and sketchbooks for you."

    Shinho was a little hesitant. He picked up a paper and scribbled.

    "WIll it be okay?" he asked. He was scared of retribution from their daughter. What if she became angry that he was in her room? Or what if she was not pleased if he used her things? He was already intruding in their house and after his experience at the hands of his father, he was still wary of being punished by people.

    Minho sighed. He of all people understood what the boy was feeling. When he was young, he also faced abuse from his boarding school teachers. They had made him feel worthless but underestimated Minho''s tenacity. He managed to escape and expose them before throwing them in jail.

    Unfortunately, Shinho could not escape. But Minho was determined to make his father''s life hell.

    "She already has many ghostly minions," he assured the child. "In fact, she''ll be thrilled to have you around. Trust me when I say this. If there''s one person who''ll ept people with an open heart in this family, that''s Hwang Jina. So don''t worry and rx. You''re free to do whatever you want here."

    Shinho was not sure what to feel about this mysterious Hwang Jina but he did not want to turn down his bunny uncle. After all, if he was kind, then his daughter must be a good person too, right?

    Minho left Shinho there and headed for work. After a while, Shinho slowly entered the room and was instantly weed by the peachy room which was bright and sunny. Several toys were scattered all over the floor while a medium sized pink colored bed was stacked against a wall. Jina''s desk was decorated with random stickers and to Shinho''s surprise, she had many different thriller books on her desk. It seemed that she loved reading mystery novels.

    He picked up one of her sketchbooks. She was not a good artist but drew random things anyway. One of her stick drawings depicted her father in a suit, her mother in a police uniform and a little child in a mini police uniform. Shinho guessed that it must be Jina herself.

    She wants to be a cop? He wondered.

    Shinho was a little sad and envious of this Jina now. She was alive. She would live a long life, fulfilling her dreams of being a police officer someday. Her life was set and she was going to live out her dreams to the fullest.

    But what about him? For Shinho, the future was uncertain. He was not sure what was going to happen to him. One day, he would probably disappear from the world and go elsewhere, leaving his dreams unfulfilled.

    Shinho had hoped that someday, he could be a psychiatrist and help people who were going through the same thing as him. This hope of his was the only thing he held on to in that dark basement whenever his father would torture him. He wanted to help those in need and treat them so that they would not have to relive their bad memories. But all of it remained unfulfilled.

    "Let''s not think of that," he told himself in a sad tone. Putting the sketchbook away, he looked around. Then, he picked up a few of the dolls and ced them neatly on the bed in a circle. He then ced several stic teapots in front of them and cleared his throat.

    "I am Doctor Kang Shinho!" he dered. "I will be treating you today!"

    If he could not be a doctor, he could at least pretend to be one for a while.

    He turned to one of the dolls and asked, "What troubles you today?"

    Shinho nodded, pretending to listen to the doll. "Oh, you are seeing bad dreams? Drink this tea and dreams will go away!"

    He was ying with the dolls, busy in his own world. Unbeknownst to him, a small figure was standing outside the door.

    A pair of brown eyes were peering through the door, watching the boy with great interest. Her long mahogany colored hair was tied in pigtails. She had just arrived back home and felt a strange presence in her room. Peeking through the door, she found out that it was a boy around her age, ying with her dolls.

    "And now, we''ll wish Hanny for his birthday!" the boy said to his imaginary audience. He picked up a stuffed bunny and put it in the center.

    Shinho turned to the toy and asked, "Hanny, what do you want for your birthday?"

    "His name is Sonja!"

    Shinho nearly yelped and turned around only to freeze in his spot.

    Standing in front of him was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. Herrge doey eyes were staring at him with curiosity. She was smaller than girls her age, like a tiny fairy. Her porcin skins was almost glowing and her pink lips were curved into a bright smile. Shinho expected her to shout at him and be angry but she was not.

    This must be Hwang Jina, he realized.

    "That''s Sonja," Jina said in a squeaky little voice, pointing at the bunny. "But his birthday is in March. He doesn''t like cake. But he likes soda!"

    "Oh." It was all Shinho could say. He was totally tongue tied in front of this pretty girl, his ears going red.

    "Tomorrow is Jojo''s birthday," Jina said, picking up a teddy bear. "Wanna help me prepare for it?"

    Shinho looked down and slowly nodded. He was too shy to meet her eyes.

    "Did this hurt?" Jina asked, pointing at therge wound mark on his head. People who were killed carried around their wound marks with them even after death. Shinho tried to hide it with his fringes but the wound was too big.

    "Who did this to you?" she coaxed. It was as if she did not care that he was dead and a ghost. She was talking to him like an equal and a friend.

    "My dad," Shinho mumbled. He watched the happy expression on her face turn to deep sadness and confusion. Dads can kill their kids? The little girl wondered.

    Shinho averted his eyes and was looking down at his feet, feeling very sad. Jina sensed his feelings. Even if she was a child, she had met many spirits who faced terrible deaths. She knew how hard it was for them to live like that and she did her best to keep them happy within her limited means.

    She picked up arge stuffed dog and handed it to him.

    "I still didn''t name him," she said. "Do you wanna name him?"

    Shinho looked up at the pretty girl who was smiling at him. "Yes!" he eximed. "I do!"

    He thought for a moment, trying toe up with a good name. "How about Xiu?" he asked.

    "I like it!" Jina eximed. "He''s Xiu then! Wanna host another tea party for Xiu?"

    Shinho eagerly nodded his head and they began to rearrange the toys on the bed. Jina decorated the teacups while Shinho put the toys in ce.

    "My name is Hwang Jina," she said. "What''s yours?"

    "Kang Shinho," he replied.

    "From now on, I''ll be your best friend!" Jina quipped with a wide smile. "You can evene to school with me!"

    "W-won''t your parents mind?" Shinho stammered.

    "Are you kidding me?" she scoffed. "My dad will be happy to know that you''re getting free education! We Hwang''s love free stuff and discounts!"

    "Why am I your best friend?" Shinho asked. Jina''s smile faltered.

    "You don''t want to be my friend?" she asked, herrge eyes pleading silently with him. Shinho gaped at her cute expression as she tried to convince him to be her friend.

    "I do!" he conceded. Jina was triumphant.

    "Then it''s settled!" she announced, pointing at him. "You, Kang Shinho, will be my best friend!"

    The girl is a little strange, Shinho thought warily but he could not help but smile at her. Her cheerful attitude was quite infectious and he knew that she was trying to distract him from his sadness.

    "So, Shinho!" Jina eximed. "What do you want to eat?"

    Shinho thought for a while before replying, "Choctes!"

 Chapter 108 - Kang Shinho (7)

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    Mass chapter mission time! Support me in win win by unlocking the privilege chapters to get mass releases. MR will be given based on the following conditions:

    1000 privilege chapter unlocks= 3 extra chapter mass release

    5000 privilege chapter unlocks= 5 extra chapter mass release

    10,000 privilege chapter unlocks= 10 chapter mass release.

    This is applicable for every month! Please do support this book by buying as much privilege chapters as possible <3

    ....

    "How did you end up getting this result?" Shinho gaped.

    "Hee hee," Jina winked at him but Shinho poked her on the forehead.

    "Ow! What was that for?"

    "How does someone get this math wrong?" He scolded her. "All you had to do was add 800 and 199! It''s 999, not 8000!"

    Jina pouted, rubbing her forehead. "I''m not good at maths," she simply said.

    "Your father is great at it!" Shinho eximed. "I saw him doingplex maths without a calctor!"

    "Yes, but I also inherited my mother''s genes!" Jina said with pride. "We''re very bad at math. In fact, the reason why my mom became a cop was so that she wouldn''t need to do maths for the rest of her life. She just catches bad guys and puts them in jail!"

    "That''s not a good thing!"

    Shinho had been trying to teach her basic math for the past two hours. As promised, she takes him to school with her. No one could see him so he was learning all the things he missed out on. He was shocked to know that Jina was the top student of her ss but barely managed to pass maths. Everything else was a cinch for her but she hated doing math with a passion.

    "It is what it is," Jina nodded. "People inherit money from their parents. I inherited dead people and an aversion to maths from mine."

    Shinho groaned and poked her forehead again. "Concentrate!" he snapped at her.

    Jina puffed up her cheeks and tried to do more math but became bored of it within seconds.

    "Let''s y," she said.

    "No."

    "Ohe on!"

    "No."

    Jina doodled on her book, feeling sleepy already while Shinho was studying with concentration. What was he studying for anyway? Jina wondered.

    She tore off a little bit of paper from her notebook and crumbled it into a ball before flicking it at Shinho.

    "Hey!" he frowned but Jina giggled. She threw another paper ball at him. Shinho was now very annoyed. Then an idea came to him.

    Jina was about to throw another paper ball at him when he vanished in thin air in a snap. She blinked and was looking for him when he popped out of nowhere and startled her.

    "Boo!" he eximed, making Jina yelp.

    "Don''t do that!" she scolded him but he vanished again.

    "Boo!"

    "AHHH!"

    This time, Jina fell from the chair,nding on her arm. She winced in pain and began to cry.

    "Ow!" she cried. "It hurts!"

    Shinho was rmed and immediately rushed to her side. She was crying hard and it seemed that she hurt her arm.

    "Does it hurt?" he asked. "Where does it hurt? Lemme see!"

    "Hereбн" Jina mumbled, extending her arm so that he could take a look at it. Shinho was about to check her injury when she suddenly jabbed him on the forehead.

    "Hey!" he frowned in annoyance but Jina let out a musicalughter which made him blush. Her pearly teeth were shining, making her look cuter than usual. He blushed a little, looking away and groaning.

    "Serves you right!" she imed, sticking out her tongue. Shinho pretended to be annoyed a little but then he, too, broke into a fit ofughter. He picked up one of the paper balls and threw it at her. Jina retaliated by throwing another ball at him and soon, it turned into a yful fight with the children giggling and having fun.

    Outside, Minho was walking by when he heard Jina''s gigglesing from within her room. He knew that she had grown attached to Shinho in a small amount of time and he was happy to see that his daughter had a friend she could turn to.

    Butбн

    "What''s wrong?"

    Gayoon''s voice came from behind him.

    "I''m wondering what''ll happen when Shinho leaves after his wish is fulfilled," Minho admitted. "Jina grew too close to him. Will she be alright?"

    Gayoon sighed and patted his shoulder. "It''ll affect her, no doubt," she admitted. "But if a dayes when he''ll want to leave, no one can do anything. We''re so close to catching Kang Danny as wellбн"

    The Hwang''s had already managed to connect with the Kang''s and even invited them a few days ago for dinner. From their interaction, it was obvious that the Kang''s were not a close knit couple. Danny''s wife, Kim Doyoung, was nice and a genuinely kind person but she could not do anything to confront her domineering husband. Their son, Siwan, was probably mentally tortured by Danny as well. At a young age, the boy was forced to be groomed to be the family''s heir and be a doctor against his will. He was just ten years old and yet, he was arrogant to the core but afraid of his father. It was a twisted family.

    "And we also found out that Kang Danny has been illegally harvesting organs from his patients," Gayoon revealed. "Some of them died. The sack in which Shinho''s body was found had his hospital''s logo on it. And Shinho''s mother was a former nurse at that hospital. After she became pregnant, Danny wanted her to get an abortion but she ran away along with a file containing his dirty secrets."

    Minho nodded. There was no doubt that they were closing in on Kang Danny and when they would catch him, he was going to be punished.

    What he regretted the most was that he could not help Shinho.

    "If only I had followed through on my hunch and searched for Shinho at the mall that day," he said in a regretful tone.

    "It was just not meant to be," Gayoon consoled him. "Not everyone can be saved. If death marks someone, it''s impossible to save them. All we can do is make sure that they rest in peace."

    "I just hope all this will be over soon and he can find peace," Minho said. "A young boy all alone in the world in that state...I don''t want to know what he''s gonna feel after a while."

    "What do you mean?" Gayoon asked.

    "No one wants to live in that half existence," he said. "No one. It''s not a pleasant feeling to see other people grow up and move on while you''re stuck in the same loop. It''s not pleasant in the World of the Dead and it''s not pleasant here either."

    Theughter of the children echoed through the room, making them feel morose.

 Chapter 109 - Kang Shinho (8)

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    Mass chapter mission time! Support me in win win by unlocking the privilege chapters to get mass releases. MR will be given based on the following conditions:

    1000 privilege chapter unlocks= 3 extra chapter mass release

    5000 privilege chapter unlocks= 5 extra chapter mass release

    10,000 privilege chapter unlocks= 10 chapter mass release.

    This is applicable for every month! Please do support this book by buying as much privilege chapters as possible <3

    ....

    *A Few Days Later*

    "MOVE!" Gayoon screamed frantically as she wheeled Jina into the emergency room. She was a crying mess, her mind shing with Jina copsing on the ground in front of her. That afternoon, she had gone to pick up Jina only to see her sprawling in front of the main gate, unconscious. Only Kang Siwan stood next to her, looking guilty and horrified. Danny was also there to pick up his son only to find that Jina had fainted.

    "Get her to the emergency room, stat!" Danny ordered the nurses. "We''ll have to pump out the glue from her stomach!"

    She turned to him, feeling conflicted. The very man she had been working secretly against now had her daughter''s life in his hands. It was a sickening thought but Danny was the best pediatrician in the country so she had no other choice.

    "She better be alive!" she warned him. "My daughter better make it out of this safe and sound!"

    Or elseбн

    Danny stared at her. He was in a dilemma too. Hwang Minho was going to invest in his hospital and this was his chance to show off his skills to the most influential man in the country. If he could save Jina, Minho would be indebted to him.

    But his damn son! Siwan had to ruin his chances!

    "I''ll save her," he vowed.

    Gayoon was crying hard as her daughter was taken into the operation theater. Siwan was with them as well, shaking in fear. He did not hope for this to happen at allбн

    Siwan and Jina were rivals since camp. They could not stand each other and yed many pranks on one another to gain supremacy. He even sabotaged an activity in the camp so that Jina would get lost in the forest but she somehow managed to outsmart him which made him angry. So he decided to mix glue in her drink and stick her lips together.

    Little did he know that she would end up being poisoned!

    "I''m sorry," he kept on repeating. "I''m so sorryбн"

    He was now crying. Gayoon did not respond but watched him with a stony expression. Under other circumstances, she would have pitied the child but she felt no such sympathy now. Her mind and heart were busy with her own child who was hanging between life and death.

    She leaned against the wall and slumped to the floor. Siwan watched her for a while, guilty of what he did. It was supposed to be a childish joke and nowбн

    "If you''re really sorry," Gayoon began. "You better change your ways and be a better person. Otherwise, you''ll be a monster like your father."

    She red at him, her eyes red with tears and anger. Siwan looked away, feeling ashamed of himself. He slowly backed off and walked away, trying to shut out the mages of Jina copsing in front of him.

    Gayoon sat there for hours, not moving. She felt a cold air swish by and an invisible hand was wiping the tears off her cheeks.

    "Lady Cop, don''t be sad," Shinho''s voice came from beside her. "Jina is strong. She''ll be fine."

    Gayoon did not say anything out loud but was grateful for his presence. Footsteps approached her and she looked up to see Minho had arrived.

    "How is she?" he demanded.

    "I don''t knowбн" Gayoon admitted, crying hard. Shinho left the couple alone and headed towards the operation theater where Jina was still at. He stood there, staring at the door, praying that she would recover soon. The little boy did not move from there fearing that if he did, something bad was going to happen to Jina. He could not move.

    Finally, the door slid open and Danny came out of it.

    "She''s safe," he dered. "The operation was a sess."

    бн.

    In the middle of avish living room, a lone woman was sitting on a couch, quietly contemting the papers she had read. Her long dark hair was tied in a neat ponytail while her wless fair skin radiated under the light from the firece. She was in her thirties, a tall brte beauty who was the famous supermodel, Kim Doyoung. But she had recently given up her job to spend time with her son, Siwan.

    There were some papers in her hands which held some very disturbing news. A few weeks ago, she had hired a PI to keep tabs on her husband, Kang Danny. She

    "Your husband not only had an affair but also has an illegitimate son," the PI had revealed. "The boy''s mother died so Danny took her in."

    "What?" Doyoung frowned. "But I''ve never seen any child living in my home!"

    "It states here that Danny took the child," the PI imed. "Moreover, your husband has also been carrying out illegal organ harvesting in his hospital. The woman he had an affair with, Choi Hyeri, knew about it. She was the one who stole the information years ago and disappeared after bing pregnant."

    Doyoung gripped the drink in her hand. She was not shocked at Danny''s betrayal. In fact, she was not fazed at all. What shocked her wasбн

    She took out the camera she found in her bedroom. Someone had put it there for her and the contents of the video shook her to the core. Only people who lived in the house could enter her room freely and she was sure that it was not Danny who sent it to her

    Moreover, the video quality was simr to the one Siwan owned. For how long had he been hiding this? She wondered.

    With her hands shaking, she turned on the camera. Instantly, the gruesome scene of a man bludgeoning a child came on screen.

    "Die!" Danny was screaming. "DIE! DIE! DIE!"

    Doyoung was sickened by the sight and turned it off in disgust. How could someone do that to an innocent child?

    She felt no hatred towards Danny''s lover and her child. They were innocent victims exploited by a vile monster like Danny. Moreover, the person who knew about this was her own son, Siwan and it must have taken him a lot of courage to deliver this to her. He was scared of his father and yet, he took this bold step.

    I must talk to Gayoon, she thought.

    They had met up when the Hwang''s invited them to dinner and since then, she shared a good bond with the detective. Moreover, Doyoung also received news that Gayoon''s daughter was poisoned. She did not want to intrude on Gayoon at this time but there was no one else she could trust.

    I''ll wait till Jina is better, she decided.

 Chapter 110 - Kang Shinho (9)

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    Mass chapter mission time! Support me in win win by unlocking the privilege chapters to get mass releases. MR will be given based on the following conditions:

    1000 privilege chapter unlocks= 3 extra chapter mass release

    5000 privilege chapter unlocks= 5 extra chapter mass release

    10,000 privilege chapter unlocks= 10 chapter mass release.

    This is applicable for every month! Please do support this book by buying as much privilege chapters as possible <3

    ....

    The next morning, Doyoung dressed up and headed for the hospital where Jina was admitted. She knocked on the VIP ward. Gayoon opened the door.

    "Ms. Doyoung?" Gayoon frowned. Doyoung was holding a basket of fruits and a fewic books.

    "I hope I''m not disturbing you," she said. "But Danny told me that Jina was in the hospital, so I had toe and visit her."

    "Pleasee in," Gayoon said, stepping aside. Jina was sleeping soundly on the bed. She was exhausted from the surgery but was otherwise fine. Danny rmended to keep her at the hospital for a few days.

    "I brought some books for Jina," Doyoung said. "Hospitals can be very boring."

    "That''s very kind of you," Gayoon said with a smile. Doyoung stroked Jina''s head, pushing back her tiny bangs.

    "How did this happen?" she asked. "Did she eat anything bad?"

    Gayoon was taken aback by her statement. Did Doyoung not know?

    "Umm...Dr. Kang didn''t tell you?" she inquired.

    "No," Doyoung replied. "He only told me that she suffered from food poisoning and needed surgery. It struck me as odd. How can food poisoning be so bad that she needed surgery for it?"

    "Itбнit wasn''t food poisoning," Gayoon told her. "It was only poisoning."

    Doyoung stared at her in shock. "Poisoning?" she echoed. "But why would someone poison her? She''s only a child!"

    "Someone from her school put glue in her drink," Gayoon said curtly. "And made her drink it."

    She hesitated before adding, "It was Siwan."

    Doyoung stood there, unable to believe what she had heard. Siwan poisoned Jina?

    "He''s only a child," she whispered. "There must have been a mistake! He wouldn''t poison anyone!"

    "It''s possible that he might have been unaware about glue being poisonous," Gayoon admitted. "But it was him. Danny and I saw him there when Jina was poisoned. He even confessed to us."

    Doyoung''s expression was unreadable. She was stunned by the revtion and nced at the sleeping figure of Jina. Her son might have been unaware of the consequences but if he had been sessful, he could have been thrown into juvenile prison. Danny''s influence was bing darker, choking Siwan in the process. The boy would lose his sense of what was right and wrong if she did not step in.

    She had had enough. Doyougn could no longer be a bystander in all this and she must rectify some things. And she would have to start by cleaning up the mess her husband created.

    "I want to tell you something," Doyoung finally spoke up. "No...I want to report something at the police station. Can youe with me?"

    "Iбн"

    Gayoon nced at Jina. "I can''t," she said, shaking her head. "My daughter is sick and-"

    "I know," Doyoung said firmly. "And that is exactly why you should be there when I file theint. I must do it. Today."

    Gayoon frowned as Doyoung took out her phone and dialed a number.

    "Hello," she greeted someone. "I need you to bring the reports of what I asked for along with that doll at the 27th police precinct."

    She hung up the phone. Gayoon was very much confused.

    "What are you doing?" she asked. "What case are you nning to file?"

    Doyoung took a deep breath and turned to Gayoon. "I want to file aint," she revealed. "A boy disappeared from my house. His name is Kang Shinho and I''m afraid that my husband is behind it."

    "What?" Gayoon frowned. "Shinho? That''s the name of the boy whom we found dead a few days back. Do you have evidence against Danny?"

    She was pretending not to know that Danny did kill Shinho because they had no evidence of it other than the spirit''s words. But Doyoung was strangely confident.

    "I do," Doyoung replied. "And I''ll give it all. But please...please save my son from that monster. He''ll devour my son just like how he killed Shinho! I couldn''t save that child but I won''t let Danny go scot free!"

    Doyoung was now determined. She knew what she had to do.

    "Alright," Gayoon agreed. "I''ll file the report for you."

    бн.

    At the station, Doyoung handed over all the evidence she had to Gayoon. The PI she hired also arrived to give the police details on what he found.

    "Thisбн" Gayoon was sickened when she watched the video. If it was not an emergency, she would have never left Jina at the hospital. Luckily, Junho was there to look after her and he was also preparing charms to guard Jina.

    "Kang Danny killed his own child," Doyoung confirmed. "And I want to file a report for murder. Since Shinho died in my house, I''ll take full responsibility as his guardian to charge my husband."

    She was quite determined. Danny ruined the lives of so many innocent children that she could no longer stand aside. She had ignored his infidelity and abusive nature for years but all that was limited to verbal abuse. Doyoung knew her husband was a bad person but this was something even she did not seeing.

    Gayoon nodded and processed all the required documents.

    "Does Kang Danny have a history of mental issues?" she asked.

    "No, why?" Doyoung frowned.

    "Last night, he was screaming in his office and imed that someone was there. But when I checked, there was no one around. Which is why it felt strange."

    Doyoung was now slightly worried. Why was he screaming on his own?

    Gayoon was confused as well because she had looked all over the hospital. She had an inkling that the children whom Danny had murdered were still lurking around, seeking revenge but when she arrived at the spot, she did not hear nor feel anything.

    Was he really haunted by ghosts or was it something else?

    "Whatever it was, I hope it tortured him well," Doyoung said bitterly. "Can you honestly say that you feel sorry for him if he was a mad man?"

    "No," Gayoon admitted. "I can''t. I can''t feel sorry for him at all."

    She reached over her desk and held Doyoung''s hand. "You''re doing the right thing," Gayoon stressed. "I hope you won''t back out of this."

    "I won''t," Doyoung swore. "I won''t stop until Danny is out of our lives!"

 Chapter 111 - Kang Shinho (10)

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    Mass chapter mission time! Support me in win win by unlocking the privilege chapters to get mass releases. MR will be given based on the following conditions:

    1000 privilege chapter unlocks= 3 extra chapter mass release

    5000 privilege chapter unlocks= 5 extra chapter mass release

    10,000 privilege chapter unlocks= 10 chapter mass release.

    This is applicable for every month! Please do support this book by buying as much privilege chapters as possible <3

    ....

    Shinho was hesitant as he stood outside the mansion where he was killed. Jina was back at the hospital and there were some strange things going on there. Her grandfather, Junho, who was an expert in exorcism and ult, had made several charms to protect her so Shinho could not go near her room for a while. Hospitals were hotbed for evil spirits and since Kang Danny killed many people there, an angry poltergeist was roaming around the ce so they had to protect Jina from it. Since she could see spirits and poltergeists, it was done for her own safety.

    Moreover, the poltergeist had targeted Danny. Justst night, Danny was screaming in his office, iming that he saw a monster in his bathroom which was empty. Gayoon checked it herself but there was no one. She informed Junho, who decided that it was best to keep an eye on Danny and also put protection around Jina.

    But Shinho was not lying low at tha Hwang Mansion. Ever since he heard that his brother was involved in Jina''s poisoning, he could not help visit his old home. He wanted to see if his brother was safe.

    Shinho entered the empty mansion. The servants were probably on their monthly holiday so he quietly went upstairs towards his brother''s room.

    Siwan was sitting in the dark, sobbing to himself. He was holding the camera in which Shinho''s death had been recorded and was feeling extremely guilty for hiding this fact. For weeks, Siwan grappled with how to tell this to people but the fear of his father had kept him from doing so. But after what he did to Jina, Siwan was scared of himself.

    "I''m sorryбн" he sobbed out loud. "I''m so sorryбн"

    He was sad that he could not do anything for the boy who died in his home. His father had destroyed so many lives that Siwan had lost track of it all.

    "I''m sorry," he kept on repeating. Shinho sat next to him, not daring to touch his brother. But he was also sad that he could not express his feelings to his elder brother who was feeling so much remorse.

    Shinho was about to pat his brother when they heard a loud crash downstairs. Siwan was startled and headed outside his room.

    "Dad?" he frowned when he saw his father sprawled across the floor in fear. But Danny did not seem to listen to him.

    "WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?" Danny screamed but there was no one else around. Danny was scared and petrified as he yed his limbs around as if trying to ward something away.

    But Danny was seeing something which only he could see. He had returned home to find something monstrous waiting for him.

    It was emerging from the floor, headless and dark. Crawling towards him at remarkable speed, it let out a loud wail which caused Danny to shut his ears.

    "GO AWAY!" he yelled and tried to run but the thing grabbed his foot and pulled him back.

    The hands of the monster kept on pulling him, flinging him across the room. Siwan watched in horror as his father was being thrown by some kind of invisible force. Shinho was also surprised to see Danny act that way and rushed downstairs after his brother.

    "Dad!" Siwan shouted as he tried to help Danny but thetter was hallucinating. He looked up to see that instead of Siwan, it was Shinho''s face staring back at him.

    "You killed me...dadбн" it said in a whisper. "And now, it''s your turnбн"

    "NO!" Danny yelled and grabbed Siwan by the throat. Shinho was shocked as he saw his older brother being strangled. Danny hit Siwan on the face a few times, causing the child to bleed.

    "Dad, it''s me!" Siwan screamed but Danny punched him on the nose, breaking it. Siwan was now being choked and he struggled to be free but Danny was too strong for him.

    "Dadбн" Siwan begged. Stop. Please stop!

    "I''ll kill you!" Danny screamed in fear. "You can''t torment me anymore! I''ll kill you!"

    Shinho was frozen to his spot. The memories of his own death rushed back to him and now, his brother was going to face the same fate. Something in him snapped.

    With all the force he could muster, he pushed Danny away from Siwan. Thetter coughed out blood, too weak to stand up but Danny got to his feet. Still seeing Shinho in Siwan, he once again pounced on Siwan, trying to kill him.

    "DON''T EVER COME BACK-" Danny yelled. He picked up a vase and was about to hit Siwan with it. Siwan watched his father about to kill him fro good, slightly happy that he would be free from this monster...

    BANG!

    Danny yelped and the vase fell from his hand. A bullet brushed by his wrist, making it bleed. He looked up to see Gayoon and Doyoung standing at the door.

    "SIWAN!" Doyoung yelled and rushed to protect Siwan while Gayoon tackled Danny to the ground in a swift movement. Several policemen appeared and they arrested Danny on the spot.

    "Take the kid to the hospital!" Gayoon ordered. "Now!"

    Paramedics arrived and took Siwan to the hospital while Shinho and Doyoung followed. Shinho watched in dismay as Doyoung cried over Siwan''s unconscious body. Everything was happening so fast that it was impossible to fathom anything.

    All he cared about was his brother.

    "Momбн"

    Doyoung, who was hysterical, grabbed Siwan''s palm.

    "Don''t talk!" she told her son. "Just...just be calm and-"

    "Mom...I''m sorryбн" Siwan said. "To you...and my brother...I''m sorryбн"

    Doyoung did not say anything but patted her son''s head. "I''m sorry too," she whispered. "To you and Shinho. I''m sorry."

    "Shinho...huh?" Siwan softly whispered. "It''s a nice name. Do you think he''s in a better ce now?"

    "I don''t know, sweetie," Doyoung said. "I don''t know if he''s in a better ce. But...he''s loved. I''m sure about that."

    Siwan was losing consciousness again. As his vision faded, he thought he saw the silhouette of a boy who was also crying. Why is that boy crying? He wondered beforepletely fainting once again.

 Chapter 112 - Kang Shinho (11)

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    Mass chapter mission time! Support me in win win by unlocking the privilege chapters to get mass releases. MR will be given based on the following conditions:

    1000 privilege chapter unlocks= 3 extra chapter mass release

    5000 privilege chapter unlocks= 5 extra chapter mass release

    10,000 privilege chapter unlocks= 10 chapter mass release.

    This is applicable for every month! Please do support this book by buying as much privilege chapters as possible <3

    ....

    In the middle of the dested highway, a siren was ringing wildly. Lights from the taillights of a car were flickering on and off while the doors were wide open. Bodies of two policemeny beside it in a pool of their own blood.

    A tall man in his thirties stood there, watching the bodies. He had killed countless people for the sake of his image and now that his reputation was tarnished, he no longer needed to hide his bloodlust. Raising one bloodied hand, he fixed his spectacles.

    How did his life turn upside down? Only an hour ago, he was the most influential pediatrician in the country. People marveled at his skills and even called him god-like. He was their savior, the one who could cure any ailment. It was his destiny to be great.

    Yes. He was supposed to be great, no, the greatest of them all. But in a matter of minutes, his life turned from great to that of a fugitive. He had tricked the officers who were escorting him and killed them with their own guns.

    "It''s all Doyoung'' fault!" Danny whispered. "She took my son away from me and now, she''s ruining my life! If only she had not bbed to that bitch of a detective!"

    Now he knew why the Hwang''s were getting close to his family. He fully understood their intentions and was determined to kill them all.

    Starting from their daughter.

    "Let''s see if my wife and that girl can avoid me anymore," he said in a menacing tone. Suddenly, he let out augh. An egomaniacalugh which resonated throughout the cold, empty road. It was his lucky day. All his enemies were under one roof and he could kill them all after he retrieved his son, Siwan.

    "I''ming for you, Doyoung!" he swore. "Your husband ising!"

    Danny let out anotherugh, no longer hiding behind his mask. He had taken off that facade of niceness and was embracing his inner monster which was about to wreak havoc.

    бн.

    Doyoung sat vigil next to her son''s side, worried about him. The doctors stitched him up well but he was still unconscious. She was dry eyed and alert by even the slightest sound.

    She was not at all surprised by what Danny did. It was as if a part of her knew that he was going to do something vile someday. What she regretted the most was the fact that it took her so many years to expose him.

    Doyoung tried to call Gayoon who was still at the police station but her phone was dead. No doubt that Gayoon was busy dealing with Danny''s case. Then a thought urred to her.

    "Jina is here too," she realized. Since Siwan was still asleep, she decided to go and check up on the little girl. It was the least she could do for Gayoon who had to leave behind her own sick child to save Siwan.

    Luckily, Jina''s ward was right next to Siwan''s. She knocked on the door. To her surprise, it was opened by a man in his sixties. He looked a lot like Hwang Minho so Doyoung guessed that the man might be rted to the Hwang''s.

    "I''m Siwan''s mother," she exined. "I wanted to check up on Jina."

    "Oh," Junho said, stepping back. "Come on in."

    Jina was wide awake, drinking water when her eyes fell on Doyoung.

    "Aunty!" she cheerfully greeted her. Doyoung was amazed at how happy and optimistic the girl was despite her condition.

    "Are you alright?" Doyoung gently asked. "How are you feeling now?"

    "I don''t usually stay sick for too long!" Jina chirped. "I''m feeling better already! They just won''t let me eat yet."

    She pouted a little, disappointed that she was not allowed to eat. Jina was craving homemade food, especially the spicy cakes her mother made. Doyoung patted her cheek but she was a little sad.

    "I''m sorry," she apologized. "For what my son did. He''s very ashamed as well."

    "That''s okay!" Jina said with a wide smile. "It''s all boats under the bridge!"

    "Water," Junho corrected her.

    "I''m drinking water already!" Jina imed, misreading his correction. Junho rolled his eyes. At that moment, another man barged into the room. Doyoung frowned at the funnily dressed man. He was covered in beads and wore shabby red clothes. The man looked like he was in his fifties as well.

    "That''s my business partner, Shinjin," Junho said. That was partly true. Shinjin was one of Junho''s partners in exorcism and he was investigating the strange happenings in the hospital. He slightly bowed at Doyoung before turning to Junho.

    "We need to talk," he said. "Now."

    "I can''t leave Jina alone!" Junho pointed out but Doyoung spoke up.

    "I''ll take care of her," she reassured him. "I''ll be here for a long time anyway since Siwan is also admitted-"

    "What happened to Siwan?" Jina asked, feeling shocked.

    "He...he had a little ident," Doyoung lied. "But he''s fine."

    Jina did not speak for a while. "Old man, you go do your work," she said. "I wanna visit Siwan."

    "But-" Junho began to protest but she shook her head.

    "I want to see how he''s doing!" she insisted. "And it''ll be easier for Aunty Doyoung to look after both of us. Please!"

    Junho could not refuse his granddaughter when she made the cute puppy dog expression at him.

    "Fine!" he conceded. "Go on."

    Doyoung helped Jina get out of bed and carried her towards Siwan''s room. As soon as they were gone, Junho turned to Shinjin who was a shaman and exorcist.

    "What is it?" he asked.

    "I''ve investigated the happenings in this ce," Shinjin said. "This...this isn''t a regr spirit. The thing which is haunting Kang Danny, is a poltergeist."

    "A poltergeist?" Junho frowned. "Howe? I''ve never encountered a poltergeist before!"

    "They''re born from intense emotions," Shinjin said. "Could be rage, hatred or even love. When some people die under gruesome circumstances, the feeling of hate and anger remains. Also, if someone dies but leaves behind an intense passion or love, those feelings can also remain."

    "So when those feelings remain, they start to umte. The more the hate, the more powerful the poltergeist bes and once formed, it''ll lose its sanity. It''ll kill every person whom it hates. But if born from a positive feeling like love, then the poltergeist is friendly and can evenmunicate with others. They might even help their loved ones."

    "I''m guessing we''re not looking at a friendly poltergeist here," Junho winced.

    "No," Shinjin replied. "The poltergeist in this hospital is unusual. It;s not made from one spirit but several. Danny''s victims have joined together to form one single entity. It was their shared hate which created this very powerful being and normal exorcism won''t work. They''ll target Danny till the end of the world."

    "Where''s the poltergeist?" Junho asked.

    "It''s base is in the boiler room downstairs!" Shinjin eximed. "We''ll have to purify it for now. Hurry! We don''t have time!"

    The men rushed out of the room towards the boiler room, hoping that they would not be toote.

    бн..

    As soon as Jina entered Siwan''s ward, she saw that Shinho was sitting next to his brother. His lips curled into a smile when Jina approached them, followed by Doyoung.

    Siwan was awake now but he did not look at Jina, too ashamed to face her. Jina, on the other hand, had already forgiven him for the prank.

    "Stop fretting over it!" she told him. "I''m fine! But you don''t look good at all."

    He was heavily bandaged. His eyes were swollen and ck from the abuse while his neck had several fingerprints on it. The state of his body was not good and it was a miracle that he made it out alive. She nced at Shinho.

    If only he was aliveбн

    "Jina, can you tell him something from me?" Shinho requested. "Tell my brother not to think of the bad things. He should think of the good things and be happy. If he stays happy, then the people he cares for will also be happy."

    Jina cleared her throat and told Siwan, "Don''t worry about the bad things. Think only about the positive things so that people you love will also be happy."

    Siwan did not reply but merely nodded. He felt a little lighter after hearing Jina talk and gave her a small smile.

    "Please tell him that he''s not like our father," Shinho added. "And...and that he''ll make a very good person someday. He''ll be kind and caring."

    "You''re not like your father," Jina interpreted. "You''ll be a kind and good person."

    Siwan looked up when his mother patted his head. He felt immense guilt towards her as well. She was suffering simply for his sake.

    "I want to be a doctor too," Siwan stated. "I know my dad always pushed me to be one but at that time I hated it. He was forcing me to be one. But nowбн"

    He took a deep breath and said, "I want to help people. I don''t want another Shinho to die. Ever."

    Doyoung was teary while Jina cheered.

    "If I have more siblings, I''ll bring them to you, Doctor Siwan!" Jina promised, shing a thumbs up. Beside him, Siwan was also smiling widely, happy that his brother was growing up. He was about to touch his brother''s cheek when there was a loud knock.

    "That might be the nurse," Doyoung said, reaching for the door. "She was supposed to check up-"

    She opened the door and froze.

    "Hello, wifey," Danny said with a manic smile. "I''m home."

 Chapter 113 - Kang Shinho-Conclusion

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    Mass chapter mission time! Support me in win win by unlocking the privilege chapters to get mass releases. MR will be given based on the following conditions:

    1000 privilege chapter unlocks= 3 extra chapter mass release

    5000 privilege chapter unlocks= 5 extra chapter mass release

    10,000 privilege chapter unlocks= 10 chapter mass release.

    This is applicable for every month! Please do support this book by buying as much privilege chapters as possible <3

    ....

    The police immediately got to work. They had evacuated the hospital under Gayoon''s orders after CCTV footage showed Danny running on the route leading to it. All the patients were being safely transferred to other hospitals and thankfully, there were no surgeries scheduled that night either. The ce was swarming with cops and they received news that Danny was already inside the premises.

    Gayoon came running to the spot. The car carrying Danny was found on the highway and the cops were already dead.

    "WHERE THE HELL IS THE BACKUP TEAM?" she yelled at the cops.

    "They''reing, detective!" one of the officers said. But she was not going to wait for them. Instead, she stormed inside the hospital. Minho was alerted and he abandoned his meeting to get to the hospital. He did not want to leave Jina''s side but at that time, Gayoon had insisted that he attended the meeting. She texted Junho about the situation and he might be able to rescue Jina as well.

    "FUCK!" Gayoon cursed as she sprinted towards Siwan''s ward.

    бн.

    Doyoung was protectively shielding the children as her husband inched closer.

    "Don''t do thisбн" she whispered. "He''s your son, damn it!"

    "That''s why I''ll take him away!" Danny snarled. He was pointing a gun at her, determined to kill his own wife. Doyoung was not afraid of him but she was worried about the safety of the kids. He had already murdered countless children including his own younger son. She could never forgive him for that nor allow Siwan to live a hellish life with Danny.

    "You killed your own son!" she shrieked at him. "An innocent child! And now you want Siwan to face that same fate? Are you mad?"

    "I am!" Dannyughed. "I''m mad and now, I can do anything in my madness! You made me like this-"

    "You were always a monster!" Doyoung growled. "A hideous monster! How could you do this? If you had only told me about Shinho! I might have gotten upset at you but I wouldn''t have abandoned that boy. He''s not at fault, you are!"

    "He was going to ruin my imageбн"

    Danny was nowpletely insane. He was only obsessed with cleansing his image and his older son, who was his heir. Nothing else mattered to him. He must keep his bloodline pure and unharmed. Siwan was his son, his heir and Danny was not going to leave without him.

    "I won''t go!" Siwan yelled. He was sping Jina''s hand as if to protect her. Jina was shaking in fear as the mad man pointed the gun at them. She was hiding behind Doyoung while Shinho was slowly walking towards his father, invisible to all but Jina.

    "Turn yourself in!" Doyoung insisted. "It''s the only way you can salvage your so-called image! Not like this."

    "I''ll pay my way out of punishment!" Danny imed. "But you...you''ll die-"

    "Just like how you killed those other children in the boiler?" Doyoung spat. Danny was now shocked and his mask of madness temporarily slipped.

    "How the hell do you know?" he demanded.

    "I saw the file which Shinho''s mother left behind!" Doyoung revealed. "I know everything. How could you do this to those poor kids? What did they do to you? You were supposed to save them, Danny!"

    Danny was shell shocked but he quickly recovered. "Doesn''t matter," he said. "I''ll-"

    Without another word, Shinho pushed Danny back with all the strength he could muster. The gun fell out of his hand and Doyoung immediately grabbed it. She flung it out of the window while Shinho kicked his father in the shin.

    Suddenly, Junho burst into the room and tackled Danny to the ground. He punched the maniac, cursing at him.

    "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING TO MY GRANDDAUGHTER YOU LITTLE-"

    He kept on punching the man until Danny was unconscious and bloodied. Gayoon and Minho rushed in. Gayoon pulled Junho off of Danny.

    "Uncle, calm down!" she yelled but Junho wanted to beat him up even more. Minho was about to say something to his father when one of the closed windows burst open and a strong, cold gale rushed in.

    The ferocious wind was causing everyone to slip and they had to hold on to something to stop themselves from flying away.

    "Close that window!" Minho yelled, grabbing Gayoon''s hands when she was slipping away. Jina yelled as she lost her hold on the bed pole but Gayoon grabbed her while Doyoung held Siwan steady. Junho was trying to grab Danny because thetter was waking up but before he could do so, something held Danny''s foot and pulled him away.

    Seeing that, Minho ran after him but Danny was being pulled away. The wind stopped and everyone except Siwan rushed after him. Shinho was also following the thing which was now pulling his father away.

    "SAVE ME!" Danny screamed. "HELP-"

    Both Gayoon and Minho leapt to hold him back but the poltergeist was too strong. Jina came into view and for the first time, saw it properly.

    "Whatбн"

    Shinho paused when he saw the look of pure terror on her face. She was frozen at her spot because other than her, no one else could see the poltergeist. Not even a ghost like Shinho.

    The ck mass of a poltergeist had hundreds of yellow eyes on its upper body. Several tentacles were erupting out of it, all pulling Danny with a fury as if it would devour him alive. It limped on its short hind legs, leaving a greasy trail of muck.

    Jina felt a hand covering her eyes. Someone pulled her towards the exit.

    "No!" she yelled. "Mom! Dad!"

    But her parents were busy fighting the poltergeist which was now pulling Danny towards the basement.

    "Let me go!" Jina yelled at the person who was taking her away. She squirmed but Doyoung''s harsh voice spoke up.

    "If you go there, your parents will not be able to focus on their work!" she scolded Jina. Doyoung did not know what was going on but she must get the kids to safety. One of the cops was carrying Siwan to the emergency exit while Jina sobbed in her arms.

    Finally, Doyoung managed to get out of the hospital with Jina and Siwan. Shinho materialized beside her and all of them stared at the building.

    An eerie silence had crept in as they stared at the abandoned hospital, waiting for something to happen. But what was going to ur, no one knew.

    "Mom...dadбн" Jina was crying hard. Everyone left the building except her family. Her heart was racing but she felt a pair of hands hugging her.

    "It''ll be okay," Shinho told her. "They''ll be fine-"

    As if on cue, Minho, Gayoon, Junho and Shinjin came running out of the building. They looked panicked and scared while smoke began to emit from the hospital.

    "BACK OFF!" Gayoon yelled at the people ogling at the building. "NOW!"

    "What happened?" Jina demanded as Shinjin picked her up while Gayoon and Minho pulled Doyoung and Siwan away to safety.

    "The poltergeist threw Danny into the boiler and burned him to a crisp!" Shinjin yelled. "The whole bloody ce is gonna-"

    A loud boom interrupted him. Like a zing hellfire, the building went up in mes as the explosion deafened them all. Sparks flew in the sky, the fire devouring what was left of Kang Danny and his deeds.

    Shinho''s pearly eyes lit up with the mes of eating the building in front of him.

    "It''s overбн" Jina whispered. She was now in her mother''s arms who was consoling her. Shinho looked at her and then at his own family who were standing a few feet away, recovering from the shock.

    Danny was dead. There was nothing more left for Shinho to do.

    "It is," he said.

 Chapter 114 - Pinky Promise

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    Mass chapter mission time! Support me in win win by unlocking the privilege chapters to get mass releases. MR will be given based on the following conditions:

    1000 privilege chapter unlocks= 3 extra chapter mass release

    5000 privilege chapter unlocks= 5 extra chapter mass release

    10,000 privilege chapter unlocks= 10 chapter mass release.

    This is applicable for every month! Please do support this book by buying as much privilege chapters as possible <3

    ....

    "I''ll alwayse backбн"

    He was devastated to see the beautiful brown eyes bursting with tears. She was holding his hand, not willing to let go of him. It was supposed to be the two of them forever. Then why was he leaving?

    Jina felt her mother''s palm on her shoulder. After Danny''s death, Shinho told Gayoon and Minho that it was time for him to move on. It was a painful decision for him but Jina was refusing to let go.

    How could he leave? Why would he leave? This was his home! He was supposed to be with her and her only.

    "I won''t let you leave!" she eximed.

    They were all standing on top of the Hwang''s mansion''s roof where Junho had prepared for the sendoff. Minho and Gayoon were heartbroken over having to say goodbye to Shinho but no one was as broken as Jina.

    "Don''t goбн" Jina begged. "Don''tбн"

    The weather was too bright. She felt the warm rays of the sun falling on her, illuminating the whole area with its light. There were colorful lilies blooming all around her and the sounds of birds chirping happily reached her ears.

    Jina hated it. Why was everything so bright and sunny when she felt so miserable? Was this some kind of joke?

    Shinho''s cold fingers wiped out the tears from her cheek. "This isn''t goodbye, silly!" he said in an attempt to cheer her up. "This is a promise."

    "Liar," Jina sobbed. "I know what happens! People who...who leave nevere back! I know it!"

    She was crying hard. Minho was also trying his best not to cry but it was hard. The child had be a part of their home. Shinho leaving them was going to affect Jina and she would be beyond repair.

    Was it fair to put her through this?

    Gayoon seemed to know what he was thinking.

    "Stay with us," she told Shinho. "We''ll take care of you!"

    "I can''t, Lady Cop," Shinho replied. "I don''t belong here. I should have left a long time ago but I''m d I didn''t."

    He turned to the others. Gayoon interpreted his words to Minho and Junho. "I''m happy I met my bunny uncle and Lady Cop! I''m happy I got to meet other spirits and made friends with them. I got to learn so many things with all of you. Andбн"

    Shinho turned to Jina.

    "I''m happy I met you, my best friend," he whispered. "So, I''m not going to leave like this. I''ll leave with a promise that I''ll return. I don''t know when, but I will return."

    Jina held out her pinky finger.

    "Promise?" she asked, her eyes still wet with tears. "You''ll return to me. No matter what happens, you''ll return to me."

    Shinho held her by his pinky finger.

    "I''ll alwayse back," he promised. "No matter what. I promise I''ll return for you and only you, Jina."

    Jina watched as a white light began to engulf him. He was still smiling at her as he turned paler and paler until he was translucent. Then in a blink of an eye, he was gone.

    .....

    It''s too white.

    Hobin was sitting in some kind of strange white ce. It was like a nk canvas with no colors which surrounded him. The deafening silence was creeping him out but he knew that he was not alone.

    "So you are me," he said. Standing behind him was a boy of around nine years old. A boy who was supposed to be dead.

    "We''re both the same," Shinho simply said. "I was just hiding inside you for a long time."

    Hobin did not reply but was reflecting on the irony of the events.

    "I returned to the same ce where I was killed," he mused. "That too for a girl who probably doesn''t remember me anymore."

    "She never forgot us," Shinho corrected. "We returned for her sake. But the choice we made is going to harm her."

    Hobin turned to him, frowning.

    "What do you mean?" he demanded.

    "This is our third life," Shinho revealed. "There''s another life which is tied to us. A darkness lurks inside us which is going to wake up anyday."

    "Huh?"

    "The reaper told me before I made my choice," Shinho stated. "The promise we made to protect Jina will also be a curse. Because there''s one more side to us which is dormant. But once it wakes up, nothing can stop it."

    Shinho was now beginning to fade but Hobin had many questions.

    "What side?" Hobin demanded. "Is it rted to my powers? Hey!"

    "You''ll know soon," Shinho said. His voice was beginning to echo and Hobin was also starting to feel sleepy.

    "We''ll not meet again, Ohm Hobin," Shinho went on. "But we''re one and the same. You, me and him. We''re all the same and we love the same girl. So don''t be-"

    Hobin could not listen to the rest of his words because hepletely cked out. Before fainting, he thought he saw something blue and light fluttering in front of him. Itnded on his outstretched palm, as if trying to soothe him.

    What am I afraid of? He wondered before his vision went nk.

    бн.

    *Present*

    "Is he alright?" Jina wondered out loud. They were still in the basement where Rachel had been exorcised. The Song''s were shaken but otherwise okay. Only Hobin was knocked out for some reason.

    He stirred and opened his eyes only to meet the familiar set of brown ones.

    "What-" he tried to ask but Jina shushed him.

    "You fainted because of the suffocation," she exined. "We managed to purify Rachel''s spirit. She''s gone."

    "I thought he was a tough cookie but he turned out to be a wuss," Yoonmin remarked.

    "I agree," Minyoon nodded.

    "OI!" Junho shouted at the twins. "Don''t just hover around him! Help me sit up! I have bowel problems, ya know!"

    The twins groaned and went to help their grandfather while Jina stayed with Hobin.

    "How long was I out?" he mumbled.

    "A few minutes," Jina revealed. "You were unconscious for just a few minutes."

 Chapter 115 - Peaceful Days

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    Mass chapter mission time! Support me in win win by unlocking the privilege chapters to get mass releases. MR will be given based on the following conditions:

    1000 privilege chapter unlocks= 3 extra chapter mass release

    5000 privilege chapter unlocks= 5 extra chapter mass release

    10,000 privilege chapter unlocks= 10 chapter mass release.

    This is applicable for every month! Please do support this book by buying as much privilege chapters as possible <3

    ....

    The Song''s were taken to the hospital where they received treatment. Even though the Song''s were confused by the whole event, they decided not to press charges against Jina and the others for trespassing on their property.

    The murderer was officially charged and the defense was pleading for an insanity plea to reduce his sentence. But the police had strong evidence against him and Jina was working with the prosecutors to push for the death sentence instead. The extent of his crimes were too horrific and leaving him in an asylum would not be the safest option.

    Over the next few days, everyone was busy giving their statements. Hobin filed his report on the psychoanalysis on Seokhyun and he gave crucial information based on his experience that Seokhyun was of sound mind when hemitted the murder. There were other psychiatrists who were of the same opinion as him so the culprit''s fate was going to be sealed.

    Life was finally returning to normal with the poltergeist gone. Minyoon was able to carry out his schedules while Sera returned to school. The Jung''s were pushing for a more inclusive system where the children would not be involved in bullying others. It was mandatory for everyone to attend counseling and also do sessions on anti-bullying. Some of the students protested but it was of no use because the situation went out of hand. With the rumors of Rachel''s burn book and pornography scandal, many of the students were being punished severely for their actions.

    "Life sure is peaceful," Minyoon remarked one day. They were in ss, waiting for the teacher. Yoonmin was sitting on a chair, reading a book while Minyoon sat on the desk, idly chatting.

    "For now," Yoonmin said, not looking up. "But for how long will it be peaceful?"

    "Meh, what''s life without a little money and adventure?" Minyoon winked.

    "Says the guy who can''t do math."

    "It''s hard, ya know!"

    Minyoon pouted but his grumpiness went away when he saw a familiar figure.

    "Binbin!" Minyoon called and waved at Soobin who had just entered the ss. Yoonmin''s ears went red and he hid his face behind the book.

    "Minmin," she greeted back, a little breathless.

    "Did you move into Doctor Kang''s mansion? How is it living there?"

    "Great!" Soobin eximed. "Doctor Kang is busy most of the time but he helps me out with my school work and also gives me several tips on how to apply for medical schools! The staff at his mansion are very kind too. They look after me well."

    Siwan officially took over as her legal guardian in the city. Soobin still worked in various ces to earn money but now that she did not have to worry about rent or food costs, she would be able to save up a lot more than she expected.

    And I can buy all of Minmin''s merchandise! Soobin thought gleefully.

    As if reading her mind, Yoonmin said, "You must be thrilled. More money for your favorite idol."

    "I hope I''m your favorite idol," Minyoon added, shing a smile. "Newest picture book cost a total of 55 dors with taxes."

    "It''s 60 dors with taxes!" Yoonmin snapped. "Honestly, open a math book once in a while!"

    "Math makes my good looks go sour," Minyoon imed. "I love money but not counting it!"

    Soobin giggled while Yoonmin scowled at his brother. How was he able to mesh so easily with her while Yoonmin struggled so much? They looked the same!

    "H-hey guys!"

    They turned around to find Sera who was standing there, feeling awkward. She did not dare to look at Yoonmin and blushed hard.

    "Sera!" Minyoon greeted cheerfully. "How are things at home now?"

    "Better," Sera replied. "Mom stopped being neurotic and is calmer now. My brother is still reeling from Rachel''s death but he''ll be fine. Doctor Ohm is great! He has been giving me therapy sessions and I feel a lot better."

    "Any news about the Song''s?" Yoonmin asked.

    "T-they are moving abroad," Sera stammered, looking at her feet. "A-away from a-a-all this."

    She was blushing hard, making Minyoon frown a little. He looked from her to his clueless brother who did not seem to notice anything else but Soobin.

    Ahh, my brother is the center of a love triangle, he thought in amusement.

    The teacher entered the ss and everyone scrambled to their seats. Sera was about to sit next to Yoonmin but Minyoon took the seat next to his brother. She winced a little and went to sit with Soobin.

    "ss, there is a special announcement," the teacher informed them. "The summer festival ising up and we have to prepare for it. This year, our ss will be responsible for the art house cafe!"

    There was an exciting murmur among the students. They were very much thrilled for the festival and began to whisper about it.

    "If anyone has any artworks which they want to be disyed, submit it to me by the end of this week," the teacher went on. "Also, the roles need to be assigned by then as well. Let me know!"

    "Summer festival?" Soobin whispered to Sera.

    "We do it every year," Sera exined. "It''s part of the school''s tradition. Every year, one ss gets an award for the best presentation. We''ve been winning it almost every year thanks to the Hwang twins."

    She peeked a shy nce at Yoonin who was still nonchnt.

    "Minmin performs, huh?" Soobin asked.

    "Yes. He does. Yoonmin takes over the finances and assigns the roles. He''s really awesome, don''t you think?"

    Soobin''s eyes also briefly darted to Yoonmin. He was still reading that book of his but Soobin slightly smiled. Even though he was a money obsessed weirdo, she saw a softer side to him at the hospital. He cared about his family in his own strange way and was very protective of his siblings.

    "He is quite awesome," Soobin agreed. "A little entric but a good, kind hearted person."

    Sera gave her a quizzical look but did not say anything. They turned their attention back to the teacher who was now starting the ss.

    At the far end of the ss, a stubby boy with thick fingers and dark curly hair was looking down at his notebook but he was not paying any attention to the teacher. His mind was full of other thoughts. Sweat rolled down from his tanned skin and he was quite nervous.

    Art cafe, huh? He thought. I think I can get rid of that thing in this festival.

 Chapter 116 - The Person He Loves The Most

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    Mass chapter mission time! Support me in win win by unlocking the privilege chapters to get mass releases. MR will be given based on the following conditions:

    1000 privilege chapter unlocks= 3 extra chapter mass release

    5000 privilege chapter unlocks= 5 extra chapter mass release

    10,000 privilege chapter unlocks= 10 chapter mass release.

    This is applicable for every month! Please do support this book by buying as much privilege chapters as possible <3

    ....

    Something tiny and soft was poking him on the forehead. Hobin winced, annoyed by the person who was trying to wake him up.

    He rolled over and said, "Go away!"

    But the person kept on poking his back. He was in his t, trying to sleep. Even though he had flexible hours at the hospital, the police work was hectic. Rachel''s case had him on the toes, talking to different psychiatrists and they had to assess the psychotic killer using various methods before they were sure that he was clinically sane to stand trial.

    This took a long time and he returned home at 3 AM. Hobin was not an early bird anyway so sleep was more dear to him than anything else.

    However, the tiny finger kept on poking.

    "What?" he scowled and turned around to see the heart shaped face of Miyooe into view. She was blinking at him with herrge almond shaped eyes as if waiting for him to wake up. Unlike her usual cartoon printed hoodies, she was wearing an uniform which he recognized was from Dalton''s Elementary School.

    "How the hell do you manage to wriggle into this t?" he groaned. "I even changed the locks!"

    He recently installed aputer generated lock on his front door but somehow, Miyoo always managed to break into his t. Sometimes he felt that the child was an inner sadist who enjoyed driving him up the wall.

    "9864," she parroted.

    "You memorized my passcode? The hell?"

    Miyoo nodded, feeling very proud of herself.

    "Miyoo good in math!" she imed. "Miyoo top marks in math!"

    She held up a paper where the teacher gave her full marks for her math homework. Hobin grumbled and sat up.

    "You can give lessons to your sister," Hobin muttered. "Why are you here? Is there another ghost?"

    Miyoo shook her head.

    "Where''s your sister?"

    "Work."

    She handed him a note from Jina. Hobin took it and frowned at the message.

    "I''m heading off to a crime scene," she wrote. "Look after Miyoo for me. PS: She gets cranky if she doesn''t eat on time."

    Why am I the babysitter? He wondered in dismay. "I should demand payment."

    Miyoo was still staring at him with hopeful eyes. Hobin was confused for a while, wondering what she wanted when her stomach growled.

    "I only have ramen," he said. "I''m not a good cook so you''ll have to deal with that!"

    The little girl watched as he got up and headed to the kitchen. She watched him heat the ramen in hot water and waited for a few minutes before pouring it in a bowl.

    "Eat," he yawned, handing her a fork. Miyoo instantly dove into her food, not caring about anything else.

    "nd," she murmured.

    "Get used to it," Hobin sighed. He scrolled through his phone absentmindedly when an article caught his attention. Miyoo was also curious about what he was reading so she leaned closer to his arm. Hobin moved over as she climbed onto hisp to read the article with him.

    "Su...suciбн" Miyoo tried to read. "Sucid?"

    "Suicide," Hobin muttered. "Shush! Let me read."

    "Murder-Suicide in Town H! Family of five found dead," the article read.

    "A family of four was found dead in a possible murder-suicide scene at Town H. The murderer was the youngest child, Park Jongwha who was 20 years old at the time. Last night, he woke up at 3 AM and killed his parents and older siblings with a rifle. They were all sleeping in their beds and they were shot at point nk range. Then he turned the rifle on himself, ending his own life. The neighbors were questioned about the incident but shockingly, no one heard the rifle''s shots.

    Park Jongwha did not have any history of violence and was known as a happy, cheerful person. He got along with his parents and siblings which is why the wholemunity is shocked by his actions. The police are investigating the event."

    There was a picture with the article of the family posing in their house. Miyoo, who was still slurping on ramen, spotted something in the picture. It was a painting of several red snakes in the middle of a ming forest.

    Miyoo pointed at it and said, "Old man!"

    "Huh?" Hobin frowned at her. "What are you trying to say?"

    "Old man!"

    Hobin looked at the painting in the photo. "Are you saying that your old man knows about this painting?" he frowned.

    Miyoo nodded. "Library," she said. "Old man library. Book. Fire. Miyoo saw!"

    Hobin seemed to understand what she was trying to say.

    "You saw this painting in a book from his library?" he guessed.

    Miyoo shed him a thumbs up and re-focused on her ramen. Hobin was still staring at the picture. Is this painting rted to something? He wondered.

    He was unsure why this case was attracting him. Was it the thrill of the unknown cause or something else?

    Feeling excited, he called Jina''s number which was saved under the nickname he gave her.

    "Tinkerbell," Miyoo read from the caller ID.

    "Just eat your food!" he told her as he waited for Jina to pick up.

    "Hello," Jina answered from the other end. "What is it? Is Miyoo okay?"

    "You owe me ramen," Hobin gritted. "And you better pay me for my services!"

    "Bill it to the old man," Jina shrugged. "But what''s up?"

    "Where are you? I need to talk to you. Now."

    "I''m nearly at the entrance-"

    Hobin hung up the phone and carried Miyoo into his arms. She would not let go of the ramen bowl, slurping thest bit of it. He hurried out of his apartment and almost ran downstairs, excited to start a new case with Tinkerbell.

    Reaching the front gate, he eagerly awaited her return. Miyoo burped, satisfied that she was fed. Now she was also waiting for her sister toe back home.

    "Ugh, she''ste!" Hobinined. "Where is she-"

    As if answering his question, Jina''s car pulled up in front of the gate. Hobin was about to call her when he froze.

    Jina came out of the car,ughing and giggling followed by Siwan. They were both smiling and Jina hugged him. Siwan blushed, something which did not go amiss by Hobin, as he hugged her back. The spark in Siwan''s eyes and the way he was gazing at her gave away his feelings to Hobin.

    "Si-" Miyoo was about to call but Hobin shushed her.

    "We''ll wait for her in the apartment," he whispered. Miyoo did not understand but she obeyed after sensing that he was sad.

    He silently backed off, not wanting to disturb his brother. The image of Siwan hugging Jina was burnt into his memory just like the time when they were dancing together.

    He was happy for his brother. Siwan deserved to love someone and have a family of his own. After all, Siwan had done so much to help Hobin during his hard times. Whenever Hobin was afraid of his powers, Siwan was the one who stayed with him and treated him like a normal person. His elder brother meant the most to him. Whether in the past life or the present, whether as Shinho or Hobin, he would never forget how much he loved his brother.

    Then why...why was his heart being ripped apart to shreds?

 Chapter 117 - Little Bean (1)

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    Mass chapter mission time! Support me in win win by unlocking the privilege chapters to get mass releases. MR will be given based on the following conditions:

    1000 privilege chapter unlocks= 3 extra chapter mass release

    5000 privilege chapter unlocks= 5 extra chapter mass release

    10,000 privilege chapter unlocks= 10 chapter mass release.

    This is applicable for every month! Please do support this book by buying as much privilege chapters as possible <3

    ....

    * Seventeen Years Ago*

    The bell rang loudly, indicating the start of a new ss. All the students were running towards the ssroom, eager not to bete. The crowd rushed, scrambling towards their respective sses but a single boy was running the opposite direction.

    He sprinted through the corridor in a hurry. Some of his friends tried to talk to him but he brushed past all of them. His dark hair was slightly matted with sweat while a worried expression dawned on his handsome face.

    "Siwan where are you going-" His science teacher was about to ask but Siwan ignored him and kept on running towards the front door of the school. His heart was beating fast, scared about something.

    Please be safe! He prayed. Please!

    Once he reached the field outside, he cried out, "Hobin!"

    No one responded to his call but Siwan kept on searching here and there. He looked under the benches and the supply closets for his younger brother.

    "Hobin!" he yelled, looking for the seven year old boy. Even though Hobin was very young, he had shown astounding skills. His sharp intellect and uncanny ability to study had promoted him up from elementary to the final year of middle school in a span of two years. Unlike other children of his age, Hobin was too smart. He was on a whole different level and his genius mind was too much for people to handle.

    Unfortunately, it made him a favorite target of bullies.

    Siwan got the news that a bunch of high school students were tormenting Hobin on the field. Their schools werebined together with the middle schoolers in one building while the high schoolers in another.

    He dashed across the football field, frantically looking for his brother. If anything happened to Hobinбн

    *Sniff*

    Siwan''s ears perked in rm. He could hear someone crying nearby. Following the soft sobs, he headed towards the bleachers which were a few meters away. Siwan peered between them to see a small figure with auburn hair sitting in a corner under the bleacher. The scrawny boy''s cries were muffled as he silently cried with his head on his curled up knees.

    "Hobinбн"

    The boy looked up to see his older brother. To Siwan''s horror, Hobin''s tiny face was bruised and battered. His lips were cut and his eyes were turning purple. The bruise was going to swell a lot, making the next few days quite painful for the little child. His clothes were dirty and torn. Moreover, Hobin''s gloves had been ripped off his hands, making him feel even more vulnerable.

    Siwan immediately took off his jacket and put it over his brother.

    "Who did this to you?" Siwan demanded. "What happened?"

    "I-It was Yang Chunseok and his friends," Hobin whimpered. A strange look passed through Siwan''s eyes but he sighed and sat next to his brother.

    "Where does it hurt?" Siwan asked, trying to touch his brother''s bruise but Hobin backed away.

    "Don''t," he mumbled. "O-Otherwise, I''ll see your memories again."

    "It''s fine as long as you''re not touching me with your hands," Siwan assured him. "Besides, I don''t mind if my younger brother sees my memories. We''re family after all."

    Hobin hid his hands behind his back as Siwan lightly touched his swollen eye.

    "Ow!" the child winced. Siwan was now worried. The bruise was worse than he thought.

    "Let''s go to the nurse''s office and get you treated," Siwan suggested but Hobin shook his head.

    "Can I just stay here for a while?" he begged. "I don''t want to go near other people."

    Hobin was scared. He was not scared of people but of himself. The strange things which happen to him, things which he saw. Everything was messing up his head and he had no one to talk to. No one understood what he felt and it was frustrating him.

    "Fine," Siwan replied. "We''ll sit here for a while then."

    He crossed his legs, patting his brother''s head. Hobin clutched his hands together behind him, scared and confused.

    "Why am I like this?" he finally asked. "Why am I a freak?"

    "Who called you a freak?" Siwan asked in a sharp tone.

    "Everyone."

    Siwan sighed and said, "You''re not a freak. You''re my brother. A small, tiny bean."

    "I''m not a bean!" Hobin said, feeling annoyed. Siwan called him a bean because he was the younger one and much shorter than the rest of the people he goes to school with.

    Siwan pinched his cheek. "Bean!" he winked.

    "Broбн" Hobin began. "I''m scared. What if this power doesn''t go away? What if it bes worse?"

    He looked up at his older brother, his eyes brimming with fresh tears.

    "Will I be a freak for the rest of my life?"

    Siwan did not know what to answer him. Hobin was dealing with a huge burden at such a young age and it troubled Siwan to no end. He loved his brother with all his heart but he was afraid that Hobin''s powers would one day go out of control. And when that happened, Hobin would suffer the most.

    "You are not a freak," Siwan repeated. "You''re my brother. No matter what happens, you''ll always be my brother. So what if you have strange powers? I don''t see you as a freak. I see you as a little bean. My little bean."

    He put his palm on Hobin''s shoulder, firm in his words.

    "But, everyone else thinks that I''m a freak," Hobin mumbled.

    "Then they are the freaks," Siwan stated. "Not you. If they''re bullying you for something that''s not your fault, then they are the monsters and freaks. You''re a good kid. So don''t be afraid of them."

    He paused before adding, "I''ll never let them hurt you."

    Hobin slowly shed him a smile. As long as his brother loved him, nothing else mattered. He nodded, wincing at the pain.

    "Here," Siwan said, taking out a pair of gloves from his pocket. "I always keep extra. So don''t worry. Now let''s go to the nurse."

    Hobin took the gloves and put them on. Siwan stood up and extended his palm but Hobin shook his head.

    "Piggy back ride!" he insisted.

    "Aren''t you a little too old for that?"

    But it was impossible to refuse Hobin when he was in his pleading mode. Siwan conceded and bent over.

    "Hop on!" he mockingly groaned. Hobin yelped and jumped on his brother''s back, holding him tightly.

    "Bro, what''s mom gonna make for dinner tonight?" Hobin asked as his brother carried him away.

    "I think Mrs. Jong will cook tonight," Siwan said.

    "I want spicy crab cakes! The ones mom makes!"

    "Mom isn''t home tonight. How about I cook for you instead?"

    "But you suck at it."

    Siwan let out augh, chatting merrily with his brother as they walked back to the school. For a moment, Hobin forgot about his pain. He was happy to be with his strong big brother. That was all he wanted.

 Chapter 118 - Little Bean (2)

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    Mass chapter mission time! Support me in win win by unlocking the privilege chapters to get mass releases. MR will be given based on the following conditions:

    1000 privilege chapter unlocks= 3 extra chapter mass release

    5000 privilege chapter unlocks= 5 extra chapter mass release

    10,000 privilege chapter unlocks= 10 chapter mass release.

    This is applicable for every month! Please do support this book by buying as much privilege chapters as possible <3

    ....

    "I can''t believe that the school suspended you!" Doyoung was scolding Siwan.

    He looked down at his feet, not saying anything. She had received a call at work that Siwan got into a fight with some senior names Chunseok and also beat up his friends. The brawl was brutal with Chunseok having to get several stitches while Siwan''s hand was fractured.

    "How could you be so careless?" his mother demanded. "Why would you do this?"

    "I''m sorry," he mumbled. From the corner of his eye, he saw Hobin rushing towards them.

    "Mom, I-" Hobin began but Siwan cut in.

    "I heard that he was flirting with a girl I like," Siwan lied. "So I beat him up. I was really angry!"

    "That''s not what a responsible person should do!" Doyoung shrieked. "You''re lucky that you''re only suspended and not worse! I-"

    She was really disappointed in her son. Siwan had changed after his father''s death, bing more empathetic and kind. The once arrogant child who looked down on people began to treat them with respect. He was especially fond of his younger brother Hobin, protecting him from all harm. He was supposed to be the responsible one!

    "Momбн" Hobin called for her. Doyoung was so engrossed in scolding Siwan that she did not notice his injuries at first. Finally, her eyes fell on her other son and she frowned.

    "How did you get those injuries?" she asked, feeling panicked. "What the hell happened?"

    Hobin was about to say something but Siwan held him back and shook his head.

    "He fell from the bleachers," Siwan lied. "That''s it. I''ve applied first aid already. He''ll be fine."

    Doyoung stooped down to take a look at her younger kid. She was now extremely worried, her anger beginning to ebb. Hobin was a special case and he needed constant care. With his strange powers, it was impossible for him to live a normal life. Even slightly touching someone with his fingers could make him read a person''s memories and he hated it. Doyoung was always at a loss about how to handle her son''s powers and she was seeking out psychiatrists who might be able to aid him in suppressing these powers but to no avail.

    Seeing him hurt was raising her panic meter.

    "Does it hurt?" she asked in a gentle tone. Hobin shook his head but Doyoung knew that he was hiding his pain.

    "I''ll make you spicy crab cakes tonight, okay? And I''ll take you to the doctor tomorrow morning. As for youбн"

    She turned to her older son. Siwan was still averting his eyes. Whether he was ashamed or not, she did not know but he needed to be punished. Otherwise, what example was he setting for his brother?

    "You''re grounded! You can''t go out nor have ess to your phone or gadgets. I''ll have to pay the hospital bills for Chunseok and his friends which I''ll take from your pocket money! This is a bad example for Hobin. I''m really disappointed in you, Siwan. I thought I raised you better!"

    Siwan did not reply but epted his punishment. Hobin was conflicted upon seeing his brother''s face which was badly injured. His nose was broken and the bruises were already ck. Siwan tried to beat up three guys at once, all for Hobin''s sake.

    "I''ll not do this again," Siwan promised.

    "You better not," Doyoung warned. She hesitated before adding, "I hope you learn your lesson, Siwan. I don''t want you to suffer like you did in the past."

    "I understand, mom."

    With that, she dismissed him. Siwan slowly shuffled back to his room with Hobin in tow. Once they were in their room, Hobin spoke up.

    "Why did you lie?" he demanded. "Mom should know the truth!"

    "It doesn''t matter," Siwan assured him. "What matters is that those guys won''t hurt you again."

    "But mom thinks wrongly of you! She even punished you!"

    Hobin was outraged at his brother for not telling the truth. After sending Hobin to the nurse''s office, Siwan went to search for the bullies and got into a brawl with them. Even after sustaining so many injuries, Siwan would not let go of them, beating them to a pulp. Everyone was shocked by the mild mannered boy, who was one of the top students, getting into a fight with hooligans. Chunseok''s motherined against Siwan but the school gave him a light punishment because it was his first offence.

    But Siwan did not care. He gently pinched his brother''s cheek and smiled.

    "I''m not too worried," he mused.

    "Why?"

    "Because I have my little bean to protect me!" Siwan smiled, ruffling Hobin''s auburn locks. "And I know that as long as he''s with me, nothing can harm me. Not even our mom''s anger!"

    бн.

    *In the Present*

    Hobin stood outside of Jina''s apartment, still carrying Miyoo. He was lost in his thoughts when he heard Jina and Siwanughing as they ascended the stairs.

    "How did you not get caught that time?" Siwan was asking. "I was sure you put something in my food to make me hallucinate all those things at camp!"

    "I didn''t!" Jina imed. "I''m just very good at pranks!"

    Unbeknownst to them, Hobin was staring at them with a sad smile.

    "Red, sad," Miyoo remarked.

    "Red is happy," Hobin told her. Miyoo tilted her head. She did not understand grown ups at all.

    Hobin let her down and she ran towards her sister. Jina was surprised when she felt Miyoo hugging her thigh.

    "Where''s the Demon?" Jina frowned. She looked around but Hobin was nowhere in sight.

    "She probably spotted you from above and came running out," Siwan remarked. "Anyways, I''m d I ran into you on the way. My car had to break down in the middle of the road! Can you give these crab cakes to Hobin? I''d have met him myself but I received an emergency message and I gotta go to the hospital. I''ll meet him tomorrow."

    He handed her arge box full of crab cakes which Doyoung had prepared for her sons before bidding her goodbye. Jina waved back, watching him leave.

    "Red, sad," Miyoo mumbled.

    Sad? Jina was confused but shrugged it off. He was probably very tired and needed sleep.

    I''ll give these to him tomorrow, she decided.

 Chapter 119 - A New Case

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    Mass chapter mission time! Support me in win win by unlocking the privilege chapters to get mass releases. MR will be given based on the following conditions:

    1000 privilege chapter unlocks= 3 extra chapter mass release

    5000 privilege chapter unlocks= 5 extra chapter mass release

    10,000 privilege chapter unlocks= 10 chapter mass release.

    This is applicable for every month! Please do support this book by buying as much privilege chapters as possible <3

    ....

    That night, the police station was buzzing with busy officers. There were several idents around the highway due to the sudden rain and many people were hurt so the officers were running all over the ce. Moreover, many new cases also came up for the homicide department and they were engrossed in the paperwork and case files.

    "Just a regr day at work!" Woohee groaned as she threw the files aside.

    "Keep working," Jiwoon muttered, not looking up from her file. She was reading the cases diligently without break which made Woohee gape at her.

    "Second boss, how the hell do you manage to read all that?" she asked. "Isn''t it tiresome?"

    "I don''t like to miss out on any details. Where are we on the murder-suicide?"

    Woohee sighed and took out a file from therge stack in front of her. She handed it to Jiwoon.

    "Park Jongwhaбн" Jiwoon read. "This is really strange. He had no prior mental health condition and his familial ties were good. The boy was about to transfer his credits to a college in the USA and was set to fly off next week. Why would he throw all that away like this?"

    "The youth nowadays are weird," Woohee remarked which made Jiwoon frown at her.

    "You''re only three years older than him. You fall in the same generation!"

    "Oh wellбн"

    Jiwoon shook her head and kept on reading the file. It made no sense to her. There was no way a perfectly healthy boy of that age would go bonkers on his family and kill them before killing himself. Moreover, the sale of weapons to citizens was illegal. How the hell did he get a rifle?

    "Any witnesses to this?" she asked.

    "I think the neighbor''s kid said he heard somemotion that night at the Park''s residence," Woohee said, ncing at one of the documents. "But he isn''t a direct witness because he only heard amotion. I called his parents today but they said that the kid has to undergo an appendix surgery tomorrow so he''s at the hospital now. Maybe his parents will be able to let us talk to him?"

    "I''ll go," Jiwoon said. "You can stay here. There''s a shit ton of cases waiting. What''s his name?"

    "Kim Baro. National Hospital."

    Jiwoon nodded and set off towards the hospital. She got into her car and drove off towards the hospital.

    бн.

    "Baro, are you feeling any pain here?" Siwan asked as he pressed on the child''s stomach. The boy was around ten years old and was having his appendix removed in a few hours. His blonde hair was matted with sweat because his abdomen hurt a lot and the boy was sobbing.

    "Not there," Baro mumbled. Siwan raised his palm a few centimeters to the right.

    "Here?"

    He pressed the part and Baro let out a yelp. "Got it," Siwan nodded.

    "Doctor, when can I eat?" Baro begged. "I''m hungry!"

    He was pouting in annoyance. Siwan smiled and replied, "If you get well soon, then your mom is going to make you many scrumptious dishes. What do you like to eat the most?"

    "Pizza!" Baro said in a hopeful tone.

    "Then let''s make a deal. If you can go without food for the next two days, I will treat you to your favorite pizza! But for that, you cannot eat anything for two days."

    Baro was now conflicted. He wanted pizza from the kind doctor.

    "Promise?" he mumbled, holding out a pinky finger.

    "I promise," Siwan winked and touched his pinky. He patted Baro''s head before heading outside the room to talk to his parents. To his surprise, a familiar figure was standing there with his mother, talking.

    "I''m sorry I had to intrude," Jiwoon was telling them. "But the sooner I could get the information on that night, the better we will be able to solve the case. And I don''t want to disturb Baro after the surgery when he will be in recovery."

    "But he''s in a lot of pain," Baro''s mother was saying. "Taking his statement nowбн"

    "It won''t take long!" Jiwoon quickly said. "And you can be there when he''s talking to me. I''ll make sure that it won''t take more than five minutes. I''m sorry for this. But witness testimonials are crucial and we have to take them within the first twenty four hoursбн"

    "What''s going on?"

    The women turned to see Siwan approaching them. Jiwoon was slightly surprised to see him there before recalling that he worked at the same hospital as Hobin.

    "Why are you here, detective?" he questioned Jiwoon.

    "Baro heard somethingst night at our neighbor''s ce," Baro''s mother replied. "This morning, they were found dead. Apparently, their youngest son killed the family beforemitting suicide. Baro was about to tell us in the morning but his appendix suddenly started to hurt and we brought him here."

    "It''ll take me only five minutes," Jiwoon promised. "If he''s in a lot of pain or doesn''t want to talk, I''ll leave."

    "Doctor, is he well enough to talk?" Baro''s mother asked.

    "We can supervise him while the detective questions him," Siwan nodded. He exchanged a worried look with Jiwoon before stepping aside to allow her into the ward.

    Baro was awake but pale and weak. He spotted the unknowndy walk towards his bed and drew a chair to sit on. His mother and the doctor were also there.

    "What''s...going on?" he mumbled.

    "Baro, this is Miss Jiwoon," Siwan told him. "She wants to ask you something about what you heardst night."

    The boy was a little skeptical of Jiwoon. Sensing his fear, she smiled at him and took out something from her handbag.

    "This is for you," she said. It was thetest edition of Spiderman and his eyes lit up when he saw it.

    "I thought you''d be bored here all by yourself, so I brought this for you," Jiwoon said in a gentle tone. "Do you likeics?"

    "I do!" Baro said in a weak tone. "Thank you, Miss Jiwoon."

    "Does it hurt a lot?" Jiwoon asked him. "I remember when I had appendicitis, it was really painful."

    Baro nodded. "It hurts like crazy!"

    "What do you want to do when you get well?"

    "I want to eat pizza!" Baro eximed. "And y football. I used to y with Jongwha bro almost everyday. He told me that he''s going to the USA and will y football there! Butбн"

    The little boy trailed off, feeling a little sad. "Jongwha bro is now dead."

    "You must be very sad," Jiwoon remarked. Siwan was studying her with curiosity. Usually, the police would just rush into taking the statement but she was building a rapport with the boy to make him feel at ease.

    "I wasn''t that close to him but he was a good guy," Baro replied. "Butst night, I heard something through the walls."

    "Through the walls?" Jiwoon frowned but it was Baro''s mother who now spoke up.

    "The ts in our building are built in such a way that Baro and Jongwha''s rooms are adjacent," she exined. "The walls are thin as well."

    "What happened next?" Jiwoon asked Baro. She now shifted her position to face Baro directly, looking genuinely concerned about him.

    "I heard...someone scratching the wall," Baro recalled. "And then, Jonwha bro''s voice came through the wall. But it wasn''t just his. It felt as if two people were talking together."

    There was someone else? Jiwoon wondered.

    "It was one sentence," Baro whispered. "The...they said, ''Beezan will find you again, my little pet''."

    Beezan?

    Baro winced in pain and was about to sit up but Jiwoon gentlyid him back. "You should rest now," she said.

    Siwan rushed forward to check his vitals. Thankfully, Baro was fine so Siwan administered a mild painkiller so that the child could sleep. Jiwoon thanked Baro''s mother and left the room.

    "Detective!"

    Jiwoon was in the corridor when she heard Siwan calling for her.

    "Is everything alright, doctor?" she asked.

    "Wanna grab a coffee?" he offered. Jiwoon was a little hesitant. She was not a person who would easily hang out with strangers especially after her work wasplete. Siwan seemed to have sensed her hesitation.

    "Consider it my gratitude for your helpst time!" he said quickly. "Besides, the coffee at our cafeteria is good!"

    Jiwoon thought for a while but shook her head.

    "That''s okay. I have to go back to the precinct. Maybe another time."

    With that, she quietly walked away leaving Siwan a little confused. She was talking to the child quite normally and even at the police station, she was courteous to him. But something was bugging Siwan ever since the day he formally met her. For some reason, she looked awfully familiar to him but he could not recall where he had seen her.

    Am I mistaken? He wondered. Then he shrugged off the thought and decided to go back to his office. He nced onest time at her retreating figure before she disappeared behind the elevator doors.

 Chapter 120 - The Cursed Painting (1)

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    Mass chapter mission time! Support me in win win by unlocking the privilege chapters to get mass releases. MR will be given based on the following conditions:

    1000 privilege chapter unlocks= 3 extra chapter mass release

    5000 privilege chapter unlocks= 5 extra chapter mass release

    10,000 privilege chapter unlocks= 10 chapter mass release.

    This is applicable for every month! Please do support this book by buying as much privilege chapters as possible <3

    ....

    BANG! BANG!

    Hobin was irritated. His pupils were red due tock of sleep and his auburn hair was tousled because he was tossing restlessly all night. Dark circles formed under his beautiful eyes, making him grumpy and annoyed. And to top it allбн

    "WAKE UP!" Jina''s voice wasing from the other end. "How can someone sleep so much? WAKE UP!"

    "SHUT IT!" Hobin yelled at her and rolled over in bed, ready to go back to sleep.

    "WAKE UP!"

    Hobin ignored her and kept on sleeping. Outside, Jina was carrying Miyoo in her arms. She was supposed to drop her off at the new yschool and then go to work. Moreover, she also had to drop off the crab cakes at Hobin''s apartment but the damn doctor was not opening the door.

    "Miyoo, type in the passcode!" Jina ordered her sister. Miyoo nodded and pressed on the numbers. The door opened with a click and they barged in. Jina put the basket of crab cakes and Miyoo on a desk before turning to him.

    "GET UP!" She eximed at Hobin who shed her the middle finger. But she grabbed it and twisted it, making him yell.

    "What the hell are you doing?" he yelled at her.

    "Don''t show bad gestures in front of children!"

    "Learning curses and bad gestures are the first step to adulthood. Consider it a lesson for her."

    Jina gritted her teeth, trying not to yell anymore at him. Miyoo, tired of the adults, opened the basket and snuck out a few crab cakes. Hobin woke up, grumbling.

    "Oi, don''t eat all the crab cakes!" he scolded Miyoo. Her face was smeared with the cakes but she merely blinked at him and stuck out her tongue.

    "We kept it with us for a night," Jina sneered. "Surely, we get a share from it."

    Hobin snatched the basket away and kept it far away from Miyoo''s reach. The girl pouted, puffing out her cheeks.

    "Red, bad!"

    "Deal with it," he muttered. "And you two. Get out!"

    Jina made a face at him before picking up Miyoo. "Next time Siwan tells me to deliver crab cakes, we''ll eat it all!" she warned.

    "Whatever," he scowled, shooing them out of his apartment before locking the door.

    I''ll have to change that darn passcode, he decided. Then he recalled something.

    "Oi, Tinkerbell!"

    Jina ignored him and continued to walk towards her car with Miyoo. But Hobin caught up with her easily.

    "What''s your grandfather''s number?" he demanded. Jina peered at him suspiciously.

    "Why?" she asked.

    "I need to ask him about something. It''s urgent."

    Jina was skeptical but she texted him Junho''s number. "What do you want with my grandfather?"

    "There''s a case I''m interested in," Hobin revealed. "And I think your grandfather might know something about it."

    "What case is it?" Jina frowned.

    "A personal one," Hobin replied. He refused to borate and ran back inside. Jina could only stare at him in dismay.

    "Red, weird," Miyoo said.

    "He sure is," Jina sighed and resumed walking towards her car. Meanwhile, Hobin got dressed and picked up a file. It had the printouts of all the documents and articles he could collect on the case. He dialed Junho''s number.

    "Hello, who''s this?" Junho''s voice came from the other end.

    "Old man, this is Ohm Hobin," he replied. "I want to meet you."

    "I will not give you blessings to date my granddaughter!" Junho said at once.

    "As if I''ll ever seek them," Hobin sighed. "I''m interested in tall girls, not a puny mouse like her!"

    "Who the hell are you calling a mouse, you-"

    "I have to talk about a case with you," Hobin interrupted him. "A murder-suicide."

    "Just go to the police! What can I do about it?"

    Junho was about to hang up when Hobin said, "You sure you don''t want to know about the snakes and fire painting?"

    There was a short pause on the other end. "What do you mean?"

    "I was reading an articlest night. Miyoo was with me because Tinkerbell was out. She saw the article and pointed at a painting which she saw in one of your books. The article was about a murder-suicide where the youngest member of the family was possessed and-"

    "Murdered his family before killing himself," Junho finished for him. "Oh fuck!"

    Hobin could hear Junho''s impatient growl. "This is bad," Junho muttered. "Very bad. Where are you? Get your ass here, now!"

    бн.

    An hourter, Hobin arrived at the twins'' penthouse. Junho was home alone because the twins had gone to school. He quickly opened the door to let Hobin enter.

    "We don''t have time!" Junho was saying, leading Hobin towards a small room in the corner. It was a library of sorts where Junho had stacked several books on ult and spirits which he gathered over the years. He sat on a chair and ushered Hobin to sit opposite to him.

    "Show me the files," he ordered. Hobin gave him the documents. Junho flipped through them, astonished at the details.

    "Two years ago when I was working with the Scon Yard, I came across a series of strange deaths," Hobin exined. "All the cases were the same. A murder followed by suicide of the murderer. At first, it all seemed like some kind of mental disease which was being spread but the pattern was too systematic for a murder-suicide. Because the murderer was always the-"

    "Youngest member of the family," Junho finished for him.

    "At first, I thought it was some kind of mental disease as well but the murderers were perfectly normal," Hobin added. "We tried to find every pattern we could but no luck. The police had to close the cases off as unfortunate ones. The murderer was dead so they did not let me investigate any further. Sost night, when I saw the article, I was curious. But after Miyoo pointed at the painting, I was sure that the case might be connected to the ones in the UK. So I dug up my old case files and finally found the link. It was this painting."

    He pointed at the ming forest painting on the document. Junho''s eyes darkened as he stared at the artwork.

    "What is this painting about?" Hobin demanded.

    Junho took a deep breath and looked up.

    "This paintingбн" he began. "This painting was made by a demon. It depicts a part of Hell."

 Chapter 121 - The Cursed Painting (2)

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    Mass chapter mission time! Support me in win win by unlocking the privilege chapters to get mass releases. MR will be given based on the following conditions:

    1000 privilege chapter unlocks= 3 extra chapter mass release

    5000 privilege chapter unlocks= 5 extra chapter mass release

    10,000 privilege chapter unlocks= 10 chapter mass release.

    This is applicable for every month! Please do support this book by buying as much privilege chapters as possible <3

    ....

    Jina dropped Miyoo at the yschool and drove towards the police station. She was driving along the highway to beat the traffic. The road was fairly free with fewer cars on this route. Her phone rang so she put it on bluetooth.

    "Yes Jiwoon," she greeted. "What''s up?"

    "Boss, there''s a new case," Jiwoon was saying. "A murder-suicide in the central city. I talked to the witness, a kid named Kim Baro. He told me that on the night of the murder, he heard the murderer through his walls, saying something about ''Beezan will find you again, little pet''."

    "Beezan?" Jina frowned. "Was that the name of the murderer?"

    "The murderer''s name was Park Jongwha and he was the youngest one in the house. He was around twenty years old. We checked his medical records and his past. Nothing. He was a bright kid with ambitions. In fact, he was also getting a schrship abroad. Makes no sense why he''ll throw it all away."

    Jina was now slightly speeding along the road, smoothly avoiding the cars. She was an expert driver and was navigating well. Her eyes were on the road as she spoke with Jiwoon.

    "Ask his peers if he was having any troubles," Jina stated. "Also, check their familial ties. And-"

    A white figure popped out of nowhere, startling Jina. She stepped on the pedal hard but the car seemed to have lost control. It swerved along the road, swirling madly until Jina pressed the emergency brakes. It came to a halt.

    Jina was breathing heavily, her face sweating. She had gone pale with fright and mbered out of the car to look around. There was no one in sight.

    Was it a ghost? She wondered. Jina was sure that she saw a thin, white figure standing in the middle of the road. It appeared all of a sudden and disappeared within seconds. She was sure that it was a wandering spirit. It was not umon for some spirits to y pranks on passerbys. Even without bing a poltergeist, there were some spiteful ghosts who wanted to harm those who were alive simply out of jealousy.

    "Fucking mad!" she cursed. She absolutely despised such ghosts.

    Cursing it out loud, she got back into her car to start the engine only to find that the battery died.

    "Great!" she eximed. "This dumb thing had to be wrecked! UGH!"

    If I catch that darm ghost, I''ll make it pay for the repairs! She swore as she called the emergency services. What a great start to the day.

    бн

    "You look wrecked," Jiwoonmented when Jina finally strolled into the precinct. A toll truck took her car to the garage. The driver was nice enough to give her a lift to the police station so Jina was able to arrive on time.

    "My car broke down," she grumbled. "So where are we on the case?"

    Jiwoon handed her the case files and articles.

    "He killed his parents and siblings with a rifle before killing himself?" Jina frowned, flipping through the pages.

    "Yep," Jiwoon replied. "But where did he get the rifle? He lived in an apartment. Surely, someone would have seen him carrying it. I also checked for the license on the rifle but there was none."

    "Any crime scene analysis? Also, this case is out of our jurisdiction. The thirtieth precinct should be investigating this! Why has it been handed to us?"

    "Wellбн"

    As if answering Jina''s question, the door of Chief Taejoon''s office burst open and Taejoon came out with the Commissioner, Shun Bodong. Everyone instantly stood up to salute the Police Commissioner. In his early sixties, Shun Bodong was one of the most capable police officers in his prime. He caught several high profile serial killers and was a strict disciplinarian. Even though he was shorter than Taejoon, he carried amanding aura. With hispletely white hair and hooded dark eyes, he was attentive and intuitive.

    Taejoon was openly trying to chum up with him now.

    "Sir, don''t you worry at all!" Taejoon was saying. "I took up this case because I''m sure that we can solve it within a few days! After all, we managed to catch the psycho killer from the Song Rachel case. My team did it!"

    "Which is why I heeded to your request, erбн"

    Bodong checked Taejoon''s name tag. "Taejoon. Otherwise I wouldn''t have heeded to this request. Moreover, I know that Doctor Ohm Hobin is here. I''m sure that he can give you insights on this case."

    "Of course!" Taejoon said. Jina wanted to barf.

    Doesn''t his tongue get tired of licking so many boots? She wondered in disgust.

    The Commissioner was about to leave when his eyes fell on Jina. He was well acquainted with her family, having worked with her mother in a few cases.

    "I hope everything is well, Detective Hwang," he said to her in a courteous manner. Jina smiled at him. She did not know much about the man and only met him a few times over her life. Earlier, she assumed that Hobin probably had some dirtyundry on him which is why they were stuck with Doctor Demon but the way Bodong spok of Hobin, it seemed that they were not on bad terms.

    "I''m fine," Jina bowed. "Thank you sir, for asking."

    The Commissioner then turned to Jiwoon, who saluted him. He gave her an uncharacteristically warm smile. Everyone at the precinct knew that Jiwoon was trained personally by the Commissioner when she was at the academy six years ago. At that time, he was the acting head of the academy and trained recruits there.

    "You''ve cut your hair," he noted. "I see you''re keeping your resolve."

    "I am," Jiwoon said with a hint of pride. Jina was a little confused by what it meant but she did not pry. Her partner was notoriously private about her thoughts.

    Bodong smiled at her and nodded before turning to Taejoon.

    "Make sure these girls get all the help they need for this case," he ordered. "I''ll ask them directly for the updates. Understood?"

    "Yes sir!" Taejoon eximed, happy to burden others with the work. Jina wanted to p that annoying face but she refrained from doing so. She did not want to dirty her hands.

    "Annoying asshole," she muttered once they were out of earshot. "He just wants brownie points!"

    "And we all know he won''t get any," Jiwoon sighed.

    "I''ll go visit the crime scene," Jina suggested. "You go to the forensicb and see if Kyuhyun is done examining the bodies. Let''s get to the bottom of this murder-suicide craze."

 Chapter 122 - The Cursed Painting (3)

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    Mass chapter mission time! Support me in win win by unlocking the privilege chapters to get mass releases. MR will be given based on the following conditions:

    1000 privilege chapter unlocks= 3 extra chapter mass release

    5000 privilege chapter unlocks= 5 extra chapter mass release

    10,000 privilege chapter unlocks= 10 chapter mass release.

    This is applicable for every month! Please do support this book by buying as much privilege chapters as possible <3

    ....

    "Are you sure we should be here?" Junho whispered. Hobin had driven them to the apartment where the Park''s had died. He collected the address from the inte and wasted no time. Junho was skeptical because it was still a crime scene.

    Even though the police have left, it was still kept sealed and he did not want to tamper anything. But in order to check if there was a demon or spirit involved, Junho must do the initial investigation within the first 24 hours. Otherwise, they might lose the demon''s trail.

    Moreover, there were chances that the demon might remain in the apartment even after the family members died.

    "Take off your shoes," Hobin instructed. "You''re wearing double socks like I told you to?"

    "Yes," Junho replied. He took off his shoes outside the apartment. Hobin did the same and both of them put on their gloves. There were no policemen around and the door was locked. But Hobin used his badge to convince the caretaker to give them the spare keys. He unlocked the door and slowly entered the apartment.

    It was a small, three bedroom apartment fit for an urban family. The walls were painted a dull white color but adorned with several abstract paintings, some of which were smeared with blood. Hobin took pictures of the artworks for future references. On the floor was a silhouette of a body drawn with white chalk. There were some stains on the floor as well which felt strange to him.

    "The neighbors didn''t hear any noise but there was definitely a lot of struggle here," Junho muttered. He was observing a blood trail which traced back to the master bedroom. Hobin stepped towards a medium sized bedroom in a corner which belonged to the older sisters of Park Jongwha. There were two beds on each side and the walls were a light pink color. A long closet sat at the end of the room with two identical desks on the other end.

    "Do you see the painting?" Junho asked.

    "Nope," Hobin replied. The bedsheets were probably taken to theb because they were barren.

    "Let''s check the master bedroom," Junho suggested. They climbed up a narrow strip of stairs which led to the master bedroom. Upon opening it, they found that everything was neat and tidy in there except for a simr white chalk silhouette on the floor. The bedsheets were taken away along with the curtains. CSI must have put some chemicals on the walls to cover the blood stains because Hobin could sniff the hints of peroxide and chlorine.

    "The painting isn''t here either," he frowned.

    "Hold this for me," Junho said, handing him a ck backpack. Hobin watched as the old man took out a small remote-like object which had the patterns of rainbows on it.

    "What''s that?" Hobin asked.

    "An EMF sensor," Junho exined. "It helps us sense the EMF activities. Turn off your cellphone and any other electronic device you might have."

    "Does this thing even work?" Hobin asked, feeling skeptical. "It can go off at the slightestwork! Even a minor spark of electricity can trigger this!"

    "The electricity in this ce has been turned off," Junho pointed out. "I asked the caretaker downstairs and she told me. Which is why, this sensor can help us detect if a demonic activity truly took ce here. If it did, then we''ll be able to deduce that there''s been a demonic possession. Turn off that damn phone of yours!"

    The sensor in his hand was beginning to move so Hobin switched off his cellphone. Junho held the sensor up to detect unusual activities.

    "If the sensor ranges between Violet and Green," he said. "It means the EMF activity here is normal. But once it crosses the yellow mark, it means that there''s been spirit activity. However, if it goes to red, then we''ll be certain there is or was a demonic presence here."

    "What makes the sensor go red?"

    "The presence of sulphur," Junho revealed. "I tweaked this particr sensor with the help of my shaman friends. The presence of pure sulphur can trigger it."

    He was now running the sensor over the walls, careful not to touch anything. The meter hovered between violet and blue, indicating there was no demonic presence.

    "Let''s go back downstairs," Junho finally said. They climbed down the stairs, with Junho still brandishing the sensor before him. There was no change in the sensor in the daughters'' room either.

    "Only one bedroom left," Junho muttered. "The son''s one."

    "It''s there," Hobin said, pointing at a room next to the kitchen. They slowly opened the door.

    The boy was a fan of football. Posters of famous football yers were hung on the walls. His bed was the same size as the girls'' one and it, too, was empty. The drawing of the silhouette was on the floor with bloodstains around the head.

    "The sensor is acting up!" Junho warned. "Is your phone off?"

    "It is."

    Junho held out the sensor which was now moving past the green shade. They watched as it kept on moving towards yellow.

    "I think there was something here," Junho stated, running the sensor over the walls. It hovered between yellow and orange until Junho moved his hand towards the silhouette on the floor.

    BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

    Both men froze. The sensor was now turning red. Junho brought it closer to the chalk drawing of Jongwha''s body.

    "There''s sulphur lingering in this area," Junho stated. "Pure sulphur usually has no smell but the demons leave a rotten egg-like stench. I can sniff some of it."

    He was right; Hobin also caught a mild scent of rotten eggs which was a characteristic of sulphur.

    "That exins why we couldn''t catch the killer all those years ago-"

    He broke off when they heard the front door open.

    "Someone''s here!" Junho hissed. "Let''s hi-"

    "Don''t move!" A familiar voice cried out, making the men frown.

    "Jina?"

    "Tinkerbell?"

    Jina''s face appeared at the doorway. She had a gun in her hands which she immediately put away upon seeing them.

    "What the hell are you two doing here?" she demanded. "This is a crime scene! You can''t be here, old man!"

    "Actually," Hobin began. "I brought him here."

    "Why?"

    "We''re investigating a demonic possession," Junho revealed.

 Chapter 123 - The Cursed Painting (4)

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    Mass chapter mission time! Support me in win win by unlocking the privilege chapters to get mass releases. MR will be given based on the following conditions:

    1000 privilege chapter unlocks= 3 extra chapter mass release

    5000 privilege chapter unlocks= 5 extra chapter mass release

    10,000 privilege chapter unlocks= 10 chapter mass release.

    This is applicable for every month! Please do support this book by buying as much privilege chapters as possible <3

    ....

    After they searched the apartment and concluded that the painting had disappeared, they returned to the twins'' penthouse. Jina sat on a couch while the men began to exin the details.

    "Two years ago, I was investigating a series of murder-suicides," Hobin stated, showing her his old case files. "That time, there was a rise in such deaths. It was always the same pattern. The youngest member of the family suddenly turned into a crazy maniac and killed their family members when they were sleeping."

    "The deaths also followed a simr pattern," he went on. "First, the siblings were killed. Then the mother andstly, the father."

    Jina flipped the pages, frowning as she read the details. "This murderer here is a six year old!" she eximed. "And she killed her family members with a rifle? Where the hell did a six year old get a rifle?"

    "That''s the question!" Hobin pointed out. "How does a six year old get a rifle?"

    "It''s possible," Junho said. He stood up to address them.

    "The link to all this," he started. "Is this painting."

    He pointed at the picture of the Park''s which was published in the papers. Jina took the article from his hand and examined it carefully. It looked something like serpents in the middle of a burning forest.

    "This is a painting I''ve been chasing for years," Junho said. "It''s a cursed one. During my investigation, I discovered that whichever house this painting was kept in, the family members were killed in a murder-suicide style."

    "There must be hundreds of copies of this painting," Jina pointed out. "And why this painting in particr? How did it get cursed?"

    "The Prince''s Bone," Junho stated.

    "What the hell is that?" Hobin frowned.

    "You know about the three ces where the spirits are sent to after death, right?"

    Junho took a nk page and began to draw on it. "The Afterlife," he said, drawing a star. "Where the pure souls or good souls go to. The World of the Dead or Purgatory as most people know it where impure souls are sent for redemption before they can move to the Afterlife."

    He drew a scythe over Purgatory.

    "And then, there''s Hell."

    Junho drew mes on one side to depict Hell. "This is the pce for souls who made deals with demons. It''s reserved for them. They can''t be purified nor can their spirits go to the Afterlife because they have sold their souls to the demons."

    "But how do they do it?" Hobin questioned him. "And why?"

    "Power, money, fame," Junho replied. "It''s not that hard to figure it out. Make a deal with demons and you get everything you want. But there''s a cost to everything. Once the demonse to collect their payment, you can''t escape. And that is how this painting came to be."

    "This painting is drawn by an artist named Kok Gwangwoo. Twenty years ago, Kok Gwangwoo was a failed painter and on the brink of bankruptcy. He was not a good artist but there was no way he was going to ept that! Soon, he was obsessed with creating a masterpiece. He wanted to make a painting which the entire world was going to remember."

    "So he started to dab into the dark arts and summoned a demon to help him. In one night, he created this painting which depicts a portion of Hell."

    "What happened to Gwangwoo?" Jina asked.

    "He became famous overnight," Junho exined. "His painting was a hit and thousands of copies were made and sold all over the world. But that was it for Gwangwoo''s talent."

    "What do you mean?"

    "The idiot made a deal with the demon to make only one masterpiece instead of asking for actual talent. After the hype of the painting faded, Gwangwoo was back to his old self. He gambled away his newfound money and his subsequent paintings failed to reach the same sess. Depressed and broke, hemitted suicide. As for the paintings, they were sold to many wealthy buyers but a strange phenomenon began to take ce."

    "People who were buying the paintings, their entire families were being annihted in a murder-suicide. The youngest member got possessed and killed the family beforemitting suicide. I was called in by one of the families when they managed to subdue their child who was trying to kill them. I instantly recognized that he was possessed and the painting was the cause of it."

    "Did you manage to get rid of the demon?" Hobin asked.

    "I managed to extract the demon out of the kid," Junho said. "But the demon escaped and the painting disappeared with it. I investigated several buyers of the paintings and deduced that destroying the copies was useless. I''ll have to find the main painting. It''s the demon''s source of power and if that one can be destroyed, the killings will stop."

    "So where is the painting?"

    Junho sighed sadly. "After Gwangwoo''s death, no one was able to find the real painting. It just disappeared! But I know it''s out there somewhere. If only I could find it and get rid of the demon."

    Hobin was now deep in thought. It now made sense why he could not get to the bottom of the mystery all those years ago. Even though the pattern was the same, he was looking for logic. He did not think that something other than logic was the cause of the murders.

    But now that he knew about the existence of spirits and demons, he could not help but wonder if there were more such cases where the supernatural creatures were at y.

    His thoughts were interrupted by the ringing of Jina''s phone. She excused herself to pick up the call. Takinghis chance, Hobin turned to Junho.

    "Old man," he began. "I want to know one more thing. Is it possible that when a person is possessed, they''ll not have any memories of the time they were possessed?"

    "When a person is possessed, the original soul enters into a catatonic state," Junho nodded. "Unless they have a really strong willpower, it''s hard to fight against a demonic or spirit possession. Sometimes the original soul takes over but they don''t remember what they did during their possessed state. Moreover, the other entity residing in their bodies can weaken their mental state which makes the person vulnerable to more possession. In fact, a mentally weak person can be possessed by more than one spirit or demon."

    "Which means they canmit murders and not know about it?" Hobin demanded.

    "Yes."

    Hobin was quiet for a while before adding, "Old man, there is one more thing you need to do for me. But you can''t tell anyone else about this."

    Junho was about to ask him what it was but at that moment, Jina re-entered the room.

    "Kyuhyun is done with the autopsy," Jina sighed. "His official diagnosis is that it''s a murder-suicide. We''ll be closing the case by tomorrow."

    To her surprise, Junho was smiling.

    "Good," he said. "Now we can work more freely without worrying about pesky cops."

 Chapter 124 - The Cursed Painting (5)

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    Mass chapter mission time! Support me in win win by unlocking the privilege chapters to get mass releases. MR will be given based on the following conditions:

    1000 privilege chapter unlocks= 3 extra chapter mass release

    5000 privilege chapter unlocks= 5 extra chapter mass release

    10,000 privilege chapter unlocks= 10 chapter mass release.

    This is applicable for every month! Please do support this book by buying as much privilege chapters as possible <3

    ....

    "Take it a little to the right!" One of the students was ordering a couple of the volunteers who were hanging a long festoon over the ss wall. The entire school was buzzing with excitement for the summer festival which was going to take ce within two days.

    Yoonmin was helping with the setup of the cafe while Minyoon was checking the sound system. He was going to perform three times on that day and his sessions were already booked thanks to his announcement on social media. In fact, many of their cafe customers had already paid in advance to see his show and the buzz was all over town that their idol was going to perform for his ss activities.

    Soobin was standing on a chair, painting the one side of the walls a light mauve color while Sera was drawing a colorful abstract on one corner.

    "Woah, that looks cool!" Soobin told Sera. She slightly leaned backwards to admire the artwork Sera made. Each brushstroke looked as if made by an expert and Sera mixed many colors to create unique shades for the art. To Soobin''s eyes, it looked like a small dining room but some of the students saw it as a library or bedroom. Each person had a different view of the painting which made it even more unique.

    "All those years of art ss paid off!" Sera sighed.

    "It sure did! It looks so cool-"

    Soobin was about to lean forward but her foot slipped and she almost fell. But a strong pair of hands came out of nowhere and grabbed her.

    "Be careful, Binbin!" Minyoon told her, steadying her on the chair. "Are you alright?"

    Behind him, Yoonmin was also about to catch her but his brother got to her first.

    "Minmin!" Soobin gasped. "I''m okay, but your shirt!"

    She identally spilled paint on his shirt and she was frantic. It was wall paint and it was going to be hard to wash off!

    "Don''t worry about it," he assured her. "It''s still wet. I''ll take it off and shower in the gym. Rx!"

    Soobin was guilty for ruining his uniform but Minyoo merelyughed it off and ruffled her hair before running off to the gym. Yoonmin was sulking in a corner, ring at his brother for being closer to Soobin than he was.

    "Y-Yoonminбн"

    He looked around to find Sera standing behind him. "C-Can you help me paint that part up there?"

    She pointed at a spot which was nearly at the ceiling and was too high for her to reach.

    "Sure," he said, taking the paintbrush from her. He climbed on the chair, easily reaching the top. Soobin watched him from afar, helping Sera. His hair was tied back into a small bun and his eyes were focused on the work in hand.

    Seeing him made Soobin''s cheeks burn and she quickly looked away. She kept on ncing at him after a few seconds, not being able to help it.

    He looks really cool when he works hard, she thought.

    Yoonmin felt someone''s gaze on him and he nced at Soobin but she averted her eyes, blushing hard. He frowned and shrugged before returning to his work.

    "Soobinбн"

    She looked around to find a cute boy with curly hair and a sweet smile calling for her. His name was Ma Duho and was one of the star yers of the football team. Soobin climbed down the chair and faced him while Yoonmin''s ears perked up in interest. He was still painting but his attention now diverted towards Soobin and Duho.

    Duho was fidgeting a little but took a deep breath.

    "You want help, Duho?" Soobin asked politely.

    "Iбн" Duho began. "I wanted to ask you out for the summer festival. Will you be my date?"

    бн.

    Minyoon was humming in the shower. The warm water ran down his well toned abs and his dark hair was wet as he rubbed soap on the paint. Thankfully, the paint came off easily since it had not dried and there were no more stains left on his skin. But he scrubbed his skin well to get rid of the paint''s smell.

    Turning off the shower, he picked up a towel and put it around his waist before heading to the boy''s locker. There was no one else in the locker room because everyone was busy with their ss projects for the summer festival.

    I wonder if my hopeless twin can gather the courage and ask Soobin out for the festival, he wondered warily.

    "Then again, he has more chances of winning all the lotteries in the world than asking her out," he sighed. Unfortunately for Yoonmin, Soobin was quite popr with the guys in the school. Even upperssmen asked her out but she always rejected them. Still, they were undeterred. As long as she was single, they would keep on pestering her.

    "When I find a girl, I''ll ask her out right away!" he swore. Minyoon opened his locker and stared at the mirror he hung on it.

    "I have to admit, I am bing more good looking than dad," he nodded approvingly. "I hope this face can make more money than him!"

    Drying his hair, he put on a spare t-shirt and jeans, whistling to himself when he heard something outside.

    "What''s going on?" he wondered. Stepping out of the locker room, he nced to his side. A thin, bespectacled boy was picking up arge rectangr object from the ground. Minyoon recognized him as Koo Minkyu, his ssmate.

    "Oi, Minkyu!" Minyoon called. "Want some help with that?"

    Minkyu was startled and looked at Minyoon who was now heading towards him. His thin hair was matted with sweat and his face was paler than usual as if he was scared. Minyoon frowned upon his reaction.

    "I''m fine!" Minkyu mumbled. Before Minyoon could say anything, he picked up the object and sprinted off. Minyoon caught a brief glimpse of painting which looked like the art of something fiery.

    "What''s with him?" he wondered. Then he shrugged and went back to the ss. To each on his own, he decided.

 Chapter 125 - Impromptu Party

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    Mass chapter mission time! Support me in win win by unlocking the privilege chapters to get mass releases. MR will be given based on the following conditions:

    1000 privilege chapter unlocks= 3 extra chapter mass release

    5000 privilege chapter unlocks= 5 extra chapter mass release

    10,000 privilege chapter unlocks= 10 chapter mass release.

    This is applicable for every month! Please do support this book by buying as much privilege chapters as possible <3

    ....

    The Hwang household that night was quite lively. Since Jina got off work early, she was able to go to the twins'' home to prepare dinner. Junho and the twins were there but surprisingly, Hobin stayed back as well. He worked with Junho all day to read up on thetter''s books and research on the topic of the undead. They were working together so diligently that they lost track of time.

    "So demons can''t be killed but they can be thrown into a catatonic state, huh?" Hobin asked Junho. He was sitting on the floor with a book wide open in front of him. Miyoo squeezed in through his arm and settled on hisp to take a look at the book.

    "The first time I encountered a demon, I didn''t know how to get rid of it," Junho recalled. "Thanks to my son and granddaughter who opened the portal to Purgatory, we were able to throw the demon in there and a reaper on the other end shed it."

    Reapers were the blind guardians of the Purgatory ording to Junho''s notes. Jina and her father had once traveled to that ce, finding out a lot of information on the souls in there. Reapers roamed around Purgatory, preventing souls from escaping. If a soul of Transporter like Jina was caught by the reapers, they would use their scythes to turn them into catatonic souls. Once a reaper attacked a person or demon, they would be stuck in Purgatory as a Mindless spirit.

    "Can''t you just send it to hell?"

    "Nah," Junho replied. "Too risky. If you open the Gates of Hell, there''s a chance many souls and demons will escape. The most you can do is exorcise a demon from a person and destroy its original vessel. If there''s any way to kill demons, then we still haven''t found it."

    Then Junho frowned. "You were asking me about something this afternoon," he pointed out. "Something about if possessed people can retain their memories of the time they were possessed?"

    "Book!" Miyoo spoke up but Hobin shifted to turn to Junho, taking the book out of her reach.

    "Yes," he said, lifting the book high up so that Miyoo could not take it back. She tried to nab it but puffed her cheeks in annoyance again, not willing to give up.

    "There''s a case I''m obsessed with," Hobin admitted. "Something that''ll I can never let go of."

    "Go on," Junho said quietly.

    "When I was 19 and was two years into my practice," Hobin began. "I had a patient named Wang Taehee."

    "She used to suffer from chronic depression and borderline identity disorder. Taehee had a hard life of abuse and trauma which affected her badly so I was helping her with treatment. She was getting better too."

    "But one day, she came to my office in a disheveled state," Hobin went on, his voice almost a whisper. "She...she told me that she can''t remember anything from the night earlier. I reassured her and sent her back home, telling her to have her medicines. Meanwhile, I began to investigate a chain of serial murders which were taking ce in the city. The police found DNA evidence at thetest crime scene and it matched with Taehee''s. I tried to save her but everything pointed against her. To my shock, there were memorypses in her mind. Even if a person had any sort of mental trauma, amnesia or suppressed memories, I can always read them. But at that time, I couldn''t gain ess to specific memories. They were just nk."

    Junho listened to it all carefully and nodded.

    "This is strange," he agreed. "You said that you were able to read the memories of that orphanage killer when she was temporarily possessed, right?"

    Hobin nodded.

    "That might mean that you can read the memories of a possessed person when the other spirit or demon take over the host''s body and the original soul is temporarily catatonic," Junho concluded. "These powers of yours...I''ve nevere across such a thing. Who was your psychiatrist? The one who helped you to retain control of these powers?"

    "Doctor Jack Rutherford," Hobin replied. "The very best psychiatrist in the world."

    "I''ll have to talk to him and also see your patient file. If you have anything else, give them to me and I''ll see what I can do."

    Hobin nodded and then was silent for a while. He was contemting everything that he had found out over the past few months about himself and his powers. The visions of those raven wings had lessened after his memories as Kang Shinho returned but he was more confused than ever.

    Should I tell the old man about them? He wondered. From his past life, he remembered Hwang Junho as a kind and caring man. He lost his wife to a demon and since then, he left his position as one of the powerful men in the country to help those in need.

    "Thank you," Hobin mumbled, surprising Junho.

    "For what?"

    "For everything."

    WIth that, Hobin stood up and walked away, putting Miyoo back in her grandfather''sp. Meanwhile, the twins werezing around in the living room, too tired to do anything else. They had worked all day to set up for the fair and as soon as they reached home, both of them slumped on the couch.

    "I''m so beat!" Minyooined, spread out on the sofa.

    "Don''t be," Yoonmin muttered. He was also lying t on another sofa, not wanting to get up from it. "You have a scheduled meeting tomorrow."

    "I don''t wanna go!"

    "It''s for a multi million dor endorsement."

    "I wanna go!"

    But he made no attempts to sit up. Plopping to his side, he faced his twin.

    "Oi, did you ask Binbin out for the festival?" he asked excitedly. Yoonmin merely blinked at him.

    "Ask her out for what?"

    "You''re kissing, right?"

    When Yoonmin gave him a nk look, Minyoon threw a pillow at him which he caught with one hand.

    "What the hell are you talking about?" Yoonmin winced. "Ask her out for what? We''ll be busy that day at the cafe!"

    "But there will be a light festival in the evening, you dumdum!" Minyoon snapped. "The girls will dress up in traditional hanboks and guys will be in robes to watch the lights! It''s the perfect time for a small date! Every year the girls wait for us to ask them."

    "I never asked anyone to the light festival before," Yoonmin frowned.

    "Cuz you weren''t in love before," Minyoon gritted in annoyance. Howe his super smart brother could single handedly fight a poltergeist but could not ask out a girl? Was he right in the head?

    "I''m not in love!" Yoonmin protested, his ears going red.

    "You''re whipped, brother. If you don''t ask her out, another guy will. Remember, Binbin is a quintessential beauty. She''s already attracting many guys."

    Before Yoonmin could reply, an angry voice came from the kitchen.

    "STOP LAZING AROUND LIKE USELESS MEN AND HELP ME IN THE KITCHEN!" Jina yelled at them. "We have guestsing!"

    Guests?

    As if answering their question, the doorbell rang. Minyoon hopped to his feet to see who it was. A whileter, Soobin and Siwan walked in, holding boxes of fried chicken and soda bottles.

    Yoonmin''s heart leapt upon her sight but Minyoon got to her first. He put his arm around Soobin and asked, "Binbin! Why didn''t you tell us that you wereing?"

    "Jina sis invited us only an hour ago!" she replied. "She told me that it''s an impromptu dinner!"

    Just then, Jina came out of the kitchen, holding arge tray. She wore her hair into a ponytail and had an apron wrapped around her. Hobin slightly smiled when he saw there was flour on her cheek. He was about to tell her when Siwan stepped forward and wiped Jina''s cheek with a tissue.

    "You''re as careless as ever!" heughed. Jina blushed in embarrassment but was alsoughing. Siwan helped her set up the table while Hobin watched from a distance.

    A tiny finger poked his palm and he looked down to see Miyoo.

    "Red, whipped," she simply said before prancing off towards her sister.

 Chapter 126 - [Bonus ] Telling Her Is Hard

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    Mass chapter mission time! Support me in win win by unlocking the privilege chapters to get mass releases. MR will be given based on the following conditions:

    1000 privilege chapter unlocks= 3 extra chapter mass release

    5000 privilege chapter unlocks= 5 extra chapter mass release

    10,000 privilege chapter unlocks= 10 chapter mass release.

    This is applicable for every month! Please do support this book by buying as much privilege chapters as possible <3

    ....

    Soon, they were joined by Jina''s team at the precinct. Even the entric Kyuhyun was dragged by Jaebum to enjoy the mini party.

    "When did our house be a party center?" Yoonmin grumbled. Jina''s team was a talkative lot. They were very enthusiastic and the girls were chatting away while helping Jina. Jaebum and Dahoon were talking to Junho who was bestowing them his knowledge on how to flirt with girls.

    "It''s fun!" Minyoon eximed. "Look, even the silent types are bonding!"

    He pointed at Kyuhyun who was sitting next to Miyoo, both of them silently sipping sodas.

    Yoonmin rolled his eyes and took out a book to read but Minyoon snatched it away and hit him on the head with it.

    "Ow!" Yoonmin yelped. "What''s the big idea?"

    "Go and ask your girl out!" his twin hissed.

    "No!"

    "Why not?"

    "Because someone already asked her out!"

    Yoonmin looked away, not wanting to rey that awful memory of Duho asking Soobin out for the summer festival. He did not hear her reply because someone called him at that moment but Duho seemed very happyter on.

    "Ugh!" Minyoon eximed. "You''re hopeless! Will you just let some other guy take her on a date? Are you even a Hwang at this point? Remember our family motto! We get our money and our honey!"

    Yoonmin gave him a deathly re. "If you''d only stop hanging around her, I might get a chance," he gritted.

    "Yes, you''ll get a chance to be invited to her future wedding with another guy!" Minyoon snapped. "Listen, this is your chance. Go and talk to her! And don''t you dare talk to her about money!"

    "What do I ask?"

    "Ask her about how her day went. Or how she''s doing at her new home!"

    He pushed Yoonmin towards Soobin who was paying down tes on a table at the patio outside. Yoonmin hesitated a little but drew a sharp breath before approaching her.

    Since there were a lot of people, they decided to ce a table on the patio and have an impromptu outdoor dinner. Jina had managed to cook an entire feast for everyone. The smell of her delicious cooking was enticing the others, especially her teammates who were excited to taste their boss'' food. Everyone was busy chattering and socializing. Yoonmin nced at Minyoon who shed him a thumbs up.

    "Let me help you with that," Yoonmin offered, taking some of the cups from Soobin''s hands. She was surprised by his generosity but nodded. Yoonmin fidgeted a little, wondering how to start the conversation.

    "So, err...the weather is nice today," he remarked.

    "I guess it is," she replied, focusing on the chore in hand. She expertly ced the tes and made origamis out of napkins to add a nice touch to the dinner table.

    "You can make origami?" Yoonmin asked, feeling curious about her.

    "We learned to make these at the restaurant," she said, wrapping more tissues to create a swan, cing it on another te.

    "Are you still working at the restaurant?"

    "Yes. I need the extra money for all my expenses. I don''t wanna burden Doctor Kang too much. He already did a lot for me."

    She was surprisingly candid that day. Yoonmin could not believe it. He was actually having a conversation with her without ending in a disaster.

    "Isn''t it too tiring?" he asked. "Studying then going for long hours of part time work. You''ll be burnt out."

    "I''m used to it. Besides, if you can run an entire agency and Minmin can carry out hectic idol schedules, then what I do is nothing much!"

    She hummed to herself as she ced thest swan on the table. "Done!" she dered with pride.

    "It looks nice," Yoonmin nodded, impressed. She managed to decorate the dinner table with crystal china tes and sses. Red and white cloth wereid on the table and she had also sprayed a hint of lemon air purifier.

    She smiled at him and was about to leave when he stopped her by grabbing her arm.

    "What is it?" she frowned.

    "T-The summer f-festival," he stammered. Soobin waited for him to speak, confused by what he wanted to ask.

    "I-Iбн"

    Suddenly, her phone rang up. Soobin took it out to check the caller ID and in the process, Yoonmn caught a nce at the name on screen.

    It was Duho.

    "Just a minute," Soobin said, excusing herself and ran towards an empty room across the hall. Yoonmin stared at her retreating back, feeling disheartened. From a distance, Hobin noticed his disappointed expression and immediately deduced that his sadness was rted to Soobin.

    Kids, he sighed inwardly, shaking his head.

    A cheerfulughter distracted him and he turned around to find Jina and Siwan joking around.

    "And then the silly guy actually thought his wife was going to forgive him!" Jinaughed. "After the torment she was put through! I''m d she sued him and is gonna drag him to jail."

    "You really did a number on that bloke!" Siwan snickered. He was watching her smile freely. She gently pped his arm, stillughing.

    "So, tell me! Did you manage to get any girlfriend in all these years?"

    "I''m just too busy," Siwan replied. "I tried dating a few but those rtionships didn''tst. I can''t be as carefree as my brother."

    Jina''s smile faltered a little. "Does he date around a lot?" she asked in a seemingly casual tone.

    "He dated a few girls but those were more casual ones," Siwan nodded. "I don''t think he was ever into dating but he flirts around. Which is why I''m a little surprised."

    "Why?"

    "He usually flirts around with other girls whenever he''s at a party. I don''t get why he didn''t bring a date tonight."

    Jina''s eyes flickered towards Hobin who was now talking to Woohee. He was smiling at her a little too flirtatiously, making Woohee giggle. For some reason, Jina''s nostrils red upon seeing the sight but she did not say anything. Why should she care about who slept around with?

    "Jina?"

    "Huh?" Startled, she turned her attention back to Siwan, smiling at him but she kept on ncing at Hobin every few seconds. He seemed oblivious to her nces, talking and snacking with the other girls.

    Idiot, she thought, feeling a little sad.

    Meanwhile in the spare bedroom, Soobin was shaking. Her fingers trembled as she answered the call.

    "H-Hello?" she whispered.

    "Where are you, my dear?" Duho''s voice came from the other end. Soobin gulped in fear, unsure of what to reply.

    "What''s your answer, Soobin? Will you go out with me?"

    "I already refused you!" she eximed tearfully. "Why are you pestering me?"

    A coldughter resonated in her ears and she was scared. Very scared. Why was he doing this?

    "I won''t take no for an answer, Soobin," he warned. "I''ll make sure that you''ll say yes. Whether you want to or not."

    With that, he hung up the phone. Soobin''s blood went cold and she was shivering. She did not want to bother anyone with this issue but she was afraid of this boy who was not letting her go.

    I''ll have to deal with this myself, she decided.

 Chapter 127 - Request From A Brother

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    Mass chapter mission time! Support me in win win by unlocking the privilege chapters to get mass releases. MR will be given based on the following conditions:

    1000 privilege chapter unlocks= 3 extra chapter mass release

    5000 privilege chapter unlocks= 5 extra chapter mass release

    10,000 privilege chapter unlocks= 10 chapter mass release.

    This is applicable for every month! Please do support this book by buying as much privilege chapters as possible <3

    ....

    The next morning, Hobin was awoken by a loud bang on the door. He groaned and pulled the nket over his head but the banging continued.

    "Go away Tinkerbell!" he growled. "It''s the weekend! It''s my day off!"

    He kept on snoring when he heard the passcode being typed in. But he did not care. Sleep was more important.

    Suddenly, the nket was yanked off of him and a familiar voice called him.

    "Wake up!" Siwan eximed, his voice filled with excitement.

    "Bro, I don''t wanna!" Hobin murmured, rolling over to the other side.

    "Don''t you want the Porsche?"

    Hobin''s eyes flung open and he scrambled up. "It''s here?" he gasped. "IT''S FINALLY HERE?"

    "I did lose the bet," Siwan sighed. "So it''s only fair."

    "Does this mean I can start using my powers again?" Hobin asked in glee. He hated to admit it but he missed his powers. Even though they were annoying, he relied on them a lot and was now excited to use them again.

    "Yes, you can," Siwan sighed. Without another word, Hobin leapt off the bed and rushed into the bathroom to get ready. Meanwhile, Siwan nced around his brother''s apartment. He never understood why Hobin refused to live in the mansion with him. It would have assuaged him to have Hobin nearby but his younger brother was stubborn as hell. Sometimes, Siwan felt as if Hobin was afraid of their mansion.

    He mindlessly checked some of the books Hobin was reading when his eyes fell on one file. A name was written on it.

    "Wang Taehee," he muttered. Was Hobin investigating this case again?

    A look of worry dawned on Siwan''s face. He was now panicking a little. A memory was shing in his mind and he did not want that event to repeat.

    бн

    Jina was helping Miyoo to read a children''s book when there was a loud knock on her door. Who could it be? She wondered.

    "Finish reading the page," she instructed her sister before answering the door.

    "Siwan?"

    Siwan was standing outside, looking very worried. "Can Ie in?" he asked. "I want to talk to you."

    Jina nodded and stepped aside to let him enter. The moment she closed the door, he turned to face her with a serious expression.

    "I need to talk to you about Hobin," he said. "More specifically. I want you to help me stop him."

    "What do you mean?" she frowned. "Sit down and tell me everything."

    He sat on a chair while Jina sat across from him on the bed. Miyoo looked up from her book, staring at the adults who seemed to be having a tense conversation.

    Siwan took a deep breath and stated, "Wang Taehee. I want you to keep him away from Wang Taehee''s case."

    Wang Taehee? Why did that name ring a bell?

    "Is it that girl who was falsely executed?" she asked.

    "She was rightly executed. Her fingerprints and DNA were found all over the crime scene. Even her alibi was dubious and she was found guilty. But Hobin believes that she''s innocent."

    "But why do you want him to stop investigating the case?" Jina slowly asked.

    "This case brought out the worst in my brother," Siwan said in a cryptic tone. "Heбн"

    Siwan was not sure what to say. He did not want to borate on the thing he saw on the day Taehee was executed. His worst fear almost came to fruition that night and he did not want Hobin to suffer again.

    "Let''s just say that he was not himself," Siwan finally said. "Please, Jina. Whatever happens, do not let him investigate the Wang Taehee or The Cleaver case. Please."

    Jina was astonished to see that Siwan was almost begging her. She knew that despite his kind nature, he was a very proud person. For someone like him, even requesting a simple favor was difficult. To think that he would forgo his pride for his brother made Jina smile.

    "You really care about him, huh?" she asked, patting his palm.

    "Yeahбн"

    His eyes fell on Miyoo, who was now sitting next to her sister. He patted the child''s head, making her blush. Miyoo was awestruck by the handsome doctor and enjoyed his patting.

    "Siblings are a handful," he sighed, smiling at Miyoo. "No matter how much they grow up, they''ll still be kids for us. The same kid whom we enthusiastically brought back home from the hospital."

    Jina smiled and nodded in agreement. "They sure are," she said. "The twins were a pair of devils when they were young. I don''t know how I handled them back then. Thankfully, this one is well behaved."

    She kissed Miyoo on the cheek. The little girl was confused why she was suddenly being so pampered but she did not mind. She liked being spoiled.

    "But, Hobin is adopted, right?" Jina asked. "If you don''t mind me asking, can you tell me about his parents?"

    Jina did not say it out loud but ever since his powers were revealed to her, she did some research. The field of psychometry was still rtively new and hypothetical. If Hobin''s secret came out, he would turn into a worldwide spectacle.

    But what if his powers were inherited? That would mean one of his parents must have possessed this ability.

    "He is adopted," Siwan replied. "But we don''t know who his father was. I know his mother''s name was Ohm Bosung, my mom''s childhood friend. But Aunty Bosung kept her lover''s identity a secret. The only thing my mom knows is that they were in love and were going to get married before something happened. The guy suddenly left and Aunty Bosung went intobor. She gave birth to Hobin on the kitchen floor without any help."

    "Moreover," he went on. "The night Hobin was born, some goons attacked Aunty Bosung. She called my mother and somehow managed to meet up with her. She handed Hobin to mom along with a locket and told her to make sure he has that locket with him at all times. After that, mom took her to the hospital where she died of excessive bleeding. Then, we moved away from here."

    "Locket?" Jina frowned.

    "He wears it almost all the time. It''s the only thing he has from his mother."

    Jina was about to ask something more but Siwan''s phone rang. It was Hobin.

    "He''s looking for me," Siwan said. "I''ll talk to youter."

    Jina nodded and scrambled to open the door for him. Hobin was standing outside, calling his brother when he saw Siwaning out of Jina''s apartment.

    His heart fell when he saw them together again but he masked his sadness. The numbness in his chest would not go away and even though he was hurting inside, he put up a wide smile.

    "Bro, let''s go out for a ride in my new car!" he smirked. "I can now finally take my dates on a long drive."

    A nerve twitched on Jina''s forehead.

    "As if anyone would date an annoying brat like you," she sneered.

    "Just cuz you can''t get a date, doesn''t mean I''m the same as you!"

    "What was that?"

    Jina was about to hit him on the head when Siwan scolded them.

    "Stop it!" he snapped at them. "Behave like adults-"

    "Tinkerbell will die a virgin!"

    "As if you''re not a virgin!"

    They kept on bickering like cats and dogs, making Siwan sigh. Behind them, Miyoo was also watching them fight like children, thinking how hopeless adults were. She would rather disappear in the mountains and live as an alpaca.

 Chapter 128 - Summer Festival (1)

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    Mass chapter mission time! Support me in win win by unlocking the privilege chapters to get mass releases. MR will be given based on the following conditions:

    1000 privilege chapter unlocks= 3 extra chapter mass release

    5000 privilege chapter unlocks= 5 extra chapter mass release

    10,000 privilege chapter unlocks= 10 chapter mass release.

    This is applicable for every month! Please do support this book by buying as much privilege chapters as possible <3

    ....

    The school was lively on the day of the summer festival. Several straw made stalls had been set up on the fields for students to disy their talent or sell products to the guests. A scent of mixed fruits and bakery lingered in the air as many of the students had installed cafes in their stalls to entice customers. Arge makeshift yground was made for children who were running around or skipping on ropes to have fun. Several cotton candy machines were installed along the grounds while the families of the students could also enjoy puppet ys at a small stage.

    Inside the school buildings, each ss also had their own presentations. One of the junior sses made a haunted tent for the guests with ck cloth to create a maze. Many of the students dressed in scary costumes to frighten the guests.

    But arge number of people had gathered outside one particr ss. Most of the crowd wasprised of girls who were fawning over their idol who was at that ss.

    "I can''t believe Minmin is performing!" one girl squealed.

    "He''s so cute!"

    "I wanna be his wife!"

    "He''s only fifteen!"

    They were all gushing over Minyoon. Most of them were holding his pictures in the hopes of getting them signed by him. The crowd was blocking the way to the art cafe Minyoon''s ss had set up. But that did not stop their cafe from bing a hit.

    Thanks to Minyoon''s performances, people were also buying the dessert and beverages made by the students. They made arge profit within the first hour and money was onlying in.

    "Hey, isn''t that Minyoon''s twin brother?" one girl was whispering.

    "The brains behind his agency!"

    "He could be an idol too with that bad boy look."

    Yoonmin was the cashier who weed the guests with a smile. He was meticulous at his job, counting every penny before processing the orders while the students behind him were busy preparing food. Thanks to his systematic nning, no one was being overwhelmed and everything was going smoothly.

    Ugh, Yoonmin inwardly groaned. He had deliberately grown his hair and adopted the punk look to deter girls and unnecessary attention but somehow, it only attracted them. Even his weird earring could not keep them away. Only one girl was unaffected by his natural charmsбн

    "Oi everyone!"

    Soobin took charge of the crazy fans who instantly recognized her as one of Minyoon''s top fans. She was a known presence in his concerts after all and somehow held dominance over the fans. Yoonmin had no idea how this strange hierarchy worked but the fans seemed to be bowing down at her!

    "Remember the rules!" she dered. "No touching nor stalking! Also, no fighting! If I see anyone fighting, I''ll throw you out of the fan club!"

    What happened to keeping your identity as the President a secret? Yoonmin wondered but it seemed that Soobin threw away all her hesitation.

    "Go and stand in lines!" she ordered. She had a whistle around her neck which she was blowing on to keep the fans in line. The ss had assigned her the post of being the security-in-charge thinking that she could attract more men to the cafe but it turned out that she was quite feisty when it came to controlling the fans.

    "Y-Yoonmin!"

    He turned around to find Sera standing there, blushing. "What is it, Sera?" he asked in azy tone.

    "I can take over the cashier point if you want," she offered timidly. "You''re working too hard."

    "I''m fine," he said, returning to his work. Sera was a little hurt by his indifference. He did not notice her feelings at all but was ncing at Soobin every few seconds. She was a little jealous of the attention Soobin received from boys but to catch Yoonmin''s eyes?

    Yoonmin was known as the Icy Hwang. He maintained a distance from everything, preferring to talk money and numbers rather than date around. While Minyoon was more open and socialized with everyone, Yoonmin was the aloof, icy one. He was never linked to any girl so it was surprising to see him interested in Soobin.

    Sera sadly nced at Soobin. What did she have that I don''t have? She wondered.

    "An Americano."

    Yoonmin looked up to see a thin boy around his age. His dark hair was covered with a cap and he wore extremely baggy clothes with loose jeans. He had an amorous vibe with smooth fair skin and a deep voice. The boy did not seem to be from their school but there was something off.

    "Iced Americano," the boy ordered in a cool tone.

    "That''ll be three dors," Yoonmin stated. The boy took out a few notes from his pocket and gave it to him. For a brief moment, their eyes met and Yoonmin peered at the boy. There was something weird...

    "Oh!" he realized. The boy gave him a quizzical look but did not say anything. At that very moment, Minyoon came on stage.

    "Hi everyone!" He greeted the audience. The boy turned around, sipping the cup as he watched Minyoon. His ash colored eyes were studying Minyoon closely, observing his every move.

    "I''ll be performing my famous song, Under the Blue Moon for all of you!" Minyoon dered. He winked at the fans, making them swoon.

    He cleared his throat and the room went silent. Then he began to sing.

    "The days are strange

    I want things to be smooth

    But it''s not always easy

    I gaze at the Blue Moon

    Waiting for the days to end and nights to dawnбн"

    The fans were now swaying with his music, lost in his heavenly voice. Yoonmin watched Soobin from afar. To his surprise, she also turned to look at him and for a moment, their eyes locked on each other, not moving. Time had stopped for them, the melody of Minyoon''s song ying in the background.

    "I see you under the Blue Moon,

    Smiling and happy

    Washing away my uneasiness

    Every night I see you,

    Pretty as an angel

    Making my heart beat crazily

    For youбн"

    The boy was not swaying to the tune but his eyes were still on Minyoon. He was not there to enjoy the great idol Minyoon; he was there to observe him.

    "I know you more now

    I know myself too

    So let''s keep on meeting

    When the night dawns

    Under the Blue Moon."

    Minyoon ended the song and was met with a roaring apuse. The noise broke Yoonmin and Soobin''s spell and they returned to reality. Soobin smiled and pped for Minyoon, but was blushing because she could still feel Yoonmin''s gaze on her.

    He was making her heartbeats go crazy and she did not dare to look at him again. What if she exposed her feelings for him?

    Meanwhile, Minyoon was signing autographs for fans when he felt a pair of eyes on him. He nced around to find a thin boy staring at him. The boy was almost as tall at him, probably just a few inches shorter but oozed a strange charisma. Minyoon was a little ufortable by the boy but thetter threw the empty cup of Americano into the bin and walked away.

    What was that? He wondered.

    The boy did not linger at the festival but went straight towards a car parked outside the school gates. It was a sleek limo owned by BHK Entertainment, the second most powerful idol agency in the country. He got into the back where a grey haired man in his forties was waiting for him.

    "How was it, Baek?" the grey haired man asked. "Did you observe Hwang Minyoon''s live performance?"

    "I did," Baek replied indifferently. "He''s no good, Jango. Easy to beat."

    "Your debut will be fabulous!" Jango eximed. "You''ll see! It''ll be even bigger than Hwang Minyoon''s debut show! And once you start studying at Dalton, he''ll have a littlepetition with thedies."

    He winked at Baek who totally ignored him. He stared at the building outside with aplicated look.

    Is this really going to work? He wondered.

 Chapter 129 - Summer Festival (2)

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    I''m aiming for 5000 privilege unlocks this month so that this book can receive a banner. Please support this book by unlocking as many privilege chapters as possible and support me for spirity!

    I''ll give 10 chapter mass release on 1st October if we reach 5000 privilege unlocks this month <3

    ....

    A little further along the noisy ssrooms was a thin corridor which led to a store room. The store room was kept unlocked that day because the students were using it as a preparation area and kept many of their props. One of the students from the senior ss was carrying arge box and heading for the store room.

    "Ugh!" the short student groaned. He was wearing the costume of a red demon with a long tail and a pair of horns. The foam padded cloth was making him sweat and he was burning in it. He was already drenched in sweat, eager to get out of this darn thing.

    "Stupid demon costume!" he muttered as he carried therge box full of broken props which he was asked to keep in the store room. Pushing the door open, he entered the damp and dusty room.

    Almost all the sses on that floor kept their junk and props there. Heaps of boxes were scattered across the floor and he had to tread very carefully to avoid being tripped over. Finally, he found a spot to keep the box.

    "Phew!" he eximed and put the box down. "I think I''m gonna rest here for a while."

    He sat on a closed crate and took off the demon mask. Fanning himself, he looked around the dark space which was eerily creepy even during the day. One ss was doing an art cafe and hung some paintings on the wall which they would probably pick up during intervals.

    "That one is nice," he remarked at the painting of a colorful rose which was in the process of blooming its petals. There was a portrait of the Mona Lisa and next to it was one of the mountains of the Alps. The boy stood up and was appreciating the artworks when his eyes fell on a particr one.

    Frowning, he closely observed the strange art. Red and orange mes covered the frame in the shape ofrge trees as if they were being burnt down. Several red snakes wereing out of the forest but there was something weird. The boy focused on the snakes which seemed to be...moving.

    He rubbed his eyes and nced at the painting again. This time, he thought that there were more snakes in the painting. But that was impossible.

    The boy scratched his head in confusion. The snakes were stationary now but he thought that one of them wiggled a little.

    "No way!" he muttered to himself. "This is just a painting."

    Suddenly, the door shut with a loud bang. The boy yelped in fright, jumping backwards. A faint scent of rotten eggs wasing from somewhere, making the boy gag in disgust. The stench was getting stronger by the second and the boy realized that it wasing from the painting.

    "I should get out of here!" he eximed in panic. For reasons unknown, he was feeling very scared. His heart was panicking and he ran towards the door but tripped over a crate and fell, knocking out a tooth in the process.

    "AHHHH!" the boy screamed in pain. His mouth was filled with blood and he spat out the red spit. He might have sprained his ankle as well because it was hurting like hell. Staggering to get up, he crawled towards the door but something grabbed his foot and pulled him backwards.

    "HELP!" he screamed. "HELP ME!"

    The unseen force pulled him into the air, pinning his arms above his head. The boy screamed but in vain; no one could hear him in that corner.

    "HELP!" He yelled. He was so scared that he peed in his pants, staining the red costume with a dark pool. The boy thrashed helplessly but the force kept him glued to the wall. To his horror, there was a creaking noiseing from somewhere.

    CREEEEEAK!

    Goosebumps raised along his arm but the sound did not stop. It was as if someone was scratching a chalkboard with long, sharp nails. The sound was tormenting the boy, almost making his ears bleed.

    "STOP IT!" he begged. "LET ME GO-"

    His eyes widened in horror when a chair began to move by itself. It was thrown against the wall with a great force, smashing it in one go into tiny pieces. A sharp piece of wood was floating in the air. The pointy stick hovered around him before it faced him. The boy was struggling to be freed, his eyes not moving from the pointed end of the stick.

    "P-please!" he pleaded. "L-let m-me g-g-go!"

    The stick stopped midway, motionless.

    Is it over? The boy wondered.

    Suddenly, the stick sped towards him and plunged into his abdomen.

    "AHHHHHHHH!"

    бн.

    The sun was beginning to set and everyone was now preparing for the light festival near theke behind Dalton Academy. All the sses closed their exhibits three hours ago and many of the students changed their clothes to wear more traditional clothes which was customary for the festival.

    Sera had already changed into a hanbok but unlike the others, she wore a more modern style which showed off her thighs. Her mother made her wear it, iming that it was in style. The top was stylized in the traditional way but was made of ck silk and doubleyered. Her scarlet skirt reached till her knees, flowing freely with the customary bow tied to the left. Mrs. Jung imed that only Sera would be the one to wear such a contemporary style.

    Unfortunately, almost all the girls were wearing the same style. Some of the girls wereughing at Sera because the clothes did not suit her at all. They pointed at her chubby thighs, mocking her. But they did not dare to bully her because the teachers were monitoring everyone like hawks.

    Sera smirked at them because she knew that she held the power to destroy their reputations if they dared to mess with her. It gave her a lot of satisfaction.

    She stood by the field, waiting for Soobin who had gone to the girl''s locker room to change. Even though Sera told her to buy a traditional hanbok, Soobin chose to wear the one her mother gifted on herst birthday. It was not a designer wear like Sera''s one but Soobin did not care about such things.

    "Sera!"

    She turned around to find the Hwang twins. They wore matching traditional clothes or Gwanboks which used to be worn by the high ranked officials in the ancient times. Minyoon was wearing a green one with golden abstract patterns drawn on it. His hair was now back to its natural jet ck color, making him look like an elegant prince. The gwanbok was loose at the arms but he improvised it around his waist by tying a belt to entuate his fit figure.

    Yoonmin also followed the same style but his one was navy blue and made of satin. Instead of golden embroidery, he opted for a pattern of ck butterflies on it. Instead of a belt, he simply kept the cloth tight fitting around his torso. He wore a long, sleeveless cotton coat over it while his long hair is partially tied while the rest of it has been kept loose. His bangs came in front of hiszy brown eyes which highlighted his icy demeanor.

    Sera blushed at Yoonmin and she was about to greet them when Yoonmin froze. He was looking at something behind Sera and she followed his gaze to see what it was.

    He was not staring at something. He was staring at someone.

    It was Soobin.

 Chapter 130 - Summer Festival (3)

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    I''m aiming for 5000 privilege unlocks this month so that this book can receive a banner. Please support this book by unlocking as many privilege chapters as possible and support me for spirity!

    I''ll give 10 chapter mass release on 1st October if we reach 5000 privilege unlocks this month <3

    ....

    Yoonmin waspletely stunned. Soobin was wearing a traditional sequined hanbok with a white top with a high neck and full, loose sleeves. The rose gold skirt was stitched in a bell bottom style which covered her till the ankles. On the edge of her sleeves were flowers sewn by hand, giving her a simple yet graceful look. Her long hair was tied into a silky braid and while she wore no makeup, she was glowing in Yoonmin''s eyes.

    She greeted all of them enthusiastically. Yoonmin could not speak, unable to take his eyes off her. Minyoon faked a cough beside him.

    "Ahem control yourself bro ahem!"

    Soobin was holding a smallntern in her hand which she wanted to light at theke with the others. She was excited andpletely oblivious to the blushing Yoonmin who was trying hard not to gape at her. Instead, she was talking to Sera who was a little sour at the attention Soobin was getting.

    "When is the light festival?" Soobin was asking. "I wanna light antern too!"

    "It''ll start in a while," Sera said curtly. "Excuse me for a while..."

    Without another word, Sera walked away leaving Soobin very confused. What was up with her? She wondered.

    But she did not have much time to think about Sera because at that moment, Minyoon put his arm around her shoulder.

    "Binbin, they say that if a couple flies thenterns together tonight, they''ll be together forever!" he quipped. "Do you have a guy in mind with whom you want to fly thentern?"

    "Uhhбн"

    Soobin was tongue tied. Yoonmin was standing close, ring at Minyoon. She kept on stealing nces at him, wondering whether to ask him or not. But she had heard about Yoonmin''s aversion to dating others and many of the girls had told her that he would only go for someone with a lot of money or high stature who could benefit his business.

    Why would he like amoner like me? She thought sadly.

    "No," she mumbled. "I don''t have anyone in mind."

    Minyoon looked over at his brother who was disappointed by her answer. He wanted to p some sense into his younger brother that this was his chance to ask her.

    Guess I have to y the cupid, he sighed.

    "Oh damn!" he feigned. "I almost forgot! I was supposed to do a live stream on my social media ount! I think I''ll go and start the stream. And it seems that Sera is gone as well. Why don''t you two enjoy the fair?"

    He slightly pushed Soobin towards Yoonmin. Both of them were blushing hard, unsure of what to do. Minyoon conveniently walked away, leaving the two awkward kids alone.

    Please brother, ask her out! He prayed. Fighting!

    Yoonmin was still gazing at Soobin, his heartbeats reaching dangerous levels. She was a little shy in his presence, biting her lower lip nervously.

    "Y-You wanna check out the stalls?" he finally managed to utter. "There seems to be a lot of activities."

    "S-Sure!" Soobin stammered. They walked together, keeping a few inches gap between them. For a wild moment, Yoonmin had the urge to hold her hand but was refraining himself with great difficulty. They idly walked along the colorful stalls, looking around. Bright golden fairy lights had been hung over the fairgrounds, illuminating the whole area. The stalls were now buzzing with mini games like balloon shooting, catch the goldfish and arcade games.

    Soobin was suppressing her smile as she peeked at Yoonmin from the corner of her eyes. He looked like a prince in the traditional getup and even though he looked exactly like Minyoon, he had a distinct aura which made him unique. Yoonmin nced around and caught her staring at him.

    "What is it?" he frowned. "Do you want to buy something?"

    "No!" she quickly said. "I...You and Minmin look really good in these clothes!"

    She was about to say that he looked handsome but stopped herself. What if he thought she was brazen? So she added Minyoon''s name as well.

    Yoonmin was crestfallen. It seemed that Soobin had eyes only for his brother.

    "Woah!" She gasped. "Look!"

    She was pointing at a stall where arge pink teddy bear was on disy. The person who would be able to hit the targets and get hundred points was going to win the bear. Seeing her eyes lit up, Yoonmin easily guessed what she wanted.

    "You want the teddy bear?" he asked.

    "I do, but I''m not very good at hitting targets," she sighed. "Let''s go to another stall."

    Unknowingly, she pulled his arm. Yoonmin did not say anything but let her lead him to random stalls, secretly happy to walk hand in hand with her. Soobin was very excited about the mundane fair. She ran from stall to stall, awed by the disys but she was not buying anything for herself. Her eyes kept on flickering towards the teddy bear.

    Finally, Yoonmin sighed and told her, "Sit here for a while."

    He grabbed her arms and made her sit on a bench. She was confused by what he was doing.

    "Where are you going?" she asked when he turned to go somewhere.

    "To get drinks," he lied. "Sit here! Don''t go anywhere, okay?"

    Before she could say anything, Yoonmin ran off into the crowd. Soobin sat on the bench, hoping that he would be back soon. She checked her watch. The light festival was going to start in ten minutes.

    Then something hit her.

    I''m alone with Yoonmin! She realized. Does this mean...I''ll get to light thentern with him?

    The thought excited her. Even if he did not like her back, she could at least cherish this memory. Feeling very happy, she waited patiently for him. After a few minutes, she heard footsteps approaching her way. She looked around to find the pink teddy bear was being held in front of her.

    He knew! She thought in excitement. Taking the teddy bear in her hands, she was delighted.

    "Thank you, Yoonmin-" she was saying and nced up only to be frozen in fear.

    The person who gave her the toy was not Yoonmin.

    "Let''s go and light antern, Soobin," Duho said with a sadistic smile.

 Chapter 131 - Summer Festival (4)

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    I''m aiming for 5000 privilege unlocks this month so that this book can receive a banner. Please support this book by unlocking as many privilege chapters as possible and support me for spirity!

    I''ll give 10 chapter mass release on 1st October if we reach 5000 privilege unlocks this month <3

    ....

    "Taken away?" Yoonmin frowned at the stall keeper.

    "Yeah," the stall keeper replied. "Some guy named Duho won the bear and took it away."

    Duho?

    Now that Yoonmin thought about it, Soobin was asked out by the guy for the Summer Festival but she was not hanging out with him. Did that mean she turned him down?

    Shrugging the thoughts away, he went back to the spot where he left Soobin only to find Duho standing there with the teddy bear. He was gifting it to Soobin who took a step back. For the first time, Yoonmin saw that she was terrified.

    "Soobin, you know how much I love you, right?" Duho was saying. "I''m popr and good looking! I also live alone so we''ll have total privacy! Just go out with me!"

    "No!" she eximed. "I already rejected you! Stop pestering me!"

    She pushed the teddy bear away and turned to walk off but Duho held her wrist.

    "Just one chance-"

    Before Soobin could scream, Yoonmin grabbed Duho by the cor and pulled him away from her.

    "Get the hell away from her!" Yoonmin warned in a cold tone. He was controlling his rage with great difficulty as he red at the curly haired boy who was equally angry.

    "This is between me and her!" Duho imed. "I''ll talk to my girlfriend-"

    "I am not your girlfriend!" Soobin snapped. "Go away!"

    "You heard her," Yoonmin said. "Go. Now!"

    Duho looked from her to him, his crazy mind making up assumptions of its own. "I see what''s going on here," he stated. "You two are dating, right? You''re betraying me Soobin! Is that what you''re doing?"

    Before Soobin could tell him off, Yoonmin pushed Duho against a tree. With surprising strength, he held Duho up by the cor.

    "Yes, she''s my girlfriend!" he growled. "Whatcha gonna do about it? You really think a trashy nobody like you can match me, Hwang Yoonmin? You might be the star yer in school but in the real world, people like you are hired to wipe my shoes! Don''t evere near my girlfriend ever again!"

    With that, he let go of Duho, feeling disgusted. Yoonmin grabbed Soobin''s wrist and whisked her away from the scum who was still ring at them with envy.

    "She''s mine!" Duho whispered. "MINE!"

    Soobin did not say anything but silently followed Yoonmin until they reached a secluded part of theke. He took a few deep breaths, calming himself down.

    "Are you okay?" Soobin asked softly. Yoonmin could only gape at her. She was the one who got harassed and yet, she was asking if he was okay?

    "No, I''m not," he replied, feeling aghast. "Nor are you! Was he stalking you for a while?"

    Soobin bit her lip and nodded. "That day when he asked me out," she began. "He mentioned how he had been watching me not only in school but also at my workce and during the weekends when I go out with friends. It sort of creeped me out so I politely rejected him. But he wouldn''t give up and kept on calling me at odd hours. Yesterday, he turned up at the restaurant and stayed there for hours, ordering endlessly but not leaving. It was as if he was waiting for me to get off work. So I called Doctor Kang if he could pick me up from work. Thankfully, he did and then, we went to the party at your ceбн"

    Yoonmin was now annoyed at her too. Why would she hide this from him?

    "You shouldn''t hide this!" He scolded her. "What if he had hurt you? Or worse?"

    Soobin looked down at her feet, feeling guilty. "I just didn''t want anyone to worry about me," she mumbled.

    But Yoonmin was not going to hear any of it.

    "From now on, I''ll have my secretary drop you off at work and home!" he dered. "I''ll also tell Doctor Kang about this. He''ll be really worried if something happens to you!"

    "But-"

    "No arguments!" he said. "As your boyfriend, I don''t want a stalker on your tail! You''ll do as I say until Duho stops pestering you, okay?"

    "Yes, I under-Hey! Wait a minute!"

    She was now frowning. Did he just call himself her boyfriend?

    "Boyfriend?" she echoed. "Who? When did you be my boyfriend?"

    "I just announced a while ago," Yoonmin blinked. "Didn''t you hear it?"

    "That was a bluff, right?"

    "No. From now on, I''m your boyfriend."

    Soobin gaped at him. Was he serious? She was happy butбн

    "You didn''t even ask me out!" she protested, blushing hard. "You can''t just dere yourself as my boyfriend. I mean...we didn''t go on any dates! Nor did we kiss! How can you be my boyfriend?"

    "We hung around alone at the fair," Yoonmin stated. "I did kind of dere myself as your boyfriend, so we can skip the usual asking. Unless you want to refuse."

    "I...am not refusing," she admitted, still very confused. "Butбн"

    "And as for the kiss," Yoonmin began. Soobin was about to scold him when he suddenly gave her a brief peck on the lips.

    For a moment, she forgot how to breathe. It was simply a soft brushing of their lips but she felt butterflies in her stomach upon their peck. She looked up at him, nervous yet happy.

    "Am I your boyfriend now?" Yoonmin asked, his ears turning scarlet. Even though he was bluffing back then with Duho, he realized that this was his only chance and he could not let it go.

    "You''re mean," she mumbled. Puffing her cheeks, she was now determined.

    "Even if I be your girlfriend, I''ll be Minmin''s fan!" she pouted.

    "Done."

    "You can''t do any...any funny business whenever I''ll babysit Miyoo."

    "Done."

    "And don''t you dare look at other girls!"

    "Easy."

    "And I''ll get sixty percent discounts at Minmin''s concerts!"

    "Twenty percent without VAT."

    "Fifty five with VAT!"

    "Thirty percent with VAT."

    "Fine!"

    "It''s official then," Yoonmin said. "We are dating."

    Before Soobin could reply, he gave her another brief kiss before winking and walking away. Soobin ran after him, still negotiating her end of the deal.

    "Do I get discounts on the merchandise too?"

    "No."

 Chapter 132 - Summer Festival (5)

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    I''m aiming for 5000 privilege unlocks this month so that this book can receive a banner. Please support this book by unlocking as many privilege chapters as possible and support me for spirity!

    I''ll give 10 chapter mass release on 1st October if we reach 5000 privilege unlocks this month <3

    ....

    "And that, my friends, is the end of my live stream!" Minyoon eximed cheerfully at his phone''s camera. "I hope all of you loved the Summer Festival at my school! Truthfully, I''m really humbled to be here with my friends and fans. I love you all!"

    He waved at the camera and switched off the live stream.

    "Let''s see how many people checked in," he said to himself. Scrolling at thements and shares, over a million people had watched his live stream.

    "This is definitely a record!" he said in glee. He was standing nearly at the end of theke, away from the crowd. Sighing out loud, he wondered if his twin managed to get the girl.

    "Dad will have a fit if he learns that his own son couldn''t ask out a girl," he muttered. He daily fiddled with his phone, reading the love notes his fans leave him. Smiling at the messages, he liked all of them. Minyoon was one of the most interactive idols and even replied to fans whenever possible to maintain their support.

    "Minyoon honey, marry me!" onementer wrote. Minyoonughed and wrote a reply.

    "I want to but I''m married to my music ;-;" he wrote.

    "Minmin, what colors do you like?"

    "Purple and pink!"

    "Minnie, can you blow me a kiss?"

    ":3"

    Minyoon replied to morements with emojis and hearts before putting his phone away. He was about to stand up and leave when a slow tune came out of nowhere, making him pause. It was the melody of a flute which was being yed somewhere nearby. The soft music was enchanting with a velvety touch to it as if the flute yer was pouring their heart and soul into the music. The calming song was enticing him and Minyoon found himself following the tune.

    He ventured further along theke, reaching a small stream. A boulder sat on the side of the stream. And on top of the boulder was the flute yer.

    Her long hair was flowing with the gentle breeze. She wore a red hanbok but her face was covered with a Colombina Mask, hiding her appearance. The girl was ying the flute with utmost respect, keeping her calm rhythm as she expressed her inherently troubled feelings through her music.

    Minyoon was blown away by this stranger. He did not dare to disturb her but stood there, listening to her. A soft smile yed on his lips as he watched the masked beauty. It was as if they were sharing a sacred moment. This...this was their song and only they could y it.

    Finally, the girl stopped ying the flute. She took a deep breath and was contemting something.

    I shouldn''t have returned here for the second time today, she groaned. Hwang Minyoon''s fans are too crazy for him. Will this really work?

    "You''re really good!"

    She froze in shock when Minyoon came out from behind a tree. He was smiling at her, looking friendly but she was defensive. Minyoon, on the other hand, was impressed by the girl who could y the flute like an expert.

    "Your music is great!" he went on,ing closer. "You can join our agency! Why don''t you take off your mask and I''ll introduce you to my-"

    Suddenly, there was a loud shriek from somewhere in the fairgrounds. Minyoon momentarily turned around to see what was going on. Taking her chance, the masked girl leapt off the boulder and ran off.

    "Hey wait!"

    She heard Minyoon calling for her but she kept on running and did not stop until she was out of the gates. When she was sure that he was no longer following her, she stopped at an alley, gasping for breath.

    Slowly, the girl took off her mask to reveal her amorous face. She took off her long wig to reveal short, boyish hair. Her bangs reached till her eyebrows and thanks to her unisex apperance, it was easy for her to disguise as a boy.

    Just like she had that morning to check out her rival''s performance.

    "He almost caught me!" she eximed in annoyance. "It would''ve ruined everythingбн"

    I can''t let anyone find out my secret, Baek thought. She put the mask and wig back on, stealthily running away from the school.

    I''ll have to beat him on stage, she decided. Anyhow!

    бн.

    All the students were suddenly rounded up and ordered to line up at the football field. Soobin was holding Yoonmin''s hand, scared and confused.

    "What''s going on?" she asked.

    "I don''t know," Yoonmin said in a grim tone. "But I don''t think it''s good news."

    He noticed that the teachers were frantic and the principal had closed off the gates. They were locked in the school while the teachers ran around to get the situation under control. The light festival had been canceled and all the students were being kept under strict scrutiny.

    "What happened?" Minyoon asked, running towards them. "Is everything alright?"

    Just then, they heard the sirens of police cars approaching the school. The guards let the cops in. The twins saw Jina and her team along with Hobin hurrying towards Building B where all the sses were held. They looked extremely worried.

    "I''ll go and ask sis what''s going on," Minyoon said and he sprinted towards his sister as she was about to enter the building.

    "Sis, what''s going on?" he asked.

    "There''s been a murder," Jina revealed. "Stay with your brother and Soobin until we sort this mess out."

    With that, she and her team hurried upstairs towards the storage where the body was found.

    Hobin was the first one to reach the crime scene. He stood there, staring at the sight in front of him. Jaebum and Woohee entered next and let out loud gasps of horror. The others followed suit, murmuring to each other as they gaped at the corpse.

    Jina was shocked beyond words, her blood boiling in anger.

    "What the fuck?" she cursed in a low tone. "Who would do this?"

    "A maniac," Hobin whispered. "A true monster."

    Stuck to the wall was a teenage student in a demon costume with his ribs torn apart from the middle, each rib pinned to the sides.

    "Do you smell that?" Hobin asked Jina, not moving his gaze away from the corpse.

    She stiffly nodded. "Sulphur."

 Chapter 133 - Summer Festival-Conclusion

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    I''m aiming for 5000 privilege unlocks this month so that this book can receive a banner. Please support this book by unlocking as many privilege chapters as possible and support me for spirity!

    I''ll give 10 chapter mass release on 1st October if we reach 5000 privilege unlocks this month <3

    ....

    The corpse''s arms were pinned to the wall with sharp nails. His ribs had been torn apart and stuck to the sides with glue and a long, sharp wooden stick was plunged into his heart. The blood which spurted out of his body had dripped down the wall and created a dry pool on the floor. A look of pure fear was frozen on his face and his eyes were wide open.

    "The student''s name was Jung Hyoseop," Jiwoon was saying. "He was a senior in hisst year of high school. ording to his friends, he was sent to the storage room to keep a box of props and he never returned. They tried to call him but his phone was back in the ssroom. They assumed he left the school''s premises."

    "Howe no one discovered his corpse for hours?" Hobin asked.

    "Everyone was busy with the fair and no one came up here much," Jiwoon stated.

    "But surely, someone must have heard his cries," Jina frowned.

    "ording to the students in the nearby ssroom, Hwang Minyoon was having a mini concert in his ss," Jiwoon stated. "The noise from the concert must have drowned out his cries."

    "Check the list of all the guests who attended the festival," Jina ordered. "Also, inform the parents. Tell them that we need to take the testimony of the kids and they must cooperate."

    She hesitated before adding, "Inform Hyoseop''s parents too. They''ll...they''ll have to identify his body."

    Jiwoon nodded and went off to execute the tasks. Jina was very worried. She turned to Hobin who was quietly observing the body.

    "Tinkerbell, check this outбн"

    He pointed at Hyoseop''s fingers. Jina stepped forward to take a closer look.

    "Is that...is that paint?" she frowned.

    "It is," Hobin confirmed. "But it doesn''t look like regr paint."

    He motioned a forensic assistant to collect the paint samples. "Analyze this and send us the reports ASAP," he ordered the assistant.

    Meanwhile, the CSI was sweeping through the crime scene, gathering all the evidence they could find. A chair was found broken which looked simr to the wooden stick used to stab the victim. Jina nced around when she saw a pale, translucent figure observing her from afar.

    As soon as their eyes met, the figure disappeared.

    "Oi," she hissed at Hobin. "Follow me."

    He did not hesitate and followed Jina outside. She climbed up the stairs to stop in front of a makeshift haunted house which was not even remotely scary.

    "Do you see a ghost?" Hobin muttered.

    "Yes," she confirmed. "It''s Hyoseop''s ghost. I just saw him entering this ce."

    They stepped into the haunted house where Jina saw a pale figure running deeper into the ce.

    "Wait, Hyoseop!" she eximed. The ghost stopped and turned around.

    His ribs hung on his sides while his wrists hadrge holes which indicated the pin marks on them. He was still in that demon costume, bloody and sweaty. His dirty blonde hair was messed up and he looked very confused.

    "Y-You can see me?" he gasped. "How?"

    "I''m a special case," Jina simply replied.

    "And him too?"

    Hyoseop pointed at Hobin who was still trying to figure out where the ghost was.

    "He can''t see you but he knows that you''re here," Jina stated. "But you don''t have to be afraid of us. We want to help you."

    "I''m dead!" Hyoeseop yelled. "How can you help me? I can''t be helped! I didn''t want this to happen! Iбн"

    He was frustrated and confused by his state. It was supposed to be a fun day. He was going to spend time with his friends and then y basketball with them in the evening. Afterwards, he was supposed to be tutoring at the local study center and then go home to his mom. This was supposed to be the routine!

    And none, everything was ruined. His ns for the future and his dream of ying fog basketball for the Ivy League. Everything was ruined.

    "I shouldn''t have touched that painting!" he murmured. "That darn painting!"

    "What painting?" Jina frowned.

    "When I was in the store room, I saw a painting," Hyoseop said in a bitter tone. "It was the painting of a forest which was on fire and there were red snakes all over it. For a moment, I thought that the snakes were moving but then they stopped. And then the door to the closet shut tight, locking me in. Then...then I saw the chair ws being flung around on its own. It broke to pieces."

    "Suddenly, something grabbed me and pinned me to the wall. I felt a pair of hands on my ribs. It was weird because there was no one around. But I felt the hands. They were digging long, sharp nails into my heart, slowly ripping it apart. Then, one of the broken pieces of wood from the chair began to float and came straight towards my chest."

    He pointed at the spot where his heart was located.

    "And it stabbed me."

    Jina and Hobin were shocked. A painting with fire and serpents?

    "Where''s that painting now?" Hobin demanded.

    "I don''t know!" Hyoseop imed. "When I woke up as a ghost, I was horrified to see that my body was in that position. I tried to re-enter it but I couldn''t. Something invisible was preventing me from entering it. I ran around the field, asking for help but no one was able to see or hear me! Iwas leftpletely aloneбн"

    He sniffed a little, trying to hold back his tears. His death was beginning to hit him and he was not ready to ept it yet. How could he just die like that? It was not fair!

    "This isn''t the pattern," Hobin said, feeling at a loss. "The demon in the painting usually possesses the youngest members of a family and kills the rest of the members before killing its host. Then howe he was killed?"

    "It''s possible that the demon could not use his usual method because there are too many people here," Jina suggested. "It was forced to change its pattern and killed the nearest person it found. But then, where is the painting? How did it vanish in thin air?"

    "The demon must have moved it," Hobin said. "But the bigger question is, who brought that thing here?"

    "I think grade 9A was doing an art cafe," Hyoseop said. "You can ask them."

    "Let''s ask them," Jina nodded.

    "I''ll let your grandfather know about this," Hobin stated. "If the demon has changed its killing pattern, then we need to figure out its new MO."

    бн.

    Duho was staggering along the road behind the school. He had barely managed to get out of the school before the gates had been sealed shut. There was no way he wanted to stay back in the mess.

    "Fucking Hwang Yoonmin!" he growled. "I''m gonna kill him! Soobin is mine!"

    Suddenly, something fell in front of him. He yelped and jumped back before realizing that it was a strange painting.

    Huh?

    He picked it up to see that it was an artwork of a burning forest with snakes in it.

    "Who the hell will draw a weird ass thing like this?" he wondered. "Oh well. I''ll take it home."

    With that, he tucked it under his arms and carried it away.

 Chapter 134 - Its The Real Painting!

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    I''m aiming for 5000 privilege unlocks this month so that this book can receive a banner. Please support this book by unlocking as many privilege chapters as possible and support me for spirity!

    I''ll give 10 chapter mass release on 1st October if we reach 5000 privilege unlocks this month <3

    ....

    Junho quickly drove to the school in order to check the crime scene himself. He left Miyoo with Jina''sndlord, not wanting to expose her to a demon who might be lurking near the school. One of the guards tried to stop him from entering.

    "You can''t enter without an ID, sir," the guard said.

    "I''LL BLOODY HELL SHOVE MY ID UP YOUR ASS IF ANYTHING HAPPENS TO MY GRANDCHILDREN!" he yelled at the guards. They were startled by the old man''s outburst. Junho pushed them away and half ran towards the field where the students were kept.

    Many of the parents had arrived and were consoling their kids. Police were swarming the area, taking testimonies from the students. Junho scanned the crowd until he spotted his grandsons and Soobin. Siwan was also there, overseeing Soobin''s testimony as her guardian.

    "We are all at the fair," Soobin was telling a policeman. "Yoonmin and I were at the fair. We hung around here and then at theke where weбн"

    She trailed off, not wanting to borate too much. Yoonmin stepped in to add, "Where we were talking. That''s it."

    "Where were you?" the cop asked Minyoon.

    "I was doing a live stream at that time," Minyoon stated. "You can check my social media page and confirm the timing. And during the day, we were all at our art cafe where Yoonmin and Soobin were helping out at the counter while I was performing. You can check the cameras and also fancams."

    "We will," the cop told him. "In the meantime, if you guys hear anything or remember any important clues, do let us know."

    "Thank you officer," Siwan said with a nod as the officer left.

    "What the hell happened here?" Junho demanded. "Tell me everything!"

    "A student was killed," Siwan narrated. "His...his ribs were torn apart and he was pinned to the wall. The police are investigating the crime. They think that he died between 10 AM and 12 PM. The school authorities are helping them but the parents are concerned. Dalton Academy is one of the most secure schools in the country. For a gruesome murder to take ce here was an inconceivable notion till today."

    "Where''s Jina?"

    "She''s inside," Yoonmin replied. "Checking the crime scene."

    Junho thought for a while. He took out his phone and texted her.

    "Everything alright?" he wrote and pressed the send button. The reply came instantly.

    "Demon attack. Same one as the one murder-suicide painting. It changed its MO. Found the ghost of the victim and I''m bringing him to you in a while. Take the twins home and keep them there. School will be closed for a few days."

    "If you guys are done with your testimonies, let''s go home," Junho said. "Jina instructed us to go back."

    Siwan nodded in agreement. "Yes," he said. "And also, Soobin has a long exnation to do with regards to her stalker incident."

    Soobin gulped. Unfortunately for her, Yoonmin did not waste a second in informing Siwan that she was dealing with a stalker. She shot a deathly re at her boyfriend who gave her a ''you-reap-what-you-sow'' look.

    "Yes Doctor Kang," she said, following Siwan to his car. Junho turned to the twins. Yoonmin was still staring at Soobin, hoping that she would not be scolded too much.

    "Let''s go," Junho said, snapping his fingers at Yoonmin. The twins followed their grandfather. Minyoon also took ast nce at the crowd, searching for the girl in the red hanbok but she was nowhere to be seen.

    Who was she? He wondered.

    бн

    Jina and Hobin were back at the crime scene, looking for any clue they could find. It was useless but they still had to follow all protocols.

    "Anything on the CCTV footage?" Jina was asking Dahoon over the phone.

    "Hyoseop was seen entering the room but after that, no one else went there nor came out of it," Dahoon replied. He was at the security room of the school, going through the footage of that day.

    "There''s no other exit from this room," Jina sighed. It was a windowless room with only one way to enter and exit from. That meant the painting was kept in the room long before Hyoseop entered it. But who brought it here?

    "Dahoon, do one thing," she said. "Check the footage for the entire week. Crosscheck the items kept in this room for a week with the list from CSI. See if anything is missing. Let me know even the smallest detail."

    "Understood boss."

    Jina hung up the phone and turned around to find Hobin staring at a nk wall, not very far from the spot where the body was pinned.

    "What are you looking at?" she asked. Hobin did not instantly reply but was observing the wall. There was a thin, rectangr trace on it.

    "There was something hung here," he stated. "This must be the spot where the painting was hung."

    "But where is it?" Jina wondered. "Whoever brought it might not have known what the painting did but wherever it is now, it''ll kill again!"

    "Or, whoever brought it was trying to get rid of it," Hobin suggested. "Think about it. The painting is strange and even scary. Why would someone just bring it to a school''s festival?"

    "But wait a minute," Jina said. "If someone had a copy of the painting and was trying to get rid of it, doesn''t that mean they know there''s something wrong with it? How will they find out about the painting''s curse and the demon? And the painting kills everyone in the family it ends up with. Then howe there''s a survivor? I only know of one survivor of this painting and that was the person who was exorcised by my grandfather. And they''re no longer in this country. I''ve asked him."

    "There''s only one possible exnation," Hobin said slowly. "The person who brought the painting here knows about the curse. And the only way to know about the curse is either to be inflicted by it, where chances of survival are nearly zero except in one case. Orбн"

    He finally realized something. Jina, too, was thinking the same thing.

    "The original artist''s family is trying to get rid of the real painting!" both of them said in unison.

 Chapter 135 - His Obsession

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    I''m aiming for 5000 privilege unlocks this month so that this book can receive a banner. Please support this book by unlocking as many privilege chapters as possible and support me for spirity!

    I''ll give 10 chapter mass release on 1st October if we reach 5000 privilege unlocks this month <3

    ....

    Duho entered his tiny t and turned on the lights. He lived alone in a small apartment with only one room and a bathroom. His parents had disowned him because of his past misdemeanours with several of his exes. One of his exes even had a restraining order drawn up against him for assaulting her when she was talking to a ssmate.

    He was a star yer of the football team and quite popr with the girls so it was easy for him to getid. But none of his rtionshipsst because he became possessive and obsessed with his girlfriends. Even if they talked to another guy, he would beat the girls up and make their lives hell.

    After he was charged for assault in his previous school, his parents forced him to relocate and he started to study at Dalton Academy. For two years, everything was going well because none of the girls at Dalton held his interest. They were too snobbish and arrogant for his taste. The students at Dalton were unaware of his past and some girls tried to date him but he politely refused them. It gave them the image that he was a nice guy who was not into other girls but it all changed when Soobin transferred to the school.

    Ever since he encountered her on her first day at school, he became obsessed with her. She was a pure beauty who was different from all other girls in his eyes. Unlike the rich snobs in his ss, she was naturally pretty and kind. Many boys tried to flirt with her but being the pure and innocent person she was, she rejected all of them. Duho liked that sort of girl the most. She was untainted by others.

    Until today. Now, she was with Hwang Yoonmin and she was already impure. That rich boy was sleeping with his innocent angel and it angered Duho to no end. How could she do this to me? He thought. We were supposed to be in love!

    The strange painting was still tucked under his arm and he hung it on the wall. He did not know why he brought the hideous thing home but for some reason, the painting was resonating to him.

    Duho turned around and slumped on his dingy bed, not bothering to wash up or change his clothes. He was seething with fury at the thought of Yoonmin and Soobin together, probably fucking each other at that very moment.

    "My Soobin looked so beautiful tonight," he whispered.

    She was indeed the most beautiful girl that night. In that rose gold hanbok, she looked like a heavenly angel and Duho wanted to get closer to her. He even won the teddy bear for her so that she would love him. It was supposed to be the beginning of their rtionship.

    "Damn that Hwang Yoonmin!" he cursed out loud. "How dare he snatch away my girl?"

    What did the girls see in the Hwang twins? They were simply rich and nothing more. The older one was an idol but the younger twin waspletely useless! He mostly bunked sses and was nothing special.

    Yet, girls ran after that aloof ice prince who was now with his sweet Soobinбн

    "It hurts, doesn''t it?"

    Duho sat up in fright. He was looking around his t, wondering where the voice came from. But the ce was empty except for him.

    "Who''s there?" he barked. With shaking hands, he picked up a baseball bat which he kept beside his bed. Raising it in an attack mode, he waited for someone to appear but there was no one. He trembled as he walked towards the bathroom and opened the door.

    It was empty.

    Am I imagining things? He wondered. He lowered the bat and went back to bed, still alert.

    "I''ll talk to Soobin again tomorrow," he decided. This time, he would not take no for an answer.

    бн.

    "The demon changed its style?" Junho frowned. They were now at the twins'' apartment. After much protests, Minyoon and Yoonmin were forced to go to bed while the adults discussed the murder.

    "It attacked Hyoseop and killed him," Jina confirmed. The ghost was sitting next to her. They brought him along so that Junho couldmunicate with him through Jina and also in the hopes that the spirit would agree to move on.

    "But it doesn''t make sense," Hobin pointed out. "Why would the demon change its killing style?"

    "I think Jina''s theory is right," Junho nodded. "There were too many students at the school so the demon attacked the nearest student it could find. But for some reason, it couldn''t possess Hyoseop so it proceeded to kill him instead."

    "My grandmother was a shaman so my family is quite pious," Hyoseop whispered to Jina who conveyed the message to the others.

    "That exins why the demon was having a hard time possessing you," Junho replied. "But where''s the painting now?"

    All of them were in deep thought. The painting was missing again and it was a big problem for them. How did it disappear? Who brought it there?

    "We should look up on artist Gwangwoo''s family," Hobin stated. "Surely, someone should be alive and know where the painting is?"

    "In order to survive, the demon needs someone to take care of the original painting," Junho said. "I think the artist''s family had hidden the painting away and the demon did not kill them so that the art would remain safe."

    "Then why didn''t it attack the person who tried to get rid of it?" Jina asked.

    Junho sighed and said, "I guess we''ll have to find them and ask them ourselves. Anywaysбн"

    He turned towards the spot where Hyoseop was sitting. "I''ll be able to help Hyoseop''s spirit but he has to agree to it," he said. "Jina will interpret Hyoseop''s words to me."

    "I''ll wait outside," Hobin said. Jina frowned a little.

    "Why? Don''t you want to stay back and help us convince Hyoseop?"

    "I have to make an urgent call," he lied. "A patient texted me. It''ll take a while. You guys go ahead."

    Truthfully, he did not want to see another purification ritual. After regaining the memories of his past life, Hobin was consciously avoiding talking about it. Seeing a purification ritual would only make him feel nervous and to some extent, scared. What if he fainted and had those visions again?

    Jina watched him step outside the house but she shrugged. Junho, however, was observing him with keen interest. There was something wrong but he could not pinpoint what it was.

    He turned around and said to Hyoseop, "We need to talk, son."

    Hobin waited outside for almost an hour, idly fiddling with his phone. He was trying to focus on the screen but part of him was curious whether the spirit would agree to leave or not. It was not an easy decision to make but he hoped that the teenager would understand.

    Finally after what felt like ages, Jina came out of the apartment.

    "It''s done," she sighed. "The boy agreed to move on and the old man set his spirit free."

    "He agreed quickly," Hobin noted.

    "Well, his grandmother was a shaman and he was raised in a household with strong pious beliefs. He knows very well that staying here as a spirit isn''t going to be a good thing for him so he agreed. Grandpa purified his soul and he''s gone."

    Hobin did not reply but wondered about the boy. Would he also get a second chance at life someday?

    I hope so, he wished.

    "Wanna grab dinner?" he suddenly asked. "My treat."

    Jina was gaping at him in shock. "You''ll treat me?" she gasped. "Am I dreaming?"

    "If you don''t want it then I''ll go on my own."

    He was walking away but Jina ran after him.

    "I''ll do anything for free food!" she eximed. "Where are we going? Some fancy restaurant? Can I order steak? Or Lamb Shanks?"

    "You''ll get cheap chicken fries and miso soup only. Take it or leave it."

    "I''ll take it!"

 Chapter 136 - [Bonus ]: Chicken & Beer

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    I''m aiming for 5000 privilege unlocks this month so that this book can receive a banner. Please support this book by unlocking as many privilege chapters as possible and support me for spirity!

    I''ll give 10 chapter mass release on 1st October if we reach 5000 privilege unlocks this month <3

    ....

    The scent of chicken hit her nostrils, making Jina drool. They had stopped by at a small cafe around the block which was open at that time of the night. There were several customers who were enjoying the crunchy chicken fries, relishing the juiciness. A small karaoke station was installed at a corner where some of the patrons were singing in their tone deaf voices but they looked so happy that it was fun.

    Bustling with people, the cafe was quite cozy. Beers were being served to the customers and they were drinking merrily as they ate. The owner was an ex-army personnel so no one dared to mess in his precious bar. No one wanted to create any chaos anyway; they were simply enjoying the moment.

    "Do youe here a lot?" Jina asked.

    "It''s a good ce to observe people," Hobin noted.

    They were sitting in a corner where the server had brought them a te full of chicken fries and tworge sses of beer for Hobin. Jina gazed longingly at the beers, itching to drink it all. She had surprisingly high tolerance for alcohol and could chug three to five beer bottles in a go.

    Unfortunately, she was driving that night so she could not drink. Hobin smirked at her misery.

    "You ain''t getting any," he teased her.

    "Tch!"

    She scowled at him and bit on her chicken in anger. Hobin grinned and took a long sip from his drink.

    "I''m curious about one thing," he said.

    "What is it?"

    "These powers that you have...don''t they bother you?"

    "Huh?"

    "I mean," Hobin began. "I hate my powers. I don''t wanna read other people''s thoughts for the rest of my life. It irritates me and I''d do anything to get rid of it. But you''re using your powers without much thought. You don''t get angry or scared when these spiritse to you? There are bad ghosts, poltergeists and now, demons. You''re not scared at all?"

    "No," Jina simply shrugged. "What''s there to be scared about?"

    "Some spirits might try to kill you and your loved ones," Hobin pointed out. "Look at our dear demon. Isn''t he killing people? Aren''t you afraid that one day, some spirit might harm your family."

    "Many tried," she admitted. "But they failed because I can see them. Moreover, we can defend ourselves pretty well. You saw how Yoonmin handled himself against a poltergeist on his own even though he couldn''t see it."

    She paused before adding, "And my powers are the ones protecting my family. Besides, what''s so different about ghosts anyway? They were humans once. I simply think of them as people who need my help just like any other human might ask a cop for assistance. As for the bad spirits, poltergeists and demons, they''re like the criminals whom we hunt down. Are their deeds really that different from the crimes humansmit?"

    Hobin nodded. "I''ll give that to you."

    "But why do you hate your powers?" Jina asked curiously. "Sure, it''s annoying to read people''s minds at times but you can control it now."

    "Let''s just say that I find out way too many secrets and it changes my perception of that person," Hobin admitted.

    "I''ve learnt not to make any perception of a person at all," Jina sighed. She nced around the cafe. A drunk man was loudly singing a song by Oasis at the karaoke.

    "Telling goodbye to ghosts must also be difficult for you," Hobin noted. "You get attached to them."

    It was not a theory but the truth. After all, she was attached to Shinho when she was young and till today, she thought about him quite a lot. Jina did not reply but continued to chew on her chicken, preferring not to answer that question.

    "Why do you y with fire?" he questioned her. Jina froze and looked up at him with her doe-like eyes.

    "Why do you y with it?" she shot back at him. Hobin was quiet for a while before he burst outughing. Jina scowled at his response.

    "What''s so funny?" she snapped.

    "We''re both idiots!" Hobinughed. "You love your powers so you help people with it. I hate my powers so I chose to help people too! In the end, we made the same choice like idiots. Instead of ignoring these abilities, we decided to use it. Sometimes, I think you and I are quite alike."

    "I''d rather not be associated with a yboy like you!" Jina scowled.

    "Why?" Hobin asked, his dark eyes twinkling at her. "Are you jealous that I didn''t hit on you?"

    Jina''s face went red and she stammered, "W-why will I-I be jealous? I''m d that I''m not your type! I don''t like yboys like you anyway! I want a hundred percent faithful guy who would love only me!"

    "Heh?"

    He was now being yful. "Who said you''re not my type?" he wondered out loud. "If I had met you at a bar, I''d have hit on you."

    Jina blinked, her face was now as red as tomato.

    "W-what? I''m older than you!"

    "And shorter too. But I gotta admit, Tinkerbell. You''re quite a beauty."

    "I-Iбн" Jina was at a loss for words. What the hell was going on in this guy''s mind? Why was he being so brazen?

    Hobin winked and finished his beer before moving onto the second ss. Annoying the little midget was fun and seeing her reactions made it even more amusing. She was embarrassed but her heart was racing fast.

    He''s a yboy! She told herself. He doesn''t even mean his words.

    "I mean my words," Hobin said as if reading her thoughts. "You''re quite a petite beauty. Only if you dress in a sexy wayбн"

    "Stop reading my thoughts!" she eximed.

    "I didn''t even touch you! I don''t have to. Your face is telling me what you''re thinking."

    "AGH!"

    Jina abandoned her food and ran away in embarrassment. Hobin called after her.

    "Oi Tinkerbell! If you don''t eat all this, I''ll finish it off for you!"

    But she kept on running until she was outside the cafe. Slumping against the wall, she tried to calm down but her silly heart was fluttering like a schoolgirl who was asked out by her crush.

    "Why does he tease me so much?" she mumbled. Then she felt a little curious.

    "Does he like me? Nah! He''s just trying to annoy me. That''s it! He''s teasing me. There''s no way he likes me that way!"

    She tried to assure herself but the wretched heart was not listening to her. It kept on beating in its own rhythm. A small smile was forming on her lips, making her inadvertently giggle.

    I guess his nickname is growing on me, she realized as she smiled like an idiot. Suddenly, he was not so annoying after all.

    Still smiling to herself, she went back into the cafe only to find out that Hobin really did finish off all the chicken fries.

    "YOU BETTER BUY ME ANOTHER BUCKET OF CHICKEN, YOU BRAT!"

 Chapter 137 - Frivolous

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    I''m aiming for 5000 privilege unlocks this month so that this book can receive a banner. Please support this book by unlocking as many privilege chapters as possible and support me for spirity!

    I''ll give 10 chapter mass release on 1st October if we reach 5000 privilege unlocks this month <3

    ....

    The autopsy on Hyoseop''s body waspleted within seven days. On the day of the results, Jina, Hobin and Chanmi went to Kyuhyun''sb to get the report.

    Kyuhyun was bending over Hyoseop''s body, sewing it back up. He did not look up when the detectives arrived.

    "Hi Kyuhyun," Jina greeted. "What-"

    "The victim''s name is Jung Hyoseop, age 17 years old," Kyuhyun parroted. "Died from excessive blood loss from due to the piercing of a wooden stake in his heart''s arteries. Victim lost nearly 3 litres of blood and his wrists are also pierced with nails which are five centimeters long. His ribs were torn apart by bare ws which dug seven centimeters into his skin and the victim''s hands have the residue from oil paint produced by the Meng n. The body was hung on the wall using nails on the wrists and the ribs while twelve centimeters of his skin had been peeled off in the process of tearing his ribs apart."

    An awkward silence fell on the room but Kyuhyun did not seem to care. He was busy in his own world, stitching the corpse with utmost precision.

    "All I said was a simple hello," Jina muttered but Hobin cleared his throat.

    "So you''re saying that his ribs were wed apart by an animal?" he asked.

    "The victim''s ribs were torn apart by ws."

    Chanmi was staring at the dead body which Kyuhyun was working on. She was not fond of seeing the bodies undergo autopsies and the strange doctor in theb only made it seem even weirder for her.

    "Well, an animal would simply attack and kill a person but won''t hang them up against a wall," Jina reasoned. "We''ll have to find more solid evidence. Dahoon is still working on the CCTV footage."

    "Are the autopsy reports ready?" Hobin asked Kyuhyun.

    "They are with the receptionist," he replied, not looking up.

    "Alright. Goodbye Doctor Kyu," Chanmi said but her did not respond. He was busy with the things he loved to do.

    "What a weirdo," Chanmi muttered once they were outside. "That doctor is way too serious about dead bodies."

    "It''s his job," Jina groaned.

    "Boss, he narrates the results like a parrot! It''s as if he memorizes everything about dead bodies just by looking at them. I won''t be surprised if he could tell what kind of porn the victim used to watch."

    "You''d be surprised to meet the doctors at the hospital then," Hobin said in a deadpan way. "They can diagnose people with one nce. It''s not umon. Besides, it''s the guy''s way tomunicate with people. He''s passionate about his work and that''s rare. And he''s damn good at it."

    They approached the receptionist and asked for the results. She searched for the file while Jina received a call. It was her grandfather.

    "I''ll be back," Jina said and she stepped aside to receive the call. Chanmi muttered something about going to the washroom and hurried off.

    "Yes, old man," Jina greeted over the phone.

    "Jina, where''s Miyoo''s bunny?" Junho''s frantic voice came from the other end. "I can''t find it!"

    He was looking everywhere for Miyoo''s favorite stuffed animal because the girl was bing cranky without it.

    "Miyoo bunbun!" Miyoo pouted in the background. "Miyoo bunbun!"

    "It''s in her bag," Jina replied. "Look in the sidepartment."

    She heard her grandfather rummage through Miyoo''s bags. Jina briefly nced at the reception where Hobin was now talking to the receptionist. She was eyeing the auburn haired doctor and they were around simr age.

    "So, are you new in town?" the receptionist asked in a flirty tone which made Jina scowl a little. She had to admit that the receptionist was a dark haired exotic beauty with sharp features and a sultry look. Hobin was now a little interested, reciprocating her flirtatious behavior.

    "I am," He replied with a smirk. "And are you new here? I''ve been working with Kyuhyun for a while but I never saw you before."

    "I just joinedst week. Are you a cop?"

    "A psychiatrist who works with the cops. I create criminal profiles and I practice at the hospital."

    "A doctor," the receptionist remarked. She had heaved out her chest and stealthily unbuttoned her uniform enough to show off her cleavage. Hobin pretended not to notice that. What he did not notice was a certain someone sending deathly res at the receptionist who was openly flirting with him.

    "I''ve been having difficulties in sleeping," the receptionist imed. "Would you mind if I booked an appointment with you?"

    "Stop by anytime," he grinned. "Maybe we can discuss this at my cabin."

    "And a cup of coffee?" she winked as she handed him the file.

    Hobin was not serious about all this. He knew that she was flirting with him and while he enjoyed the attention from women, he was not interested in anything more than innocent flirtations and talks. Dating and rtionships were far out of his mind at the moment.

    "Oi Jina!"

    Jina broke out of her reverie and returned to her call, trying to ignore the sudden surge of anger she was feeling. Why did she care about whom the guy flirted with? He could date any girl he wanted! She was sure that he slept with several girls.

    Then a sinking feeling crept in her heart. Was he merely teasing her that night? Did he not mean any of the things he told her?

    "Did you find it?" she asked her grandfather, trying to keep her voice steady.

    "Yeah. It was in the sidepartment."

    "Miyoo bunbun!"

    Jina sighed and hung up the phone. Hobin was nowughing and smiling with the sultry receptionist. He took the file and turned around to find Jina giving him a cold re. She did not say anything but turned around and stormed off towards the car.

    "Why is the boss in a bad mood?" Chanmi asked as she approached Hobin.

    "God knows. Probably thinking of how Peter Pan paid more attention to Wendy than to her."

    Huh? Chanmi wondered. These two are weird.

    They got into the car where Jina was still seething but ignored Hobin throughout the ride and also for the rest of the day. He could feel that she was angry about something but not what was going on in her mind.

    Back at the precinct, Jina called her teammates to a brief meeting and filled them in on the coroner''s report.

    "So was it an animal?" Jiwoon frowned.

    "We can''t tell," Jina replied. "We didn''t see any animal entering the premises. Moreover, an animal can''t hang the corpse on the wall like that."

    "It''s possible that the killer used artificial ws," Hobin pointed out. "Easy to find on Amazon or Ebay. Point is that whatever killed him had a high level of intelligence."

    Jina and Hobin knew that no one was going to buy the demon story so they would have to proceed with the case and go around in circles until the Commissioner closed the case. There was no trace of a person nor animal so the case was going to go cold eventually.

    But for the moment, they would have to work on the case as per the police procedures.

    "Dahoon, did you find anything?" she asked.

    "I did find something strange," Dahoon noted. He was typing on hisptop and opened a file.

    "Two days before the festival, one boy took a painting into the store room," he stated. He turned theptop around for the others to watch the clip.

    A skinny boy was taking the painting of snakes and fire into the store room. Hobin and Jina immediately recognized the painting but hid their thoughts well. They watched as the boy took the painting towards the store room and came out of it without the art. The store room had no CCTV cameras in it so they did not have a footage of the actual murder.

    "I checked our checklist," Dahoon went on. "I didn''t find this particr painting on it. The photos from the CSI also didn''t show this painting anywhere in the store room, whereas no one else entered the store room after this boy until our victim went there."

    "Was this painting stolen?" Woohee frowned.

    "Possibly."

    "Find out information on this boy!" Jina ordered. "Talk to the school and also tell them that a painting is missing. If someone stole it then it means that the painting must be valuable."

    "Yes boss!"

    Jina dismissed the meeting. Everyone left except Hobin who was still thinking hard.

    "This boyбн" he began. "Is it possible that he''s the artist''s rtive?"

    "I''ll look into it," Jina said curtly.

    "Alright. Take me with you when-"

    But she did not stop to listen. Instead, she packed up her things and walked out of the room, not looking back at him. Hobin was slightly surprised by her behavior. Ever since they returned from theb, she had been distant and aloof. He annoyed her a lot but she would usuallye up with a cheeky reply or scold him. But to ignore him like thatбн

    "Oi Tinkerbell!"

    Jina ignored him. She was at her desk, reading case files. Hobin sat across her, staring at her with his dark eyes.

    "What''s going on?" he demanded. "Why are you avoiding me?"

    "Avoiding?" Jina echoed in a sweet tone which was mocking him. "I''m beingpletely normal, Doctor Ohm."

    Doctor Ohm? He raised an eyebrow at her. She never called him Doctor Ohm when they were alone.

    "Now, if you''d excuse me, I have tons of work to do," Jina stated. "Unlike you, I can''t waste my time on frivolous things."

    With that, she went back to her files. Hobin frowned at her.

    "Fine. Detective Hwang."

    He walked away, not looking back at her.

 Chapter 138 - Ventilator

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    I''m aiming for 5000 privilege unlocks this month so that this book can receive a banner. Please support this book by unlocking as many privilege chapters as possible and support me for spirity!

    I''ll give 10 chapter mass release on 1st October if we reach 5000 privilege unlocks this month <3

    ....

    "Soobin, where''s the order for table number 8?" The manager eximed. It was a busy day at the cafe Soobin worked at. There was a football match at a nearby stadium and many people from the match came over to the cafe after it ended for refreshments.

    "It''s ready sir!" Soobin replied.

    The upscale cafe she worked at was situated a few blocks away from her school. It was a spunky ce for teenagers to hang out at or have coffees with dessert and other savory items. There were several pool tables and also an arcade gaming center where many students from nearby areas came to enjoy. The owner was a middle agedwyer who resided in the States so it was managed by Mr. Kim, Soobin''s boss. He had hired her a few months ago because she was friendly and had experience in catering in cafes.

    Since Soobin was still a student, she worked from 6 PM to 11 PM from Thursdays to Mondays. On the rest of the days, she worked at Hobin''s chamber or babysat Miyoo.

    She wrapped the burgers in foil and put them on a te along with fries. Picking up the tray, she carried it towards table number 8.

    "Apologies for the dy!" she told the customer.

    "I was waiting for almost an hour!" the customer imed. Soobin knew very well that he was waiting only for twenty minutes but she put on a friendly smile.

    "I''m sorry again, sir! But I assure you that the dy is worth it because the buns are freshly baked! You will enjoy it very much, sir."

    That seemed to have calmed the customer and he gave her a disgruntled nod. Soobin bowed and moved on to another table to take their orders. She was busy all throughout her shift, not even getting the chance to sit down.

    "Girl, you go and take a break!" Mr. Kim told her. "You''ve been on your feet for hours!"

    "I''m fine, sir!" Soobin quipped. "I can manage all this."

    But Kim shook his head. "Go to the back area and rest," he ordered her. "Take a short break, kid. There are other servers here. Go!"

    Soobin sighed and went to the back kitchen where the staff room was situated. She sat on a chair, massaging her thighs. It was hard to notice when she was busy but now that she was resting, she felt them ache.

    There was no one else at the staff room with her at that moment. Soobin shivered a little because it was really cold there.

    "Today sure is busy!" she mumbled. "But there''s a test next week at school. Maybe I can cram a little in betweenбн"

    She headed to her locker and took out her English book. Laying it in front of her, she began to do some quick practice so that she could be prepared. Even though school was closed for a few days, she decided to keep studying for the tests to stay ahead.

    Scribbling on her notebook, Soobin was so engrossed in her work that she did not notice that the temperature kept on dropping. She ignored the chilly air brushing her thighs, trying to focus on her studies until she began to shiver.

    "What the hell?" she muttered.

    She was sitting at one corner of the room where a desk and chair had been ced for the students who worked there part time. Behind her were a series of lockers belonging to the staff members. The room was lit with several white tube lights, reflecting on the grayish green walls around her.

    Soobin was now feeling extremely cold to the point that she could see her chilly breath. Did someone turn down the temperature of the AC? She wondered.

    Getting up from her seat, she searched for the AC''s remote and was about to turn it off when she noticed that the AC was already switched off. There were no windows in that room so she was puzzled.

    "Where''s the airing from?" she frowned. It was summer. How could it be so cold at that time of the year?

    BANG!

    Soobin screamed in fright when the door behind her suddenly closed. She ran towards it and tried to open it but to her horror, it was locked.

    "Mr. Kim!" she yelled, banging on the door. "Mr. Kim, open up!"

    She turned the knob but it would not budge. Soobin looked around for the key but it was nowhere; the manager might have taken it. She headed back to the desk and tried to call through her phone but there was nowork.

    "Shit!" she muttered. Raising the phone above her head, she tried to find a signal.

    "Come on!" she prayed. The bar was still at zero. Soobin was trying not to panic but she could not help it. She banged on the door several times to no avail. No one was responding to her at all.

    "Mr. Kim!" she shouted again. "I''m locked in here!"

    Silence.

    A slow sound was buzzing around her ear. The light above her flickered on and off. A strange eeriness was settling into the room, making her alert. Soobin was not sure what was going on but something was not right.

    The buzzing sound was getting louder, gripping her heart with immense fear. She scanned the area for the source of the noise. It seemed to being from a small venttor located on the bottom of a wall.

    Soobin cautiously approached the venttor, trying to keep herself calm. It''s probably just a bee, she told herself. Her heart was beating fast but she ignored the fear in it and slowly stooped down. Peeking through the grid, she could only see infinite darkness inside the venttor but the sound wasing from there. She checked inside but there was nothing.

    "Maybe, I''m imagining things- AHHHHHHHH!"

    A swarm of bees burst out from the venttor, attacking her. Thousands ofrge bees emerged from it, bouncing at her as they attacked her face and body. Soobin screamed and tried to cover her face but there were too many of them, stinging her everywhere.

    "AHHHHHHH!"

    The door burst open and the manager barged in along with some of the staff. They heard Soobin''s screams and came running.

    "Soobin?" he yelled. Soobin was lying on the ground, scared and shaken. Upon seeing the others, she quickly crawled towards them.

    "Mr. Kim!" she gasped. "The beesбн"

    She was pointing at the venttor which waspletely empty. Everyone was murmuring, wondering why she was screaming. Mr. Kim told one of the staff members to check the venttor.

    "There''s nothing here, sir," the server replied after thoroughly checking the venttor. But Soobin was still sobbing, confused by what happened.

    "B-But, there were bees!" she imed. "Look at me! I was stung on the face-"

    "Soobin, your face is fine," Mr. Kim told her. He took out his phone and turned on the front camera for her to check her appearance. To Soobin''s shock, her face waspletely fine. There were no bee stings on it. Instead, her expression was of panic but otherwise she was unhurt.

    "I think you had a nightmare," Mr. Kim said kindly. "It happens. I told you not to overwork. Why don''t you take a few days off? Spend time with your friends ande back when you feel well?"

    "I-I''m fine!" Soobin imed but Mr. Kim shook his head.

    "Go home, Soobin," he told her. "And rest."

    A few of the servers helped her to stand up and they convinced her to take a small break.

    Maybe I am working too hard, she thought. A break will be good for me. I can work at Doctor Ohm''s clinic for the next few days and learn more from him.

    With that, she changed out of her uniform and decided to go home. She debated whether to tell Yoonmin about her hallucination or not but decided against it. She did not want to bother him with such a trivial matter. He fussed too much over her anyway.

    I''ll meet himter, she decided.

 Chapter 139 - [Bonus ] Not This Time

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    I''m aiming for 5000 privilege unlocks this month so that this book can receive a banner. Please support this book by unlocking as many privilege chapters as possible and support me for spirity!

    I''ll give 10 chapter mass release on 1st October if we reach 5000 privilege unlocks this month <3

    ....

    Jina threw the trash bags in the trash can outside. She was cleaning her house that night, trying to clear her head. Ever since she saw Hobin flirt with the sultry receptionist, she could not push the image out of her head. The way he was talking to the woman andughing with her made Jina slightly angry.

    Why am I feeling this? She scowled. He can flirt with whoever he wants!

    Her anger was not justified but she was still fuming at the thought of Hobin and his exes. Did he really sleep around with others and discarded them? Was his flirtations with her just part of his mindless flings?

    Jina sighed and turned around only to be startled. Several pale figures were standing across the road, watching her with their gloomy eyes.

    There were people of various ages and states. Some were old, some were young. Some looked normal while others were burnt or stabbed. One had a missing eye while another one had a knife through his head. All of them had different reasons and regrets. They probably did not even know each other.

    Yet, they were staring at her with those emotionless eyes. Jina was unsettled by them. There were probably ten or more ghosts in front of her. She never saw them in a group like this before but they were not approaching her. They simply stare at her.

    "What the hell?" she muttered.

    Quickly throwing the gloves into the trash, she shuffled back inside the building. She nced backwards, to see if any of the ghosts were following her but to her surprise, they were all gone.

    She turned around to see Hobin wasing down the stairs.

    He wore a long sleeveless t-shirt with half pants and carried a gym bag over his shoulder. His bulging muscles werepletely visible and his auburn hair was held back by a bandanna. Jina did not want to admit it but he looked gorgeous in that attire. The shirt fit his V-shaped torso and his thighs were sturdy. She never noticed it before due to his usual long coats, he was actually quite fit. There were hints of abs beneath his shirt which made her gulp.

    "What is it, Detective Hwangl? Can''t keep your eyes off of handsome men?"

    Hobin could not help being a little salty towards her. Ever since she started to avoid him, he was meaner to her than usual. His usual teasings now carried a hint of bitterness and his pride was stopping him from asking why she was so angry.

    Jina was snapped back to reality and she red at him.

    "You''re in my way, Doctor Ohm," she curtly said. She expected him to be snarky or make fun of her. In fact, she wanted him to tease her by calling her that annoying nickname. Instead, he stepped aside to let her go.

    Jina''s heart sank and she was feeling very sad because of his indifference. She knew that she should not be angry at him but her wretched heart was being stupid. It was hard for her to control herself around this man. She wanted him to talk to her, tease only her and not other girls.

    Why am I thinking all that? She scolded herself. I mean nothing to him. Nothing!

    "Aren''t you gonna go?" Hobin questioned her.

    "I''m going," she said shortly and hurried back upstairs. She ran so fast that she did not notice that she had dropped her phone on the stairs. Hobin was about to leave when he spotted it lying on the ground.

    "Oi, Tinker-"

    He stopped himself from calling her that. Shaking his head, he picked up the phone and was about to run after her when it pinged. There was a message from Siwan.

    Hobin debated for a while before clicking on the message. He hated himself for prying into Jina''s private life but his curiosity was greater.

    "Let''s grab dinner tomorrow," Siwan wrote. "At Prima Be Restaurant. My treat."

    Something was wriggling inside him. Hobin tried not to react to this. Hwang Jina might be rted to his past life as Shinho but he was not Shinho anymore. He was Ohm Hobin and this was his reality. She had moved on in life.

    What did he expect? That she was going to pine for Shinho for the rest of her life? No one was going to do that. Not even Hwang Jina.

    Meanwhile, Jina entered her apartment and headed straight for the kitchen to pour herself a ss of water. She raised the ss to drink the water when out of nowhere, a cold hand grasped her arm.

    "AH!" she yelped and jumped backwards. The ghost of an old woman with messy white hair and empty sockets was standing in front of her. Even without eyes, the woman sensed where was standing. Her pasty skin was decaying and peeling off in ces, revealing the flesh underneath.

    Jina immediately grabbed a handful of salt and threw it at the woman. The ghost cackled and disappeared in thin air.

    "What do you want?" She demanded but the old woman was nowhere to be seen.

    "Sis, give me food!"

    Jina turned around to find a bony child of around ten years old staring at her. The child had no legs and was crawling on the floor, dragging itself towards her.

    "Sis, give me food!" it said in a hollow tone. "Give me food. GIVE ME FOOD!"

    Jina threw salt at the spirit. The ghost screamed in agony before disappearing. She was now scared. Sweat rolled down her forehead and fear gripped her mind.

    "What''s going on?" she whispered.

    "AHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

    Another ghost appeared out of nowhere and grabbed her leg. Jina dropped the salt and screamed as she was being dragged through the floor.

    "LET ME GO!" She yelled at a fat clown who wasughing and dragging her along with him. Jina kicked the ghost but it only pulled her further towards her bed with surprising strength. Jina held on to the leg of her desk, trying to fight it off but more ghosts appeared.

    "Come with usбн" they were chanting. "Come with us, priestessбн"

    "AHHHH!"

    Outside, Hobin had just stepped on the corridor when he heard Jina''s screams.

    "Jina?" he whispered and hurried towards her t. Her door did not have an automated lock so he kicked it hard, breaking it down.

    "JINA!"

    She was lying on the floor, unconscious. Hobin quickly scooped her in his arms and carried her into his apartment. Hey her down on his bed and checked her pulse. She was still breathing and her pulse was beating, but she was out cold.

    "Wake up!" he begged, sprinkling some water on her. Hobin was panicked to see her in that state. She was usually so brave and strong. What in the world could have made her like this?

    Jina slowly opened her eyes. Without thinking she leapt into his arms. To Hobin''s shock, she was crying. She was scared and confused, her mind muddled with what she had just experienced.

    Hobin felt a gut wrenching pain which was almost making it hard for him to breathe. Jina was crying hard and he could not do anything to take away her sadness.

    And it was killing him.

    "I''m scaredбн" she sobbed, clutching onto his shirt. "Iбн"

    She felt his warm arms lock her in a tight embrace.

    "Don''t be scared," he consoled her. "I''m here for you. I''ll always be here for you. And I''ll not let anything harm you. I''ll protect you. I promise."

    Jina did not know why he said that but it wasforting her. Crying on his shoulder made her feel safe. Hobin patted her head, not letting her go.

    That''s right, he realized. This is what I''m supposed to do. I''m supposed to protect this woman all my life. That''s why I have these powers.

    "I won''t let anything harm you," he vowed. "Not this time."

 Chapter 140 - The Locket

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    I''m aiming for 5000 privilege unlocks this month so that this book can receive a banner. Please support this book by unlocking as many privilege chapters as possible and support me for spirity!

    I''ll give 10 chapter mass release on 1st October if we reach 5000 privilege unlocks this month <3

    ....

    Junho examined Jina''s apartment carefully. He used an EMF meter and to his shock, it was going berserk. The device in his hand was beeping loudly, indicating that there were ghostly activities going on in there.

    Hobin and Jina stood outside the apartment, waiting for him. Jina did not see any more ghosts but she was still scared. She was never attacked like that before and she was shaken up by the experience. As soon as she calmed down, she called her grandfather to investigate.

    He finally came out of the house.

    "You''re right," he confirmed. "A major spirit activity took ce there. My EMF went crazy even though all the electrical appliances were switched off. I purified the house and put on several charms on the walls. They won''t be able to enter for a while."

    "But why did this happen?" Hobin asked. "Is it normal for ghosts to attack someone like this? Or was it a Poltergeist again?"

    "It wasn''t a Poltergeist," Jina said in a shaky tone. "They were different ghosts. And no. Ghosts don''t attack like this in a group. The ones who attack people are very territorial. They stick to one area and haunt that ce but these ghosts seem to be random."

    "This is making no sense," Junho admitted. "I''ve been in the business for almost fifty years and I''ve never seen ghosts act like this. They can be destructive but for them to attack randomly in a groupбн"

    He nced back at the empty apartment. The unsettling feeling would not go away and he was sure that Jina should not stay alone that night.

    "You shoulde with me for the time being," he told his granddaughter. "Staying here might not be safe. The charms will wear out soon and they''ll attack again."

    Jina was about to protest but Hobin cut through. "He''s right," Hobin said. "You should go and live with your brothers for a few days. Besides, I broke the door. It''ll take time to fix this. If you''re seeing lots of ghosts here, then there''s a chance that they''re targeting you."

    Truthfully, he was not keen on letting her go and preferred to keep her around him all the time. But danger was lurking around her and he could not risk keeping her there. Moreover, she was safe with her grandfather and brothers who would be able to help her out.

    "Fine," Jina agreed reluctantly. "I''ll...I''ll go and live with the twins for a while."

    She nced at Hobin who was impassive. Doesn''t he care that I''m leaving? She wondered.

    "I''ll go and get packed," she said out loud. Jina went back in to pack, leaving the men outside. Junho turned to Hobin and was studying him carefully. Hobin was a little ufortable with the scrutiny.

    "What is it?" he asked.

    "This...this attack was strange," Junho began. "But I also can''t help thinking that maybe there''s a connection which I''m missing here."

    "What do you mean?"

    Hobin was now a little afraid. What sort of connection were they missing?

    "For the past few days, there has been a rise in ghostly activities," Junho revealed. "I''ve been summoned by at least twenty people to get rid of ghosts and possible poltergeists in their houses. Moreover, the case of the cursed painting is also curious. The trail for the painting had gone cold for a while but it reappeared and also changed its style of killing."

    "So?"

    "Hobin, I can''t help but feel that maybe, all this is connected to you as well," Junho revealed. "Are you hiding something from us?"

    "You already know about my powers and even confirmed that I am a human and nothing more," Hobin said curtly. "What else can I hide?"

    Junho was now worried. He was not using Hobin but the boy''s origins were also a mystery.

    "The fact that you fainted during the exorcism is a red g," Junho said bluntly. "I didn''t say anything at that time but I think that the ritual affected you in some way. Don''t you think it''s time that you start questioning your origins? Who were your parents? What were they doing and the mystery of your birth? Aren''t you curious at all?"

    Before Hobin could reply, Jina came out of the apartment, ready to leave.

    "I''ll only stay there for two days," Jina told her grandfather. "And then I''ll return. I don''t wanna stay there for too long."

    Junho nodded and led his granddaughter towards his car. Hobin watched them leave with a heavy heart but Jina turned around.

    "Thanks," she said. "For today."

    "Take care, Tinkerbell," he smiled. "I''ll see you at work."

    Jina smiled back and slowly walked away, leaving him alone. Hobin stood there for a while before going back to his own apartment. Closing the door behind him, he slumped against the door and sighed.

    Even though she would be back within a few days, he was already missing her. He had grown ustomed to her presence and now that she was not around, everything felt empty for him.

    "Miyoo was right," he realized. "I am whipped."

    Hobin walked towards his bed andy on it, staring at the ceiling. Junho''s words were also echoing in his head. He would be lying if he imed that he had not thought whether Junho''s exorcism of Rachel''s poltergeist had affected him that day. In fact, Hobin had been avoiding thinking about that.

    The ritual must have triggered his memories of his past life but Shinho had told him that there was more. Did he have another past life which was affecting him and the people around him?

    Hobin touched his neck and took out a thin, silver chain which was hidden under his shirt. It was a star shaped pendant which his birth mother had left him. His adoptive mother, Doyoung, found it tied to his neck after she brought him from the hospital. There was apparently a note attached to it for Doyoung to not lose this pendant and also to make sure that Hobin wore it all the time.

    It was the only thing his mother had left him.At first he used to think of it as a symbol of her love so that he remembered her but now, he felt that it was something more. Did his mother know that he was going to need this? What was this thing anyway?

    "I have to find out," he decided.

    He was so engrossed in his thoughts, that he did not notice something fluttering outside his window. A small, beautiful blue butterfly was hovering on the windowsill. It floated in the air, watching him before flying away.

 Chapter 141 - The Prince & The Priestess

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    I''m aiming for 5000 privilege unlocks this month so that this book can receive a banner. Please support this book by unlocking as many privilege chapters as possible and support me for spirity!

    I''ll give 10 chapter mass release on 1st October if we reach 5000 privilege unlocks this month <3

    ....

    The me was burning brightly, illuminating the pale face of the girl. She was staring at the mes, her mind numb. A few people in orange garb sat around her in a circle. They were chanting strange words which she did not recognize. Her heart was filled with dread and she was shaking.

    The moon was shining right above her head, mysterious and mystical. It mocked her while the stars were twinkling at the girl''s misery. They had chosen her in a cruel twist of fate and now, she was going to live under their control.

    She was taken to a forest by the vige people. They had dressed her up in the finest hanbok. Her hands were painted with red tattoos and her beautiful face was patted with white powder. The long brown locks were tied in a tight bun attached to a bridal tiara on top of her head. The red dress she wore was a bridal hanbok which was made by the best tailor in the vige.

    Yes. It was her wedding night. She was the bride who had been adorned in the best dress and would soon be sent off to live with her husband. It was supposed to be a happy moment for her.

    But it was far from happy. She was not crying. No. She refused to cry.

    Instead, she sat there like a doll while the five priests of the temple chanted the charm to summon the Prince of Demons.

    Yes, she was to be wed off to the Prince of all Demons. They said that the Demon King had once arrived on Earth and fell in love with a mortal princess. He had imed the Princess as his and she gave birth to his son. The Princess'' brother was the Emperor who had tried to kill the Demon''s spawn but in the process of saving her child, the Princess was killed instead. Before dying she cursed the Emperor that one day, her son would bring havoc on thisnd and destroy everything.

    Upon finding out that his beloved wife had died, the Demon King killed the Emperor and abandoned his throne. He left Hell and abandoned all demons which are now creating havoc on thends.

    The Prince who was rescued by some of the loyal demons was sent to live in a tower deep into the enchanted forest. They say that he ruled over the creatures of the dark, controlling them ording to his whims. The new Emperor was his elder cousin who had an uneasy truce with the Prince of Demons a few years ago. ording to the truce, once the Prince turned twenty five, the kingdom must hand over their most beautiful girl to him as his bride. If they failed, he would destroy the whole empire.

    Why the Prince wanted a bride, no one knew. But he was going to turn 25 that night and they had found him a candidate.

    One of the priests was nervous and he was staring at the girl. She was undoubtedly not just the most beautiful girl in the vige but in the entire kingdom. The moment she was born, the temple had whisked her away.

    No other woman in the kingdom had those features. With striking light brown eyes and matching hair coupled with snowy skin, this girl was the envy of all the other girls in the vige. She had just turned 18 and had lived a sheltered life in the temple.

    The vigers thought she was taken to the temple because of her unusual appearance but that was merely a facade. There was a much bigger reason than that. She was the chosen one, the only person who could save them from the Demon Prince''s terror.

    "Priest Yuan, is it alright to send her to the Demon Prince?" the priest asked the one sitting next to him. ""What if she''s killed?"

    "He demanded a bride and we have no choice but to give her away," Yuan replied. "Priest Jeong, you are thinking too much."

    Jeong pitied the poor girl who was absolutely petrified. The moment she was told that she must marry the dreaded Demon Prince, she had gone numb. Priestesses from the temple consoled her but her fate had been sealed. Once the Demon Prince arrives, she must go with him or risk killing the whole vige.

    The girl did not say anything but her hands gripped her knees. She tried not to show her fear but her heart was betraying her.

    I will be strong, she told herself. I must be strong!

    The priests had brought her to a clearing in the middle of the forest and were performing the summoning ritual. She felt the familiar cold breeze brush by her but she did not shiver. The dark forest was looming around her, dangerously stalking its prey. She was going to be a part of that darkness soon.

    Silence dawned on them except for the priests who kept on chanting inside the circle. Finally, they stopped and the head priest, Ahn, faced her. His cold, calctive eyes were staring at the young girl who did not show a hint of her fear. He was unfeeling and uncaring towards her but only cared about the oue of what she was supposed to do. Her fate had been sealed and someday, she was going to fulfill her destiny.

    "Chun Ailee," he said in a steely tone. "Do you take the Demon''s son as your husband and fulfill the treaty which has been agreed upon?"

    Ailee looked back at him with emotionless eyes. She was not sure what she was supposed to do. All her life, she had been groomed to listen to the elders who made the decisions for her. She never had a say in her destiny nor what it was she should be fulfilling. Ailee simply agreed to everything.

    "I, Chun Ailee, take the Demon Prince as my husband," she said in a clear tone.

    Priest Ahn nodded and stood up. All the priests also stood up and threw water on the mes.

    "We will take our leave," Ahn stated. "You are to remain here until the Demon Princees for you."

    There were no tearful goodbyes nor any words offort. The priests carried out the duties the deities had ordered them to do and they were done. They slowly left the forest, leaving the girl behind.

    Ailee sat there like a statue, not sure of what to do. The moon above her was starting to move and she could guess that time was passing. It was now past midnight and she was still sitting in the dark, wearing the bridal attire. The forest was as silent as ever, making her feel as if she had gone deaf.

    The breaking of a twig startled her and she jumped in fright. Her hands were trembling when she heard a pair of footsteps heading her way. She held her breath and slowly turned her head around towards the direction of the sound.

    A blue light was emitting from the forest and a silhouette appeared in front of her. Hisrge, raven like wings were elegantly spread apart. She could see long ebony hair slightly swaying in the air and in one hand, he carried the bright blue lights which wereing from several fluttering blue butterflies.

    His red eyes were staring directly at the girl who was trying to be brave. She was undoubtedly beautiful with those unique features. Ailee was looking directly at him, her fear being reced by awe. The regal man wore long blue robes. He was very tall and was unlike the stories which depicted him to have a hideous face with scars. Instead, he had a sharp jawline with a slightly tanned skin color. His narrow eyes were shaped like the ones cats have and he was of a broad, fit build. Except for the wings and scarlet eyes, he looked human.

    But Ailee knew that beneath that beautiful face was a ruthless creature of the dark who was going to make her life hell. The Demon Prince loathed humans and she was nothing more than a bargaining tool for him.

    The Prince raised his hand and said in a deep yet cold tone, "Come to me."

    Ailee could not refuse. She was not allowed to. There was no other choice but to obey him because he was now her husband.

    Without another word, she took his hand.

    "Yes, Prince Daesung," she whispered, feeling helpless and trapped. This was her foray into hell and there was no looking back.

 Chapter 142 - A Bride In Her Dreams

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    I''m aiming for 5000 privilege unlocks this month so that this book can receive a banner. Please support this book by unlocking as many privilege chapters as possible and support me for spirity!

    I''ll give 10 chapter mass release on 1st October if we reach 5000 privilege unlocks this month <3

    ....

    Jina''s eyes snapped open. For a moment, her heart was racing fast and she was confused about where she was. The walls were an unfamiliar peach color and she was on a bedrger than the one she usually slept on. Only after seeing Miyoo''s sleeping figure snoring lightly next to her, made her realize that she was not in her t.

    Right, Jina thought. I''m in my aunt''s penthouse.

    She slowly got off the bed, careful not to disturb Miyoo and tiptoed into the bathroom. Once inside, she took several deep breaths to calm herself down.

    "What a strange dream," she muttered. All she remembered was that she was in it, wearing bridal attire. There were a few men sitting around her and they were chanting something. One of them was cold and to some extent, cruel. She could not remember his face clearly but they left her in a forest.

    There was someone else. Another person had emerged from the forest and was walking towards her but she did not see his face. All she could recall was how frightened she felt and that the person approaching her hadrge wings.

    "I''m going crazy!" Jina imed. "First the ghosts and now this weird dream...ugh!"

    She shook all those thoughts away and began to freshen up. Even though she was still shaken up byst night''s incident, she would still have to go to work. There was a demon on the loose and she must find it at all costs.

    Once she was dressed, she came out of the bathroom to find that Miyoo had woken up. The little girl was peering sleepily, feeling cranky.

    "Miyoo, go and brush your teeth," Jina told her. "I''ll drop you off at yschool."

    "Mmmбн" Miyoo pouted. She wanted to sleep more but no one would let her miss school.

    "No pouting! Go and wash yourself."

    Miyoo hopped off the bed and shuffled towards the bathroom, still cranky. Jina put out her uniform and shoes. Her phone beeped and she saw a message from Hobin.

    Instantly, her face went red. She remembered how he held her after rescuing her from the ghosts and evenforted her. Jina felt a little embarrassed that he saw her crying but unlike his usual self, he did not tease her. Instead, he protected her until her grandfather arrived.

    Jina hesitated before opening the message.

    "Breakfast? I''m at the hospital. Stop by here."

    Jina smiled and replied with, "Ok. Gimme an hour."

    Miyoo came out of the bathroom, finished with her business. She yawned as her sister dressed her up for school.

    "We''ll have breakfast outside, okay?" Jina told her sister. Miyoo only yawned and nodded.

    The twins were already gone and Junho was sleeping in his room so Jina left a note and scooped Miyoo in her arms before leaving the house. They got into Jina''s car and sped off towards the hospital.

    бн.

    Jina pulled up in front of the hospital and led Miyoo towards the cafeteria. Miyoo ran towards the freshly baked croissants and drooled over them.

    "Cereal and croissants for the kid," Jina ordered. "Tea and toast for me, please. Also, add an icedtte, chilly cheese croissant and danish pastry as well."

    After spending so much time with Hobin, she knew his breakfast preferences by heart. Mainly due to the fact she paid for it most of the time.

    "Add an Americano and another croissant."

    She looked around to find Siwan standing there, smiling at her. "Your treat, right?" he grinned.

    "Ugh, you two brothers are so alike!" she groaned. "I''m gonna go broke at this rate."

    "You''re an heiress. You''ll get by."

    Jina shook her head in dismay. "You''re on-duty right now?"

    "Nah, I just got off-duty. I''m going home to sleep. Been on night duty for three nights."

    Siwan stooped down to greet Miyoo.

    "Miyoo, are you still binging on candies?" he asked in a stern tone. "Too much candy isn''t good for you, you know."

    "No candy," Miyoo imed. "Miyoo listens to Wanwan!"

    A few days ago Miyoo ate too many candies and had an upset stomach. Siwan treated her that time and since then, he had been constantly badgering her about staying away from sweets. Jina suspected that Miyoo also had a tiny crush on Siwan because she would blush whenever he was around.

    Hobin arrived to see them together and heard Miyoo''s words.

    "If only you''d listen to me," he said loudly to Miyoo. The girl pouted and stuck out her tongue at him.

    "You keep bullying her!" Jinaughed. "And I think she has a crush on Siwan."

    Miyoo was starry eyed, staring at Siwan, making thetterugh. "Let''s grab a table," he suggested. "Otherwise, this one will have another cranky mood."

    They picked up the trays and headed towards an empty table. Miyoo instantly dug into her cereal while the adults talked.

    "Any progress on the case of the murdered student?" Siwan inquired. "I attended a parents'' meeting yesterday as Soobin''s guardian. The parents are not pleased with the school and many of them are thinking of transferring their students elsewhere."

    "We''re trying to find the culprit," Jina sighed. "It seems that some things are missing as well. We''re hoping that we''ll find the criminal and the stolen goods."

    "Speaking of Soobin," Hobin began. "Is everything alright with her? She called me in the morning and asked if she could work the whole week at my office until her school re-opens. Apparently, she took a few days off from the cafe."

    "Really?" Siwan was surprised. She did not say anything about it to him.

    "I''ll call her manager and ask what''s wrong," Siwan stated. "She was doing so fine. I wonder if something is going on and she''s not telling us..."

    Jina was also frowning. Soobin had a bad habit of not telling people what was bothering her. She would have to talk to the girl about it as well.

    Hobin was ncing at her. He wanted to ask if she was alright but did not ask anything in front of Siwan. His brother was still in the dark about Jina''s powers and he did not want to expose her secret to him until Jina was ready to reveal it herself.

    "The school will reopen by next week," Jina said. "The CSI will need five more days to gather all the necessary evidence. After that, the area will be sealed off. The school decided to throw away all the useless goods in the store room and fill the whole ce with cement and bricks. They''ll also sweep the grounds for possibly dangerous animals to ensure the students are safe. This incident had rattled them up. They were just recovering from the bullying issue and now thisбн"

    Siwan nodded. At least the school was willing to do something. They had just finished their breakfast when Jina''s phone rang.

    "Hello, Detective Hwang here," she greeted someone over the phone. Hobin and Siwan watched as the color was sapped out of her face and Jina stood up in shock.

    "What?" she hissed. "Where? How did this happen?"

    She listened carefully to the person on the other end and replied, "I''ll be right there!"

    "What happened?" Hobin demanded once she hung up.

    "The student, Minkyu," Jina began. "You know the one who brought in the stolen painting to the summer festival?"

    "Yeah."

    "He and his family were found dead," she revealed.

 Chapter 143 - The Artists Family

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    I''m aiming for 5000 privilege unlocks this month so that this book can receive a banner. Please support this book by unlocking as many privilege chapters as possible and support me for spirity!

    I''ll give 10 chapter mass release on 1st October if we reach 5000 privilege unlocks this month <3

    ....

    Jina and Hobin sped to Minkyu''s house downtown. They lived in a one storeyed building which was situated at a dested corner of the town. The houses were homogeneous with the same shade of white walls, t tin roofs and simr sizes. Jina and Hobin had to ditch the car because the road leading to Minkyu''s house was very narrow. They spotted the forensic team''s car and several other police vehicles were also parked in a cramped parking lot right outside the locality.

    Arge crowd had gathered around the house and were murmuring to themselves. They were curious about the murders and despite the warnings from cops, the crowd did not disperse.

    "Clear this area!" Jina ordered the officers. "They can contaminate the crime scene!"

    The officers were pushing back the crowd while Jina and Hobin entered the small house.

    As soon as they entered, they saw the bodies of three people, lying on the floor. They were in different parts of the house. Minkyu''s father was on the couch while his mother was lying near the kitchen. Minkyu was at the foot of his bedroom door.

    Jiwoon spotted Jina and approached her. "The victims were shot by a rifle," she informed them. "All of them were found dead by the neighbor who had stopped by to borrow something from them."

    "This is strange," Hobin said. "The houses here are stacked together. Didn''t anyone see or hear anything? If a rifle was used, someone must have heard something!"

    "The neighbors imed they didn''t hear anything," Jiwoon replied.

    "What about enemies?" Jina asked. "Did this family have any enemies or discord with others?"

    "We''re finding out," Jiwoon replied. "But I doubt they have any. Look at this ce. They didn''t have anything of value here."

    She was right. The house Koo Minkyu lived in was probably a rent controlled apartment with very little belongings. They only had a few possessions like a couch, TV and refrigerator in the living room but there was no dining table.

    The kitchen only had some basic appliances while the family members lived in one room which was separated by a partition. Minkyu''s room had a single desk, a closet and amp while his parents owned only a dresser and a wall closet. The family slept on the ground with futons and quilts. They even shared the same bathroom.

    "Something isn''t right," Hobin frowned. "This boy studied in Dalton, one of the most expensive schools in the country. And he wasn''t on a schrship. Then howe they lived like this?"

    "Apparently, the boy was admitted to Dalton thanks to histe grandfather," Jiwoon stated. "I checked the documents. He had stipted a massive amount for his grandson''s education and the parents used it to pay the tuition fees."

    "Who was his grandfather?" Jina asked.

    "The documents stated that his grandfather''s name was Kok Gwangwoo," Jiwoon revealed. "He was Minkyu''s maternal grandfather and had painted a very famous painting. The original one is lost but they receivedmission from its sales. That money was used solely for Minkyu''s education."

    "Gwangwoo?"

    Jina and Hobin looked at each other. Their hunch was right; Minkyu was rted to the original painter. Hobin immediately began to venture further into the house. He sniffed the air as if seeking out a scent untilбн

    "Bingo!" he muttered. He kneeled over to check a small venttor in Minkyu''s room where he could smell the familiar rotten eggs.

    "Forensic!" he yelled. "I need someone here!"

    One of the forensic officers rushed over. "Do a sulphur test in this area," Hobin instructed.

    "Yes!" the officer replied. Hobin put on his gloves as the officer took out acetate paper and began to test for sulphur content in the air. He watched as the forensic officer produced a me using a burner and put drops of hydrogen peroxide on the paper before conducting the me test.

    They waited for a while as the paper started to change color. The white acetate paper was now a dark brown color.

    "There''s sulphur in this area, sir," the forensic expert concluded. "I''ll take the sample to theb."

    "Hm," Hobin nodded. It was just like he had suspected. There was a demonic activity in that house.

    He went back to Jina, who was now examining Minkyu''s body. There was an expression of shock and surprise on thed''s face. But there was something else.

    "He shot himself," she stated. "The bullet pierced the underside of his chin and passed through his skull."

    "Another murder-suicide?" Hobin suggested. "By the way, I smelled Sulphur in the venttor."

    "But the painting is not here," Jina pointed out. "Then how was this guy possessed?"

    Hobin was now thinking hard. "Follow me," he said.

    He led Jina out of the house and once they were outside of earshot, he turned to her.

    "I think this was an act of revenge," he said. "The demon is angry that Minkyu and his family got rid of his painting. They thought that by getting rid of it, they could be freed but their act only angered it. So he arrived here and killed him."

    "But how did he possess Minkyu?" Jina asked. "After that day, he never touched the painting again."

    "Two theories," Hobin said. "One, Minkyu was already possessed when he got rid of the painting. It seems unlikely though. If he was possessed then the demon would have done everything in its power to stop him from getting rid of the artwork."

    "Second theory is that the demon somehow controls its victims. I''m not sure about the powers a demon possesses but hypothetically, I''m assuming that the demon can control his victims as well. Maybe hypnotize them and make them kill others before the victimmits suicide. If the demon can roam freely then it might have found its way back here."

    "Noбн" Jina said. "It dide here but not on its own. If the painting is the demon''s vessel, then it can''t travel far from it. A full bred demon always needs a host or a body to live in otherwise they can''t travel easily in the world of living humans. Otherwise, we''ll see demons possess everyone recklessly and make this ce as bad as hell."

    "But," she went on. "It can possess other people and make that person take it to ces. As long as its original vessel is safe, the demon can possess other people. Some demons even have human servants who serve them in return for money, power, fame and all that. So if the painting is safe, the demon can possess the nearest human being and make him do its bidding. It''s then free to use its powers on other people too."

    "In that case, the demon might have found a human being to possess," Hobin concluded. "Using him, the demon came here and hypnotized Minkyu into killing his family and then himself. Perfect revenge."

    Jina was now disgusted and worried. If the demon was loose, there was no telling what it was going to do.

    "If we could only find out where it is!" she eximed in frustration.

    "I don''t think it''s far," Hobin stated. "All we have to do is figure out its MO."

    "It''s a murder-suicide!" Jina frowned. "That''s the demon''s MO."

    But Hobin shook his head. "I don''t think so," he said slowly. "I think we''re wrong. The MO isn''t murder-suice but something else. Once we figure out the MO, we can catch that bastard in no time."

    Jina bit her lower lip. Hobin was right. The demon did not change his MO but they were chasing the wrong one.

    Where is it? She wondered again.

 Chapter 144 - Doorbells

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    I''m aiming for 5000 privilege unlocks this month so that this book can receive a banner. Please support this book by unlocking as many privilege chapters as possible and support me for spirity!

    I''ll give 10 chapter mass release on 1st October if we reach 5000 privilege unlocks this month <3

    ....

    Duho was panting hard as he stared at himself in the mirror. His forehead was matted with sweat and he stood in the middle of the dimly lit room, scared of what was going on. He woke up that morning with a blood stained shirt and several bee stings on his hand. His mind was fuzzy and he could recall what he did thest night.

    "What the fuck?" he eximed. He stared at his yellow t-shirt which was now tainted with the scarlet blood. How did this happen?

    "I was at Soobin''s cafe," he recalled. "Yes. I was standing outside her cafe and was about to enter but after that, I cked out. And I ended up hereбн"

    Duho was now scared and nervous. No matter how hard he tried, he could not recollect his memories after he cked out. What did I do? He wondered in panic.

    Suddenly, his ears were buzzing with whispers. He looked around to see if anyone was in his t but there was no one. Even the TV was switched off. Yet, he could hear the whispers of someone with a nasal voice.

    "Get your heart''s desireбн" the voice whispered in his ears. "I can give them to youбн"

    "Who''s there?" Duho demanded but the voices stopped. Everything was clear and silent once again.

    бн..

    That night, Soobin was babysitting Miyoo again. Junho had gone to check Jina''s apartment and afterwards, he would visit his friend, Bomi for some work. Minyoon was away at a shooting while Yoonmin was at an important meeting but he had promised that he was going to return soon. It was only Miyoo and her in the penthouse.

    "Done?" Soobin asked Miyoo once the child had finished dinner. Soobin had cooked tuna soup and mushroom sd that night which Miyoo relished a lot. Miyoo nodded.

    "Good girl!" Soobinplimented her. "You''re so easy to babysit. I don''t know why grandpa Junho said that you get cranky."

    "Miyoo good," the child agreed, making Soobin smile. She washed the dishes and put them away when the doorbell rang.

    That must be Yoonmin, Soobin thought with a slight blush. After the disastrous summer festival, it was going to be the first time they would spend some time together. Soobin would be lying if she imed that she was not looking forward to their rtionship but she was also too shy to admit it.

    But Miyoo froze in her seat. She felt strange and fidgeted in her seat. Something was not right and she could feel it. Slowly, she turned her attention towards Soobin, who was about to open the front door.

    "No!"

    Miyoo ran towards her and jumped to Soobin''s thigh, slightly biting it.

    "Huh?" Soobin blinked in surprise. That was Miyoo''s way of saying that she was scared. The twins and grandpa Junho had given her specific instructions that whenever Miyoo did that, she must listen to the girl no matter what.

    "Don''t," Miyoo said in a small tone. "Don''t."

    "Don''t do what, Miyoo?" Soobin asked. Miyoo could not express it properly but there was a look of genuine dread on her face as if she was trying to warn Soobin.

    The doorbell rang again and Miyoo only held her thigh hard. Her eyes were on the door as if she sensed danger lurking there. Soobin was confused because she did not feel any such thing but then, her eyes went to the small space between the door and the floor. Her eyes widened in shock.

    Even though the doorbell was ringing, there was no shadow of a person behind the door.

    Gulping hard, Soobin picked up a baseball bat which was kept in an umbre stand near the door.

    "Miyoo, stay behind me!" she whispered. The doorbell was now getting louder and more frequent as if the person behind the door was getting impatient.

    "Don''tбн" Miyoo begged. Soobin did not open the door but raised the baseball bat higher.

    The doorbells had stopped and an eerie silence had fallen around them. Soobin did not dare to open the door but she stepped forward to peer through the peephole.

    "Binbinбн" Miyoo was now crying, scared of what was going to happen. Soobin took out her phone and dialed Yoonmin''s number. She gave the phone to Miyoo.

    "Miyoo, if anything happens, tell Yoonmin toe here as fast as possible, okay?" Soobin instructed her. Miyoo nodded and Soobin turned towards the door again. She was shaking as she looked through the hole.

    "Hello?" Yoonmin''s voice came out of the phone''s speaker. "Soobin? What''s going on?"

    Soobin did not immediately reply but was observing the situation outside. There was no one there but she kept on staring through the hole in case someone turned up. Maybe I''m hallucinating, she thought.

    Suddenly, a red pupil appeared out of nowhere, startling her.

    "AHHHHH!" screamed and fell backwards. Miyoo rushed to her side and there were loud bangs on the door. Both the girls were scared while Yoonmin''s voice was heard through the phone.

    "Soobin, what''s going on?" he demanded. He heard her scream but she was not answering him. "Soobin? SOOBIN?"

    Yoonmin was now scared. What was going on? He heard the loud banging on the front door as if someone was trying to break it down. He heard Soobin and Miyoo cry out loud, both of them in grave danger.

    "Yoonie!" Miyoo''s voice came through the phone. "Door! Door!"

    Before she could say anything else, the phone was disconnected. Yoonmin stood up from his seat. He was in the middle of an investor''s meeting and everyone of the attendees were shocked to see him so scared.

    "I''ll have to end this meeting here!" he dered. "My secretary will give you the new schedule!"

    With that, he ran out of the meeting room and headed straight for the parking lot. He did not even bother to take the elevator but ran all the way from the eleventh floor using the stairs. Getting into the car, he stepped hard on the pedal, not caring about anyws as he drove off. After hearing Soobin''s screams and Miyoo''s panicked warnings, nothing else mattered to him.

    He took out his phone and called his sister.

    "What is it, Yoonmin?" Jina asked.

    "Sis, drop everything and go to the penthouse, now!"

    "Huh? Why? And I hear the car''s engine! Are you driving?"

    "I don''t have time!" he eximed. "Soobin and Miyoo are in danger! Go there, now!"

    Hearing that, Jina did not waste another second.

    "I''ming!" she said and hung up. Yoonmin sped past the traffic to reach home at all costs.

    Please be safe, he prayed. Just be safe and sound!

 Chapter 145 - A Break-In

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    I''m aiming for 5000 privilege unlocks this month so that this book can receive a banner. Please support this book by unlocking as many privilege chapters as possible and support me for spirity!

    I''ll give 10 chapter mass release on 1st October if we reach 5000 privilege unlocks this month <3

    ....

    Jina and Yoonmin rushed to the penthouse as soon as they could. Yoonmin arrived first and he sprinted up the stairs all the way to the top floor. To his shock, the door of the penthouse was ripped apart!

    "Fuck!" he cursed and ran inside, panting as he looked for the girls.

    "Soobin?" he yelled. "Miyoo?"

    The house looked fine. The furniture was in its proper ce and nothing was broken nor missing. Then what could have happened? Why were they screaming? And who the hell ripped the door apart like that?

    He looked for them in the living room but they were not there. The girls were not in the bedrooms either and he was about to call Jina when he heard a slow whimpering from the kitchen. He slowly approached the source which was from the cab under the sink.

    "Soobin? Miyoo? Are you there?"

    "Yoonmin?" Soobin''s gasp came from it. "Is that you?"

    She slowly opened the cab. Miyoo was with her, holding Soobin while there was a baseball bat in thetter''s hands. Both of them were pale and terrified.

    "Yoonie!" Miyoo cried and hugged her brother while Soobin climbed out of the cab. She was shaken as if she had seen something very scary.

    "Miyoo is scared!" Soobin panted. "Let''s calm her down first and then I''ll tell you what happened."

    Yoonmin nodded and it took them almost fifteen minutes to calm her down. They heard someone mbering in through the front door only to see that it was Jina, Hobin, Minyoon and Junho. They were all notified of Soobin''s pleas for help and responded immediately.

    "What the hell?" Minyoon whispered. They were examining the door which was not simply broken apart but there were w marks on it. It was as if an animal had pounced on it, ready to kill whoever was inside. Jina rushed by Miyoo''s side while the others were checking the state of the door.

    "I''ll investigate this," Hobin told him. "Don''t touch anything!"

    He put on his gloves and checked the broken door. Junho also stooped down, running his EMF over it. The device was pointing at red, indicating demonic activity.

    "Are there w marks?" Minyoon winced. "Just like what happened at school?"

    "Probably," Hobin muttered. Minyoon was about to touch the wood but Hobin pped his palm.

    "Don''t touch anything!" he scolded the idol who scowled at him. Junho was sniffing the air.

    "You smell that?" he asked. Hobin nodded.

    "Sulphur."

    They stood up, both understanding what might have happened. Jina brought a ss of water for the terrified girls. Miyoo ws wrapped in a nket while Yoonmin put his jacket around Soobin and had his arm around her shoulders.

    "What happened?" Jina asked her. "Who attacked you?"

    "It all happened so quickly," Soobin whispered. "M-Miyoo and I were having dinner when the d-d-doorbell r-r-ang! I thought it was Yoonmin so I was about to open it. B-b-but Miyoo bit my leg and I know it''s her signal to say that she''s scaredбн"

    "Anyway, I didn''t open the door but the person behind it got really mad. I asked who it was but he wouldn''t reply. S-s-s-so I picked up the bat and peered through the hole. But there was no one there! I couldn''t see anyone at first until suddenly, a red eye stared back at me!"

    "And then, within a second, A strange w-like thing stabbed the door from outside. It ripped the wood off and we screamed. I took Miyoo and ran into the kitchen. We hid under the cab there. In the process, we called Yoonmin."

    "Did he enter the house? Did you see him?"

    "No," Soobin said, shaking her head. "He didn''t enter the house. We heard the door being broken apart but I think that person was just standing at the entrance. I heard him shuffling outside. He seemed to be...trying to enter but couldn''t. I don''t know why. And I was so scared that I couldn''t see his face at all!"

    Yoonmin shared a nce with Jina. The charms Junho put up must have stopped this intruder.

    "Anything else that you can remember?" Jina gently pressed but Soobin shook her head.

    "I can''t remember anything else," she admitted. "We were hiding under the sink. We couldn''t see anything else."

    Jina nodded and stood up. "I''ll call Siwan and inform him about this," she told Soobin. "Hobin and I will take you home, okay?"

    "I can drive her-" Yoonmin was about to offer but his sister''s re shut him up. Soobin, however, spoke up.

    "Sis, I think it''s best if you stay with Miyoo," she suggested. "Doctor Ohm and Yoonmin can drop me home."

    Jina sighed, unable to refuse the girl when she made a request so earnestly. Besides, she would probably rather have her boyfriendfort her. Moreover, Miyoo was also very distressed. She was quiet but shivering in fright. To think that she had sensed a demon that day for the first time must have been traumatizing for her. She needed her sister with her.

    "Fine," Jina agreed. "Thank you, Soobin. For protecting Miyoo."

    Soobin was sheepish and mumbled, "I tried my best."

    Yoonmin sighed. The idiot girl kept on inviting danger at the cost of her own life. He would have to talk to her about this but it was not the right time.

    "Let''s go," he said.

    She nodded and gave Miyoo onest hug before leaving with Yoonmin. Hobin was waiting for them and followed them to Yoonmin''s car.

    As soon as they were gone, Jina turned to Miyoo and tucked her in bed. Miyoo was scared but very tired as well so she went to sleep immediately. Downstairs, Junho was checking all the charms in the house.

    "What was that thing?" Minyoon asked his grandfather. "Why did it attack Soobin and Miyoo?"

    "A demon," Junho revealed. "As for why it attacked the girls, we''ll have to ask it ourselvesбн"

    Jina joined them in the living room, bbergasted. "This seems to be the doing of the same demon," she stated. "The one who killed the kid at school and also behind the murder-suicide cases!"

    "Seems to be that way," Junho agreed. He sat on the couch, thinking. Minyoon, however, had many questions.

    "But how did that demon get here? And why did he attack us? It makes no sense!"

    "The demon must have found a host body to upy," Junho replied. "It has to be someone from the school. A teacher or a student, perhaps."

    "Why did it attack our house? Is it targeting Dalton kids?"

    "I doubt it," Jina said. "The other victims of the murder-suicide weren''t from Dalton."

    The three of them were silent for a while, thinking about possible connections. But they could note up with anything conclusive.

    "I''ve called my team," Jina finally said. "Let''s see what we can find out. The cops will investigate so don''t roam here."

    The men nodded and they sat there, waiting for the cops. Junho looked at the clock. It was nearly midnight.

    For some reason, he could not help but wonder if the demon was targeting his family. What if it sensed Jina? Or Miyoo? Was that the reason it arrived in their house? Or was it something else?

    I need to find out, he decided.

 Chapter 146 - Kang Mansion (1)

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    I''m aiming for 5000 privilege unlocks this month so that this book can receive a banner. Please support this book by unlocking as many privilege chapters as possible and support me for spirity!

    I''ll give 10 chapter mass release on 1st October if we reach 5000 privilege unlocks this month <3

    ....

    Soobin sat at the back, still shaking. Hobin was driving the car with Yoonmin next to him. Thetter kept on ncing at Soobin every few seconds to make sure that she was alright. Her face was stony and she did not seem to be her usual cheerful self.

    "We''ll catch the culprit," Yoonmin assured her. "My sister already called the cops."

    Soobin was startled. His voice broke her reverie.

    "Huh? What?"

    "I said that we''ll catch the culprit," Yoonmin repeated.

    "Oh. I''m just d Miyoo is safeбн"

    "That was some quick thinking," Hobin remarked. "Grabbing her and hiding in the kitchen instead of the bedrooms. I see that you''ve been reading the books I gave you."

    Soobin borrowed some books on basic psychology from him which detailed many survival instincts. One of them included scenarios on how to survive a burry. It pointed out how the kitchen is the safest ce of a house because it gives a victim ess to possible sharp weapons and spices which could be used on the attacker. Soobin was d she read that part and was able to make a quick judgment call.

    "But you''re also not very careful when ites to yourself," Yoonmin pointed out. "At the fair, you didn''t scream out loud when Duho attacked you. And at the orphanage, you went flying at the criminal."

    "At least I caught her," Soobin muttered but Hobin agreed with Yoonmin.

    "He''s right. You don''t take very good care of yourself. You didn''t even tell us when you were living alone. Protecting people is a good quality, Soobin. But jumping mindlessly into a dangerous situation is in stupidity."

    Soobin was now feeling ashamed and fidgeted with her fingers. She did not want to trouble everyone but it seemed that by staying quiet, she was troubling them even more.

    "I''m sorry," she apologized. "I''ll be more careful. I promise!"

    Yoonmin gave her a stiff nod and then turned to Hobin. "Is Doctor Kang home?" he asked.

    "Bro is on night duty again," Hobin sighed. "I''ll stay at the mansion tonight since someone needs to look after Soobin. I''ll have the chauffeur drive you back home."

    "I want to stay tonight!" Yoonmin insisted. "That''s my girlfriend and she''s hurt! I should stay as well!"

    "Young love is great, but no. I can''t allow that."

    "I''ll sleep on the road then! But I''m not going."

    Yoonmin red at Hobin, determined to stay around Soobin as long as possible. He was not going to let her out of his sight until she was calm. Hobin stopped the car in front of the Kang mansion.

    "If I find you anywhere near her room, I will throw you out and tell your sister about it," Hobin threatened. "Got it?"

    "Says the guy who sticks to my sister like a satellite," Yoonmin muttered with a scowl. Soobin stared at them for a minute before bursting into soft giggles.

    "You two are weird!" sheughed. The men frowned at her. All of them got out of the car and headed towards the mansion. Yoonmin had never been to the Kang mansion but he had heard of the ce. It was a modern French style architecture with white marbled walls and jade ck nted roof. A colorful fountain stood in the middle of therge garden and the mansion itself stretched to almost 17 acres ofnd.

    Inside, the Bavarian floors were shining brightly, kept spotlessly clean. The opulent state had a spiral staircase which led to all the floors. A formal living room was next to the front entrance while a smaller, informal living room was right across the hall. As soon as Hobin entered, a camera sensor identified him and a voice echoed around the mansion.

    "Wee home, Master Hobin," the robotic voice announced. The camera then turned on Soobin and scanned her.

    "Wee home, Miss Soobin."

    When the camera turned to Yoonmin, the voice announced, "Unidentified male. Please state your name and fingerprint into the system."

    Yoonmin was familiar with the system which was also installed in their real mansion as well. Other people might be awed by the Kangs'' elegant house but he was unfazed. For some reason, it felt stuffy to him and too white.

    He inputted his name and prints before entering the house.

    "It''s a nice ce, isn''t it?" Soobin remarked at him.

    "It''s okay," he shrugged. "Too lonely for my taste."

    "Is your mansion in the city bigger?" Soobin frowned.

    She had heard they had a mansion somewhere in the Capital but the siblings barely go there anymore unless their parents were home. Yoonmin imed that it felt too big for them but Soobin knew that they simply missed their parents and did not want to live there without them.

    Before Yoonmin could reply, Hobin said, "Doesn''t matter how big a mansion is, it''s all useless if you can''t make it a home. If you can''t make this mansion a home, then it''s just brick and mortar no matter how great it looks."

    The teenagers did not understand why Hobin said that about his own house but he did not borate.

    "You can take the guest room downstairs," Hobin told Yoonmin. "I''ll take the couch here."

    "Why are you taking the couch?" Soobin asked curiously. "You can go rest in your room. I''m fine!"

    "I don''t have a room here," Hobin stated. Without another word, he waved them goodnight and went straight to the smaller living room.

    "That guy is weird," Yoonmin muttered. Soobin nodded.

    Inside the smaller living room, Hobin felt his hands shaking. He was trying not to show his fear but now that he was alone, he could not hide his true feelings anymore. The mansion walls seemed to be closing in on him, whispering things.

    "You don''t belong hereбн"

    "You should have diedбн"

    "...This is my house...DIE! DIE! DIE!"

    Hobin shut his eyes and ears, trying to block out those memories. His fear of this ce had strengthened after he regained his memories and now, he was barely trying to contain himself.

    He opened his eyes and stared at his reflection on the ss table in front of him. His pupils were turning red and he was breathing heavily.

    "Stopбн" he ordered himself. "Don''t wake up! Just stopбн"

 Chapter 147 - A Discovery

    Jiwoon was at her desk, studying the case file in front of her. She was frowning as she looked at the murder-suicide cases and her head was spinning. Just then, Jaebum and Dahoon had returned from their night duty at Jina''s house.

    "How''s the situation there?" she asked. "Are they alright?"

    "They''re fine, Second Boss," Jaebum sighed. "But man, I''ve never seen anything like it! The door was literally wed by an animal!"

    "Animal?"

    "Yeah!" Dahoon replied. "It was crazy! We went to the house and found that the door was totally ripped apart with ws. We searched for metal residue in case it was done with some sorta metal instrument but the CSI experts said they only found w marks and hair residue. Theb is testing it right now."

    "What we did find out, however, is that the w marks are simr to the ones we found on the Dalton kid," Jaebum said. He put forward a document which the CSI gave him about their initial report. Jiwoon read it and was stunned.

    "Does the Boss know this?" She asked.

    "She does. She''s now re-investigating that case as well. The witness was their babysitter and she came over this morning to give her testimony again."

    He recounted what Soobin told him about the doorbell and the red eye. Jiwoon frowned.

    "What sort of animal will ring the doorbell before attacking?" Dahoon scoffed.

    "A human," Jiwoon simply said. "Give me the files on the Dalton case. I''ll go through them again. I want the pictures as well."

    She paused before asking, "Where are we on the details of that painting which was stolen?"

    "I emailed it to you," Dahoon replied. "I didn''t get to read it much but whatever I could collect on the painting, I''ve sent it to you."

    "Hm," Jiwoon said. "Get to work."

    She turned to herputer and opened the file. Instantly, the picture of a strange painting with snakes and forest fire came on her screen. The painting was really creepy and for some reason, Jiwoon felt a strange vibeing from it.

    "Who the hell would buy this?" she wondered. She read the details of the painting.

    "Created by artist Kok Gwangwoo, this painting is one of the greatest masterpieces of this generation. Gwangwoo imed that the inspiration for it came to him one night and he knew that he must paint it immediately. One thing led to another and he was up all night, finishing his creation. In fact, he imed that he finished painting it in one night. Art experts agree with the im because the brushstrokes and age of the color residue indicate that it was painted in one consistent motion. Calling it his greatest creation, Kok Gwangwoo named it ''Beezan''..."

    Jiwoon did a double take. Beezan?

    She quickly took out one of her earlier murder-suicide cases. Flipping through the pages, she came across the testimony she took from Baro and nced through the lines. Baro had clearly stated he heard this name when Jongwha was murdering his family next door.

    Jiwoon went back to the articles on the Park family murder-suicide and studied them carefully. One particr thing caught her eye. It was the same painting.

    "This paintingбн" she whispered. "It was at the Park residence! And also at the school. The original creator''s family is now dead tooбн"

    Everything was rted to this painting. Jiwoon was not hundred percent sure yet but she decided to open the case files of the previous murder-suicides and look into them to see if this painting was bought by any of the families.

    Is someone trying to steal this painting? She wondered. But how did they make one of the family members kill the rest andmit suicide? Some kind of drug?

    "I must find out," she decided.

    бн.

    Duho was standing outside the hospital where Soobin worked. He was wearing a long hoodie and thickyers of clothes. Even though it was summer time, he was feeling very cold for the past few days. He could not stop shivering at all but was religiously following his beloved.

    "Soobinбн" he whispered. "Come to me, my love."

    "Go to herбн" a voice in his head spoke. "Go and make her yours. Be with her, forever. Don''t you want her?"

    "I want her," Duho said. "I do. I want us to be together."

    "If she''s not yours now, then make her yours," the voice egged him. "Go...go to herбн"

    бн

    Inside the hospital, Soobin sat at a small reception area right outside Hobin''s office. Her hair was tied in a tight bun and she was going through Hobin''s appointments for that day. She pressed the inte.

    "Doctor Ohm, your 3 o''clock patient had to cancel for today," she told him. "She wants to reschedule for tomorrow at 11 AM."

    "Alright," Hobin''s voice came from the other end. "Tell her to bring her prescriptions as well. I''ll have to look at her progress report too. Bring it to me."

    "Yes doctor!"

    Soobin hung up and was looking for the report when someone approached the desk. Thinking it to be a patient, she looked up to greet them only for her smile to fade.

    "Duho?" she blinked in surprise. Duho was standing there, staring directly at her. But his cute looks were marred with dark circles and his skin was a pasty pale color as if he had not slept for weeks. His hair was also thinner and he seemed to have lost a lot of weight in a matter of a few days.

    "What are you doing here?" she asked, feeling a little alert. "Are you here to meet Doctor Ohm?"

    "Soobin...just give me one chance!" he begged. "I need to talk to you! Just let me-"

    At that moment, the inte rang again. Soobin turned to answer it.

    "I''m still waiting for the report," Hobin told her. "Where are you?"

    "I''ming, Doctor Ohm!" Soobin replied, feeling flustered. "I was just-"

    She nced behind her but Duho was gone. He had disappeared and she was suddenly a little scared.

    What the hell is the matter with him? She wondered. Shaking the ominous feeling away, she picked up the file and headed into Hobin''s cabin.

    I''ll tell this to Yoonmin, she thought.

 Chapter 148 - What He Saw

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    I''m aiming for 5000 privilege unlocks this month so that this book can receive a banner. Please support this book by unlocking as many privilege chapters as possible and support me for spirity!

    I''ll give 10 chapter mass release on 1st October if we reach 5000 privilege unlocks this month <3

    ....

    Jina quickly rushed to the ce where Jiwoon had told her to meet. It was the same ce where Jongwha was killed. She ran down the corridor of Jongwha''s floor where Jiwoon was standing.

    "What is it?" Jina asked. "What did you find?"

    Jiwoon was holding a photo album and she handed it to Jina. "The painting we''re looking for from the Dalton case is also rted to this murder-suicide," she revealed. "I think that there''s a connection between the cases and the painting."

    Jina sighed inwardly. She was not surprised that Jiwoon made the connection because she had been working for a long time on the case. It was inevitable.

    "The painting is called Beezan," Jiwoon went on. "I''ve already confirmed it with the witness from the Park''s case. I also think that whoever is behind all these murders, is the one who attacked your house yesterday night."

    "I know about the w marks but it still doesn''t make sense," Jina muttered. She shut the file and faced Jiwoon. "My family doesn''t have any copies of this painting. Then why would the killer try to break into my house?"

    Jiwoon thought hard. "Who else was in the house at that time?"

    "My sister and the babysitter, Soobin. Do you remember her? The girl from the orphanage murder?"

    "I doбн" Jiwoon trailed off. She was still a little bothered. There was something wrong but they could not figure out what it was.

    "We should tell the school to send a memo to the students and teachers," Jiwoon suggested. "That if they find this painting, they must return it immediately. Or if they have news about it, they should let us know. After all, it is an expensive painting. I don''t think it''ll work but we might get some news about it."

    "I''ll tell them," Jina nodded. "And let''s-"

    A door nearby opened and to their surprise, Siwan came out of the apartment next to the Park''s.

    "Thank you so much doctor for stopping by," Baro''s mother was saying. "He feels much better now!"

    The sounds of children ying wereing from the apartment. It seemed that there was some sort of celebratory party going on.

    "Don''t worry about it," Siwan said with a smile. "Thank you for inviting me. I hope he feels better now."

    He thanked her and turned to leave when he spotted the two detectives. His face lit up when he saw Jina.

    "What are you doing here?" Jina asked.

    "Baro''s mother invited me to his birthday party," he informed her. "Since he''s no longer my patient, I epted the invitation."

    "Did you meet Soobin? How''s she doing?" Jina asked.

    "I talked with her in the morning. She''s scared but is determined not to let it affect her. The incident was frightening. Is your sister okay?"

    "Miyoo was bouncing around on her grandfather''sp today," Jina sighed. "She''s fine! She was a little scaredst night but she''ll be over it. Your brother gave us strict orders not to leave her alone even for a second. He''ll even give her a free therapy session today which my grandfather agreed to without any hesitationбн"

    Siwan chuckled at that. Everyone knew about the love Hwang family held for free stuff and discounts. He then turned to Jiwoon and greeted her.

    "I see you''re here too, Detective," he remarked. "Are both of you here to investigate this case?"

    "Yes," Jiwoon replied. "Is Baro doing well?"

    "He is. He even asked about you. Maybe you should stop by and say hi to him."

    "I''ve already stopped by earlier and gave him a present," Jiwoon stated. "Anyways. I should get going. I need to check the transaction records of the past victims."

    With that, she left them alone.

    "She doesn''t talk much, does she?" Siwan asked.

    "She''s a little reserved," Jina agreed. "But she''s my right hand woman!"

    "It''s kinda strangeбн"

    "What''s so strange?"

    Siwan was pondering hard. "I feel like I''ve seen her somewhere," he admitted. "Long before you introduced us. I feel like I''ve met her before but I can''t remember at all."

    "Really?" Jina frowned. They were now stepping into the elevator. "You''ve met her before? Could be possible. None of us really know much about Jiwoon''s past. She never told us."

    "You worked with her for years and you don''t know anything about her?"

    "I only know that the Commissioner taught her at the Police Academy," Jina shrugged. "Besides, she''s notfortable talking about it. I felt that maybe it''s too traumatizing for her. Hence, we never asked."

    "Uh huh...Anyways! Where are you heading now? Did you bring your car? Should I drop you off?"

    "To the hospital, actually. I need to check up on Soobin. Yoonmin has my car so do you mind giving me a lift?"

    "Let''s go then!"

    The elevator came to a stop and they headed for Siwan''s car. Jina got into the passenger''s seat while Siwan sat in the driver''s seat. He revved up the engine and they sped towards the hospital.

    "I hope Hobin is not getting too obsessed with the cases," Siwan said. "He tends to go overboard with his theories."

    "He''s doing fine so far," Jina informed him. "But why did you make such a strange request? What happened to him in the Wang Taehee case?"

    Siwan was silent for a while. He was reluctant to discuss what he had seen and what Hobin was capable of doing. For the first time in many years, he was scared but not of his brother. He was scared for his brother.

    "Is it something to do with his abilities?" Jina revealed. She decided to be upfront with Siwan about Hobin and his memory reading abilities.

    The car came to an abrupt stop and Siwan was shocked. How did she know?

    As if reading his mind, Jina said, "I found out while working the orphanage case with him. He...he ended up revealing it to me. I didn''t tell anyone else. But if you want me to stop Hobin from investigating Wang Taehee''s case, then you''ll have to tell me."

    She was staring at him, demanding answers. Siwan debated for a while before letting out a deep breath.

    "I think...I think that the memory reading is only part of Hobin''s powers but not all of it," he admitted.

    "Why do you think that?"

    "Because on the night of Wang Taehee''s execution," he began. "I saw Hobin''s true form."

 Chapter 149 - I Will Save You

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    I''m aiming for 5000 privilege unlocks this month so that this book can receive a banner. Please support this book by unlocking as many privilege chapters as possible and support me for spirity!

    I''ll give 10 chapter mass release on 1st October if we reach 5000 privilege unlocks this month <3

    ....

    *shback*

    The rain was pouring hard, blurring his vision. Roads were slippery with water but he kept on driving at a very high speed. It was dangerous to drive like that but there was no other option; he must reach his brother at all costs.

    "Siwan, I can''t reach Hobin at all!" his mother had said over the phone. "I''m scared! What if something happens to him?"

    His mother''s words were haunting him. He left behind everything and was rushing to his brother. The radio in the car was on and a news report was shing through it.

    "The infamous serial killer, Cleaver, has been executed at 6 PM today," the reporter was saying. "This is the first execution in the country in nearly 60 years and a specialw has been passed to override the prohibition of death penalty for the Cleaver for her heinous crimes. The culprit was Wang Taehee, 42, and the mother of four who has been killing for the past fifteen years by-"

    In frustration, he turned off the radio. He did not want to hear the news anymore but was scared of what Hobin was going through. It was the first time his brother had lost a case and Hobin never took defeats lightly.

    Siwan honked at some cars, speeding past several of them. Some of the drivers cursed at him.

    "WATCH IT!" One truck driver screamed when Siwan narrowly missed colliding with the truck but he did not care. He must get to Hobin.

    He stopped in front of their building and rushed out, sprinting through the rain. The thunder cackled above him as if indicating that something bad was going to happen. Siwan ran towards the elevator and punched the button.

    "Come on!" he yelled at the lift, feeling impatient. It was too slow for him. "Fuck!"

    He ditched the elevator and ran towards the stairs. In his hurry, he dashed up, climbing almost thirty floors. His legs were aching and his heart was beating fast. Siwan ignored his tiredness as he huffed and puffed but did not give up climbing the stairs. Their penthouse was at the top floor and even though his legs were in agony, he kept on going until he reached the thirtieth floor.

    Bursting into the corridor, he staggered towards their house. He fumbled for the keys and opened the door.

    "Hobin!" he yelled. The whole apartment was thrust into pitch ck darkness. The storm had caused a citywide ckout. He took out his phone and turned on the torch light.

    "Hobin, where are you?" He called but there was no response. His heart was now beating in fear. What if Hobin did something to himself? What if he med himself for what happened to Taehee? He was already overwhelmed by the cursed powers he possessed.

    Hobin loathed being different from others. There were times when Hobin even contemted killing himself and nearly seeded a few years ago but Siwan saved him. Ever since then, Siwan had been constantly watching out for him to make sure he was alive. There was no way he could let his brother die. Not again.

    "Hobin!"

    Suddenly, there was a sounding from the bathroom. Siwan quickly darted towards Hobin''s room. As soon as he stepped inside, a sharp pain pierced his barefoot.

    "Agh!" he yelled and looked down. He had stepped on a piece of ss. Quickly taking out the sharp ss, he wrapped his foot with a handkerchief. The cut would have to wait until he found Hobin.

    Siwan scanned the room with the torch and was horrified. Everything was in tatters with ss and china scattered all over the floor. The bed sheets were torn apart and the pillows were annihted. Theptop andputer were broken with the wires ripped off. The bed was also broken as if someone had used arge hammer to destroy it.

    "What the hell?" Siwan whispered. "Who did this?"

    A rattling sound came from the bathroom and he was startled. The sound was getting louder as if someone was trying to rip off a heavy object.

    Siwan held his breath as he approached the bathroom. He raised the torch over his head as he slowly opened the door.

    "Hobin?" he whispered.

    The light fell on someone. Siwan''s eyes fell in shock as he stared at the person in front of him. His back was turned to him but there was a pair ofrge raven-like wings on the back of the stranger who was holding the sink. The man''s muscles wererger than average and he was even taller than Siwan, almost 7 feet high. He had pale skin which was shining under the light like thousands of sparkling diamonds.

    But the temperature around him was cold and icy. Siwan could see his breath as he stared at the monstrous man in shock. He was wearing the blue shirt and pants which Hobin had worn that dayбн

    Before Siwan could say anything, the man pulled the sink with his bare hands, broke it offpletely and threw it with great force across therge bathroom. It hit a far off wall and shattered into thousands of tiny pieces. Water was now wrupting from the broken pipe but the creature was not done. He punched the wall with a thunderous roar, making arge hole in the wall. In fact, there were several such holes which shocked Siwan to no end.

    He instantly knew who the monster man was. No...that man was not a monster.

    Siwan slowly approached the man who was creating havoc in the bathroom. He was roaring loudly like a wounded animal but Siwan did not back down. Instead, he grasped his shoulder.

    The creature stopped and slowly turned around to reveal Hobin''s handsome face. His hair was almost glowing and his face was fairer than usual. He looked exactly like Siwan''s younger brother. The same face and features. Siwan knew it was his brother. Everything was indeed the same.

    Except for the eyes. The eyes were blood red in color as if determined to bring cmity to the already rotten world.

    Something in those eyes seemed to have recognized Siwan. They flickered for a second.

    "Hobinбн" Siwan whispered. "Come back."

    The red eyes were impassive for a moment before turning angry again. Hobin let out a loud growl and was about to attack Siwan.

    Siwan was too frozen to think when suddenly, Hobin paused midway. It seemed as if he was struggling with himself and something was pulling him back from Siwan.

    "AGHHHHH!" Hobin yelled as he staggered back and fought with himself. I can''t hurt my brother! He told himself.

    "Broбн" he gasped. "Se...dateбн"

    Siwan snapped out of his fear and instantly rushed towards a cab outside. They kept a bunch of syringes in it and also medicines. He found a sedative and syringe before returning to the bathroom where Hobin was still struggling for control.

    "NOW!" Hobin eximed and without wasting a second, Siwan injected the sedative into him. Hobin let out a loud cry of pain and began to lose consciousness. To Siwan''s relief, the wings were starting to disappear and Hobin was regaining control of the monster in him. He was also returning to his normal size.

    "Brotherбн'' Hobin whispered as he fainted. "S..save...meбн"

    With that, hepletely lost consciousness and drifted into a deep sleep. Siwan hugged his brother.

    "I will," he promised. "I will save you. No matter what."

 Chapter 150 - A Good Day

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    I''m aiming for 5000 privilege unlocks this month so that this book can receive a banner. Please support this book by unlocking as many privilege chapters as possible and support me for spirity!

    I''ll give 10 chapter mass release on 1st October if we reach 5000 privilege unlocks this month <3

    ....

    *Present*

    Jina held her breath. She waspletely shocked, unsure of how to react to the story Siwan just told her. Hobin had transformed into a winged creature? How was this even possible?

    "The next morning he woke up but couldn''t remember anything," Siwan narrated. "He had no idea what happened that night after he returned from Wang Taehee''s execution. I never told him about it because it''ll only create more confusion."

    "Did you guys ever find out who his parents were?" she asked him. "His father? Anything?"

    Siwan shook his head. "Mom tried to find him but to no avail. Aunt Bosung didn''t leave any traces of him."

    Jina was now in deep worry. Ever since she found out about Hobin''s powers and his dubious origins, she could not help but wonder if he was fully human. They tested him with salt and peach but nothing happened. However, he fainted during the exorcism ritual which made no sense. If he was fully human, he would not be fainting like thatбн

    "Whatever happens, keep him away from the Cleaver case," Siwan warned. "And don''t tell him about this. I know it''s hard to believe but-"

    "I believe you," Jina stated firmly. "Don''t worry. I don''t think you''ll lie about him. You truly love your brother and I know that you''re not lying. I''ll keep an eye on him."

    Siwan smiled at her and grasped her palm. Jina was a little surprised but did not move her hands away.

    "Thank you," he said, his voice full of sincerity. "You''re the only one I can trust with this. Thanks for protecting him."

    Jina smiled and patted his hand. "No worries. I''ll do everything I can to keep him safe."

    Siwan nodded and let go of her hand before revving up the engine again. They drove on in silence, lost in their own thoughts.

    Is he really something other than a human? Jina wondered. She had never heard of such a phenomenon. As far as she knew, ghosts or poltergeists could not reproduce. They did not have a proper human body nor functions to do so. Was it possible through possession?

    I''ll have to ask grandpa about it, she decided.

    They reached the hospital. Siwan parked in the parking lot and they got out of the car, slowly walking towards the fourth floor.

    "Why are you here today anyway?" he asked her. "To meet Hobin?"

    "I''m here to meet Soobin actually," Jina exined. "Did you talk to her aboutst night''s incident?"

    Siwan nodded. "I had a long talk with her this morning," he nodded. "She''s scared and confused about it. But there''s something else which also concerns meбн"

    They stepped on the fourth floor and headed towards Hobin''s office.

    "She took a few days off from her cafe," he said. "Her manager told me that she''s tired and needs some rest so he gave her a few days off. It''s strange. She never took a day off. I''m d she did but I can''t help worrying. Did she tell you anything about it?"

    "No," Jina replied, shaking her head. "But that''s good, isn''t it? Let the girl rest. Besides, I also think that she wants to spend more time with her new boyfriend!"

    Jina giggled but Siwan frowned. "Your brother better not do any funny stuff with her," he said in a stern tone. "She might not be my rtive but she''s still under my care. I don''t want the kids to do anything stupid!"

    Sheughed hard at that. It seemed that her little brother was going to have a tough time with his new girlfriend, she predicted.

    Her prediction came true within a few seconds. As they approached Hobin''s office, they saw that Yoonmin was standing next to Soobin''s station while Hobin red at him like a vulture eyeing its prey. Yoonmin did not back down and was staring back at him while Soobin was apprehensively looking from one to the other as if she was expecting a showdown.

    "I''m here to meet my girlfriend," Yoonmin gritted.

    "Meet her," Hobin said in a cool tone. "No one''s stopping you."

    "Alone."

    "No."

    Jina hit both of their heads, making them yelp, "OW!"

    "What are you doing sis?" Yoonmin scowled.

    "What was that for?" Hobin eximed.

    "Stop being a bunch of idiots and let Soobin decide!" she snapped at them. "What''s the big deal if she wants to spend time with her boyfriend?"

    "I don''t trust men!" Hobin imed. "What if he does something weird to her?"

    "I agree with Hobin," Siwan added. "I''m worried about leaving them alone as well."

    Jina groaned at the two men who were acting like protective brothers. She knew it too well because her family was the same when it came to her dating life.

    "Ummmбн" Soobin spoke up. "I don''t mind being alone with Yoonmin. He won''t hurt me-"

    "All men are scum!" Hobin imed.

    "Yes, you''d know it very well since you slept with half the female poption in the country!" Jina scolded him. "How about this? They can only be alone for thirty minutes and will go to the cafeteria downstairs. That''ll work, right? Now stop making a fuss!"

    She turned to her brother and added, "I need to talk to her afterwards. Bring her back here after half an hour, got it?"

    "Fine," her brother shrugged.

    Hobin grumbled while Yoonmin was smug. Siwan, however, agreed.

    "Half an hour only," he stated. "A minutete and I''lle downstairs to fetch her."

    He gave Yoonmin a hard stare, his gentle demeanor reced with a ''Touch-her-and-you''re-dead'' look. Even Yoonmin felt a chill down his spine while Jina could onlyugh. He quickly nodded and ushered Soobin to follow him. She scrambled after her boyfriend, waving them goodbye.

    "Stop giving the girl a hard time!" Jina told the men once the couple was gone. "They''re young and are experiencing first love!"

    "I supposed they are more responsible than other kids of their age," Siwan nodded but Hobin was still frowning.

    "You never know," he said. "Men are all hot blooded."

    Jina angrily turned on him.

    "Just because you sleep around and toy with girls doesn''t mean that my brother is the same as you!"

    Hobin was outraged. The midget thought he slept around? Before Siwan could stop the silly argument, Hobin eximed, "I might flirt and go one asional dates but I didn''t sleep with any of them! I''m a one woman guy, ya know!"

    Jina''s heart skipped several beats. He never slept with anyone? Huh?

    Why is it making me feel so happy? She wondered. Her cheeks were burning up and she tried hard not to blush. Thankfully, Siwan stepped in between them.

    "Cut it out!" he told them sharply. "You two are adults! Can''t you be more mature?"

    His pager beeped and he took it out. "I have a patient now," he dered. "Don''t you dare fight, okay?"

    Both of them muttered, "Okay."

    Siwan nodded and left them alone. Once he was gone, Jina slowly turned to Hobin.

    "You...never slept with anyone?" she asked, feeling a little hesitant. "What about that pretty receptionist at the forensicb?"

    "I didn''t sleep with anyone and it was just an innocent flirtation," he scoffed. "I was never intending to go on a date with her!"

    Jina''s heart was fluttering and her expression must have given it away because Hobin was frowning at her. He stepped close to study her blushing face.

    "This is strange," he remarked.

    "W-What is?" she stammered.

    "You''re all red, your heartbeats must have increased and there''s a silly smile on your face," he stated. "Your hormones are probably acting up and you''re attracted to something right now. In other words, you''re horny-"

    Jina kicked him on the knee, making him bend over in pain. She was outraged by his bold words, stuttering.

    "I-I-I''m n-n-n-not...ugh!"

    She stormed off towards the balcony outside while Hobin was still reeling from pain. But he was also grinning like an idiot.

    "Ahh, Tinkerbell!" He snickered. "I missed ya!"

    With that, he returned to his cabin, whistling happily to himself. It was indeed a good day.

 Chapter 151 - B

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    I''m aiming for 5000 privilege unlocks this month so that this book can receive a banner. Please support this book by unlocking as many privilege chapters as possible and support me for spirity!

    I''ll give 10 chapter mass release on 1st October if we reach 5000 privilege unlocks this month <3

    ....

    "Duho came to the hospital?" Yoonmin frowned. "When? Why? What did he say?"

    "He said that he wanted to talk to me but then he ran away!" Soobin replied.

    They were sitting at the cafeteria, sippingtte. She had just told him about Duho''s visit which rmed Yoonmin.

    "This is getting out of hand!" he growled. "We''ll have to tell sis!"

    "I know but he didn''t really do anything," Soobin hesitated. "And your sister is already going through a lot of things. First the break-in, her cases...I don''t wanna burden her. We can tell Doctor Ohm. He''ll help me out. Besides, I think that Duho needs help too! He did not look good at all."

    She recalled how pasty his skin was and he was clearly under fatigue. There was something wrong with the guy and needed a doctor. But Yoonmin drew a sharp breath.

    "Are you crazy? Stop thinking about getting him help and think of yourself!"

    "I am thinking of myself!" She mumbled. But then she smiled at him and added, "Besides, I don''t worry too much about myself because you look out for me!"

    Yoonmin tried to be stern but her smile was making it very difficult for him to scold her. He merely winced which made Soobinugh and pinch his cheek.

    "Don''t worry, boyfriend! I''ll take care of myself! I don''t go anywhere alone, anyway. He won''t be able to harm me."

    "Uh huhбн" he trailed off, trying not to blush. It was the first time they were alone after the summer festival. If the stupid intruder had not broken into their penthouse that night, he was nning to put Miyoo to sleep and watch a movie with Soobin that night after work. But the damn fucker ruined his ns.

    If I get my hands on that demon, I''ll send him to hell myself! He sulked.

    Soobin nced at the clock and suddenly remembered something.

    "Right!" she gasped. "I need to login to my ount and see the video!"

    "What video?" Yoonmin frowned.

    "You don''t know? Baek''s video!"

    Baek? The name rang a bellбн

    "Ahn Baek?" he asked. "The new idol who''s gonna debut?"

    "Yes! I got news through my sources that he''s releasing his video today," Soobin revealed. "They created such a hype around him. His face has been hidden from the world but his voice is so good. Some people areparing him to Minmin! That''s outrageous! We can''t let our Minmin lose to him!"

    Soobin was now in her fangirl mode. "This Baek even dered that he''s better than Minmin! As if! That''s a big im to make."

    Yoonmin was a little irritated that his girlfriend was more interested to fangirl over his brother than on him. But he was also interested to know more about Baek. He knew about the debut but he did not pay much attention to it. Baek was still a neer whereas Minyoon was a veteran in the industry. It was hard to top that level of fame with one song.

    Then why did he make such a big im?

    "Turn on the video," he said. Soobin nodded and logged into her ount. They waited for the countdown. Within a few seconds, they would see who Baek was.

    бн.

    Minyoon was in his trailer, exhausted. His personal secretary, Jang Chanhyuk, was sitting on a couch, browsing through his phone. Chanhyuk was in his forties and an experienced celebrity manager. He had been with Minyoon since the beginning of thetter''s career and maintained his schedules. Chanhyuk was also an expert spy, keeping an ear out for all entertainment rted gossip.

    "Uncle Chan, whatcha doing?" Minyoon yawned. He had just finished a daylong shooting for his next music video and he wanted to sleep. Chanhyuk, however, was grim.

    "Aren''t you worried at all?" Chanhyuk asked.

    "About what?"

    "Baek!"

    "Who?"

    Chanhyuk groaned. He showed him the phone which was disying a countdown to some event called ''B''.

    "He''s the newest idol in the block," Chanhyuk replied. "He''s from BHK Entertainment and is already viral for his astounding vocals! Some say that he''s even better than you!"

    "So?" Minyoon shrugged. "Does it really matter if he''s better than me? I think it''s great that someone else is debuting. If he''s good, he''ll be sessful."

    Chanhyuk lightly hit him on the arm. "If he''s sessful then you might end up losing your status as the Nation''s Heartthrob! We need to make sure that he can''t beat us!"

    "Ugh! What is it with these pettypetitions?" Minyoon groaned. "I''m fine singing my songs. Let him sing his songs. We can get along pretty well. I''m sure of it!"

    Chanhyuk groaned at Minyoon''s optimism. The guy just did not care about the industry''s cutthroat nature. He was in his own world, making money and having fun along the way. If only everyone was as simple minded as him, Chanhyuk sighed.

    "It''s starting!" he eximed and turned up the volume. Minyoon also leaned over to watch, hoping that a good singer will get to have a sessful debut.

    The screen went ck for a moment before a white light began to split the screen. A pair of enchanting grey eyes appeared on the screen. The camera slowly panned out to reveal a heart shaped amorous face. His skin was smooth and fair with a fierce expression. His dark hair was cut into a stylish boy cut with bangs loosely hanging in front of his eyes. There was no doubt that the boy was handsome and had top visuals to match.

    "Not bad looking," Minyoon remarked. "But how good is his voice?"

    "I''ve heard fans saying that his voice is like honey and deeper than anything they had ever heard," Chanhyuk replied. They waited as the camera finally focused on the boy and he looked directly at the screen.

    Minyoon frowned, studying him. There was something strange about the boy but he could not pinpoint it. The boy was staring at the audience for a minute before opening his mouth. A deep, melodious voice began to resonate through the phone, making Minyoon''s heart stop.

    Huh?

 Chapter 152 - Debut Of A Rival

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    I''m aiming for 5000 privilege unlocks this month so that this book can receive a banner. Please support this book by unlocking as many privilege chapters as possible and support me for spirity!

    I''ll give 10 chapter mass release on 1st October if we reach 5000 privilege unlocks this month <3

    ....

    "Woahбн"

    Minyoon was awed by Baek''s voice. It was not entirely manly but deep and soothing.

    "A heart trapped in a cell

    Fluttering like a bird

    But freedom is naught

    It wants to shine bright

    But can you ept my might?"

    "He''s good," Minyoon remarked. His eyes were on Baek, not moving at all. Something was tugging in his mind as if he had seen this boy somewhere before. They were the same age and unlike Minyoon who had a rogue charm, Baek had a more amorous flower boy charm. But why did Minyoon feel a sense of familiarity from him?

    "He''s yourpetitor!" Chanhyuk gritted.

    "So? I can stillpliment him. He''s got a great voice too! I bet all the girls will flock to him."

    Chanhyuk hit his arm again. "Focus! We need to beat him with your nexteback! We''ll have to make it epic."

    "Yeah yeahбн"

    Minyoon returned to watch Baek, swaying to the song. Baek had a unique charm of pulling people to his song which Minyoon felt was a rare quality. As an idol, people cared a lot about his looks but rarely paid attention to his songs. Minyoon loved singing more than anything so it slightly hurt him when people were more interested in his visuals and not his music.

    "I hope you can make them love your songs," he sighed. Baek might be hispetitor but there was no reason for Minyoon to not like his songs, right? After all, they would have to tough it out in the industry together.

    I wonder if I can coborate with him someday, he thought.

    бн.

    "That was excellent!" Jango eximed, pping Baek on the back. They were in the meeting room of their agency, watching the video. Within an hour, the music video garnered over a million views online and the count was only rising. At this rate, Baek''s video will beat the records of Hwang Minyoon''s debut track.

    "We''re already getting advertisement offers and the news portals are writing good stuff about you," Jango went on. "I think we''ll be able to top the charts!"

    Baek did not reply but was staring at the screen. Beat Hwang Minyoon''s record, huh? This is what I want, Baek thought. To beat him and be the top idol.

    "I need to use the washroom," Baek announced. Jango was so obsessed with the views and results that he merely nodded. Baek strode off, heading towards a personal washroom in the makeup room. Entering the room, Baek headed straight towards the washroom.

    "Yes!" she eximed once she was in the washroom. She was greatly overjoyed that her music video was sessful and the day was not far when she would be able to beat Hwang Minyoon as the top idol.

    "This is just the first step, Baekha!" she told herself. "This is what I''ve been preparing for!"

    Her ''Ahn Baek'' persona was a fake one. For the past two years, she had been disguising herself as a boy in order to train hard and be an idol. It was her dream to get into BHK Entertainment but she could not risk exposing her identity to the world. If her family found out that she was training to be an idol, it would be the end of her dreams. Only her manager Jango knew of her secret but the rest of the world could not find out about it.

    Her phone rang. It was her nanny.

    "Hello nanny," she greeted in her usual, feminine voice.

    "Young Miss, where are you? Your father and mother have summoned you to the main mansion tonight. They want to discuss your admission into Dalton. And today is also your brother''s death anniversary..."

    Baekha grimaced. She was not keen on going to Dalton because Hwang Minyoon was also studying there. How could she study with her own rival?

    But there was no choice. When her parents made up their minds, it was impossible to escape their clutches.

    "I''ll be there in an hour," she said.

    Baekha hung up the phone and took a deep breath. She stared at her short hair in the mirror. Cutting off her beautiful locks was the hardest thing she had ever done in her entire life. The night she cut them off, she cried a lot. To avoid her parents'' suspicious eyes, she wore a dark wig but they never noticed it.

    She wore a cap and mask before heading out of the makeup room. A few of the trainees greeted her but she ignored all of them and walked straight outside towards the alley where her driver was waiting for her.

    "Young Miss," the old driver bowed. His name was Dokyung and apart from her manager, the only one who knew of her secret.

    "To the main mansion," Baekha told him. Dokyung nodded and opened the door for her. As soon as Baekha got in, she quickly took off her jacket and wore the wig which the driver had left for her in the backseat. Brushing her hair, she looked in the mirror.

    Perfect, she thought.

    "What''s going on in the main mansion?" she asked. "Are those two still obsessed with that shaman?"

    "Yes," Dokyung sighed. "Ever since Young Master passed away, Mr. and Mrs. Cho have been consulting with the shaman in the hopes of contacting his spirit."

    Baekha scowled. She was not a fan of her elder brother. After the thing he did, the man should have been jailed for life. Instead, he chose to kill himself to avoid punishment.

    Fucking loser, she thought with contempt. He should be happy that he died with his balls intact. I''d have massacred him myself.

    Her real name was Cho Baekha and she was the surviving daughter of Cho Jinki and his wife, Yeon Ciara. But she was treated as an outcast in her own family. They used to dote on their son who was the apple of their eyes. Nothing could be better than their precious son. They even ignored the many crimes he wasmitting especially towards his ex-wife. Baekha was surprised that her sister-inw did not kill the man herself.

    She was so lost in her own thoughts, that she did not realize that they had reached the mansion already. Baekha was not keen on going there; she lived in a small apartment away from these people. But she had to put up an act otherwise her parents would get suspicious and end her career.

    Home sweet home, she thought bitterly.

 Chapter 153 - Dont Ask

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    I''m aiming for 5000 privilege unlocks this month so that this book can receive a banner. Please support this book by unlocking as many privilege chapters as possible and support me for spirity!

    I''ll give 10 chapter mass release on 1st October if we reach 5000 privilege unlocks this month <3

    ....

    Jina was driving Soobin home. Unfortunately, a certain doctor also decided to hop along.

    "So you only remember a red eye?" Jina sighed. "Nothing else?"

    Soobin shook her head. "It''s really strange," she said. "The guy broke the door but didn''te in. Miyoo kept on warning me not to open the door and I didn''t. So that...person...or thing. Whatever it is, just broke the door apart! We heard the noise. It was so scaryбн"

    "Hmmmбн" Hobin said. He nced at Jina who also looked worried.

    "Soobin, about the guy you told us about earlier," he began. "Duho, right?"

    As soon as her date with Yoonmin ended, Soobin had told them about Duho who was troubling her. Jina was also worried but Soobin imed that it was nothing.

    "He didn''t look very well thest time you saw him?" he asked. "Was he pale? Sleep deprived?"

    "Yes!" Soobin eximed. "He didn''t look good."

    "Okay. Now listen to me very carefully. Do not go anywhere alone for a while. I''ve talked to my brother and he agreed that we can''t leave you alone until this matter is resolved."

    "W-Why?" Soobin stammered. "Will that man attack again?"

    "I have a theory but I think it was Duho who targeted you that night at the penthouse," Jina winced.

    "Then why didn''t he enter the house?"

    "That, we don''t know," Hobin lied. "But he probably wanted to scare you. He''s probably nning something bigger."

    Now Soobin was scared. She sat in the back, nervous about what the grown ups were saying.

    "Don''t worry," Jina reassured her. "You''ll be fine. We''re all here to protect you!"

    "Yeahбн"

    She looked outside of the window, lost in her thoughts. No wonder Yoonmin was worried for her. Did he also think that it was Duho who attacked her that night? She knew that Duho was a little mad but she assumed it was just a passing fancy and nothing more. He would have had to eventually leave her alone.

    But was he really trying to harm her?

    I''ll be more careful from now on, she swore. They kept on driving until they reached the Kang mansion. Jina pulled up in front of the house and they got out of the car.

    "Wee back," Siwan greeted them once they entered the house. He was setting the dinner table.

    "Let me help you, Doctor Kang!" Soobin offered but Siwan shook his head.

    "I''ll do it. You go and get fresh!"

    Soobin sighed but nodded. She turned on her heels and went upstairs to freshen up while Jina remained with the brothers.

    "Something smells really good!" sheplimented.

    "I''ve made my special curry tonight!" Siwan grinned.

    "Woah!" Hobin drooled. He was not much of a cook but Siwan made really good curry dishes.

    "You can cook?" Jina asked in amazement. "Woah! Howe you''re still single?"

    He gazed at her with a warm smile. "I guess I haven''t met the right person yet."

    Hobin was a little ufortable. He wanted to back away but Siwan thrust the tes into his hands.

    "Set up the table and wash your hands!" he instructed.

    "I''ll help in the kitchen!" Jina offered, running after Siwan. Hobin watched them talking and giggling in the open kitchen while trying to fight off the sinking feeling in his heart. He put the tes down and slowly walked out of the house to get some fresh air.

    Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Jina was frying some eggs.

    "You''re pretty good at cooking," Siwan noted.

    "When you have two very greedy twin brothers, cooking bes an important skill," she sighed. "You understand that, right?"

    "I do."

    He watched as she expertly flipped the eggs on the pan before stuffing rice on them and rolling them around to make egg rolls.

    "Done!" she dered and turned to Siwan. "What made you cook tonight? Any special asion?"

    "Just felt like it," he shrugged. "I sent the cooks away so that I can enjoy things I like to doбн"

    Jina was eyeing the curry in his pan but he was only looking at her. A soft smile was etched on his lips as he gazed at the woman who had captured his heart a long time ago.

    "This looks so good," she sighed.

    "You do."

    Huh?

    Jina looked up at him, feeling a little confused. Did she hear him correctly?

    "I meant the food!" she nervously giggled. "I thought I heard-"

    "You look good," Siwan said outright, making her blush a little.

    "I-I...thanks!"

    It was all she could say. For some reason, she did not want to stretch that conversation but Siwan was not going to let go. He was still looking at her with a very strange gaze. She was not ufortable with him but rather had a dread about what he was feeling.

    "Jinaбн" he began. "I''m not a person who wants to live with regrets. You''ve known me as a child and you saw how erratic and arrogant I was at that time."

    "You''ve changed," Jina told him. "You''re no longer that brat who used to get his way all the time-"

    "Did I?" he mused. "Sometimes, I feel I''m the only one who hasn''t changed."

    It was something which worried him a lot. He had tried hard to change into a better person but sometimes, he thought of himself as the same boy who did not care about others.

    "There are times when I''m jealous of Hobin," he admitted. "I love him. But I''m also jealous of him. It''s not because of his abilities or skills. Rather, I''m jealous that he can express himself so freelyбн"

    He trailed off, feeling guilty of the way he felt. It was hard to stop those thoughts and they would pop in his head at the most random times.

    "It''s normal," Jinna reassured him. "We all love our siblings but we also feel that sometimes, they''re better than us. You''re not the only one. I also feel irritated when Minyoon sings better than me or when Yoonmin scores high marks in ss. I mean. I''m a good student but my brothers are naturally gifted and good at whatever they do. Even I be jealous!"

    Sheughed and patted his arm. Siwan also chuckled with her.

    "I am curious about one thing though," he said. "Howe you''re still single?"

    "Uhh...I guess I didn''t really get a lot of time to date," she realized. "There were a few guys who asked me out but I just wasn''t attracted to them. Working kept me busy and the twins were also very young. And then Miyoo came along so chances of dating were nilбн"

    She looked away, trying not to meet his gaze. Please don''t ask, she prayed. Please don''tбн

    What if he asked her? What would be her answer? Jina was not sure at all.

    "Hwang Jina...look at me."

    Gulping hard, Jina turned to face him. Siwan was sincere and eager to express his feelings for once. She could see it in his eyes but she was unsure of what to say to him.

    Yes, she wanted to settle down with a guy someday but at that very moment, she was totally confused.

    Hobin, who had gone for a stroll, stealthily entered the house and found them staring at each other. Before he could say anything, Siwan spoke up.

    "Jina, will you date me?" he managed to ask.

    Jina was stunned for a moment, speechless. She had an inkling that this was going toe but what was she supposed to say?

    "AHHHHHHHHH!"

    Soobin''s screams broke the tension and all of them were scared.

    "Soobin!" they yelled in unison and dashed upstairs.

 Chapter 154 - The Demon (1)

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    I''m aiming for 5000 privilege unlocks this month so that this book can receive a banner. Please support this book by unlocking as many privilege chapters as possible and support me for spirity!

    I''ll give 10 chapter mass release on 1st October if we reach 5000 privilege unlocks this month <3

    ....

    All of them burst into Soobin''s room and were horrified. It was as if a storm had passed by. Everything was in tatters. Her desk was upturned and the pages from her books were torn while the bedsheet was ripped to shreds. The ss vases were shattered on the floor and the wires were torn apart, causing electrical sparks to emit out of it. Jina instantly turned off the sockets and searched for Soobin.

    "Soobin?" she yelled but there was no answer. They searched in the bathroom as well but she was not there.

    "Where did she go?" Siwan demanded. He was now extremely worried. They had not seen her going out of the houseбн

    "There''s blood here!" Hobin eximed, pointing at the windowsill. The window was wide open and there was a little bit of blood sttered on it.

    "Tell the servants to search the entire mansion," Jina instructed Siwan. "And also, check the CCTV footage. It might have caught something. We need to secure this areaбн"

    She exchanged a nce with Hobin. Both of them were thinking the same thing: Duho must have taken Soobin.

    Siwan instantly got to work while Jina stayed behind to talk to Hobin. "I''m telling this to grandpa," she said at once. "I''m sure that Duho did this. The attack at the school and also on Minkyu''s family. The demon must be possessing him!"

    "He definitely has the painting," Hobin nodded. "I''m sure of it too. Do we have his address?"

    "I might have it in the school database," Jina said. "I''ll tell Jiwoon to send it to me. If Duho is possessed by the demon, we must exorcise him right away! Otherwise he might kill Soobinбн"

    She immediately called Jiwoon, demanding for the address while Hobin called Junho to fill him in on the details.

    "WHAT?" Junho bellowed. "Soobin has been kidnapped by the demon? Why?"

    "We don''t know," Hobin replied. "It''s possessing a student named Duho who''s also in love with Soobin. And...andбн"

    Something lit up in his mind. He was now thinking hard about what he just said.

    "I''ll text you the address to his house within seconds!" he told Junho. "And don''t tell Yoonmin. He''ll get worried and would want to tag along. Let it just be us for now."

    "Send me the address now!"

    Hobin hung up and turned to Jina, feeling excited.

    "I got the address!" she told him but frowned at his excited expression. "What happened?"

    "The link," he said. "I think I found the link to the murders!"

    "What do you mean?"

    "We were wrong. The demon isn''t targeting families. Nope. It''s targeting the loved ones of the person it possesses!"

    He was now putting forth his theory. "Think about it," he pointed out. "Whom do we love the most in our lives? Who are the people we see almost everyday? Our families, right? So in the past, the demon possessed a person and made them kill their family members. It chose the youngest members because they were more impressionable and easily manipted. The only reason it couldn''t target Hyoseop as nned was due to the fact he''s mentally stronger and hence, the demon resorted to randomly killing him out of rage. And Minkyu''s family was killed for revenge."

    "But when it reached Duho''s hand, it couldn''t target Duho''s family. Soobin told us that he lives alone, right? So who is the nearest person to Duho whom he is in love with?"

    "Soobin!" Jina gasped. "That''s why it targeted her?"

    "The demon feeds on the feelings of love," Hobin theorized. "Like a reverse version of Aphrodite or cupid. Familial love, romantic love. Anything sort of love. Now that it was Soobin, it''ll first kill her and then Duho before finding another prey!"

    Jina''s phone beeped. Jiwoon sent her Duho''s address.

    "I''m sending this to the old man," Jina said. "Let''s go!"

    They ran out of the room, passing Siwan on the way. "Where are you two going?" he asked in astonishment. "Did you find out something?"

    "We''re going to rescue Soobin," Jina told him. "We''ll bring her back!"

    Before Siwan could demand that he was going to apany them, they stormed out of the mansion. Getting into the car, Jina stepped hard on the elerator.

    "What are we gonna do once we get there?" Hobin asked. "Your grandfather said that demons can''t be killed."

    "We''ll have to figure out something!" Jina muttered. "If we can burn that painting, we might weaken the demon. The original one is there. I''m sure we can destroy it!"

    "How powerful are demons?"

    "I''m not sure. It''s nearly impossible to kill them but we can pull them out of a person if the exorcism goes right. They''re affected by the usual things like salt, peach and holy objects. But it won''t hold them down for long. The only thing I know is that once it leaves one body, it can''t re-enter that body. It has to look for another one."

    Hobin was now quiet. Jina nced at him remembering what Siwan told her about Hobin. What was he? A human? Or something else?

    бн.

    Jiwoon was in her office, frowning. Jina just called her to tell that Soobin was being stalked and that they wanted to talk to the girl''s stalker who was a student at Dalton in an attempt to find her. But something did not feel right to Jiwoon.

    Should I go as well? She wondered.

    Just then, an email popped up on herptop and she opened it. The email was from a parent of one of the students. She had the school send a memo to the parents and students about the missing painting along with her own email address for further inquiries or information.

    Reading the mail, her eyes widened in shock. One of the students had seen a student named Duho pick up a simr painting!

    "Isn''t that the name of Soobin''s stalker?" She frowned. "He stole the painting?"

    Making up her mind, she picked up her badge and gun before heading out to catch him.

    She got into her car and drove off as fast as she could towards Duho''s house. Thankfully, it was not that far from the police station so she was able to reach the ce within ten minutes. PArking in front of a cheap apartmentplex, Jiwoon got out of the car.

    The residents were probably sleeping because the lights were turned off. She quietly made her way towards an old elevator and pressed the button. There was a strange feeling about the ce. It was too quiet as if everyone was in a trance. She did not know why but the silence was haunting, making goosebumps ripple through her.

    Beep!

    Finally, the elevator came to a halt in front of her. She stepped into it, the dread in her heart only increasing. Jiwoon''s hand hovered over her gun as if something was going to attack her at any moment.

    Duho lived on the fifth floor of the building. The elevator staggered up, the lights on it shing in a feeble way.

    1...2...3бн

    Jiwoon counted the floors, trying to distract her mind from the eerie fear. She felt a little paranoid but tried her best not to think of anything else. The lift beeped again and she stepped out of it. She was now in a dested corridor which looked abandoned. The doors of the other residences were shut and there was not a single sign of life anywhere.

    There''s something wrong, she instantly realized. Why is this ce so quiet?

    Duho lived in apartment number 10. Jiwoon took a deep breath andposed herself.

    Raising her hand, she rang the doorbell.

 Chapter 155 - The Demon (2)

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    I''m aiming for 5000 privilege unlocks this month so that this book can receive a banner. Please support this book by unlocking as many privilege chapters as possible and support me for spirity!

    I''ll give 10 chapter mass release on 1st October if we reach 5000 privilege unlocks this month <3

    ....

    The door did not open. Jiwoon knocked a few more times but there was no answer.

    "Maybe he''s not home," she muttered and was about to leave when she noticed blood spots on the floor. She took out her gloves and put them on before bending down to examine them. The blood was fresh and led towards Duho''s apartment.

    Instinctively, she took out her gun and approached the door again. She took out a hairpin and inserted it into the knob. It took her a few tries but she finally managed to unlock the door and enter the house.

    The whole house was shrouded in darkness except for one room which was lit. She slowly walked towards it, trying to make no sound. But a strange voice was chanting something and she heard a familiar whimper.

    Soobin!

    "Let...me...goбн" she was begging.

    Soobin was scared and confused as to what was going on. She only remembered that she was at the mansion and came out of the bathroom when the window burst open. A dark figure barged in and she screamed but the man hit her on the head. Shepletely cked out and the next thing she knew, she woke up in the dingy apartment where Duho was eyeing her like a mad man.

    Her heart was gripped by fear and she was sobbing. Duho had tied her up to a chair and she could not move at all. He was not talking but kept on staring at her from a distance, scaring her.

    "Duho!" she eximed. "Let me go!"

    "Why don''t you love me, Soobin?" he whispered. "What do you see in that rich boy? Is it wealth? Is it the looks? I have money too! My parents have some money and I''m good looking tooбн"

    Soobin was crying harder than ever. She was scared of what he was going to do to her. No matter how much she tried to move, the ropes were tied so tightly that she could not untie them at all.

    Duho''s eyes were starting to be red and his fingers were bing longer. Soobin watched his strange transformation while his gaze was fixated on her. She yelped when he paced back and forth, looking like a demonic entity but he did not break their eye contact.

    "You think you''re too good for him huh?"

    The voice...it was not Duho''s voice. Soobin was petrified of what was going on. It was as if two people were speaking through his lips in a high pitched monotone. He was cold and devoid of any emotions.

    "This boy really loves you!" He taunted her. "And yet, you chose not to love him back. But the feelings, the intensity he feels is remarkable!"

    He cackled loudly, happy to find someone with such obsessive emotions. Never in his life had he felt any of his possessed bodies have this kind of passion. The boy he had possessed this time was the perfect host to feed off on. He felt the hellish obsession coursing through the boy''s blood, making the demon very hungry.

    "And you know when this feeling is the strongest?" he went on. "It''s strongest when mixed with a feeling of loss. Humans are truly weak creatures. When they lose their loved ones, their grief amplifies that love and bes the perfect mix of emotions for us demons to feed onбн"

    Demons? Feed? What the hell was Duho talking about?

    Soobin felt her heart thumping loudly against her chest. Her hands were mmy with sweat and she did not dare to make a noise. Duho, or whoever he was, continued to taunt her mercilessly.

    "Now that you''re awake, my dear," he went. "Time to finish my work here and gain a new victimбн"

    The demon had nowpletely possessed Duho. There was not a single hint of his previous self left. Among all his victims, Duho was the only one he possessed the longest. He not only fed off Duho''s excessive feelings for this naive girl but also used him to kill the family of that rotten artist. How dare they try to get rid of him!

    But he would now have to find another body to possess. Once he was done with Duho, he would send the painting to a better ce so that he could feed off the emotions of more silly humans. If the painting was destroyed, he would have to return to hell and that would suck out all his fun. He preferred to live with humans and y with them.

    He walked over to the painting which was hung on the wall. Soobin watched in fear as he touched it and within an instant, a gun appeared.

    Her mouth flew open in shock. Did he just make a gun appear out of thin air? How was that possible?

    "Die, my dear," the demon said, pointing the gun at her. Soobin yelled, closing her eyes and a gunshot was heard, piercing the silence of the night.

    Soobin expected the bullet to hit her but she was unhurt. She opened her eyes and saw that Jiwoon had pounced on Duho, kicking the gun out of his hand. The bullet hit a wall while the gun flew out of sight.

    Before Duho could recover, Jiwoon punched him in the face. The demon sttered blood out of its mouth and growled.

    "What the fuck is that?" Jiwoon gasped at the monstrous thing which was now snarling at her. Duho had changed into an animal-like creature with thick, sharp ws and red eyes. He was on all fours like a feral, baring sharp teeth at them.

    Is this the thing that killed the student at Dalton?

    She raised her gun and shot at him but the bullets did not affect the creature at all. Duho lunged at her but she dodged the attack. Bullets were useless against the creature which was now terrorising them.

    The creature punched Jiwoon and sent her toppling out of the room. She staggered and held on to a counter, trying to get up. But it grabbed her hair and pulled her back.

    "Let''s see how your pretty neck will look once I rip it off," the demon whispered in her ear.

    As soon as it said that, strange images began to pop up in front of her eyes. In a slow motion, several memories rushed back to her, temporarily freezing her.

    It was the same feeling of dread and anxiety which she had long abandoned. They were now resurfacing and she was transported back to *that* moment in her past. The image of a handsome man appeared. He also held her hair like that, whispering things into her ear.

    "Your neck is so pretty," the man''s cold whisper echoed around her. "It''s only for me to seeбн"

    Something snapped in her. She was not sure what it was or why she reacted that way. Was it fear? Was it love? It was hard to tell.

    The demon was about to snap her neck when Jiwoon grabbed the nearest thing she could find and smashed it on the demon''s head. It was a ss container with white crystal-like substance which Jiwoon immediately recognized as salt.

    As soon as the salt touched the demon, it screamed in agony and let her go. Its cries resonated in the apartment, almost making her ears bleed. But Jiwoon was quick to notice that the salt was cutting through its skin and tormenting him.

    She grabbed a handful of salt from the floor and threw it on him, making the demon squeal like a pig.

    It was now starting to roar angrily and was about to jump at her when a group of people barged into the house. The demon turned around to get rid of the intruders but a tall figure threw peach powder at it, making it stagger to the floor.

    "Jiwoon?"

    "Jina?"

    Both the detectives looked at each other in shock. Jina instantly ran to her partner while Hobin went inside the room to free Soobin.

    "Wh...What is that thing?" Jiwoon gasped.

    Jina bit her lip. There was no way she could hide this from Jiwoon because she was one of the smartest detectives in the force. She would find out someday anyway.

    "That," Jina began.. "Is a demon."

 Chapter 156 - The Demon (3)

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    I''m aiming for 5000 privilege unlocks this month so that this book can receive a banner. Please support this book by unlocking as many privilege chapters as possible and support me for spirity!

    I''ll give 10 chapter mass release on 1st October if we reach 5000 privilege unlocks this month <3

    ....

    "Demon?" Jiwoon echoed, not sure if she heard her partner correctly. "You mean in terms of a vile human being who''s doing bad things, right?"

    "No, an actual demon!" Jina eximed. "You''ll see soon. Where''s Soobin?"

    "In thereбн" Jiwoon gasped, pointing at the bedroom. Jina dashed in there and found Soobin, tied up in a chair.

    "Sis!" Soobin sobbed. "Duho...Iбн"

    "It''s okay!" Jina consoled the scared girl. She untied the ropes and Soobin jumped into her arms, crying.

    "You''re safe, okay? Rx. We''ll get rid of the monster. And wear thisбн"

    She tied a thread around Soobin''s wrist. It was a holy charm which Junho prepared for her and would keep the demon away from her for a while.

    Back in the living room, Junho had paralyzed the demon with peach powder and salt. He turned to Hobin and handed him another packet of the red powder.

    "Draw a circle around the demon with this," he instructed. "And make sure there aren''t any holes in it!"

    Hobin nodded and immediately began to pour the powder in a circr shape, surrounding the unconscious demon. It was stirring but the circle wasplete, trapping it in it. Junho flipped the pages of the book Bomi had lent him for the ritual.

    Jiwoon stood up, looking from Junho to the strange creature which Jina termed as a demon. Even though Jiwoon did not believe in such nonsense, it was hard to ignore. Duho had turned into some sort of monstrous being which could not be exined by science or logic. His hair was now longer as if he was in the middle of some kind of transition. Jiwoon had broken arge ss on his head but he was not bleeding. However, the powder and salt mixture was cutting through his skin and some sort of ck tar was oozing from his cuts, disgusting her.

    "What is that?" She whispered. As if answering her, Duho woke up and let out another loud roar. She shut her ears, the sound almost tearing her eardrums apart.

    "Are you okay?" Hobin asked her. He was kneeling down to assist her while Junho was busy looking for the passage, his ears plugged with cotton.

    "I''m fine!" Jiwoon managed to say. "But what...what is that?"

    "It''s a demon which has been terrorizing people for years," he said in a bitter tone. "It''s behind the murder-suicide incidents too. Also, it attacked that boy in the school because it couldn''t possess him. But it got to Duho."

    "Is he even a human now?" Jiwoon questioned. "Look at him!"

    The demon sat on all fours and sniffed something. It had grown hair all over its body and its nails were now like the ws of a lion while the blood red eyes were lusting to kill. The demon raised its nostrils to find the source of the smell until its eyes fell on Hobin.

    "Princeбн" it whispered in an almost inaudible tone. The demon lunged at Hobin''s direction but the force of the salt threw it backwards.

    "Don''t try to escape," Junho said calmly, still flipping the pages. "You can''t escape the salt and each mixture."

    "As if a puny human like you can hold me back!" the demon snarled. Junho pointed at his ears.

    "Can''t hear ya," he stated. "Oh, found the passage!"

    He finally found the ritual he was looking for. At that very moment, Jina came out of the room with Soobin, holding the painting under her arm.

    Soobin was horrified to see the state of Duho. How the hell did he turn into a monster like that? She had never seen anything like that in her entire life and she gripped Jina''s arm in fear.

    "Sis, what the hell is that?" she gasped.

    "A demon," Jina said in a grim tone. "Go and stay with Jiwoon!"

    Soobin nodded and ran towards Jiwoon, both women holding each other as they fearfully watched.

    "Pour kerosene on the painting," Junho instructed Jina. "It''s in my bag."

    Thetter nodded and searched for the kerosene in Junho''s bag. She took it out and poured it on the painting.

    "As if that''s going to stop me!" the demon cackled. "You naive lil bitch! I wonder how your skin will feelбн"

    It leered at Jina who scowled at it in annoyance. The demon was right; burning the painting would not kill it but simply free it from the living world and force it to go back until some other idiot summoned him again.

    "At least you''ll be gone for a while," Junho sighed. "Now, everyone be quiet!"

    All of them held their breaths as Junho red at the demon. He took off the cotton pads from his ears and began to chant.

    "Oh you Hell''s creature, bringing cmity to the living," he muttered. "Go back to the world where you belong. Demon of fire and misery, Beezan! Go back!"

    Junho threw the holy powder on the demon making it hiss. The demon growled at him and scanned the area. Using its powers, it lifted a chair with its mind and threw it towards the spot where Jiwoon and Soobin were standing.

    "AHH!" Soobin yelped and raised her hand but the charm on her hand deflected the demon''s powers and the chair fell with a crash.

    "Go back to hell, Beezan!" Junho ordered. "Go!"

    "You think you can defeat me easily?" Beezanughed at them. "I''m no ordinary stray demon! I am a Vurthramis Lord! You can''t send me away unless I want to go!"

    To their shock, the demon used telekinesis to rip the painting out of Jina''s hands and smashed it to pieces.

    "That painting is useless!" heughed. "Destroying it won''t take me back to hell!"

    It turned to face Hobin now and smirked. "Wake up, little Prince," it said in a cryptic way.

    The demon''s red eyes were taunting him as if it knew something about him which he did not. Hobin did not avert his eyes but as if in a trance, he was ring back at the demon. Jina and Junho were astonished to see the exchange.

    "Yesбн" the demon whispered. "You know what you are. I know it too. I can see it in your heart. I know what you''re hiding...or rather, whom you''re hiding. Don''t hide, little one."

    Hobin was feeling strange. Suddenly, his heart felt a massive tremor and he gasped in pain. Clutching his chest, he fell on the floor.

    "Doctor Ohm!"

    Soobin and Jiwoon rushed to Hobin who was now sweating in pain but Jina was rooted to her spot. Junho tried to chant the spell again but the demon used its invisible force to push him backwards, causing him to drop the book on the ground. Taking his chance, the demon snapped its fingers, setting fire to the book.

    Something in Jina''s mind snapped and she was no longer in control of her actions. She did not know what made her do it, but she found herself moving towards the broken painting. The demon onlyughed, not even flinching as he watched the stupid woman pick up the burning book.

    "You weak little thing!" it spat. "You really think you can defeat me? A Vurthramis Lord? HAHAHAHAHA!"

    It used its telekinesis to throw her on the floor but to its shock, the spell did not work on her. Jina''s eyes were nk as she stared down at the filthy being. She held the burning book in front of him.

    "Vurthramis Lord of Hell," she said in a t monotone. "Beezan. I condemn you to the eternal silence of death."

    Beezan''s eyes widened in shock and he stuttered, "H-How can this be? You-"

    Without another word, Jina dropped the fiery book on the broken painting, lighting it on fire.

 Chapter 157 - The Demon (Conclusion)

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    I''m aiming for 5000 privilege unlocks this month so that this book can receive a banner. Please support this book by unlocking as many privilege chapters as possible and support me for spirity!

    I''ll give 10 chapter mass release on 1st October if we reach 5000 privilege unlocks this month <3

    ....

    A bright light filled the entire room, almost exploding in front of them. Junho struggled to stand up when the light hit his eyes, as bright as the sun. Soobin and Jiwoon shut their eyes while Hobin was unconscious. Only Jina stood there, unaffected by it as she nkly watched the demon. It froze for a moment beforeбн

    "AHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

    It let out an earth shattering screech of agony and an orb-like object burst out of Duho''s body, floating in the air for a few seconds. Everyone was shocked to see the thing shine but in her catatonic state, Jina saw what it truly was. The sight of it broke her out of the reverie.

    "W-What?" she gasped but before she could fullyprehend what she was seeing, the orb cracked and exploded in front of them. A faint cry was heard in the background until itpletely disappeared.

    "Princeбн"

    And then it was gone. For a few seconds, everyone was silent. Jina was trying to understand what just happened while Soobin and Jiwoon were too shocked to say anything. Only Junho managed to stand up to address the situation.

    "We need to take these two to the hospital," he said in a shaky tone. "Duho is weak and the doctorбн"

    He nced at Hobin who was still unconscious. "He needs medical attention too."

    "Y-Yes!" Jiwoon replied. "We should go!"

    Jina did not speak but stiffly nodded. Junho came forward to carry Duho while Jiwoon and Soobin carried Hobin out of the apartment. They hoisted the two in the cars and drove as fast as they could to the hospital.

    All throughout the ride, none of them dared to speak. It felt like a long journey and finally, they were at the hospital. Hobin and Duho were wheeled into the emergency room for treatment while the group stayed outside to wait.

    "We need to talk," Jiwoon finally said. "About what happened."

    She was now directly addressing Jina, waiting for her partner to speak up. Jina took a deep breath and motioned them to follow her. She led them to a secluded roof before turning to faze Jiwoon and Soobin while Junho stood there, waiting for her to speak.

    "I...I can see spirits and other supernatural creatures," Jina revealed. Jiwoon and Soobin were shocked but did not say anything. Jina went on to exin both her powers and how she couldmunicate with spirits in the living world and also in the dead world. The two girls were confused while Junho only sighed.

    "So...you''ve been using your powers to solve these cases?" Jiwoon realized. "That''s how you knew that Duho was possessed? And also in the Rachel case? It was a ghost that pushed Song Yohan off the stairs?"

    "A poltergeist," Jina corrected. "Yes. And Soobinбн"

    She turned to the girl and added, "You remember how scared Sera was in her house that day, right? iming that someone attacked her? It was Rachel who did that."

    "That makes sense why Sera was so scared!" Soobin realized. "And the school''s incident too! She was humiliated. And the kid who died recentlyбн"

    Then another thought struck her. "Miyoo has your powers too?" she asked. "Is that why she was able to warn me?"

    "Miyoo can only see ghosts in the living world," Jina exined. "Unlike me, she can''t travel to the ce where the dead go to. But yes. She can see ghosts and other supernatural creatures."

    Jiwoon was in deep thought. She had attributed most of Jina''s case solving miracles to luck but it seemed that there was more to it. After what she saw that night, it was impossible not to believe her partner.

    "Well," Soobin began. "I can''t say that I understand a lot about this. But I don''t think you''re lying, sis."

    "And after what we saw," Jiwoon added. "It''ll be stupid of us not to believe you. Who else knows about this?"

    "Just my family, Hobin and the two of you," Jina stated. "I don''t really want anyone else to find out about this. It''ll be a disaster if people know about spirits and demons. They''ll panic."

    "We won''t tell," Jiwoon promised. "But that thing...demon, was it? What happened to it?"

    "It died."

    All of them looked around at Junho who had finally reached a conclusion. "The demon died," he stated.

    "But how is that possible?" Jina asked. "Demons can''t die! You know it too. Remember the time when mom and dad were terrorized by a demon? That demon was stopped only when dad trapped it in Purgatory and a reaper shed it. Still, the thing only became permanently catatonic. It didn''t die."

    "But tonight, the demon died," Junho replied. "I don''t know how but it did. You killed it."

    "Huh?"

    Now Jina was confused. I killed it? How? She frowned.

    She could not remember anything that happened after Hobin went into cardiac arrest. In fact, she was not even sure what happened in those few seconds. All she recalled was that the demon attacked Junho. After that, her memory was at a nk until she broke out of her trance and saw the demon was being thrust out of Duho''s body.

    As soon as it left Duho, Jina came back to her senses and her eyes fell on a strange winged creature with a human-like appearance. The demon was in its real form with a reddish torso with fur covering its lower body. Its face was also reddish but he had cat shaped scarlet eyes and sharp features which were more beautiful than that of a human''s. His long hair reached till his feet and his arms were widespread.

    Before Jina could even register what was happening, the demon had burst into mes and died. It was hard to believe it but a demon actually died. Junho was right in that theory.

    "We don''t know how," Junho stated. "But we''ll have to find outter. Now isn''t the time. We''ll have to wait."

    He turned to Jiwoon and asked, "Why were you at Duho''s house?"

    "I received a tip from a student that he saw Duho carrying the painting away," Jiwoon replied. "I also texted Dahoon to check Duho''s alibi for the nights of the attacks. He''s also checking the CCTV around the area now and he''ll let us know. But if the demon made himmit the acts, then he''s innocent of the crimesбн"

    "Let''s worry about thatter," Jina sighed. "We need to take care of Hobin first. Let''s go."

    Slowly, they went back in and waited for Hobin to get well. Jina alerted Siwan and within half an hour, he arrived at the hospital.

    "Where is he?" Siwan demanded. "How''s my brother?"

    "They''re still treating him," Jina assured him. But Siwan could not rest. He paced back and forth, scared for his brother. What if something bad happened to him?

    Junho was also worried for Hobin but he could not help wondering about the effects of exorcism on Hobin. This was the second time this happened. Moreover, the demon was also calling Hobin "Prince". What did that mean?

    To top it all, Jina killed a demon. It was supposed to be an impossible task and yet, she actually killed a creature from hell. What the hell was going on?

    I must get to the bottom of this, he decided.

    Finally, a doctor came out of the surgery room. Siwan rushed to him.

    "How''s my brother?" he demanded.

    "Doctor Ohm is out of danger," the doctor assured him. "We didn''t find anything wrong with his heart but it might have happened due to stress."

    Siwan let out a sigh of relief and Jina patted him on the back.

    "What about the kid?" Jiwoon asked. "Duho?"

    The doctor winced. "He''s fine too," he began. "Butбн"

    "But what, doctor?"

    "We think that he''ll need a psychiatric evaluation," the doctor revealed.. "He regained consciousness but his mind regressed to that of a young child."

 Chapter 158 - Aftermath

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    I''m aiming for 5000 privilege unlocks this month so that this book can receive a banner. Please support this book by unlocking as many privilege chapters as possible and support me for spirity!

    I''ll give 10 chapter mass release on 1st October if we reach 5000 privilege unlocks this month <3

    ....

    Hobin slowly opened his eyes. His head felt heavy and bright lights were shining right above him, almost blinding him. He felt someone poking his head and a pair of brown eyes popped before him.

    "Oi, do you have to do that all the time?" he asked.

    "Uwu," Miyoo said. She was sitting next to him on the bed, staring back at him. Hobin noticed that she was also holding a marker and probably drew things on his face while he was asleep. He groaned and looked around to find that Jina was lying on the couch, fast asleep.

    "Was she here all night?" he wondered out loud.

    "All night," Miyoon replied. She raised her hand to draw more hearts on his face. Hobin had long given up trying to discipline the kid and just let her do whatever she wanted. Hey back, thinking about what happened at Duho''s house.

    I fell unconscious again, he remembered. Now he was sure that the exorcism ritual was having an effect on him. The demon was also addressing him during the exorcism, calling him ''Prince''. Why? Did the demon know something about him?

    Jina stirred and slowly sat up to find that Hobin was already awake.

    "Miyoo, don''t draw on someone''s face!" Jina scolded her sister. Miyoo pouted and jumped off the bed to pick up a paper and draw on it instead. Jina sighed and took a cloth. She dipped it in water and began to wipe off the hearts from Hobin''s face.

    "How are you feeling now?" she asked.

    "Terrible," he muttered. "How long have I been out?"

    "Two days," she replied. "The doctor kept you sedated. You woke up sporadically but fell asleep again."

    "Ugh!"

    Hobin tried to sit up but his muscles were sore. No doubt he would have to go through some mild therapy to loosen them up.

    "What happened to the kid? Duho?"

    Jina thought for a while before answering. "Well, when the demon left his body, he lost his sanity," she said. "The doctors here treated him but the trauma of it made his mental state deteriorate and he''s acting like a child now. We looked into his past and he has a history of obsession along with mental issues. Moreover, he doesn''t have any family here because his parents don''t want to keep any contact with him. As for the crimesбн"

    "Duho was seen with the painting by a student. So he automatically fell under our radar. Dahoon looked into his alibi and found that he has none for the killing of the student at Dalton and Minyku''s family. His face was caught on the cameras around Minkyu''s neighborhood. Moreover, Soobin also told us that he was stalking her. When he kidnapped her from her room, he cut his finger and bled. That was his blood we found. So we have enough evidence to arrest him."

    "But it was the demon which made him kill that family, right?" Hobin frowned.

    "Yes," Jina nodded. "But how are you going to prove that in court? Law doesn''t believe in supernatural creatures! We can''t bring the demon on trial. And even if Duho was a psycho, he didn''tmit any of the crimes in a sane state of mind. So our only option is to dere him insane and have him admitted to a mental facility. That way, he won''t be charged by the court and once he''s healed, he can live a normal life. Of course, we''ll issue a restraining order on behalf of Soobin."

    Jina was notpletely in support of this but sending an innocent kid to jail was wrong. Between jail and rehab, it was best for Duho to be sent off to thetter until he could recover from the trauma.

    "I understand," Hobin said. "Once I''ve recovered, I''ll analyze him and talk to the court appointed psychiatrists. I''m sure they''ll agree with me as well."

    She nodded and they fell into an awkward silence.

    "There''s one more thing," Jina said. "It''s about you."

    "Did your grandfather find out anything about why I keep on fainting every time there''s an exorcism going on?" he asked.

    "Not really. But he''s researching it. He tried to find out more about demons but he has limited ess to the information. In fact, only a few selected exorcists have ess to such data. The things we know about demons are from movies and fiction which aren''t true."

    "Also," she added. "We need to find out how...how I was able to kill a demon."

    "What?" Hobin frowned. "Kill a demon? You said it''s impossible to kill a demon!"

    "I know! I thought so too but that night, when I burnt the painting, the demon died! I''ve never heard of a demon dying. When my parents were facing a demon, my dad had to open the door to Purgatory and push the demon in. There it had its soul taken by a reaper and the demon became an empty shell but didn''t die. Butst night, the demon died! I don''t know how."

    Hobin let out a frustrated groan. So many mysteries to solve! First was the issue of their strange abilities and now this.

    "I need a long break," he muttered.

    "We all do," Jina agreed. The door opened and Siwan entered the room, looking relieved.

    "Thank god, you''re awake!" He smiled at his brother. "How do you feel now? Are you in pain? Or hurting anywhere?"

    "I''m hungry," Hobin said. "And I wanna walk."

    "I''ll tell a nurse to help you move around," Siwan said. "And what''s that on your cheek?"

    "Oh, I missed one!" Jina eximed and rubbed Hobin''s cheek to remove the heart. Hobin shot a re at Miyoo who ignored him.

    "Where are the trouble trio?" he asked Jina. He was referring to the twins and Soobin whom he nicknamed the ''Trouble Trio'' because of their uncanny penchant to fall in dangerous situations.

    "They''re at school," Jina replied. "Since the culprit was caught, there''s no reason why the school should be closed. The principal addressed the issue in the assembly today and the store room will be demolished and sealed with a wall. They''ll also increase the security by putting up electrical wires on the walls."

    Hobin knew it was useless but at least the school was taking some action for the sake of the students.

    Wonder what else is in store now, he thought warily.

    бн.

    "I still can''t believe you didn''t tell us about the kidnapping!" Yoonmin scolded Soobin.

    "I''m sorry!" she said in a small tone. "Everything happened so fast that I didn''t know what to do!"

    They were in the ssroom with Minyoon. The trio sat in a corner, whispering to themselves while Sera was at the front, throwing jealous gazes at Soobin. Yoonmin had his arm around her shoulder and was saying something to her making Sera incredibly envious.

    "It wasn''t her fault, Yoon," Minyoon told him. "Sis forbade the old man because she knows we might react. Besides, Binbin is safe! That''s what matters. Besides, it''s great that Binbin now knows the Hwang family secret!"

    "You won''t be safe if you call my girlfriend ''Binbin'' one more time!" Yoonmin snapped at him. Minyoon scowled while Soobinughed.

    "But Yoonie, I like the nickname!" Soobin purred, teasing him. Yoonmin went red in the face and muttered something like ''If you insist''. She patted his cheek and kept onughing at her cute boyfriend.

    "Are they together?" one girl whispered at Sera. "They look so intimate!"

    When Sera did not reply, the girl went on, "Is that why Soobin refused Duho? Then again, Duho was a nutcase. And who wouldn''t choose Hwang Yoonmin over him?"

    Sera red at her, making the girl shut her mouth. At that moment, the teacher entered the ss and everyone went to their seats. Soobin sat next to Yoonmin while Minyoon sat alone at his bench.

    "ss, I know that our school has gone through a major tragedy," the teacher said in a glum tone. "And all of you are tense. But as the principal said in the morning assembly, we must somehow move on. Hyoseop will be missed and we will remember him fondly. He was a good student and his parents were very upset. Duho''s case is also a sad reminder that not everyone is what they seem."

    "But we should learn a lesson and be kinder to each other. You never know what might happen tomorrow so it''s best not to live with regrets."

    The ss slowly nodded in agreement. They were going to have a tribute for Hyoseop in the evening so almost everyone was going to stay back after school to pay their final respects.

    "Anyways," the teacher went on. "I also have another announcement. We have a new student transferring into our ss. I hope all of you will be kind and weing to her. Without further ado, I''d like to wee, Cho Baekha!"

    The students were curious. A slim girl of their age entered the ss. She had long, dark hair with grey eyes and a very smooth, oval face. An icy vibe oozed from her, as if she was far beyond their reach. The girl was watching them all with a bored expression until her eyes met Minyoon''s. He was mildly curious but did not seem to be paying much attention to her.

    Yoonmin, however, was peering at her with attention.

    "Baekha, introduce yourself," the teacher encouraged.

    "My name is Cho Baekha and I''m the daughter of Cho Youngjoon, the country''s biggest steel tycoon."

    She spoke in an arrogant, haughty manner which immediately made the students dislike her. Minyoon rolled his eyes. He disliked spoiled brats like her and was no longer curious. Instead, he was doodling a new song in his notebook, basing it on the tune he heard from the mysterious girl at the summer festival.

    But Baekha was still ring at him.

    I''ll beat you, Hwang Minyoon, she swore.

 Chapter 159 - Girl With The Grey Eyes

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    I''m aiming for 5000 privilege unlocks this month so that this book can receive a banner. Please support this book by unlocking as many privilege chapters as possible and support me for spirity!

    I''ll give 10 chapter mass release on 1st October if we reach 5000 privilege unlocks this month <3

    ....

    "Let''s find you a seatбн" the teacher murmured. "Aha!"

    To Minyoon''s chagrin, the teacher pointed at the seat next to his. "You can sit there, Baekha."

    Baekha''s nostrils red but she did not argue. Everyone was watching her curiously as she slowly approached Minyoon''s bench.

    "I bet she''s gonna get rejected too," one girl whispered. "Did she really think that Minyoon would care for her money?"

    "Minmin likes girls who are talented," another girl imed. "And work hard! He''ll never pay any attention to her!"

    Baekha sat next to Minyoon, not looking his way. She had no intention of being friendly to her rival. Minyoon was a little wary by her cold attitude but did not say anything. Yoonmin, however, was studying this new girl very carefully. He finally came to a conclusion but did not say anything. Soobin, on the other hand, leaned over to talk to Baekha.

    "Pssst!" she hissed at Baekha. "I''m Soobin! Nice to meet you!"

    She reached out her hand for Baekha. Thetter nced at her and stiffly nodded but turned away, not epting the handshake. Soobin was a little disappointed because she had hoped to make a new friend but Baekha was probably not interested.

    "Don''t bother," Yoonmin advised her. "She''s not gonna respond to friendly gestures."

    Baekha overheard him and stated, "I''m not here to make friends. People here can go to hell for all I care."

    Her venomous tongue was starting to irritate even the normally affable Minyoon. He frowned at her and said, "Good. None of us are interested in being your friend either."

    Before Baekha could reply, the teacher shushed them and began the lecture. After an hour, the bell rang and recess began. The students were beginning to get up from the seats and eyed Baekha who was not moving from her bench. Instead, she was focused on something in her notebook.

    "Do you wanna join us for lunch?" Soobin asked her. Baekha let out a frustrated sigh and looked at her.

    "Don''t you get it?" She snapped. "I''m not interested in making friends here! I ignored you back then and you''re still pestering me? Are you that interested in money?"

    Soobin was taken aback by her words. Yoonmin was about to put the girl to her ce but Minyoon stopped him. Instead, he faced the rude girl himself.

    "Money? You mean the alms your father gets from my agency?" he asked with a smile. "I remember Cho Youngjun. Very desperate guy. He was so happy to sign an endorsement with me. He told me he had a daughter whom he''s not very proud of because shecks his business acumen. Now I see why."

    Baekha was unabashed. She stood up and faced him.

    "That''s riching from a guy who lives on his daddy''s money," she smirked. "Besides, unlike you, I don''t wear a mask of friendliness. I am what I am."

    "You mean a rude, crazy and stupid brat?"

    "As opposed to a fake idol who has no talent," she coolly shot back. "Tell me, ''top idol''. When was thest time you wrote a song? Orposed something on your own? You im that you''re the best idol in the country, right? Then why are other people making the songs for you?"

    Minyoon raised an eyebrow.

    "Shouldn''t we stop them?" Soobin hissed to Yoonmin but thetter shook his head.

    "She just attacked his jugr vein," he sighed. "This is gonna turn nasty."

    The whole ss was now watching but they did not dare to intervene because the Hwang twins were not people to be messed with. They held their breaths, witnessing the new girl threaten Minyoon. Why was he not retaliating?

    Baekha knew her rival very well. Hwang Minyoon might be handsome and charismatic but he had an entire team of musicians who wrote the songs for him. He was not a genuine artist and she was sure that he could not string a tune even to save his life. Beating him was going to be a piece of cake for her.

    Whatcha gonna do, Top Idol? She thought, silently challenging him.

    "I guess as someone who has everything handed to him on a golden tter, it''s hard topose your own song," she said with spite. How was he even Top Idol? What did people see in him? Looks? The manufactured songs?

    "Hey, you''re going too far!" Soobin scolded her. "Minyoon-"

    Minyoon held up his hand to stop her. Baekha gave him a spiteful re and was about to walk away. The other students threw her hateful gazes, angry that some puny brat was terrorizing their beloved idol.

    "She''s so rude!" Soobin frowned. "I wonder what''s wrong with her."

    "A lot of things," Yoonmin said in a cryptic tone. But he was surprised that Minyoon was letting her go so easily. Where was his witty older brother who would throw insults with a smile?

    Minyoon merely grinned and stood on top of a table. Baekha was almost at the door when she heard him speak up.

    "Yo, Cho Baekha!" he eximed gleefully. "This song is dedicated to you!"

    She turned around and crossed her arms on her chest, waiting for him to start the show. The rest of the ss watched as Minyoon picked up a pair of pencils and sat on the table. He took a deep breath and began to use the pencils as drumsticks, beating them in a rhythm on the wood.

    "Hey girl with the Gi purse

    You wear your heart on your sleeves

    Behind your angry grey eyes,

    What are the dreams you''re hiding?"

    His melodious voice rang through the room, making everyone move to his slow tune. Soobin was also surprised and turned to Yoonmin.

    "Did he make up the song on the spot?" she gasped.

    "The girl was right when she said that Minyoon has his own team ofposers," Yoonmin shrugged. "But she''s wrong about his music. He makes them himself. Theposers are young, independent artists who are passionate about their music. He''s giving them credit on his album and giving them exposure so that they can work with other artists and showcase their talent. It''s the only reason he doesn''t list himself as theposer of his songs so that his team can get the limelight too. Plus, he anonymously wrote songs for other artists. He just doesn''t take the credit."

    "Woah!"

    Minyoon''s voice was still singing in the background. Baekha was momentarily stunned to hear him make up an entire verse on the spot.

    "Wearing a shield of rudeness,

    You see everything as fake

    Who hurt you, daddy''s girl?

    Tell me your pain too.

    Behind you grey eyes,

    You''re hiding years of tears

    Do you not love yourself?

    Or did you forget how to?

    Can you let us know"

    Or will you once again

    Bear the sadness and sorrow?

    Show me those beautiful eyes

    And let the pain go awayбн"

    The entire ss erupted in apuse. Many of the students went to hug and congratte Minyoon for teaching the rude girl a lesson. He tried to find her in the crowd, but Baekha was gone. Even though she was rude, for some reason he felt something tugging in his mind.

    Where did I see that girl before? He wondered.

    "Minmin, that was awesome!" Soobin beamed. "Can I post the video I took on fansites?"

    "Go ahead!" Minyoo shrugged. "I hope they''ll pay to see me perform it live in my next concert!"

    "You''re gonna include it in an album?" Yoonmin frowned.

    "It''s a good song. Might as well earn money from it!"

    Then a thought hit Minyoon and he had a really good idea. "Hey, why don''t we do one thing?" he asked Yoonmin. "Can we coborate with that new artist? Ahn Baek? His voice is perfect for this song!"

    "Ahn Baek?" Yoonmin frowned. "Are you sure?"

    "Yes! He''s really good!"

    Yoonmin blinked at his brother. Did he not realize it already?

    My brother is clueless, he sighed inwardly. Soobin was also excited by the idea.

    "He is good!" she imed. "And it might start a new ship between the fans! MinBaek!"

    Yoonmin gave her an ''are-you-kidding-me'' look. "Birds of a feather flock together," he muttered.

    "What?"

    "I said we should totally do this coboration!" Yoonmin replied. "Good idea, Minyoon. I''ll contact his agency right now. Gimme a sec."

    With that, he went outside, leaving the two idiots alone as they talked about the song.

    Meanwhile, Baekha was leaning against a wall, contemting her next action. It seemed that Hwang Minyoon was not simply a pretty boy.

    He made thatposition on the spot? She thought. Why was he hiding this talent?

    "Ugh!" she scowled. "I''ll have to get the top idol spot, somehow!"

    It''s the only way I can make my parents realize that I exist too, she added in her head.

    "Nice show back there."

    She jumped and turned to see Yoonmin standing there. Baekha ignored him and turned away.

    "I thought your song was very good," Yoonmin said.. "Ahn Baek."

 Chapter 160 - Lets Work Hard!

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    I''m aiming for 5000 privilege unlocks this month so that this book can receive a banner. Please support this book by unlocking as many privilege chapters as possible and support me for spirity!

    I''ll give 10 chapter mass release on 1st October if we reach 5000 privilege unlocks this month <3

    ....

    Junho was at Bomi''s house and exined the whole situation to the old shaman. Thetter heard the story of how Hobin fainted during exorcisms and also Jina killing a demon. He frowned, deep in thought.

    "I''ve done many exorcisms and dealt with supernatural creatures," he said. "But this is the first time I''ve heard of something like this!"

    He strode towards his bookshelf to take out his diary. For years, Bomi had maintained a record of all the demonic possessions and flipped through it.

    "I''ve never seen a demon die," he muttered. "Are you sure it died?"

    "It burst into a ball of light and disappeared!" Junho eximed. "My granddaughter saw its true form. Apparently it looked half human and half bird. It just exploded in front of her."

    Bomi was now totally lost. No matter which case he studied in his book, in all the scenarios he just extracted the demon from the person and sent it away. The demons could not possess that same person again so they ran away either back to hell or looked for someone else. But it was the first time he heard of a demon dying.

    "This is crazy," he said. "We don''t have enough information on the demons to verify that it died. What did it say again?"

    "It said that it was a Vurthramis Lord," Junho recalled. "And it called Hobin as ''Prince''."

    "Prince? There are no demon princes! Just one ruler who''s been missing for many years."

    "Missing?"

    "The King of Hell," Bomi said. "No one knows his name but it''s said that he left hell many hundreds of years ago. No one knows why and the demons won''t tell me either. Most of them are escaping hell but new demons are created there almost everyday. The older demons who are loyal to the King, are still looking for him."

    "Is that a bad thing?"

    "Well, demons are moreplicated than humans," Bomi exined. "They have certain rules they live by and they don''t break those rules. Only the malevolent demons wreck things up in the living world. I''m sure there arews and regtions in Hell as well otherwise we''d see an onught of demons in the world. I think that they''re working in the shadows to keep the bnce between the worlds while looking for the King."

    "As for why Jina was able to kill this demon," he went on. "I don''t know. Her powers are inexplicable. We need to get to the bottom of her abilities and find out why she''s so special. She''s the mixture of two very powerful bloodlines. Her powers connect her to the Living World, Purgatory and Hell. We''ll have to find out more about them."

    "But what about Hobin? Why was he affected by the ritual?"

    "I''ll have to perform a purification ritual on him," Bomi sighed. "Put him in a trance and see what''s really inside him. Is he even human at all? And the salt didn''t affect himst time, right?"

    "It didn''t," Junho replied. "It wasn''t until Rachel''s exorcism when we realized that something might be wrong.

    Bomi nodded thoughtfully. "Alright!" he eximed. "I''ll need to conduct the purification ritual on a full moon night when the energy of supernatural creatures is at its peak. If he''s really human, it won''t hurt him. But if something is hiding in him, it''lle out. We just hope that we can extract it out of him."

    Junho was grim. He was sure that Hobin was not possessed and he even admired the kid for his intelligence and wit. It would be a shame if the kid turned out to be an evil entity or worse. All he could hope was that he was wrong.

    бн.

    Hobin was getting impatient. He had a pager in his hand and was pressing it continuously. Miyoo, who was indulging in the crab cakes Siwan made for Hobin, looked up to see her sister rushing into the ward.

    "Why are you pinging me so much?" Jina scowled. "I told you that I was getting your reports!"

    "I''m hungry," Hobin said. "Feed me."

    He grinned at her, making Jina feel irritated. Ever since he woke up, he was using her as his personal errand girl. She bought him medicines, stayed with him almost all the time, fed him and even readplicated reports out loud to him. In fact, Jina had to read out strange numbers to him rted to psychology and now, she even had nightmares of maths!

    "Your hand is fine!" she gritted. "Feed yourself!"

    "I don''t want to."

    "I''m not doing it!"

    Hobin pouted a little, faking a puppy dog expression. "I protected you when those ghosts attacked you," he mumbled. "You can''t do this much for me?"

    Jina was greatly irritated. He had been using that incident as leverage over her, making her do all kinds of chores as if she was hisckey.

    "Sis, bad," Miyoo said.

    "See? Even the kid thinks that you''re being ungrateful. Ahh Tinkerbell! I thought you paid your debts to peopleбн"

    Jina grumbled and picked up a spoon. She unpacked the lunch which the nurse had dropped off for him and begrudgingly began to feed him. Hobin was ted as he happily ate by her hands. He knew that he was being childish and their time together as partners was only temporary. Soon, she would start dating his brother and live a life of her own.

    Then she would no longer be his Tinkerbell.

    He hid the strange feeling in his heart. It was as if someone was ripping it out and crushing it hard. Hobin never felt this way about someone and the night when he heard his brother confess his feelings, the ground beneath him had slipped. There was no anger or resentment in him towards his brother. Siwan deserved to be happy.

    But he hated himself for feeling so jealous. With great difficulty, Hobin had hid the fact that he was Jina''s first love, Shinho. It was his past life and he was going to fulfill his promise to her. Even if it meant seeing her with someone else.

    Jina was startled by the sudden intensity in his eyes. He was giving her a gaze full of longing which made her heart beat loudly. She could not look away from him, her mind muddled with only his image. He was making her feel things which she had not felt in a while and it scared her. There was an undeniable attraction which was hard to fight off but for some reason, there was also a sense of dread.

    Unbeknownst to them, Siwan was standing at the door, watching them. Their little moments had not gone amiss by him and he stared at them for a while. But they were lost in their own world, oblivious to everything else. Slowly, he backed off, leaving them alone.

    Jina''s cheeks reddened and she cleared her throat.

    "Grandpa is talking to his friend about your condition," she said, averting her eyes. "Hopefully, they''lle up with a solution."

    "Hmm," Hobin said. "I know."

    There was an awkward silence between them. Jina put away the empty bowl and fidgeted in her seat.

    "Thank you," she finally said. "For that night. I don''t think I could''ve handled those ghosts myselfбн"

    "I didn''t do anything," he said. "They ran away before I barged in."

    "Still, it was nice to have someone console me. I never felt so scared in my life. For a moment I thought that they''d kill me. I...I''m scared of death too. Weird, huh?"

    She gave him a small smile but was ashamed to admit her fear of death. It was strange that a person whomunicated with the dead on a daily basis was afraid of it.

    "Finally, you''re being normal!" Hobin snickered. "I used to think you''re weird for not being scared of death. This means that you''re human. A short and tiny human."

    Jina was about to snap at him but he raised his hand and patted her head. "Good work, partner," he said. "You killed a demon! Be proud, woman!"

    He was attempting to cheer her up. Jina felt a tiny palm touching her and she looked around to see Miyoo, also patting her arm.

    "Good work!" she eximed, shing a thumbs up.

    Jina looked from her sister to Hobin, both of them attempting to console her in their weird ways. She smiled widely, making Hobin blush.

    "Let''s work harder then!" she dered.

 Chapter 161 - Oblivious

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    I''m aiming for 5000 privilege unlocks this month so that this book can receive a banner. Please support this book by unlocking as many privilege chapters as possible and support me for spirity!

    I''ll give 10 chapter mass release on 1st October if we reach 5000 privilege unlocks this month <3

    ....

    Hobin put his bags on the floor and stretched his limbs. He was rejuvenated after staying at the hospital but was d to be home. To his surprise, Jina had also moved back on the same day and was putting her bags inside her house.

    "Are you sure you should being back here?" he frowned as he entered her house. "What if there are more spirits?"

    "I was just taken by surprise that time," Jina said. She put her bag on the bed and began to unpack her things. "The old man gave me more charms and he''ll be purifying my house every week from now on. I don''t know what happened that dayбн"

    She nced outside her window and to her relief, there were no spirits outside at that moment. It was safe. For now.

    Hobin looked around as if to make sure the ce was ghost free. He checked the kitchen and bathrooms for any anomaly but everything seemed to be in their proper ce. It still puzzled him how Jina was attacked that day. Why did so many spirits turn up there? What was going on?

    He sat on her bean bag couch next to her bed and tried to think.

    "You know, this is kinda strange," he said. "You were able to kill a demon. The ghosts are attacking you for no reason. And the weird rituals are affecting me. Do you think our powers are somehow...rted?"

    "What do you mean?"

    "Think about it. How many other people with special abilities do you know? Your sister and mother''s powers are due to the fact that it''s hereditary but even in a weird family, you''re the weirdest. Meanwhile, I''m not just able to read the minds of living beings but also of the spirits if they possess others. You see dead people while I see the memories of the living. Don''t you think that maybe we were given these powers for a reason?"

    "Wellбн"

    Jian would be lying if she said she did not think like that. Truthfully, she thought about that several times but she could not see any link in their abilities other than the fact both of them were strange.

    "Forget it!" she sighed. "We''ll have to keep working until we find a link or at least an exnation."

    "I think I know mine," Hobin muttered.

    "What was that?"

    "Nothing!" he imed. Jina rolled her eyes and picked up a pile of clothes to discard in theundry bag when something fell on the ground. Before Jina could grab it, Hobin picked it up and to Jina''s chagrin it was her bra!

    "Ehhh?" Hobin grinned. "Tinkerbell, you''re a B-cup? Isn''t that small?"

    "Give me that!" she squeaked and lunged forward to grab it from him. But he was too tall, holding it right above her head.

    "Tinkerbell really is tiny!" He teased her, watching her jump up and down as she tried to take her bra. "Tiny Tinkerbell!"

    "Give me back my bra!" she yelled and jumped. But she lost her footing and grabbed on to Hobin. He stumbled and both of them fell on the bed.

    Jina was pinned underneath him, his strong pepper like scent hitting her nostrils and made her a little dizzy. Hobin was gazing at Jina, her long hair spread on the bed while he hovered over her. They were painfully close, their bodies grinding against each other. Jina''s heart beats sped up and she blushed by his suddenly tender gaze.

    He raised a finger and removed a strand from her face. Her skin heated up at the touch and she looked at him with herrge doe shaped eyes while her heart was thumping crazily against her chest. Hobin was also hypnotized by the delicate beauty in his arms, memorizing her features to his memory.

    She was unattainable for him and he knew that. He knew that she loved his brother and not him but he could not keep himself away from her. After all, he moved heaven and earth toe back to her and fulfill his promise. No matter how much he tried to run away, he would end uping back to her.

    That''s right, he realized. I can never run away.

    Jina was still in a trance, waiting for something to happen. She was not able to look away from his handsome face, captured by his very essence. The attraction she tried to fight was only growing and despite their eight year age difference, she could not help wanting to be with him.

    But did he want to be with her?

    I guess not, she thought. But then...why is he looking at me like that?

    His dark eyes were fixated on her as if there was no one else but them. Why? What did that mean? Did he like her? Or-

    "I guess I am whipped," he whispered and suddenly swooped down, kissing her.

    Jina''s eyes widened in shock when their lips touched, her heartbeats going off the roof. His soft lips tasted like caramel and she closed her eyes, kissing him back. She opened her mouth to smash their tongues together, intensifying the kiss. His one hand was clutching her silky hair, while the other one yed with her fingers.

    She was breathless as they kept on kissing, her hands wrapped around his neck. His skin radiated the heat and passion which was suppressed for months, trapping them in that fiery moment. They were oblivious to the entire world, lost in the intensity of their kiss-

    BANG! BANG!

    The sound of someone banging on the door broke them out of their furore. For a few seconds, Jina and Hobin were frozen in that position, their minds finally back to reality. He quickly got off of her, both of them red and blushing.

    "I...Iбн" Hobin stammered. For once, he could not find words to describe what happened and even Jina was not sure of what to do.

    "Jina, are these bgs yours?" Mrs. Ahn, thendy asked from outside. "These are blocking the way!"

    "N-No!" Jina squeaked. "Those might be Hobin''s. I-I''ll tell him to clear them upбн"

    "Okay!"

    They heard Mrs. Ahn''s footsteps shuffling away. Jina and Hobin did not dare to look at each other, their minds still thinking about what happened a while ago.

    "I-I''ll go and unpack," Hobin mumbled, unsure of what to say. She was his brother''s girlfriend and he should not have crossed that line. It was embarrassing and wrong.

    Was she angry? Did he force a kiss on her? Hobin felt really guilty and did not dare to utter another word. Her face was hidden behind her long locks and he was worried that she was going to hate him. This was not how it was supposed to be.

    Jina did not reply when he left the apartment, shutting the door behind him. As soon as he was gone, shey on the bed and touched her lips.

    She could still feel his lingering warmth on it and slightly blushed. The kiss was unexpected and sweet. Even if her ce was a mess at that moment, she could not help but think how perfect her first kiss was.

    Or maybe it was because of him?

    "Now I''m turning into a hopeless romantic!" she sighed and hid her face in a pillow. The butterflies in her stomach would not stop fluttering, thinking about Hobin and their first kiss.

    But the idiot still did not ask her out! Suddenly, she frowned at the thought. Was he going to ask her out on a date? What should she do? What should they do on a date? What clothes should she wear?

    "What do I do?" she mumbled hopelessly.

 Chapter 162 - [Bonus ] Bring Her To Me

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    I''m aiming for 5000 privilege unlocks this month so that this book can receive a banner. Please support this book by unlocking as many privilege chapters as possible and support me for spirity!

    I''ll give 10 chapter mass release on 1st October if we reach 5000 privilege unlocks this month <3

    ....

    Inside the walls of a vast manor was a dimly lit room with three people in it. A fire was lit in the middle of the room, reflecting on the red marble walls which were adding a fiendish aura to the ce. The three people sat in a circle, surrounding the mes which were dancing dangerously. On one side was the picture of a blonde young man in histe twenties. He had a charming smile and seductive blue eyes on which the mes were being illuminated.

    On the opposite side was a man wearing a red cloak. He wore several colorful chains and beads but his eyes were darker than the night. The man''s hair was messy and dirty as if not washed for many years and he stank like trash. But he was staring intently at the picture as if challenging it.

    On either side of him sat two people, a middle aged couple. The man was dressed in a fine suit made by a designer. He had blue eyes like the man in the picture with dirty blonde hair. His wife had dark hair with grey colored eyes and she had a dignified aura about her. But her eyes were cold and calctive with a hint of a desperate plea.

    She was staring at the shaman who had given them so many hopes. It was their only chance and they could not mess it up.

    "How long will it take?" she asked the shaman. "We''ve been trying for a year-"

    "Shh!" her husband shushed her. "Let him work."

    The shaman was still staring at the picture like he had been for the past hour. He was gathering the spirit energy in that house, putting it all in the ritual he was performing. The couple were anxious, looking at him with hope.

    Finally, the shaman spoke up.

    "Your son''s answer is the same," he dered. "Either bring her to him otherwise he''ll note back."

    "But we can''t find her anywhere!" the woman shrieked. "I...Doesn''t he care for his mother at all?"

    "Your son''s obsession is well past death!" the shaman snapped at her. "You should be ashamed of giving birth to such a heinous creature! And now, he only wants her. Either bring her to him or incur his wrath."

    The husband cursed out loud and stared at his son''s picture. His son, his precious boy, was his whole world. It grieved him to no end when his son was untimely taken away from him. The only heir to his vast empire was gone and they were left with nothing!

    "We don''t have a choice, Ciara," he said in a bitter tone. "Sungki only wants her. We''ll have to bring her back to him and fulfill hisst wish."

    "But my son...how could that bitch do this to him?" Ciara hissed. She loathed that girl. That girl ruined her son and took away their happiness. To think that even in death, he loved her was making Ciara blind with anger. That girl was the reason for this state of theirs!

    "We''ll have to find Jisoo at all cost," her husband, Youngjoon said, feeling equally bitter. "If we don''t find her, then he''ll not free us from the curse. We must find her!"

    "Once she''s found, I''ll start the ritual," the shaman stated. "If you want his spirit to lift the curse then you must bring her back to him. Once she''s back, I''ll be able to do as he wishes."

    He stood up and bowed before the couple. Ciara and Youngjoon nodded as the shaman took his leave. He passed through the long corridor as if slithering like a snake. The man was shrouded in mystery and his eyes were fixated ahead. Stepping into the sun, he winced.

    The shaman paused and nced at the English style manor in front of him. It might look like an architectural beauty but the dark energy emitting from it was getting stronger everyday. For years, the darkness had seeped into it like a spider''s web, covering it under its grasp. The spirit which cursed the family was not going toy low and was seeking the thing which he believed to be rightfully his even after death.

    A soft whisper was ying in the shaman''s ears and a cold sensation swept by.

    "Ming...Jisooбн" it said to him. "Bring me...Ming Jisooбн"

    The entity disappeared again, leaving the shaman in a deep thought. The child of a demon...All he needed was the child of a demonбн

    Soon, he thought and walked away, leaving the manor behind him.

    бн.

    "Coming!" Hobin eximed. He was in his house, cleaning up when he heard the door knock. To his surprise, it was Siwan.

    "Wanna have a drink with your brother?" Siwan smirked. He held up a bag full of beer cans. Hobin could not look him in the eye. He was guilty for what he did and had been avoiding going outside. In fact, he ignored Siwan''s calls all day which only added to his guilt.

    How could he tell his brother that he kissed his girlfriend? Siwan was going to be crushed.

    "I''m cleaning up," he mumbled but Siwan barged into his house anyway.

    "I''ll help then," he offered, picking up a mop. But Hobin shook his head and took the mop from him.

    "I can''t let you do that. Fine! Let''s just have a drink right now."

    Did Jina tell him about the incident? Judging by Siwan''s smile, it was obvious that he was still unaware of what happened and Hobin was not keen on telling him either. He did not want to ruin Jina and Siwan''s rtionship.

    "How are you feeling now?" Siwan asked, handing him a can. "Any more heart problems?"

    "I''m fine," Hobin muttered, taking the can. He opened it and took a long sip. Siwan noticed that Hobin was fidgeting nervously and avoiding his gaze.

    "You''re not. You''re not fine at all."

    Siwan was giving him a stern look, not flinching. Hobin was only wallowing more in guilt, not wanting to ruin his brother''s happiness. He looked directly at Siwan and lied through his teeth.

    "I''m fine. Really! I''m feeling good-"

    "Is it because of Jina?"

    There was a long stretch of silence between them. Hobin was shocked. Did he know?

    Siwan let out a loud sigh and poked his brother''s forehead. "Listen up, you little bean," he said in a calm tone. "You really think that I won''t know what you''re feeling? I''m your elder brother, you moron. You might be able to read minds but I can read you. Nothing remains unnoticed."

    He flicked Hobin on the forehead, making thetter wince.

    "I don''t like the Tinkerbell," Hobin lied but Siwan onlyughed.

    "Your feelings are all over your face, idiot!" he snickered. "I can just see it. You''re totally into her. Otherwise why else would you spend so much time with her? She calls you whenever she''s in trouble. You listen to her whenever she needs a friend. And you even trusted her enough to tell her about your abilities. You don''t think I don''t know?"

    "Still, I tried my luck with her too," Siwan went on, feeling a little sad. "Yes. I like her as well and I asked her out."

    Hobin did not say anything but took another gulp of the beer.

    "And she turned me down," Siwan revealed.

 Chapter 163 - You Saved Me

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    I''m aiming for 5000 privilege unlocks this month so that this book can receive a banner. Please support this book by unlocking as many privilege chapters as possible and support me for spirity!

    I''ll give 10 chapter mass release on 1st October if we reach 5000 privilege unlocks this month <3

    ....

    *A Few Days Ago*

    Jina slowly left Hobin''s ward. He was fast asleep thanks to the sedatives given to him and she left Miyoo in there. The child might bicker with Hobin a lot but she cared for ''Red'' and insisted on staying with him. Miyoo fell asleep on the couch so Jina decided to grab a coffee from the cafe.

    She locked the door behind her and headed for the cafeteria when she ran into Siwan.

    "Oh!" she eximed, feeling awkward. "I was just going to the cafeбн"

    "Great, I''ll join you," he smiled.

    Jina was a bit reluctant to face Siwan but she had no choice. After that night, she was not keen on meeting him face to face because he was obviously waiting for an answer. The events that followed his confession put everything else in the backseat but now that Hobin was recovering, Jina would have toe up with an answer for Siwan.

    "They''re selling crab cakes at the cafe today," he said. "I think I''m gonna take some for Hobin and Miyoo."

    "Should he be eating crab cakes in this condition?"

    "One wouldn''t hurt him. Besides, it''ll pacify mom as well. I had to argue with her over the phone to stop her froming back. The woman was about to leave her entire work behind toe and care for Hobin but I told her not to."

    "How is she doing?" Jina asked. "I hope Aunty Doyoung isn''t too worried."

    "She calls me after every half an hour and pesters Hobin to no end," he sighed. "Moms, huh?"

    "Yeahбн"

    They reached the cafeteria. Siwan ced their orders and led her to a seat. She sat opposite to him, nervously ncing around.

    "What is it?" he snickered. "Why do you look so scared?"

    "Nothing," Jina said, shaking her head. "I just feel that I''ming to this ce way too much. I don''t wanna stay in the hospital for long. I hope Hobin gets well soon."

    "It was just a minor chest pain. He''ll be fine in no time."

    Siwan was studying Jina who was fidgeting her fingers. He waited for her to talk but she was silent, as if contemting her every word. He sighed.

    "Say it," he told her. "Whatever is on your mind. It''s best to let it all out rather than bottling it up."

    "Uhбн"

    Jina cleared her throat. "T-That night when you asked me out," she began. "I couldn''t give you an answer. I''m sorry about it. So many things happened that it was impossible to say anything."

    "Do you have an answer now?" he asked. Siwan tried to keep a cheerful demeanor but his heart was erratic, anticipating her reply. Was she going to say yes? Or was she going to refuse?

    Thetter thought made him very sad but ultimately, it was her decision and he must respect it.

    "Siwanбн" she began. "I''m sorry. You''re a great guy but I''m not the right person for you."

    Jina waited for the impact of her words to hit him but he was patient.

    "Go on," he coaxed.

    "That''s it, really," Jina said, feeling apologetic. "You''re great and a really nice guy but I...I think I like someone else. And I can''t lie to you about it."

    Siwan was silent for a while before shing a sad smile. "Thank you, Jina," he said gratefully. "I can''t deny that I''m sad but this is for the best. I just wanted to try and tell you what I feel about you. It''s okay if you don''t feel the same. At least I tried, right?"

    Jina smiled and patted his palm. "Will you be okay?"

    "I''ll be fine!" heughed. "Besides, I think I feel a little free now. Good luck with Hobin."

    Her eyes widened in surprise, making Siwanugh again. "It''s kind of obvious," he admitted. "The way you look at him and care for him. I can see that you really like him even though you''re not admitting it. Also, I see the way he cares for you. I''ve seen him flirt with countless girls but he never went the extra mile for them. But for you...he''d do anything for you. I think he likes you but is too stubborn to say it. Besides, it''s great. In a way, you''ll be able to keep him away from danger. I can trust you with his well being. I''m d."

    With that, Siwan got up and said, "I should go. My break will end soon."

    "Will you be alright?" Jina asked. She was worried for him but Siwan merely smiled.

    "Maybe not now," he sighed. "But I will be. So don''t worry, okay?"

    He winked at her and walked away. Jina could not help but feel sad for turning him down. Maybe if her feelings for Hobin were not obvious, she would have chosen Siwan. But being honest was the best way to maintain their friendship.

    Siwan hid his face from her, dabbing his eye a little as he walked away. He was overwhelmed with sadness but he was also d that she let him go. The sadness would one day go away and he would be truly happy for his brother and his friend.

    "Hobin, you''re really lucky," he mused.

    бн.

    *Present*

    Hobin was stunned to hear that Jina rejected Siwan. Was she not in love with him?

    Siwan sighed at the confused look on his brother''s face and pinched his cheek. "She likes you, moron," he revealed to Hobin. "Even I can see it."

    "I''m not a moron!" Hobin protested, rubbing his cheek. "And she never told me! How was I supposed to know?"

    "You read people''s memories and you don''t even know what a girl feels about you?" Siwan sighed. "Are you that oblivious?"

    "I...I never read her mind," he admitted. "I only read it once by ident. That''s it! Otherwise, I never read her memories nor what she feels for me or anyoneбн"

    Hobin was happy but also guilty. He gazed at his brother, worried for him. Siwan seemed to be happy but he did not want to pursue Jina unless he was absolutely sure that Siwan was fine.

    "Are you really okay?" he asked. "Are you hurt? Sad? It''s okay if you punch me!"

    "I won''t punch you!" Siwan groaned. "Honestly, I am a little jealous. After all, I like her too. But I''m okay. I really am. Just promise me that you won''t hurt her, okay?"

    He patted his brother on the head, sure that Hobin was not going to hurt Jina in any way. Suddenly, Siwan''s watch began to beep and he checked the time.

    "Oh damn," he muttered. "Tomorrow is the day?"

    "What is it?" Hobin frowned.

    "Nothing," Siwan said. "Just the death anniversary of a patient. My first patient, actually. I go to her shrine every year and leave my condolences."

    "Oh."

    Hobin did not know that Siwan was following a ritual like that. Who is this patient? He wondered.

    "I''ll have to head out early in the morning before my duties start," Siwan stated, getting to his feet. "I''ll talk to youter, okay? And talk to her as soon as you can. I''m sure she''s waiting for you to ask her."

    "I will when I get the chance," Hobin smiled. He stood up and hugged his brother.

    "Thank you, bro," he said sincerely. Siwan smiled and hugged his brother back. That was right. When it came to his little brother, he would do anything and he knew that Hobin would do the same for him.

    "No, thank you," Siwan said. "For saving me."

    He let go and ruffled Hobin''s auburn hair before turning to leave.

 Chapter 164 - School Lunch Time

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    I''m aiming for 5000 privilege unlocks this month so that this book can receive a banner. Please support this book by unlocking as many privilege chapters as possible and support me for spirity!

    I''ll give 10 chapter mass release on 1st October if we reach 5000 privilege unlocks this month <3

    ....

    The school cafeteria was bustling with students. Soobin was with Sera, standing at a corner holding their trays. The whole ce was crowded that day because the school was serving croissants and meat patties for lunch so a lot of the students came downstairs.

    "We won''t find any ce to sit," Sera groaned.

    "There''s a seat there," Soobin pointed. "Near the exit."

    "Are you crazy?" Sera scoffed. "That''s the nerd''s table! We shouldn''t sit there!"

    Nerd''s table? Soobin frowned. She was baffled by that discrimination. A table was a table, right?

    "Let''s sit there!" Sera suggested, pointing at a couple of empty chairs at arge table. There were other girls seated at that table, talking and giggling. One of them was a curly haired girl with long, shiny nails. She wore heavy makeup even in school and was haughty looking. Soobin knew who they were: Yoo Miho and her friends.

    "Do we have to sit there?" she asked. "I don''t-"

    But Sera pulled her towards the table, eager to sit there. Yoo Miho was one of the most popr girls in the school and she wanted to be friends with her. The girls around Miho were giggling andughing when Sera and Soobin approached them.

    "Miho, can we sit with you?" Sera asked in excitement. Miho heard her and shed Sera a condescending look. She studied the chubby girl from head to toe and slightly sneered. Then her eyes fell on Soobin.

    "Soobin!" Miho greeted her with a wide smile. "Are you looking for a table to sit on? Join us, won''t you?"

    Soobin noted Miho''s attitude towards Sera and was not pleased but before she could reply, Sera was already sitting down. Miho and her friends threw her a dirty re and ignored her. Soobin had no choice but to sit down, feeling wary of the girls.

    "You guys are the cheerleading squad this year, right?" Sera asked them but Miho ignored her and turned to Soobin.

    "So tell me, Soobin," Miho began. "Are you dating Hwang Yoonmin? I see you guys together a lot!"

    "Uh...yes," Soobin replied. Sera felt slighted by Miho''s attitude and she was also hurt by Soobin''s answer to the question. Even though the whole school knew about it by now, Sera was still sore over the fact that Yoonmin was dating her friend. She could not help feeling bitter over it.

    And now she was being ignored by her peers in favor of Soobin.

    "Oooh that''s so cool!" Miho eximed. "Is he really as rich as they say? And what about Minyoon? Do you get to meet him a lot?"

    "I do run into him asionally," Soobin mumbled, looking down. The questions were making her ufortable for some reason. It was obvious that the girls were ignoring Serapletely and were only talking to Soobin because she was dating Yoonmin.

    "The Hwang twins are really dreamy!" another girl piped up. "Hey, why don''t you set Miho up with Minyoon? Don''t you think they''ll look really good together?"

    "Stop it!" Miho reproached them in a fake tone. "Minyoon won''t go for a nobody like me! He''ll probably end up with a pretty and rich girl."

    "But you are pretty and rich!" one of her friends imed. "You''re smart too! Soobin, why don''t you set her up with Minyoon?"

    "I...Iбн" Soobin suddenly felt ambushed by those girls. She had no idea how to turn them down and was inwardly wincing at Yoonmin for being absent that day. For once, she wished that he was with her so that she could at least avoid spending time with these weird girls.

    She looked at Sera for help but thetter ignored her and was eating her lunch. Sera was annoyed at Soobin for being the center of attention all the time and she was determined not to help her out of this mess.

    "Set Miho up on a blind date," one of the girls ordered Soobin. "Don''t you think you should do us a favor? After all, Miho and Minyoon would-"

    "Are you girls that stupid?"

    A voice came from behind them. All of them looked around to see Baekha standing behind them, with her hands crossed on her chest. She slowly approached the annoying girls and eyed them like a hawk. The girls were throwing her angry res.

    "What did you just say?" Miho demanded. "Did you just call my friends stupid?"

    "I''m calling you one as well," Baekha sneered. "Can''t you see that she doesn''t want to set you up with her boyfriend''s brother? Or can''t your thick skull register it?"

    Soobin was shocked to see Baekha defending her. She thought that the girl did not like her but to see her like thisбн

    "What the fuck?"

    One of Miho''s friends stood up to hit her but Baekha caught her arm and pushed her backwards. She red at the other girls who trembled under her gaze. Only Miho was calm.

    "Let''s go girls," she said. "It seems that some people don''t appreciate a good gesture."

    She also red at Soobin with a spiteful look. Soobin did not flinch and the girls walked away from them. She turned to Sera to ask if she was alright but thetter also stood up.

    "I''m done with lunch," Sera dered. "I need to go to the library."

    With that, she scurried off, leaving Soobin and Baekha alone. Baekha hesitated and turned to Soobin. Even though she was not keen on defending the girl from Miho and her gang, she was forced to do so by Yoonmin. That day when he revealed that he knew her secret, he gave her a week''s time to apologize to Soobin.

    "I don''t care what you do against Minyoon because I know that he can counter your attacks easily," he said. "But you better apologize to my girlfriend within a week!"

    She sat next to Soobin, who was looking at her curiously.

    "I''m sorry for that day," Baekha gritted. "I shouldn''t have been rude when you were trying to be nice to me."

    "Did Yoonmin tell you to do this?" Soobin guessed. "He did go after you that day."

    When Baekha did not reply, Soobin snickered. "It''s fine!" she giggled. "It''s all water under the bridge. You''re new here and so am I! I''ve been here only for a few months. It''s been a crazy adventure here but I''m loving every moment of it!"

    "Really?" Baekha sneered. "This ce is crawling with rich kids and their attitudes. I hate it here."

    "I''m not rich," Soobin said, taking a bite of her croissant. "I''m just d for the free lunch and the books!"

    Baekha was surprised. Dalton was a very expensive school and exclusive to the rich snobs of the country. Only the elites sent their children there. If Soobin was not from a rich family, then that meantбн

    "You''re here on a schrship?" she frowned. "But even with a schrship, the things are expensive! The uniform, the books and the other services here are-"

    "I work three part time jobs to buy all of them," Soobin shrugged. "I work at a cafe, at the hospital and even babysit for the Hwang''s. Plus, I live with my guardian so a lot of my expenses are covered."

    Baekha was staring at her in surprise. She had assumed Soobin was also a snob considering how popr she was but it seemed that she was wrong.

    "Oh," she said. She was awkwardly sitting there, unsure of what to say but Soobin was quite talkative.

    "Why do you hate Minmin so much?" she asked. "He''s not a bad person. Are you one of his anti-fans?"

    "Uhбн"

    Baekha did not know how to answer her question. It was moreplicated than simply being an anti-fan but she must beat Minyoon to be the top idol at all costs.

    Thankfully, her phone rang at that moment and she was spared from answering. She quickly answered the phone.

    "Baekha, where are you?" Jango hissed from the other end. "You have an interview today!"

    "I''ll be there in an hour," she promised and hung up the phone. Baekha was now confused. How was she going to escape the school?

    "Looking for a way to bunk?" Soobin asked, reading her mind. "I know a way. Think of it as a thank you for saving me from those girls!"

    Baekha looked at her in surprise. "You do?" she asked. "How?"

    "Yoonmin uses it to bunk school all the time," she shrugged. "It''s his secret passage.. He has a lot of meetings to attend so bunking school is quite inevitable for him. Follow me!"

 Chapter 165 - Reality Show

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    I''m aiming for 5000 privilege unlocks this month so that this book can receive a banner. Please support this book by unlocking as many privilege chapters as possible and support me for spirity!

    I''ll give 10 chapter mass release on 1st October if we reach 5000 privilege unlocks this month <3

    ....

    Baekha followed Soobin to the Music Room which was on the first floor of the school. Most of the students were talking or ying on the field, enjoying the remainder of their lunch break. Soobin was chatting with Baekha as they headed for the Music Room. Baekha was clutching her bag where she had spare clothes to change into.

    "It''s a special room for Minyoon to practice in," Soobin was saying. "When he became the Top Idol of the country, the school made it for him because they''re very proud and he promotes the school everywhere. So, Yoonmin specifically told them to build it in this area because the school gate doesn''t extend hereбн"

    She opened the room with the key Yoonmin gave her. ncing around to make sure there were no teachers, she ushered Baekha in. Thetter was curious and entered the room to find arge auditorium with a stage and several musical instruments neatly arranged in a corner.

    "Woah!" she gasped.

    "Minmin''s team sometimes performs here too," Soobin quipped. She walked towards arge cello which was stacked against a wall. Soobin carefully removed the cello while Baekha watched. What seemed like a wall, was actually a wooden block on the wall disguised as a wall. Soobin pressed something on the wall and it slid open to reveal a hole which was big enough for a person to crawl through.

    "No one knows about this?" she asked in shock.

    "Nope!" Soobin eximed. "Only Yoonmin and Minmin use it! They offered me to use it as well but I refused to use it. I need the attendance."

    Baekha was now excited. She grinned a lopsided smile and turned to Soobin.

    "Thanks," she said, feeling grateful. "And I''m really sorry about that day. I...I just hate it here. But I shouldn''t have been so rude to you."

    "It''s okay!" Soobin assured her. "But why are you so vindictive towards Minmin?"

    "I''ll...I''ll tell you someday," Baekha said, not wanting to discuss her motives. "It''s a long story. But thanks. I''ll make it up to you!"

    She was surprised that Soobin helped her out after the earlier fiasco. In her insistence to keep people away from her, Baekha misjudged this girl. I''ll get her tickets to my concert, she swore . Bidding goodbye to Soobin, she crawled through the hole and ran off towards the road.

    Just as Soobin said, the gates did not extend to that area of the school and the road was nearby as well. Baekha hailed a cab.

    "BHK Head Office," she instructed and drove off.

    бн.

    "And cut!" the director yelled. Minyoon was at a studio uptown where he was taking part in a ''reality'' show which was supposed to show the daily life of an idol. It was a tactic to keep the fans engaged with him but these were nothing more than just a gimmick. The ''reality'' show was staged and quite useless. If it was not for Yoonmin''s insistence on churning out money from the fans, Minyoon would have bunked school and stayed home to sleep or y his guitar.

    Curse my brother, he scowled inwardly. I hope he can''t go on dates anymore!

    The scene he was shooting for was to show how he yed musicte at night. The set was made up to look like a training room and he was holding a guitar in his hand, stringing a random tune.

    "Minmin!"

    Miyoo came running towards her brother and poked the guitar out of curiosity.

    "No, you can''t touch it!" he gently told her. "It can cut your finger!"

    Miyoo pouted as he gave the guitar to someone else. She was longingly staring at it but Minyoon picked her up and walked towards the director.

    "How long will the shooting go on?" he asked. "My sister gets cranky if she''s not fed on time."

    "Just a couple hours more," the director said. "There''s a special guest who''ll make an appearance on today''s episode and after that, we''re done!"

    "Who''s this special guest?" Minyoon frowned.

    "A new idol," the director shrugged. "His agency suggested that we do this episode with you and him so that we can show off your friendship. Just pretend to be surprised and be friendly with him on-screen."

    Minyoon groaned in annoyance. He hated to make fake friendships but in a cutthroat industry, it was needed. Miyoo smuggled his phone out of his front pocket and began to scroll through it to turn on a new music video. A song began to y through it.

    "Heart trapped in a cellбн"

    Miyoo was starry eyed as she stared at Baek''s music video. Seeing his sister fangirl over some other idol, slightly annoyed Minyoon.

    "You never cheer this hard for me but you''ll do it for him?" he scowled. "But he is a good singerбн"

    "Beaky!" Miyoo eximed, hugging the phone like a lover. Minyoon shook his head and took her to his makeup room. Since everyone else was at school or at work, he was babysitting Miyoo for the day.

    He put her down on a couch. Miyoo snuggled against a pillow, still watching Baek''s music video for the hundredth time. Minyoon was about to close the door when his tablet lit up. There was a call from abroad and it was some Hollywood music producer who wanted to coborate.

    Minyoon turned on the video call and was talking to the producer while Miyoo was lost in the music video. She was dreamily staring at Baek when she suddenly noticed a figure pass by the room.

    "Ooh!" she gasped and got off the couch before scurrying off behind the person who was walking towards a room at the end of the corridor.

    Baekha had just arrived at the studio. She stopped by at BHK to change into her Baek avatar. Making sure that she was unrecognizable, she headed straight towards the room allotted to her. Jango was not clear on what she had to do but he said that she would have to pretend to be friends with someone from the industry on a reality show.

    "A reality show which sells lies," she sighed. "What an irony!"

    She sat in front of her dresser and was waiting for her stylist when she felt something poking her arm.

    "Huh?"

    She turned around to see a girl of around five or six years old, looking at her withrge chocte colored eyes. The child was wearing a beanie and an Alpaca printed sweatshirt.

    "Beaky!" the girl eximed. She was holding someone''s phone and Baekha recognized her own song ying on it.

    Uh ohбн

    Baekha backed off a little when the girl came closer. She was not really good with children and kept an arm''s distance from them but this one seemed to be a fan. The kid was looking at her expectantly as if Baekha was supposed to say or do something.

    "Uhбнhi?"

    Was that right? She wondered. What do I do with a kid? Whose kid is this?

    "Miyoo, Beaky, heart!" Miyoo said. Huh? What was this kid saying?

    "Uh...Is your name, Miyoo?" Baekha asked. "Where are your parents?"

    Miyoo pointed up. In her mind, she was indicating that her parents are always flying around from one country to another but Baekha misread her gesture.

    "They''re up there?" she asked. Miyoo nodded.

    "Up," she replied. Suddenly, Baekha felt sorry for the child. She was an orphan!

    "Oh man...but how did you get in here?"

    Miyoo blinked at her. She simply pointed at the door. "Door."

    Now Baekha was panicking. A child just walked into a highly dangerous studio! Who the hell was so irresponsible to let a child wander around like this?

    "This is not right!" Baekha eximed. "You could have been hurt! Or worse! I''m gonna scold the people hereбн"

    A stage assistant was passing by and Baekha barked at her.

    "Oi, you! Come in here!"

    The assistant jumped in fear and entered the room. Baekha was ring at her.

    "How did a child enter the studio?" she demanded. "This is so careless!"

    "Thisбн" the assistant instantly recognized the girl as Minyoon''s sister. "This is-"

    "I don''t want to see any more children wandering around like this!" Baekha scolded her. The assistant was a little slighted by the behavior of the idol who seemed to hate children. Miyoo was just a child but to react like that over her wandering around waspletely wrong!

    Miyoo, on the other hand, was at ease near her Beaky. She knew that Beaky was simply looking out for her.

    "What the hell is going on here?"

    All of them looked around to find Minyoon at the door. He was scared when he ended his call and did not find Miyoo in his room. That was when he heard someone shouting about a child and he came rushing.

    Baekha was frozen to her spot. To her horror, Miyoo ran up to him and jumped into his arms.

    "Minmin bro!" she eximed cheerfully. "Beaky!"

 Chapter 166 - Monster Man

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    I''m aiming for 5000 privilege unlocks this month so that this book can receive a banner. Please support this book by unlocking as many privilege chapters as possible and support me for spirity!

    I''ll give 10 chapter mass release on 1st October if we reach 5000 privilege unlocks this month <3

    ....

    Bro? The kid was Hwang Minyoon''s sister? But didn''t she just say that her parents were dead?

    "Miyoo, I was so worried!" He scolded his sister. "Why did you run off?"

    "Beaky!" Miyoo mumbled and hid her face in her brother''s chest out of embarrassment. She was shy in front of her idol but Minyoon misread it as fear.

    "Are you scared? Don''t be scared! I''ll make you talk to mom tonight on the phone, okay?"

    "Mom!" Miyoo looked up and smiled. "Mom, sky!"

    "Yes, she''s flying to the States tonight," Minyoon sighed. "Dad is there as well."

    Sky? That''s what she meant? How confusing was this kid? Baekha thought.

    Her mind wentpletely nk. Minyoon now turned to the stunned idol and frowned.

    The assistant went up to him and whispered, "Sir, I think he was offended when Miyoo walked into his room. He was shouting at me for allowing a child to enter the studio. He also said that he doesn''t want to see children around..."

    Minyoon was annoyed by the newbie who was scolding an assistant simply because his sister ended up entering the room. A sensible person should have asked around whose child this was. Everyone at the studio knew Miyoo was his sister.

    "Look, I-" Baekha began but Minyoon was furious at the rookie.

    "I get it your debut was sessful but keep your ego at bay!" He scolded her. "You could''ve asked anyone and they''d have told you that Miyoo is my sister! Why did you have to shout at the assistant? And you don''t wanna see a child around the studio? Oi, don''t you think you''re being rude to fans. My sister is a fan of yours! She''s always saying Beaky is the best and you just insulted her!"

    Baekha was now pissed off. Was his head really that thick? Well, I don''t care, she thought.

    "I don''t like kids," she said in her deep tone. "And shouldn''t you be more careful? After all, even if she''s your sister, you let her wander around the studio! This can create a nuisance for others!"

    Miyoo looked from Minyoon to Baekha, wondering why they were fighting.

    Minyoon was now very angry. He knew that Miyoo was in no real danger at that studio. Baek''s attitude was making him furious because of the guy''splete disregard for other people''s rtives.

    "She was excited to meet her idol," he sneered. "But you''re not worth her respect. I don''t even get how you''re an idol! If you can''t respect your fans, then you have no right to be an idol!"

    Baekha raised an eyebrow. "I''m not here to be just an idol," she revealed. "I''m here to be the Top Idol. I don''t care about my attitude nor about anything else. All I care about is to take your spot, Hwang Minyoon."

    She stepped forward, challenging him. Minyoon was angry but he was also a little impressed by the guy''s confidence. He thought that he could steal Minyoon''s spot? In his dreams!

    "You''ll see as I take away your beloved spot!" Baekha challenged. "That''s my spot and I''ll take it by all means."

    "As if you can!" Minyoon smirked. "For someone who can''t even respect his fans, you sure know how to talk big."

    "Let''s see who gets more fans," she stated. "Me or you."

    Minyoon rolled his eyes. He had seen so many of such idols and defeated all of them with ease. This newbie was nothing to him.

    "Best of luck," he sneered and left the room with Miyoo. The assistant scurried after the Top Idol, throwing a disgusted look at Baekha.

    "Funny how worrying about a kid turned out to be misbehavior!" Baekha scoffed. "This is why I stay away from childrenбн"

    She was frustrated and furiously brushed her short hair. Of all the things, she just had to end up in a fight with Hwang Minyoon!

    Baekha took a deep breath and stared at herself in the mirror. She had worked hard for years, hiding her identity so that she could be the Top Idol in the country and changed herself to the point that she could even recognize herself.

    "I have to do this," she murmured. "I have to show my parents that I exist tooбн"

    A cold wind passed by and Baekha shivered. She was so lost in her thoughts, that she did not notice a dark figure move behind her. Baekha took a deep breath and went into the changing room to get dressed.

    бн.

    Minyoon was at the shooting spot, waiting for the director to start. He was sitting on the floor with Miyoo by his side. The director insisted on using Miyoo for the shot as well to make it look authentic. Even though Minyoon refused, Miyoo overheard them and was excited. His sister might not be a talker but she could be a showoff. She loved the cameras and would not shy away from posing.

    "Minmin!" she eximed, putting on oversized sunsses to show off to her brother. "Pretty?"

    "Ooooh, my sister looks the prettiest!" he squealed. "Time for more selfies!"

    He took out his phone and began to pose with his sister for pictures. No doubt social media users would go wild.

    "I wonder if I should make you an idol too," he wondered out loud. Miyoo shook her head.

    "Miyoo alpaca!" she dered. Minyoon could only sigh at his sister''s dream to live with Alpacas. He was sure she would one day own a whole valley of Alpacas and live in hernd.

    "Yes yes," he said. "Miyoo wants to be an Alpaca."

    She enthusiastically nodded and then she suddenly froze. Minyoon followed her gaze and groaned to see that the idol he was going to shoot with was Ahn Baek.

    "Great," he muttered. "He''s just gonna piss me off now."

    But Miyoo was not staring at Baek. She was staring at something else which was following him.

    Minyoon felt his sister clutch his t-shirt and looked up at him with teary eyes. She quickly hugged him and bit his arm, indicating that there was danger around. Miyoo sobbed in her brother''s arms, startling him. He looked around in rm, clutching her tight.

    "Scaryбн" Miyoo wept. "Miyoo, homeбн"

    Baekha was talking to the director when Minyoon came rushing at them.

    "Pack up, now!" Minyoon demanded. The director was surprised and Baekha raised an eyebrow at him.

    "But we''re still not done-" the director began but Minyoon shook his head.

    "No, we have to pack up right now!" He ordered. There was something in that studio at that very moment and if it scared Miyoo to the point of hysteria, there was no telling what it could do.

    "I''ll shoot an impromptu video for the next episode using my camera and send it to the editing team tonight," Minyoo offered. "And I''ll make sure that the fans will see a genuine glimpse into my life. But we have to pack up at this very moment!"

    Miyoo peeked from her brother''s arm and was terrified to see the strange figure which was ring at them with its red eyes. It looked like a human but hadrge wings and ws like an eagle. Its lower body was full of fur and the monster man nced at Miyoo with interest.

    The director was trying to argue with Minyoon but he did not listen and walked away as fast as he could with Miyoo in his arms. Baek red at his back, knowing fully well that Minyoon was only cooking up an excuse not to work with her.

    "Asshole," she muttered under her breath as Minyoon walked away.

 Chapter 167 - Chrysanthemums

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    I''m aiming for 5000 privilege unlocks this month so that this book can receive a banner. Please support this book by unlocking as many privilege chapters as possible and support me for spirity!

    I''ll give 10 chapter mass release on 1st October if we reach 5000 privilege unlocks this month <3

    бн.

    Jina stood in front of the mirror, studying herself. Is this too much? She wondered.

    It was Hobin''s first day back at work and she was a little giddy. Afterst night''s kiss, she could not stop thinking about him. She was a little sad to have turned down Siwan and was initially scared that she would end up losing a friend. But to her pleasant surprise, Siwan took it very well and even wished her luck on pursuing Hobin.

    But the damn Doctor Demon just left the apartment after kissing her! For a flirt, he sure was clueless what to do after kissing someone. Jina slightly pouted but instantly made up her mind. Even though she was going to work, she could definitely look nice, right?

    She chose a light colored shirt with dark jeans and opted not to wear a jacket that day. Her hair was brushed and silky. She tied it into a ponytail, letting her bangs loose in front of her forehead and dabbed a little light lipstick on her lips. Spraying a light rose scented perfume, she checked herself out in the mirror.

    Did I go overboard?

    Jina shook her head. Almost every woman on the squad wore a little make up and it was not against the rules. What was so wrong in looking nice for once?

    She gathered her courage and left her apartment, locking it securely. Jina headed over to Hobin''s and knocked on it. There was no answer.

    "D-Doctor Ohm!" she called for him, knocking again but there was no reply. Mrs. Ahn, who was passing by, paused.

    "He''s gone to the hospital," she informed Jina. "Said that he had an emergency and had to leave immediately."

    A psychiatrist was having an emergency? Jina wondered. Aloud she said, "Okay. I''ll talk to himter."

    She bowed and left the building. Jina got into her car and sighed.

    "Is he avoiding me?" she muttered. Shaking off the thought, she started the engine and drove off.

    Half an hourter, she pulled up in front of the station. Jaebum was working on a file when he saw his boss walking in.

    "Woah, boss!" he eximed when he saw her "You look like a top notch beauty today!?

    Jina grinned and said, "Thank you. I thought I''d change my style a little."

    Woohee, who was sitting nearby, was also ogling at her supervisor in awe.

    "What''s the asion?" she winked. "A date?"

    "Why? Can''t I look nice for once?" Jina asked, blushing a little. Woohee peered at her boss, wondering if she was trying to look nice for a certain someone.

    "He''s not gonnae today," she said. Jina nced at her in confusion.

    "Doctor Ohm. He''s not gonnae to the precinct today."

    "Oh."

    Jina''s face fell but she tried not to show it. She was a little hurt to hear that but then reasoned with herself. Hobin was just a consultant not a full time employee with the police force. Obviously, he would spend more time at the hospital and would note to the station everyday. But she was so used to his presence that not seeing him around was strange.

    "The doctor sure has it rough," Jaebum remarked. "Working with the police and at the hospital. I wonder how he gets the time to have a social life. I bet the nurses at the hospital line up to date him all the time!"

    "You''d know!" Woohee scoffed. "You also flirt with thedy officers here."

    "Hey, a cop needs to date as well," he winked. "By the way, boss. Howe you''re not dating anyone? I''m sure a lotta rich dudes are dying to date you!"

    "Focus on your work!" Jina said sharply. "What are the new cases we have?"

    "Nothing much," Woohee sighed. "Just an open and shut case here. The guy killed his neighbor and left behind his bloody ID card! He was caught within minutes of the police''s arrival. Chanmi already questioned him and he confessed."

    "The city sure has gotten boring," Jaebun remarked. "No new cases for us."

    "That''s good," Jina said. "The less the crimes, the earlier I can go home."

    At that very moment, Chief Taejoon was passing by. He took one nce at Jina and scoffed.

    "If you have time to do a makeover, surely you have time to work as well right?" he barked at her. "What''s the progress on the new murder cases?"

    "Chanmi interrogated the suspect and got the confession," Jina stated in a cool tone. "We also caught the culprit in the Dalton murder-stealing case but seeing his mental condition, we had him transferred to an asylum. His parents also agreed. Anything else?"

    She was challenging her ''boss'' to poke her more because she had all the answers ready to throw on his face. Taejoon was unabashed and he threw a file in front of her.

    "There''s a girl missing from H-town!" he snapped. "Look into her file and find her. She''s the daughter of a wealthy oil merchant and the Commissioner requested for your team to handle this. Stop wasting your time in useless makeup and get to work!"

    Jina did not flinch but Woohee and Jaebum were ring at him. Taejoon walked away pompously, making Woohee sick.

    "He wasplimenting the Deputy Commissioner yesterday on her makeup!" she snarled. "And now he''s insulting you!"

    "So many of the officers wear heavier makeup and even jewelry," Jaebum scowled. "He''s a jackass, boss. Ignore him."

    "I am ignoring him," Jina said. "Let''s look into this missing girl''s case and bring her back to her family. By the way, where''s Jiwoon?"

    "Second boss?" Woohee frowned. "I haven''t seen her today. She''s neverte. I wonder what happened?"

    Jina nodded and took out her phone to call Jiwoon. She heard the familiar ringtone and turned around to see Jiwoon hurrying into the precinct. Jina sniffed a hint of Chrysanthemums emitting from her.

    "Where were you?" She asked in astonishment.

    "I had to stop by somewhere," Jiwoon said. "I''m sorry!"

    Woohee leaned to Jina and whispered, "Should we ask her what she was up to?"

    Jina shook her head. Her partner was quite reserved and never spoke of her private affairs. Even though the team members were curious, Jina had long learnt not to interfere in Jiwoon''s life. After all, the girl had a right to live her life the way she wanted.

    But Jiwoon looked a little sad and lost. Even though she was focused on the files in front of her, Jina could see a hint of grief in her eyes which was troubling her. Woohee muttered something about grabbing a cup of coffee and Jaebum followed her, leaving Jina and Jiwoon alone.

    Jina strode over to Jiwoon''s desk.

    "Are you okay?" she asked. Jiwoon looked up, unsure of what to say.

    "I''m fine," she said with a sad smile. "Just a little...a little tired."

    Jina sighed and said, "You know that no matter what happens, we''ll have your back, right?"

    Jiwoon was surprised and also a little relieved to hear that. She slowly nodded.

    "I know," she said. "Thanks, boss."

    She shed Jina a genuine smile and returned to her work. Jina knew that Jiwoon cared about everyone in the team and would go out of her way to help them even if it meant to put her own feelings in the backseat. Sometimes, Jina worried about her but Jiwoon had a quiet strength which she admired a lot.

    I just wish I could help her, she thought with a little regret.

    бн.

    Siwan was walking towards the columbarium, holding a bunch of flowers. He was wearing a ck suit and his hair was neatly brushed back. The columbarium was situated a little outside the Capital, just a two hour drive from the hospital. He went there every year to pay his respects.

    A temple priest was passing by and lit up upon seeing Siwan.

    "Doctor Kang!" he eximed. "You''re here!"

    Siwan bowed to the priest. "Hello, Priest Jung," he greeted with a smile. "I''m here to pay my respects."

    "Yeonjoo is very lucky," the priest sighed. "To have people remember her every yearбн"

    The priest sighed and led him inside the building. Inside it were a series ofrge shelves divided into small box-like lockers encased by ss. Each lockers held the memorial for deceased people and their urns wrapped in jars. The memorials also had pictures of the dead person along with a few memorabilia from their lifetime.

    "Yeonjoo didn''t live very long but she would have grown up to be eight years old this year!" Jungmented. "A young child taken away so soon...Ah, I''m sorry doctor! It must have been hard on you."

    "She was my first patient," Siwan said, his voice cracking up. "I couldn''t save her."

    "It was her time to go," the priest consoled him. "And frankly, it was better. She didn''t suffer a lot."

    They stopped in front of a locker which was a shrine for a baby girl. The picture of the girl was ced in it. She was smiling widely through the picture, waving her chubby hands. The girl was barely a few weeks old and very jovial. Next to the picture was an urn containing her ashes and to Siwan''s surprise, a fresh bunch of blue Chrysanthemums. On the que, the girl''s name was given ''Yeonjoo'' but no surname.

    "Who put these here?" he asked.

    "Oh, the girl''s mother stopped by this morning," the priest informed him. "I performed a small ritual for the peace of the girl''s soulбн"

    Siwan nced back at the shrine. He could not recall the mother very clearly except for the fact that one side of her face was badly scarred in a fire and by the time she was able to rescue her baby, the child had already died due to the burns.

    "I wonder how she''s doing now," he said out loud.

    The Chrysanthemums in the shrine slightly ruffled in response.

 Chapter 168 - Irritating Brat

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    I''m aiming for 5000 privilege unlocks this month so that this book can receive a banner. Please support this book by unlocking as many privilege chapters as possible and support me for spirity!

    I''ll give 10 chapter mass release on 1st October if we reach 5000 privilege unlocks this month <3

    бн.

    Hobin was in his office, talking to a patient who turned up for his insomnia. He sat across from the patient and was studying him carefully.

    "Doc, I''m having trouble sleeping," the man was saying. His name was Kim Yooseok and he worked as a software engineer at a nearby firm. He was in histe twenties but looked older than his age. His hair was already thinning and his eyes were sinking into their holes, making him look very tired. Yooseok''s cheeks were sullen and his skin was chalky, indicating that he had been sleep deficient for a long time.

    Hobin looked over his file with great interest. It was a rather strange case which intrigued him.

    "How long have you been suffering from this?" he asked.

    "About a year," he muttered. "It''s...it''s really weird."

    "Go on."

    "I go to sleep every night like normal," Yooseok recounted. "I have a very stressful job but up until about a year ago, I was fine with it. In fact, I lived a healthy life. I ate well, woke up early, went to bed early and exercised a lot. I always tried to keep my lifestyle good."

    "But all of a sudden, I started to feel lethargic," he went on. "I''m not working more than usual. In fact, I go to bed every night at the right time. I even fall asleep but then in the mornings, I wake up as if I haven''t slept a wink!"

    Hobin frowned and took notes. The man was undoubtedly suffering from insomnia but it was quite unusual for someone like him to be like this out of the blue.

    "Is there anything bothering you? Rtionship problems? Family issues? Anything which caused you stress?"

    "I''m single," Yooseok said. "And my family lives abroad. It''s just me here. I feel irritated and moody all the time now. I...I don''t know how I''m losing so much sleep!"

    Hobin leaned forward. "I want to check your pulse," he said. "Can you give me your hand?"

    Yooseok nodded and offered his hand. Hobin took it, pretending to check the pulse but dove into his memories.

    Let''s see what you didst night, he thought.

    бн

    <em>The door of the apartment unlocks with a click. An unusually thin man with a balding hairline enters the dark house. He turns on the switch and lights up the ce. His skin was pale and eyes were sunken. He looks like a living zombie, sleep deprived and tired.</em>

    <em>I should wash up, he thinks. Slowly, he staggers towards the bathroom. The house was a mess thanks to his constant tiredness. He has not cleaned up in weeks, leaving dirty dishes on the sink. The curtains are dirty and stained while the furniture has a thickyer of dust over them. Clothes are strewn all over the floor, aggravating the mess.</em>

    <em>The man nearly tumbles on a pair of dirty pants but he does not care. He walks towards his bedroom and slowly washes up. Changing into a pair of old clothes, he pulls the nkets on his bed and lies down to sleep.</em>

    <em>He closes his eyes which were filled with the need to sleep. The sounds around him are amplified as he delves deep into slumber. Water was dropping from a sink somewhere, echoing around the apartment. Outside, a dog is barking loudly as if an intruder has entered the premises but there are no other cries over it. Yooseok was too sleepy to care about anything else. His brain is blocking out all sounds. </em>

    <em>The clock is ticking loudly as the seconds countdown to midnight.</em>

    <em>57...58...59бн</em>

    A sudden ckout engulfs Hobin and he is abruptly pulled back to the present. He looked at Yooseok who had fallen asleep on the couch.

    What the hell? Hobin wondered. What was that?

    He was sure that something happened and the ckout was not Yooseok falling asleep. Even if a person fell asleep, their brain would register memories subconsciously. In his experience of reading memories, if a person was asleep, then he would be able to ess the hidden images and sounds the brain stored. Perhaps the sounds of birds or shadows from outside which reflected in the room while a person slept.

    However, when there was a total ckout, it meant that the person had memorypses. Yooseok was waking up after going to sleep but had no recollection of what he was doing at that time and his body was awake. Hence, he was tired and fatigued all the time.

    "Hmm," Hobin began. "I''ll prescribe you some mild sleeping pills for a week. Do not take more than one and only take them before going to bed. I''ll schedule another appointment for next week and check your progress. If you''re still having problems, we''ll go for intensive therapy. Also, clean your house today. I''m guessing you haven''t done that in weeks."

    "Wellбн" Yooseok fidgeted.

    "It happens," Hobin remarked. "Signs of mental stress."

    "Yes doctor."

    Hobin prescribed him the medicines and bid him goodbye. Once Yooseok was gone, he leaned back in thought. It was not unusual for some patients to lose partial memories especially when they go through stress or trauma.

    But for a seemingly normal person to suddenly turn into an insomniac is worrying.

    I should keep an eye on him, he decided. There was a knock on the door and Soobin entered.

    "Doctor Ohm, I ordered mattresses, nkets and food as you''ve requested," she informed him. "The lights will be delivered by noon and the TV set too."

    "The drinks?"

    Soobin clicked her tongue. "I''ll order them right away!" she squeaked and ran off.

    Hobin sighed. He looked at his phone and smiled. There were ten missed calls from Jina but he was ignoring her. It was fun to annoy her at times like this.

    I bet she''s really irritated at me now, he thought.

    бн

    "I am so irritated!" Jina gritted. She was staring at her phone in dismay. Forgoing her pride, she even called him. Ten times! But the brat did not pick up the phone at all.

    "Boss, is anything wrong?" Chanmi asked. She noticed that Jina was in a bad mood despite dressing up so nicely that day. Furthermore, Jina was also ncing at her phone after every few seconds as if expecting a call or message.

    "Nothing!" Jina imed, still feeling annoyed.

    Doesn''t he care about our kiss at all? She wondered sadly. Why is he avoiding me?

    Jiwoon also noticed her partner''s irritation and shook her head.

    "You know, he''s not gonna call if you keep on staring at your phone," she said in a smug tone.

    "I''m not waiting for anyone''s call!" Jina lied. "I...I''m simply checking out my idols!"

    "Sure you are," Jiwoon said with a straight face. But after working with Jina for years, she knew that her partner was having boy troubles. Or more specifically, troubles from a certain doctor.

    Jina scowled and kept on gazing at her phone longingly. Chanmi inched close to Jiwoon.

    "Jiwoon sis, has the boss finally lost her marbles?" she whispered. Jiwoon merely smiled.

    "Nah, I think she''s finally being normal," she snickered. Chanmi shook her head and sighed.

    "But don''t you think they''ll make a good couple?" she asked. "Her and Doctor Demon? I know she''s older than him but they have an uncanny ability to read each other''s minds! As if it''s a match made in heaven!"

    "Who knows?" Jiwoon wondered. "But it''s nice to see our boss worrying about normal things instead of crimes and cases."

    They nced at Jina who was muttering something under her breath and still throwing irritated nces at her phone.

    "Stupid brat," they heard her curse. "Go rot in hell with your girlfriends!"

 Chapter 169 - Seras Deceit

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    I''m aiming for 5000 privilege unlocks this month so that this book can receive a banner. Please support this book by unlocking as many privilege chapters as possible and support me for spirity!

    I''ll give 10 chapter mass release on 1st October if we reach 5000 privilege unlocks this month <3

    бн.

    "Miyoo saw something scary at your shooting?" Junho asked. "Again?"

    "Yeah!" Minyoon replied. They were at the penthouse''s patio, discussing the recent events. As soon as they reached home, Minyoon put up extra charms around the house and put Miyoo to sleep. His manager called him several times to demand an exnation for halting the shoot but he ignored the calls. Instead, he told Junho toe back home as soon as possible.

    "But we''ve already gotten rid of Rachel," Junho frowned. "And I''m sure there are no other entities around here."

    "I know. I asked Miyoo before entering the house if she saw it following us but she shook her head. It seems that the thing is only at the studio."

    Now Junho was worried. What did Miyoo see there? A ghost? A demon? And why?

    "I''ll have to go there and find out," he said.

    "I''ll go with you," Minyoon offered. "I called Soobin and she''ll be here any moment. Yoonmin ising over too. They''ll take care of her."

    At that very moment, the doorbell rang. Minyoon opened the door and to his surprise, Soobin was not alone.

    "Hi Minmin!" Sera greeted while Soobin looked a little apologetic.

    "I''m sorry to ask this but can Sera also help me out today?" Soobin requested. "Her parents aren''t home and her brother is also out. She didn''t want to be alone in the house so she asked me if she could join me in babysitting Miyoo."

    "Uhбн"

    Minyoon was not sure about that because he did not know Sera so well. But she seemed harmless.

    "Sure," Junho said from the back. "The more the merrier!"

    Sera nervously nced at Minyoon''s grandfather. She never met him in person but had heard a lot about him from Soobin.

    "Hello," she greeted.

    Junho smiled and nodded. He picked up his jacket and turned to Minyoon.

    "Let''s go," he said. "It''ll be empty now, right?"

    "I think so," Minyoon replied. He turned to the girls and added, "We''ll be back by midnight. Remember, the first aid kit is in my room and to bathe Miyoo when she wakes up!"

    "Bye!" Soobin bid them farewell. The men left the house to the girls.

    As soon as they were gone, Sera plopped on a couch and stretched her limbs.

    "Thank god they''re gone!" she eximed. "Let''s have some fun! Should we check out Minyoon''s room?"

    "No!" Soobin said. "I have to take care of Miyoo. And Yoonmin will be here too. I''ll make dinner."

    At that very moment, a small figure came shuffling out of one of the rooms. Miyoo was carrying her stuffed bunny and yawning widely.

    "Binbin," she mumbled. "Egg rice."

    "Is that Yoonmin''s sister?" Sera asked.

    "Yep!"

    Soobin picked up Miyoo in her arms. "I should help her wash up and then make dinner for her," she sighed.

    "I''ll make it!" Sera offered. Soobin hesitated.

    "Are you sure? She''s very picky."

    "It''s just egg rice!" Seraughed. "I''m sure she''ll be fine."

    Without another word, Sera headed towards the kitchen to make dinner. Soobin was not sure whether to let her in the kitchen or not but Miyoo also needed to have a bathбн

    "Let''s trust her on this," Soobin murmured and took Miyoo to the bathroom.

    After bathing Miyoo, Soobin helped her to dress up and dried her hair. Miyoo was now pouting, feeling very hungry. After seeing the strange goat-like creature at the studio, she was tired and hungry.

    "Egg rice," she said.

    "Yes, Sera is the one cooking tonight," Soobin told her. "I''m sure it''ll be delicious."

    Miyoo was not sure about that. She preferred the egg rice Soobin made and for some reason, she did not like the other girl who came to watch over her. Soobin did not seem to have noticed her doubts and carried her to the dining room.

    As soon as they stepped out of the bedroom, Soobin could smell something burning.

    "What in the world?" she muttered. A heavy smoke engulfed them and both of them were coughing. Instinctively, she covered Miyoo''s nose and took her to the living room.

    "Stay here!" she told the girl and ran into the kitchen.

    Sera was at the stove, holding a pan. Smoke emitted from it and Soobin saw hints of fiery sparks on it.

    "Soobin, it got burnt!" Sera cried, unsure of what to do. Soobin rushed forward and pushed her out of the way. Instantly, she turned off the stove and opened a drawer to take out a long cloth. Using it, she put out the sparks which were burning the egg in the pan.

    Sera was scared stiff as she watched Soobin put out the fire. She was numb and shocked at the oue.

    "What the hell happened here?"

    Both of them looked around to find Yoonmin standing at the kitchen''s entrance, surprised to see the smoke.

    "I...Iбн" Sera stammered. He did not say anything and stepped past her, walking towards Soobin.

    "Are you alright?" he asked, his voice shaking with worry. "Are you hurt?"

    He was checking her hands to make sure they were not burnt or injured.

    "I''m okay!" she assured him. "So is Miyoo. Butбн"

    She turned to Sera. "Are you alright?" she asked.

    To her shock, Sera''s hands were slightly burnt. Before Soobin could take a look at them, Sera turned away.

    "I''ll take care of it!" she imed. "Where''s the first aid kit?"

    "It''s inside Minyoon''s room," Yoonmin stated. "It''s right across the hall. I''ll get it-"

    "I can get it!"

    Sera sped off to tend to her injuries. Soobin wanted to run after her but Yoonmin stopped her.

    "Let her go," he advised. "She''s probably a little embarrassed for creating such a mess."

    "Yeahбн"

    They opened the windows to let the smoke out and turned on the fans before going back to the living room. Miyoo was a little red eyed due to the smoke so Soobin washed her face again and gave her a ss of water to drink. The little girl gulped it all down in a go.

    "Why is Sera here?" Yoonmin asked.

    "Her parents are out and she didn''t want to be alone," Soobin sighed. "She insisted on making egg rice for us but I didn''t know this would happenбн"

    "I''ll ce an order for Chinese food," he suggested. Miyoo was now cranky.

    "Egg rice!" she insisted. "Egg rice!"

    Soobin was at a loss about what to do. Luckily, her boyfriend knew exactly how to calm his sister down.

    "I''ll give you three pennies if you''re quiet for the next hour," Yoonmin said in a t tone. That shut Miyoo up instantly. She obediently waited for the grown ups to handle dinner ns.

    "You''re a genius!" Soobin gaped.

    "It''s a Hwang thing," he smirked and called the Chinese restaurant to ce their orders. Soobin nced at Minyoon''s room where Sera was tending to her wounds.

    I hope she''s okay, she thought.

    Inside Minyoon''s room, Sera was busy taking pictures of the ce. She kept on ncing behind her to make sure that Yoonmin and Soobin were not watching her. Once she made sure that the coast was clear, she opened the walk-in closet and took pictures of his belongings. She also checked his desk, clicking pictures of his notebooks andpositions.

    "What elseбн"

    She flipped through some old family photos of him where he was seen with his family, enjoying pizzas and burgers. Sera quickly scanned the photos using her phone and put them back to their ce.

    "That should do," she said and proceeded to send all the pictures to someone. Once she sent it, a call came to her number.

    "Sera!"

    Miho''s sweet voice came from the other end.

    "Thank you so much for doing so much for me!" Miho eximed. "I...I can''t thank you enough."

    "My pleasure!" Sera grinned. "Can I sit with your group at lunch now?"

    "What''s the hurry?" Mihoughed. "You still have to help me win over Minmin! I''m sure you can do it. After all, you''re best friends with his brother''s girlfriend!"

    Sera pursed her lips. The sight of Yoonmin rushing to aid Soobin instead of her was still fresh in her mind.

    "Make her set up a date between me and Minyoon," Miho instructed. "This weekend."

    "But how?" Sera asked. "I-"

    "I''m sure you can do it!" Miho said sweetly. "Bye bye!"

    With that, Miho hung up. Sera was staring at her phone, feeling irritated. After school ended, Miho approached Sera outside and requested her to get pictures of Minyoon''s room for her. In return, Sera could join Miho''s group and be friends with them.

    Out of desperation, Sera agreed and made up an excuse to apany Soobin that night. Since Soobin would not let her enter Minyoon''s room earlier, Sera deliberately burnt her hands to gain ess to it under the pretense of getting first aid for her injury.

    But how the hell am I gonna set up this date? She fumed. Then an idea struck her.

    "I''ll have to trick them into it," she decided.

 Chapter 170 - On The Roof (1)

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    I''m aiming for 5000 privilege unlocks this month so that this book can receive a banner. Please support this book by unlocking as many privilege chapters as possible and support me for spirity!

    I''ll give 10 chapter mass release on 1st October if we reach 5000 privilege unlocks this month <3

    бн.

    Mrs. Ahn was taking out the trash when she noticed Jina was entering the building, looking sad.

    "Jina!" she called out. Jina paused and turned around to see Mrs. Ahn approaching her.

    "What happened? Why are you so glum?"

    "Oh, nothing!" Jina lied. "I just had a rough day at work. Are you taking out the trash, Mrs. Ahn? Let me help you!"

    "No no, I''m already done."

    Jina smiled at her. She bit her lip a little before asking, "Is Doctor Ohm home yet?"

    "The doctor? No. Why?"

    "Nothing. I...I had to ask him about a case."

    Jina was crestfallen and turned to walk into the building. Mrs. Ahn watched her leave and as soon as Jina was out of sight, she took out her phone to send a text.

    "She''s here," she wrote and pressed the send button. She smiled, her mission aplished.

    Jina went straight into her apartment and changed into morefortable clothes. Shey on her bed and sulked. Every few seconds, she was ncing at her phone in the hopes that Hobin would call but the idiot kept a distance from her all day.

    He doesn''t care, she realized. Our kiss meant nothing to him.

    The thought made her very sad and she wanted to cry. Was he really ying with her all this time?

    Suddenly, there was a knock on her door. Jina staggered out of bed and opened the door only to see a very panicked Mrs. Ahn.

    "Jina...the doctorбн" she gasped. "He''s in trouble!"

    "What?" Jina eximed. "What happened?"

    "He...uh...the roof...you''ve got toe!"

    Mrs. Ahn grabbed Jina''s arm and pulled her towards the stairs which led to the roof. Jina ran with her, scared. Was Hobin alright? Was it his powers again?

    She recalled what Siwan told her about Hobin''s transformation on the night of Wang Taehee''s execution. What if he was turning into that monster again? How was she going to stop him? Jina was now very scared and thinking the worst had happened.

    Jina barged through the roof''s door.

    "Hobin!" she shouted.

    At that very instant, several lights lit up, startling her. Behind her, the door to the roof was shut by Mrs. Ahn. The old woman left her on the roof, confusing her.

    Jina looked around to realize that the entire roof was now decorated with golden fairy lights, illuminating it like a thousand shining stars. The ground wasid with a thick rug and on the open space, several mattresses and pillows were ced while arge LCD TV was kept on one side. A mini dinner table was set up amidst the nkets and pillows with a bucket full of cold beer.

    "Missed me, Tinkerbell?"

    The familiar voice made her turn around and she yelped. Hobin was casually sitting on the railing, smiling mischievously at her. Jina was d to see him but she was also a little annoyed at him for being so distant all day.

    "No, I didn''t!" She lied.

    "Liar. You called me several times over the day," he smirked.

    "T-That was for a caseбн"

    She trailed off as he walked towards her. He stopped in front of her, standing very close. His eyes gazed down at her, a smile curving his pretty lips. Jina was dazed as Hobin kept on looking at her with his dark eyes, not moving away from her. He raised his finger to move a strand of hair from her face, slightly touching her skin. She shivered under his cool touch, gulping nervously.

    "Why were you avoiding me all day?" she mumbled. "I thought that...thatбн"

    That you didn''t care about me, shepleted the sentence in her head.

    "That I didn''t care about you?" he asked, grinning like a devil. "I felt like annoying you today."

    Jina pouted. "So you were irritating me on purpose?" She demanded. "After kissing me like thatst night, you ghosted me simply to annoy me? You are such a-"

    The rest of her sentence was shut by his lips. He swooped on her, kissing her again. Jina''s eyes shot open in shock at the sudden but sweet attack. It was a brief and soft peck, enough to make her crazy. Before she could deepen the kiss, Hobin slowly backed away.

    "Oi Tinkerbell, the only person I want to annoy is you," he whispered against her lips. "Whether it''s in this lifetime or another, you''re the only person I want to irritate. But you''re the only person I''ll return to. So don''t ever think that I''ve run away because no matter what happens, I''ll always return. To you. Got it?"

    Jina was too distracted by the kiss to care about what he meant. She was frozen to her spot, her insides doing the conga.

    Did this mean he liked her?

    As if reading her mind, he pinched her cheek.

    "Of course I like you, crazy woman!" he eximed. "Why else will I go through all this trouble for our first date? I even asked Mrs. Ahn to help me set all these up!"

    "Date?"

    Jina looked around once again. He set up a date for her?

    "You were doing this all day?" she realized in shock. "For me?"

    "No, I did it for the Queen of Ennd," Hobin said in a sarcastic manner. "She''sing over! Of course, you idiot! I did all this for you. I know that instead of fancy dinners and outdoor stuff, you prefer simple dates where you can watch a movie and simply talk."

    "I doбн" Jina said but she was a little confused. How did Hobin know that she liked indoor movie dates? She never told this to anyone except Shinho.

    "Are you reading my memories?" She asked suspiciously.

    To her surprise, he snickered. His Tinkerbell could be naive at times.

    Coz I am in those memories, silly, he thought. Aloud he winked and replied, "I don''t need to read your memories to know what you like. I just know."

    Before Jina couldprehend or even think of what he said, he picked her up in his arms, bridal style.

    "W-What are you doing?" she gasped.

    "Taking you for our date," he shrugged.

    "You never asked me out formally!"

    "Kay. I like you. You like me. Let''s date."

    "That''s not asking!"

    "So? You don''t wanna date me?" he asked.

    "I doбн"

    "It''s settled then. We''re dating!"

    Jina fumbled. She was now totally red in the face as he carried her around like a baby. Hobin gently lowered her on a mattress. Jina was about to scold him for not asking her out properly when he sat down and pulled her to hisp. She was now caged in his arms with her back to him.

    "This feels much better," he whispered against her ear.

    "H-Hey, you''re too touchy!" she meekly protested. For some reason, whenever he was around, she turned into a shy bunny. His shamelessness made her blush even harder.

    "I''m touching my girlfriend," he shrugged. "It''s fine."

    "Don''t touch me too much!" she warned. "I...Iбн"

    "That''s okay. We have the whole night ahead of us.I bet you''ll be the one who''ll tell me to touch you more."

    Jina gaped at him.

    "Never!" she imed. "I-Iбн"

    She wanted to bury herself somewhere out of sheer embarrassment. Hobin smirked and turned on the TV.

    "Let''s see who loses control first," he teased her. Jina pouted.

    Never! I''ll never give in to him easily! She vowed.

 Chapter 171 - On The Roof (2)

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    I''m aiming for 5000 privilege unlocks this month so that this book can receive a banner. Please support this book by unlocking as many privilege chapters as possible and support me for spirity!

    I''ll give 10 chapter mass release on 1st October if we reach 5000 privilege unlocks this month <3

    бн.

    Jina was unusually aware of Hobin clinging on to her. She tried to focus on the date but with him so close to her, it was nearly impossible to do so. He picked up a nket and wrapped it around both of them so that they would befortable.

    She craned her neck a little to stare at his chiseled face and was eyeing his lips. The lips which had kissed herst nightбн

    "Oi Tinkerbell, stop fantasizing about my lips and choose a movie," he said.

    "Stay out of my head!"

    "So you were fantasizing!"

    Grrr...Jina was a little annoyed but also blushing hard. She tried to inch away from him but he had surprisingly strong arms. He was caging her against his body, not letting her go.

    "Which movie?" he asked, scrolling through the options.

    "Er...any movie with a good looking male lead," Jina replied. At least that''ll keep my mind off of the brat, she added to herself.

    Hobin rolled his eyes. Jina''s emotions were written all over her flustered face and he was only egging them more to enjoy her reactions.

    "Okay," he said with a sweet grin. "We''ll watch this one then."

    He clicked on the remote and chose a movie which Jina had not watched before. It started off as a boy and a girl meeting at a club one night. The actor was the singer, Justin Timbeke and the actress was M Kunis.

    "Is it a rom?" she frowned.

    "You can say that," Hobin shrugged. Jina frowned and kept on watching the movie. Her eyes widened in shock when within a few scenes, the leads ended up having wild and passionate sex in the boy''s apartment.

    "W-What?" She murmured. She was now totally embarrassed and looked at Hobin who was watching it with a nonchnt expression. Her heart was beating fast and their proximity was only making her thoughts dirtier. She partially hid her face in the nket but that gesture only made her lean closer to his chest.

    "You don''t like the movie?" Hobin asked.

    "Uh...it''s niceбн"

    Why is it so raunchy? Why are my thoughts raunchy? Help!

    "I can change it to something else-"

    "No!" Jina eximed. "Let''s...let''s watch it."

    Hobin shrugged but inwardly, he knew that his Tinkerbell was being shy. She was having all sorts of thoughts and it was clear by her gestures. Her skin was getting warmer against his body and she subconsciously edged closer to him in response.

    And it was not making things easy for him either. Her pleasant strawberry-like scent was intoxicating him. She felt really soft under his touch and he could not help but hug her more. Her hair was tied in a ponytail and she was wearing a grey t-shirt with half pants which exposed her smooth thighs. Hobin cleared his throat and covered her thigh which was partially sticking out of the nket.

    "Aren''t those two gonna fall in love?" Jina asked curiously. Hobin broke out of his stupor and realized that she was talking about the movie.

    "Let''s see," he said in a shaky tone. Jina leaned further against his chest, feeling morefortable. The night was cool and breezy while the fairy lights twinkled all around them.

    "Chips?" she asked

    "Sure," he replied.

    Jina bent over and grabbed a packet which was lying next to them. To Hobin''s surprise, she held up a chip for him as if trying to feed him.

    "I''ve seen girls do this in movies," she mumbled. Hobin did notin and ate the chip from her hand.

    "I have a better way to eat though," he said.

    "What''s that?"

    Hobin smirked and picked up a chip. He put half of it in his mouth and leaned forward towards her lips. Jina was confused for a second until he lightly touched her lips with the chip and she realized what he was trying to do.

    Slowly, she opened her mouth and bit into the other half of the chip, their lips almost brushing. She thought he would kiss her but he backed out.

    "Isn''t it better?" he grinned. Jina was red in the face and speechless. Her heart was racing and his charming smile was not helping at all.

    "What?" he snickered. She did not reply but gulped. No! She told herself. I can''t give in!

    "Nothing," she mumbled. Jina was about to turn away but Hobin suddenly leaned close to her. Herrge eyes were looking at him with anticipation and she drew short, sharp breaths. His hand reached for her hair band and slowly took it off, letting her long silky hair loose.

    "Oi Tinkerbell, did I ever tell you that you''re beautiful?" he whispered.

    "You only call me a midget, shorty or Tinkerbell," she mumbled. Was he being smooth? Seductive? She thought. And why is it working on me?

    Hobin let out a slow chuckle which sounded like music to her ears.

    "And no one else can call you that," he winked. Before Jina could reply, he slowly kissed her.

    She wrapped her arms around his neck, deepening their kiss. He grasped her waist, turning her around to straddle him while his tongue dug deeper into her mouth, savoring her taste. His hands were gently running up and down her back, sending goosebumps down her skin. She moaned against his lips, almost out of breath.

    Hobin slowly ced her on the nkets, still kissing her. Jina felt his right hand creeping under her shirt, stroking her navel, making its way to her chestбн

    RING! RING!

    Hobin''s phone rang, breaking them of their heated moment. He groaned in annoyance while Jina was trying to catch her breath. Both of them were gasping as they sat up. Hobin was annoyed at the intrusion and grabbed his phone which was lying on the ground.

    "Dahoon?" he frowned.

    "Why is he calling you?" Jina wondered. Hobin answered the call.

    "Doctor Ohm, is our Boss with you?" Dahoon''s panicked voice came from the other end.

    "She''s here," he replied. "I''m putting you on speaker. Tell us what happened."

    Hey the phone down and pressed the speaker button. Jina was surprised to hear Dahoon being so nervous and scared.

    "Dahoon, this is me," Jina said. "Speak."

    "Boss, I tried to reach you over the phone but you weren''t answering! There''s been a murder on the hills near the city outskirts!"

    "I''ming, but why are you so scared?" Jina asked. "We''ve seen murders before!"

    Dahoon paused before adding, "Not like this one. We''ll need Doctor Ohm too. He needs to see this."

    Jina and Hobin nced at each other. What did that mean?

    "We''ll be on our way!" she told him and hung up. Hobin was now in a serious mode.

    "It must be very serious," he concluded. "Let''s get going."

    бн

    Minyoon unlocked the studio''s entrance. The guard outside let them in when Minyoon imed that he forgot something in his makeup room. All the shooting crew members had gone home and the ce waspletely shrouded in darkness.

    Junho followed him into the dark studio, holding out the EMF.

    "Where did Miyoo see the entity?" he asked.

    "At the practice stage," Minyoon replied. He took out a torch and led the way into the studio. Junho looked around to see if he could find anything suspicious. He followed Minyoon deeper into the ce until they reached the stage where a mock practice room was built for the reality show.

    "Miyoo saw the entity somewhere there," Minyoon said, pointing at the director''s chair. Junho stepped towards it and turned on the EMF. The needle pointed green.

    "There''s nothing here," Junho frowned.

    "But EMF might not be urate," Minyoon pointed out. "This is a studio. Various chemicals are used here. Even sulphur."

    "True," Junho nodded. "We can still check. Let''s head over to your makeup room and see if there was anything there."

    Minyoon nodded and led Junho towards the makeup room. They were walking along the corridor when suddenly, the EMF began to beep. Junho paused in front of a door and held out the device. He ran it over the locked door.

    "What happened, old man?" Minyoon asked in a hushed voice.

    "Do you use sulphur in makeup rooms?" Junho asked.

    "No."

    Junho pointed at the door which had a name written on it. "This room had a demonic entity in it," he revealed.

    Minyoon''s eyes widened in shock.. The name on the door read, "Ahn Baek".

 Chapter 172 - Up On The Hills

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    I''m aiming for 5000 privilege unlocks this month so that this book can receive a banner. Please support this book by unlocking as many privilege chapters as possible and support me for spirity!

    I''ll give 10 chapter mass release on 1st October if we reach 5000 privilege unlocks this month <3

    бн.

    Jina drove all the way to the hills which were located on the outskirts of the town. It took her an hour to reach there while Hobin showed her the way using the map Dahoon sent them.

    "Take the left turn ahead," he instructed. They were driving through the road between the thick forest. The path was too dark so Jina had to drive slowly until they reached the route to the hills. They were supposed to reach a ce called the ''Lover''s Point'' which was a popr spot for couples.

    "I see the police vans!" Hobin said, pointing ahead. Jina parked the car at a side and approached the officers on the scene.

    "Give me the details," she told them. One officer nodded and began to lead them towards the spot where the crime took ce.

    "A group of influencers were shooting here with their cameras when they stumbled upon the scene," the officer told them. "They called the police immediately. The victims are a couple in theirte twenties. Their child was injured but managed to survive. We''ve managed to send the boy to the hospital."

    "What about the bodies?" Hobin asked.

    "WellбнI think you need to see this yourself."

    The officer was reluctant to reveal anything. Instead, he simply led them to the site so that they could see the state of the bodies. As soon as they reached the site, Jina let out a loud gasp. Even Hobin was horrified by what he was seeing.

    "What the fuck?" he muttered in disgust.

    The body of a woman was dangling above them in X-shape. Her limbs were tied to the trees,pletely stripped naked. Thick blood was coated in between her thighs and her throat was also cut. Her eyes were kept open with a scotch tape and there were several assault marks all over her body. She was bitten and beaten, her tanned skin showing marks of longshes from a whip or belt.

    Beneath her body was another corpse of a man who was probably shot on the head. His hands were tied to his back and to everyone''s horror, his genitals were cut off with something sharp. The CSI team investigating the bodies were shaking as they worked on them.

    Jiwoon was standing a few feet away, staring at the woman. Even though she had seen many crimes, there was something about this which scared even an affable person like her. She was gazing at the woman who had gone through tremendous abuse before dying. The woman was around her age, perhaps 28 or 29 and even had the same dark hair as her albeit long.

    She subconsciously touched her own short hair. A chill ran down her spine and she quickly shook her fears away.

    "Jiwoon."

    She turned around to see Jina and Hobin, their faces also wincing at the sight.

    "What did we find out about our Unsub?" Jina asked, her tone barely stable.

    "No one saw the murderer," Jiwoon stated. "I talked to those kids over there."

    She pointed at a bunch of teenagers who Jina recognized as rising stars in the influencer world. They were a pair of boys around 17 years old named, Yoo Dongshik and Min Donghae. They were giving their statement to an officer.

    "I''ll talk to them," Hobin said. "You go and find out about the woman and her husband."

    Jina nodded and approached the bodies. She put on her gloves and waited until the CSI team untied the woman and brought her down carefully. Theyid her on a stretcher to examine the wounds. Kyuhyun was summoned from theb to carry out the initial analysis this time. He stooped over the body, totally unfazed by the state.

    "What do we know so far?" Jina asked him.

    "The male victim was shot point nk on the head with a bullet radius of one centimeter," he parroted. "Judging by the blood flow, the testicles of the man were cut off after he was shot dead using a sharp butcher''s knife. He was killed five hours ago and died on the spot. The woman''s wounds areparatively fresher, the first wound inflicted four hours ago. She was raped first by the Unsub before he stabbed her clitoris with a long knife and simultaneously whipped her with a belt for hours before shing her throat with the same knife. There are vaginal juices in her throat along with some sperm, indicating that the man did not use a condom."

    Jina regretted asking the question because now she was not sure which one was worse. The crime or the matter-of-fact way Kyuhyun described the crime.

    "And the child?"

    "The child was nearly suffocated to death but he was interrupted by a distraction and hence, ran away. That was when the influencers found the bodies. The child is now at the hospital."

    Jina let out a sigh of relief. At least there was a witness to the crime. She walked around the crime scene, looking for more clues. There was a bullet stuck to a tree not far from the site. She had a CSI officer take it out and put it away for tests. The couple''s car was parked not far away from the ce.

    "Is anything missing?" She asked one of the officers who was checking the car.

    "Nothing is stolen," he replied. "Their valuables are still here. Money, cards, ID and even the keys to their apartment are here. Their names were Yang Haesoo and Wan Chaeyeon. They were in theirte twenties and have a son named Yang Wook."

    He handed Jina their ID''s. They lived not far from the city''s main center and must havee to this spot for sightseeing. Little did the family know that it was going to turn out to be a nightmare.

    Hobin approached her.

    "The influencers said that they found the bodies like this when they arrived," he said in a grim tone. "They were shooting a prank video for their next vlog but received the shock of their lives."

    "But who would do this?" Jina wondered. "That murderer must really hate this couple."

    "Noбн"

    Hobin was in deep thought. There was something not right in this case. He was sure there was something missing.

    "What do you mean?" Jina frowned. "This is a brutal murder! Obviously, the murderer must hate the couple-"

    "Or he didn''t know the couple."

    He nced at her. "If he hated them, he''d have killed both of them brutally but the woman suffered more torture. This...this is a different case altogether."

    "Boss!"

    Chanmi''s voice came from somewhere in the woods around the scene. Jina and Hobin rushed towards her team which were scavenging the area for clues.

    "What is it?" she asked. Chanmi did not reply but pointed at the bark of a tree. Jina and Hobin nced at the tree and froze in shock.

    On the tree was a symbol drawn in blood. It was a star covered by a pentagon and had a cross drawn on it.

    "What the hell is this?" Jina whispered. "Did the murderer do this? Why?"

    But Hobin was studying the symbol. It was not an ordinary case. This was something else.

    "This isn''t a random crime," he revealed. "This....this is a ritual."

 Chapter 173 - A Lesson He Learned

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    I''m aiming for 5000 privilege unlocks this month so that this book can receive a banner. Please support this book by unlocking as many privilege chapters as possible and support me for spirity!

    I''ll give 10 chapter mass release on 1st October if we reach 5000 privilege unlocks this month <3

    бн.

    <em>The ss vase falls to the floor, shattering to a thousand pieces. Inside the elegant room of the mansion, a girl is cowering in a corner, scared for her life. Her long dark hair is covering her face and she is peeking with her pitch ck eyes, keeping her gaze on the man who is towering above her.</em>

    <em>He is really tall, around 6 feet. His chiseled face is on the covers of every magazine. He runs his fingers through his dark blonde hair and has a seductive smile on his lips. There is no doubt he is breathtakingly handsome. His voice is the envy of many and with his sharp features, he is the nation''s biggest celebrity. At only 28 year old, he achieved great fame. Everyone wants to be with him. The girls line up to bed him but he is known to be in love with only one mysterious girl. He wants to be with her and her only.</em>

    <em>The man stooped down to face the love of his life. She is so beautiful in his eyes. He raises a finger and gently removes the long locks from her face. Her fair skin is paler than usual but she is still so pretty. She was like a porcin doll, delicate and petite. His heart was racing upon her sight.</em>

    <em>"Jisoo," he whispers but to his shock, the girl only whimpers. Her haunting eyes are filled with tears and she is crying uncontrobly. She clutches her knees together, edging away from him as if he is going to hurt her. How could he ever hurt her? That is impossible!</em>

    <em>"Why are you crying, my sweetheart?" he asks, feeling a lot of worry. "I...I love you so much-"</em>

    <em>"Please let me go!" she begged. "Please...let me go!"</em>

    <em>She is now pleading for her life. All the pride, honor and dignity she once possessed is now gone. There is nothing left for her. All she wants is to live.</em>

    <em>His finger now lightly traces her tear stained cheek. Seeing her like this is paining his heart. Why does she want to leave? He is her everything and she is his. Then why is she so scared? What can I do? He wondered.</em>

    <em>Jisoo feels his fingers touch her face and shivers in fear. His touch disgusts her but no matter how much she protests, it only bes worse. His fingers are trailing down, tracing her jawline to her neck.</em>

    <em>"AGH!" she screams when his fingers tighten around her neck, choking her. His handsome smile shes in front of her as she struggles to be free.</em>

    <em>"Let you go?" he asks. "Why? Why Jisoo? Don''t you love me? Don''t you see how much I love you? You weren''t like this when we got married! You wanted to marry me for years, did you not?"</em>

    <em>Jisoo is coughing and wheezing, the pain in her neck only bing worse by the minute. She is scared of him. She loves him but cannot stay with him. One day he is the sweetest person, the man she loves. And the next day he bes a monster who will kill her.</em>

    <em>"P-Pleaseбн" She stammers. "Pleaseбн"</em>

    <em>"Till death does us apart, dear wife," he reminds her. "You married me. I won''t let you escape. Not now. Not ever."</em>

    <em>In an instant, he smashes her head against the wall. Blood flows out of her skull and she loses consciousness. As she lies in the pool of her own blood, she sees that haunting smile still taunting her. His lips are moving to tell her onest time.</em>

    <em>"You are mine, Ming Jisooбн"</em>

    бн..

    "We''re here!" Dahoon dered. He parked the car in front of the hospital. Jiwoon, who was asleep in the car, yawned and stretched her limbs. The drive to the hospital was a long one thanks to the heavy traffic they faced on the way.

    "Let''s go and ask the pediatric surgeon on duty about the kid," she said. Getting out of the car, she felt lethargic but they had a job to do. They headed straight to the pediatric section where the boy, Yang Wook, was being treated for his injuries.

    Siwan was examining the patient in question when he heard footsteps approaching the ward. Jiwoon and Dahoon entered the room to find the boy was still unconscious while Siwan checked his eyes and throat.

    "How is he now?" Jiwoon asked him.

    "Not good," Siwan sighed. "His throat is badly injured. Took me a long time to treat it. He''s also in shock. Coupled with the throat injury, he''s nowpletely mute."

    "So we''re not gonna get any information from him?" Dahoon sighed.

    "Not until he recovers and gets his voice back," Siwan said. "And you''ll need a guardian present to take his statement."

    "We''re reaching out to his auntбн"

    Dahoon''s phone rang and he excused himself, leaving the dup alone in the ward with the patient. Jiwoon sat next to the boy and gently patted his head. The boy was hardly six years old and had to go through a major trauma like that.

    "He''ll be scarred for life," she murmured. "After seeing his parents killed in such a brutal manner."

    Siwan nodded. He heard the details from the paramedics who brought the child to the hospital and was not surprised that he fell into such a huge shock.

    "It''ll be hard for him to recover," he agreed. "But with proper care, he will be able to live a normal life."

    "Who knowsбн"

    She trailed off as if deep in thought. Siwan was staring at her. He did not know why but he had the nagging feeling that he had seen her somewhere before. But where?

    "Detective, have we ever met before?" he asked her.

    Jiwoon did not look at him when she replied, "I thought I had answered that question long ago."

    But Siwan was not convinced. He was sure that he had met her before but why was she not acknowledging it? Maybe I''m wrong, he thought.

    Dahoon re-entered the room and addressed Jiwoon. "Umm, second boss," he whispered in her ear. "The kid''s aunt is at the police station. She identified the bodies of her brother and sister-inw but she refused to allow us to question Wook. She said that she can''t let her nephew go through the trauma of being interrogated and it''ll scare him more."

    Jiwoon sighed. "Did our Boss try to talk to her?" she asked.

    "She did but the woman is adamant. I''m even suspecting that she might be behind the murder."

    "Go to the station and talk to her," she instructed. "See if she agrees. I''ll stay here for a while. If the aunt agrees, then I can try taking a statement from the kid once he wakes up."

    Dahoon nodded and headed off. Siwan, who was still treating the child, overheard them and could not help making ament.

    "You can try but she won''t agree," he said.

    "What makes you say that?" Jiwoon frowned.

    "If she''s truly concerned, she won''t let the boy stand trial even as a witness. It''ll traumatize him even more. He needs proper care and treatment. Police scrutiny is thest thing he wants. And I doubt the child would wanna talk either. He''s barely six. He probably doesn''t even know what he saw."

    Jiwoon could not argue with that logic. He was right. The child was probably a lost cause but she would still have to try.

    "I''ll stay here with him for a while," she finally said. "I''m not gonna question him. I...I just think someone should stay with him until his aunt returns."

    "Suit yourself," Siwan shrugged and left the ward. He was halfway towards his office when he realized that he left his stethoscope at the ward. Siwant quickly returned to the ward to find that Jiwoonid her head down and fell asleep near the boy. In her sleep, she looked more rxed as if free from whatever tension it was which burdened her.

    He quietly walked around the bed and picked up his stethoscope before heading towards the door.

    "Yeon...ooбн"

    Siwan paused and turned only to be surprised. Tears were flowing down Jiwoon''s eyes but she was still sleeping. Her face was now contorted into deep grief, betraying her emotion for the first time since he had known her.

    "Yeonбн" she murmured. "Don''t...leaveбн"

    He stood there, wondering if he should wake her up but decided against it. Instead, he picked up a nket from a couch and put it around her. Afterwards, he quietly left the ward, not wanting to intrude on her anymore.

    If there was something Siwan had learnt in his life, was to let a person grieve in peace. Sometimes, it was the only thing they could do to move on.

 Chapter 174 - Mine

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    I''m aiming for 5000 privilege unlocks this month so that this book can receive a banner. Please support this book by unlocking as many privilege chapters as possible and support me for spirity!

    I''ll give 10 chapter mass release on 1st October if we reach 5000 privilege unlocks this month <3

    бн.

    Jina and Hobin were at theb with Kyuhyun who was exining the details of the crime in his deadpan tone. Three days had passed and they were still scraping for clues around the hills but the killer did not leave behind anything except for the sperm stters.

    Given the brutality of the crime, they were being pressured by Taejoon to solve it at once. Thankfully, it did not take Kyuhyun long to dissect the bodies and prepare the autopsy.

    "The symbol was made from the woman''s blood," he stated. "She was a type A and had delicate skin, causing her to hemorrhage sooner than expected during the torture. Her uterus has been damaged by the knife and her death was a slow one. Once the knife was thrust in, the knife only stabbed her deeper with every blow. She bled out for almost four hours before dying. The knife is probably twelve inches long and is a thick butcher''s knife-"

    "So you''re saying that the man was instantly killed and the woman was slowly tortured?" Jina asked. "But he also cut off the guy''s...private area."

    "With the same knife," Kyuhyun stated.

    "He had intense hatred for the woman and yet, he raped her without a condomбн" Hobin remarked.

    "Does that make a difference?" Jina frowned.

    "It does when the feelings aren''t of hate," he said. "If he was hellbent on killing the couple by tormenting them, he wouldn''t leave behind his traces. He can be identified by the DNA from his sperm. Nah. This wasn''t a crime of hate. This was a crime of loveбн"

    The bodiesy in front of them. Hobin wore gloves and studied the wound around the woman''sdy parts. He pointed at it and began to exin.

    "By leaving behind his sperm, the killer is giving a message to the world," he said. "That this...this woman and her body belongs to him. No one else can have her. He marked her as his and this is his way of iming his property."

    "Property?" Jina asked, feeling disgusted by the word but Kyuhyun piped up.

    "It is not unusual in Alpha males to think of some women as their property or belonging," he parroted. "Common in rape cases. People with history of abuse and torture leave marks on their victims or ''properties''."

    "Exactly," Hobin agreed. "He was also angry."

    "By anger, you mean that he was angry at them and wanted to kill them?" Jina questioned him.

    "No," he said. "He was angry at her. Look at the brutality of the crime. The man was shot instantly and then his testicles were cut out but she suffered the most anger. And why did he kill the man first? This was all his punishment for the woman. It''s like...he was angry at her for being with someone else and not with the killer. She was intimate with another man, had a child with him. The killer was jealous and angry. So he killed her husband in front of her and then tortured her for hours in front of her son before killing her off. And then he tried to kill the boy but failed because he was almost discovered."

    The details only made Jina feel sick. Who would do that? What a monster!

    "This is all theory for now," Hobin went on. "But if the girl has any exes or stalkers, it''s most likely them."

    "I hope we can catch the culprit soon," she muttered. Chanmi and Woohee were looking into the victims'' families. The aunt had refused to let the kid testify and they had questioned her for hours about her own rtionship with her brother and sister-inw. Turned out that they had a cordial rtionship and the family itself did not have any enemies. Moreover, the sister was out of town that day for a job exam so she was off the hook.

    "Let''s see what happens," Hobin said. "But I''m sure that the killer is someone who had his eyes on this woman for a long time. Question is, why her?"

    "Only he can tell us that," Jina said. They stared at the bodies, still lost about who did this. Kyuhyun stepped forward and pulled the nkets on the bodies, covering them up for thest time.

    бн

    Baekha awoke with a start. She was not sure why but she felt as if someone was in her room. She nced around but there was no one.

    It was still dark outside. The clock read 3 AM but now that she was awake, she no longer felt sleepy. She shivered a little. It was supposed to be a warm night but her room was unusually cold. The AC was switched off because she hated sleeping in a cool temperature. The window was also locked so she had no idea where the cold air wasing from.

    Her throat felt parched so she leaned over to pour herself some water but the jug was empty.

    "Ugh!" she scowled. "Now I''ll have to go to the main mansion for this!"

    Baekha lived at the outhouse in a small one-storeyed room. She did not get along with her parents and as soon as she turned thirteen, she moved there. Her parents did not care about her but the servants checked up on her from time to time, sending her food, water and other supplies whenever they could. Her father gave her a stipend for her monthly use but she secretly used it to fund her training. It was her manager Jango who paid for all the expensive stuff she needed for her idol career.

    She got off the bed and headed outside, walking towards the main mansion which was only a few meters away from her room. Taking out the keys from her pocket, she unlocked the door and entered it. Passing through the hallway, she entered the dining room to pour some water for herself in a ss.

    Suddenly, a cold air swept by her and she was startled.

    What the hell? She thought. Her ears perked up and she thought that she heard whispers from somewhere. Did someone break into the house?

    Baekha quickly looked around and found a vase nearby. Emptying it, she raised it with her hands and followed the strange whispers. It seemed to being from upstairs.

    She slowly climbed the stairs and silently crept through the corridor which led to her older brother''s room. Baekha stopped and pressed her ear to the door.

    "Mineбн" she heard. Huh? What was that?

    Gulping hard, she slowly opened the door to the dreaded ce.

    It was arranged exactly how her brother had kept it when he was alive. There wererge posters of himself hung on the wall. A king sized bed was located in the center and a giant ss window covered one part of the wall. The walk-in closet still had his clothes along with his shoes and cosmetics. A connecting room led to a mini firece where there was an Italian couch set, neatly arranged around a coffee table. Everything in the room screamed of her brother, which sickened Baekha to no end.

    Anyone who entered the room would think that it was being upied by one person. There was no sign of the other person who had once lived there.

    Baekha checked the room but there was no one else in there. She lowered the vase and was about to leave when she heard it again.

    "...Mine...Jisoo...mineбн"

    Jisoo?

    She snapped her neck around. The temperature in the room had fallen to dangerous levels and she was shivering hard. But the windows were closed and the AC was also not working. Then where the hell was this cold airing from?

    "What the hell are you doing here?"

    Baekha''s mother was standing at the entrance, looking furious.

    "Mom, I-"

    But Ciara did not listen for an exnation. She stepped forward and pped Baekha hard. Baekha was not surprised by her mother''s reaction. After all, she had dared to step into her darling son''s room.

    "Get the fuck out of here, you bitch!" she yelled at her daughter. "Only if I had aborted you in my womb! You ungrateful brat! How dare youe here?"

    Bakeha took a deep breath and red coldly at her ''mother''.

    "It''s my house," she pointed out. "Now that your darling son is dead, I believe I am the heir to your property. It''s legally mine. So why shouldn''t Ie?"

    She despised entering the mansion but she wanted to taunt her mother with those words.

    "Get out!" Ciara shrieked. Bakeha did not linger and simply stormed off. On her way, she mmed the vase on the floor, breaking it. She did not care if the entire house woke up. Let Ciara handle the mess.

    Once Baekha was gone, Ciara turned fearfully to her son''s posters on the walls.

    "Forgive me, my son!" she begged. "I won''t let her enter here again! I really won''t!"

    In response, a cold air furiously swept by, scaring her.

    "I understand," she gulped. "I-I''ll find Jisoo! She''ll be back and give birth to your son! I promise."

    Ciara waited for a reaction but there was none. It seemed that she managed to cate him for now.

    Curse that Jisoo! She inwardlymented. If only she hadn''t left my son, this wouldn''t have happened! Where the fuck is that bitch?

 Chapter 175 - The Mall (1)

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    I''m aiming for 5000 privilege unlocks this month so that this book can receive a banner. Please support this book by unlocking as many privilege chapters as possible and support me for spirity!

    I''ll give 10 chapter mass release on 1st October if we reach 5000 privilege unlocks this month <3

    бн.

    "Isn''t this great?" Sera eximed and stretched her hands. She turned to Soobin and the twins who agreed to apany her that day. Thankfully, Minyoon was free and agreed to tag along while Yoonmin insisted on bringing Miyoo as well. Sera was a little offended when Miyoo refused to greet her which Yoonmin interpreted bluntly as Miyoo did not like her for burning the edd rice that day.

    They were at the mall which was fairly crowded that day. Minyoon was wearing a wig, cap and a face mask to hide his presence so that fans would not bombard them. Yoonmin with his long hair and cold look was already known to the fandom as the unapproachable part of the Hwang twins so he was able to freely unt his face. .

    "This ce sure is crowded today," Minyoon muttered.

    "Uwu!" Miyoo said. She was in his arms, awed by the mall. She poked her brother and pointed at a toy store, eyeing it longingly.

    "You have too many toys!" Minyoon frowned. "No more"

    "Hmph!" Miyoo pouted.

    "I''ve outgrown some of my clothes," Soobin murmured. "Is there a sale going on here?"

    "Just let your boyfriend buy you clothes!" Minyoon snickered.

    "I tried but she wouldn''t let me," Yoonmin gritted. Soobin beamed and nodded. She was not used to getting expensive gifts from others so she forbade Yoonmin from buying her anything other than choctes or flowers.

    Sera tried to control herself from giving them jealous res. She had another mission to aplish. It was 1 PM and Miho told her to bring Minyoon to the mall''s cafe at 2 PM.

    But how am I gonna get rid of that brat? She wondered, looking at Miyoo. She was stuck to Minyoon like glue, refusing to let go. It seemed that between the twins, she was most attached to him. It was impossible to separate them.

    "Let''s go!" Soobin eximed, pulling Yoonmin towards the elevator. Minyoon and Sera followed them. They roamed around the stores where the twins and Soobin were looking for random things. Soobin was checking out some cheap t-shirts for herself and also wanted to buy something for the twins. Their birthday wasing up and since it was the first time she was going to give something to her boyfriend, she was a little nervous.

    "What should I get him?" she wondered.

    "What was that?" Yoonmin asked.

    "Nothing!" she imed. But Sera overheard her. Perfect! She thought.

    "Psst, Minyoon!" she hissed at him. Minyoon, who was looking at Alpaca printed products with Miyoo, turned around to face Sera.

    "What?" he asked.

    "I think Soobin is trying to buy Yoonmin a present but she''s too shy to do it in front of us," Sera hinted. "Look, she''s fidgeting."

    She pointed at Soobin who was truly fidgeting about what to get the twins, especially Yoonmin.

    "Ahh," Minyoon realized. "She can''t buy it in front of us, huh?"

    "Yeah. Let''s give them some privacy. We can catch up with themter."

    "Good idea," he agreed. "Yo, Yoonie!"

    Yoonmin turned around, not pleased to hear his nickname in the middle of a mall.

    "We''re heading towards the sports section," Minyoon said. "You guys go ahead. We''ll catch upter."

    He winked at his twin who rolled his eyes but did not say anything. Minyoon turned to Sera and said, "Let''s go."

    "Alpaca!" Miyoo mumbled, as they walked away from the store.

    "I''ll get you another Alpaca stuffed toy," Minyoon promised her. "A big one."

    "Uwu."

    Sera checked her watch. It was ten minutes to 2 and Miho would arrive any second. And she still could not get rid of the kid!

    "I''m kinda hungry," she said. "And Miyoo must be hungry too. Should we go to a cafe and sit there for a while? It''s better than being out in the crowd."

    "It is Miyoo''s lunchtime," he nodded. "Let''s go."

    They headed towards the cafe on the top floor where Minyoon grabbed a seat. Thankfully, the cafe was not so crowded because it was quite an upscale ce. Sera checked her watch and it was 2 PM. Miho would arrive any second now. Sera already texted her that Minyoon was wearing a blonde wig and face mask so that Miho could identify him.

    She turned to Minyoon and said, "Hey, I''m gonna head over to the washroom. Does Miyoo need to go as well?"

    "Uhбн"

    He nced at Miyoo who nodded. "Yeah she does," he said. "Can you take her?"

    "Sure!"

    Miyoo got off her chair and grabbed Sera''s hand. Sera led her outside while Minyoon fiddled with his phone. As soon as she stepped out of the cafe, Sera called Miho.

    "Hello," Miho greeted. "Is the work done?"

    "He''s inside the cafe," Sera said. Miyoo was confused and tugged on Sera''s hand but the girl was too busy talking on the phone. She looked around and saw something shiny on the ground. Excited, she let go of Sera''s hand and ran off.

    "Now can I join the group?" Sera asked hopefully.

    "If this date goes well, why not?" Mihozily said. She was smirking to herself thinking how stupid this girl was. But aloud, she was being nice and sweet. After all, that was her specialty.

    "Thank you, Sera," she stated. "I really couldn''t have done it without you! Minyoon and I would make such a wonderful couple, right?"

    "Yes!" Sera eximed. "You''ll be the very best-"

    But Miho hung up the phone. Sera was a little taken aback albeit happy. I''m gonna be with the cool kids now! She thought gleefully.

    "Miyoo let''s-"

    She turned around to see that Miyoo was not there.

    "Miyoo?" she called out. She scanned the area but Miyoo was nowhere in sight.

    "Shit!" Sera eximed. "Where the hell is that brat?"

    бн

    Meanwhile, Miyoo was chasing the penny. When she tried to grab it, someone identally kicked it away and itnded underneath a bench far away. She followed the penny and ducked under the bench.

    To her surprise, there was a furry little creature present and it was the strangest thing she had ever seen. The creature looked up at her. It was like a small dog but it had three heads. The three headed dog had jade ck fur which was silky and smooth. It was peering at Miyoo with its sharp eyes as if examining her.

    "Can you see me?" it asked in astonishment. Miyoo nodded.

    What the hell? How was this girl able to see him?

    "Who are you?" he demanded. "And how dare you look directly into the eyes of a Vozakel lord?"

    To its shock, Miyooughed and patted its fur. The dog-like creature was ticklish and could not control itsughter.

    "Stop it!" it begged whileughing. "That tickles!"

    "Doggo!" Miyoo eximed in excitement.

    "I AM A VOZAKEL LORD!" he imed but it only made Miyoough more. Who was this strange girl? The dog wondered.

    "Tickle tickle!"

    "Stop it! I beg ya!"

    I''m being tormented by a human! How disgraceful! The dog thought in dismay.

    "I''ll give you this if you stop!" he pleaded and took out the penny from its fur. Miyoo''s eyes instantly beamed upon seeing the penny and she forgot about the dog.

    "Penny!" she said, taking it in her hands. Free from the sadistic child, the creature backed to a corner. It was bad enough that the shamans were looking for him and now he was cornered by this human kid!

    Ugh, where the hell is the Prince? He wondered.

    "Yo kid, you know any ce where a demon can hide in peace?" he grumbled.

    Miyoo thought for a while. "Dog house!" she answered.

    "I''m not a dog! I''m a Vozakel Lord! V-O-Z-A-K-E-L Lord! The second most powerful demon race! I''m over 6000 years old, ya human mutt!"

    "Uwu."

    Miyoo stuck her tongue out at him. The demon snorted and then frowned.

    "Oi, where are your parents?" he asked. Miyoo pointed up to indicate they were flying again but the demon misinterpreted.

    "Oh, I''m sorry," he muttered in shame. The little girl tilted her head. Huh?

    Then her eyes noticed something and she was sparkling again in happiness.

    "Beaky!" she shouted and mbered out of the bench.

    "Oi, don''t leave when someone is talking to you!" the demon yelled. "It''s rude!"

    But Miyoo was running towards a familiar figure who passed by. Baekha was at the mall to buy herself some new instruments. She was wearing her long wig in order to avoid being recognized in the public but a familiar voice made her turn.

    "Huh?"

    She stopped and instantly, Miyoo hugged her thighs. The child was beaming at her with her mahogany colored eyes.

    "Beaky!" she squeaked happily.

    Uh oh.

 Chapter 176 - The Idols Warning

    Even though Baekha was in her wig and looked very feminine, Miyoo''s sharp eyes saw through her disguise. The little girl instantly recognized her idol and was excited. She hugged Baekha''s thigh, flustering her.

    "Beaky!" she squealed.

    "Shhh!" Baekha hushed her. How am I gonna handle this kid? She wondered.

    "Don''t tell anyone that!" she begged. "Please! Call me Baekha!"

    "Beaky!"

    "Ugh!"

    This is why I can''t handle kids! She scowled. They don''t listen at all!.

    "My name is Baekha!" she repeated. "Baek-ha! I''m not Beaky!"

    Miyoo shook her head and pointed at her face. "Beaky! Long hair!"

    "How do you know this?"

    The child shrugged and pointed at her head to indicate she was smart. Baekha could only sigh.

    "Okay, but you can''t tell this to anyone!" Baekha warned her. "Not even to your brothers."

    Miyoo peered at her and thought for a while. Baekha was now desperate. How does one negotiate with a child? That too with a smart one like Miyoo?

    "I''ll give you a signed autograph!" Baekha offered. "And free merchandise."

    But Miyoo was looking around and an idea struck her head. She pointed at a toy store where an Alpaca stuffed toy was on disy.

    "Alpaca!" Miyoo said.

    "Huh? You want me to buy that for you?"

    Miyoo nodded. Baekha sighed and grabbed Miyoo''s hand but surprisingly, the girl was reaching out both her arms as if she wanted Baekha to carry her around.

    "Really? Aren''t you old enough to walk?"

    But she sighed and picked her up. The kid was surprisingly light. Miyoo threw her arms around her neck and was excited to be with her idol. Baekha took her to the shop and bought the Alpaca doll for her.

    Meanwhile, the dog-like demon was tailing Miyoo. He was wondering who the girl was with the weird child.

    "I''m not worried or anything!" he told himself. "Just trying to understand who the kid really is! Yes!"

    He peered at the girls. It seemed that the child knew the other girl and there was no threat.

    "I just had to be stuck in the human realm!" hemented. "Humans disgust me!"

    The demon had been observing them for days. None of them could see him but this child was able to easily spot him. This piqued the Vozakel lord''s interest. Was it possible that the remnants of the Butterfly Priestess'' powers had survived and somehow passed on?

    I''ve never heard of this phenomenon, he thought. He nced at Miyoo who also spotted him. She waved at him while Baekha''s face was turned away. The demon was now even more curious. This child was no ordinary kid. She possessed the powers to see demons.

    Did that mean she could see other supernatural creatures too?

    I must keep an eye on her, he decided. She can lead me to the Prince.

    He quietly prowled behind them, watching them closely.

    "Where''s your brother?" Baekha asked Miyoo. For a moment, Miyoo was confused. She then quickly looked around and it finally hit her that she was lost.

    To Baekha''s shock, Miyoo burst into tears.

    "W-What happened?" Baekha stammered,pletely clueless of what to do. How does one calm a child?

    But Miyoo was now only crying harder, scared that she would not see her family again.

    "Minmin! Yoonie!" she cried out. Even the demon following them facepalmed himself.

    What a clueless kid! He groaned inwardly.

    "W-Where are they?" Baekha asked her but the child was too scared to tell. She had no idea where she left Minyoon and the other girl.

    Baekha bit her lip, wondering what to do when she realized that she had Soobin''s number. They had exchanged it on the day Soobin helped her to bunk ss.

    "I''ll call her and tell her to pick you up," she decided.

    бн

    At the cafe, Minyoon was wondering where Sera and Miyoo were when the door opened. Miho entered the shop, wearing a simple, floral dress. She wore light makeup to amplify her pure aura and her eyesnded on Minyoon.

    Minyoon thought that she would not be able to recognize him but to his surprise, Miho called out for him.

    "Minmin!" she gasped. "You''re here!"

    "Uhбн"

    Without a word, Miho sat next to him. She was too close for his liking.

    "What a surprise!" she imed. "I didn''t expect to run into you here."

    "How did you recognize me?" he asked, feeling suspicious.

    "I''m a fan! Of course, I''ll know my idol well!" Miho giggled. "You''re too cute not to be noticed."

    Minyoon shifted away from her but to his annoyance, Miho only edged closer.

    "I buy all your merchandise," she went on. "And your songs are so good. I...I just love your voice! And that day when you taught the new girl a lesson! She was really rude to you. You know, she was rude to me as well? At the school cafe? She insulted my friends. That girl is a nuisance, don''t you think?"

    Now Minyoon was getting a little annoyed. He was notfortable with Miho being so close to him.

    "I think you should grab another table," he said sharply. "My brother and his girlfriend will be here any minute and Sera is also here. This ce will be too crowded."

    Miho''s nostrils red upon hearing that but she faked a smile. "Sera? She''s a really good friend. Do you mind if I wait for her here?"

    Friend? Minyoon''s brain was suddenly working now.

    "Sera''s friend?" he echoed. "Ahh. That''s nice."

    Just at that moment, another person entered the cafe. She was holding a child in her arms.

    "Minmin!" Miyoo cried. To Minyoon''s shock, Miyoo was crying hard and to add to his confusion, she was with Baekha!

    "Miyoo?"

    He quickly stood up and brushed past Miho who was jilted. Baekha looked around and saw a blonde, masked guy approaching her. She was skeptical but Miyoo was jumping out of her arms and reached out for him.

    "Minmin!" Miyoo called out. Minyoon immediately took his sister into his arms.

    "It''s okay!" He consoled his sister. "You''re fine!"

    He turned to Baekha and was looking at her with suspicion.

    "What did you do to my sister?" he demanded. "Why is she crying?"

    "I didn''t do anything!" Baekha snapped. "She was lost and for some reason, she hugged me."

    Before Minyoon could ask anything else, Yoonmin and Soobin burst into the cafe, followed by Sera.

    "Miyoo!" they gasped. Minyoon was still suspicious towards Baekha but he red at Sera who was cowering at a corner.

    "Thank god, Baekha found her!" Soobin was saying. "She called me and told me that she found Yoonmin''s sister. Butбн"

    She frowned and turned to Baekha. "How did you know Miyoo was Yoonmin''s sister?"

    Baekha was now trapped. Shit! I forgot that they don''t know I''m Baek! She cursed herself for calling Soobin so carelessly without a thought. Thankfully, Yoonmin came to her rescue.

    "Miyoo is famous too, you know," Yoonmin stated. "Minyoon posts pictures of her all over his ount. Of course she must have known. After all, she is an anti-fan. And anti-fans do keep up with regr updates of idols they hate. Right, Baekha?"

    She wanted to re at him but at least she had an exnation for how she knew Miyoo.

    "Right," she gritted. "I recognized her from the social media ount and I knew that Soobin is dating Yoonmin so I called her."

    Her lie seemed to have worked. Everyone was convinced.

    "Now that your sister is back safe and sound, why don''t we all have some fun?" Miho eximed. Everyone forgot about her existence until she spoke up. Soobin was surprised to see her there and Yoonmin was also frowning. Only Sera was looking away from her.

    "We''re going back home," Minyoon stated. "You can wait for your date. After all, you''re dressed for a date, right?"

    He shed a sarcastic smile at Miho which made her shudder in fear. She threw a dirty gaze at Sera who was still cowering in a corner.

    "Let''s go, guys," he said, still cradling the very scared Miyoo in his arms. Soobin and Yoonmin followed him but Minyoon paused in his steps before turning to Baekha.

    "We''ll give you a lift home if you want," he offered. But Baekha shook her head.

    "I have my car," she said. "But...thanks."

    Miyoo raised her head a little and said, "Bye bye, Haha!"

    The twins and Soobin were shocked. Miyoo gave Baekha a nickname?

    "Wow, she must like you," Minyoon muttered. "My sister is weird."

    "Erбн" Baekha tried to smile at Miyoo and said, "Bye bye."

    She waved them goodbye. Sera quickly followed them, not wanting to face Miho''s wrath. Baekha also felt something weird from Miho and did not linger around. Without a word, she left the cafe, going the opposite direction from the departed group.

    Miho stayed behind, feeling humiliated. Sera and Baekha made aplete fool out of her!

    "I''ll get them," she swore. "Fucking bitches!"

    бн

    "Thanks guys," Sera said. They pulled up in front of her house. The twins were in the back with her and Soobin while Miyoo was fast asleep.

    "I''ll see you all in school," Sera added and got out of the car.

    "Bye Sera!" Soobin waved at her. Yoonmin did not care but Minyoon was staring at her.

    "I''ll be right back," he told them and ran out of the car.

    Sera was nearly at the front door when she heard someone calling her. To her surprise, it was Minyoon.

    "Minmin, what''s wrong?" she asked. Minyoon was not shing his usual smile but red at her coldly.

    "I appreciate that you took us shopping today," he began. "And I know that you tried to set me up with Miho."

    Sera was now scared. "I-Iбн" she stammered.

    Minyoon stepped forward, his eyes red up in anger. Sera gulped hard. Yoonmin was usually the cold and menacing one among the twins. She did not expect Minyoon to emit a more dangerous aura. He was quiet when he was angry but the words which came out of his mouthpletely rattled Sera.

    "I can''t stop you from being friends with Soobin, but if youe near my sister again, I will destroy you and your family in seconds," he warned her in a calm, yet deadly tone. "Got it?"

    "Y-Yesбн"

    With that, he stepped away from her, feeling disgusted. Minyoon was going to have a talk with Soobin about this ''friend'' of hers as well.

    Sera was speechless as she entered her house.

    Fuck! She thought miserably. Now Miho will make my life a living hell!

 Chapter 177 - Blue Hyacinths (1)

    Jina and Hobin walked into the precinct on Monday to brief the team about the case. Everyone was already in the meeting room, yawning. Only Jiwoon was fully awake and ready to work on the case.

    "Why is everyone so tired?" Jina frowned. "I thought I told you guys to take the weekend off?"

    "Chief Taejoon had his son''s birthday party and he went to Hawaii with his wife," Chanmi gritted. "So all the officer level staff were told to cover up his two day long night duty."

    "Was he born a salty bitch or did he be like that after he got dumped by your boss'' mom?" Hobin asked.

    "Ugh!" Jina scowled. "Anyways. Let''s just get on with the case for today. Do we have a suspect?".

    Jaebum flipped through his files and pushed forward a picture. It was an image of a bespectacled man in his early thirties with a pleasant face and an army haircut.

    "That''s Kim Jun," he exined. "He lives in the southern part of the town with his mother. This guy is an employee at the ce where our female victim, Chaeyeon, was temporarily working. It''s been said that he had proposed to her even though she''s a married woman and she rejected him. But he kept on pestering her."

    "Any other exes or stalkers we should know about?" Hobin asked.

    "None," Woohee replied. "We checked the rtionship history of the couple. Turns out, they''re middle school sweethearts. They''ve been together for years and got married when they were 20. Went to the same college and a few yearster, had their son. They have no exes at all."

    "And the family had no enemies," Dahoon added. "None at all. They were known as a very humble duo, minding their own business all the time."

    Jiwoon was studying the picture of the man. Jina nced at her, knowing well that her partner was feeling that this might not be their guy.

    "Let''s bring him in," she said aloud. "And question him."

    "Yes boss!"

    The team dispersed to get on with their work. Hobin studied the picture and frowned.

    "What''s wrong?" Jina asked.

    "He might fancy the victim but I''m wondering if he really is the killer," he muttered.

    "We can''t judge him by the image," Jina pointed out. "He might be a heinous criminal behind that innocent face!"

    "Maybeбн"

    He tore his eyes away from the picture and followed Jina out of the room towards her desk. There was arge pin board behind her chair where she had put up images and notes on the murder. He examined the pictures of the victims, trying to figure out the mystery.

    "A couple who were deeply in love was killed in such a monstrous way," Jinamented. "Sometimes I wonder who are the bigger monsters. Ghosts or humans?"

    "All ghosts were humans once," Hobin replied. "I think you have your answer there."

    He stepped towards the female victim''s picture and studied her. What could she have possibly done to incur that much wrath from someone? Was it a case of rejecting someone''s advances? Or was it more?

    "If only the sister would let us talk to the kid," he sighed.

    "It''s no use, the kid is mute," Jina reminded him. "Even if we got the permission, I doubt he could tell us anything."

    "Still, we gotta try and coax her into giving us permission."

    Jina shook her head. "It''s not easy," she stated. "Once a guardian says no, we can''t force her into changing her decision. Our hands are tied."

    Hobin took a marker and pointed at the symbol of the pentagon star. "This is our real clue," he said. "This isn''t a random murder nor was it done out of revenge. It means something. I know it!"

    "It''s all theories now, Hobin," Jina said. "We ran a search of the symbol and found nothing. I mean, it can be any symbol. Maybe the killer is trying to dupe us. But we can''t rule out the possibility of a so-called ritual either."

    They were still thinking about the murders when they heard amotion at the entrance. Chanmi and Jaebum had just arrived from their mission to bring in Kim Jun from his workce. The man was shaken and scared because Jaebum had a firm grip on his neck while Chanmi held his hands behind him.

    "What the hell are you two doing?" Jina scolded them. "You''re supposed to bring him in for questioning, not manhandle him!"

    "He tried to run when he saw us," Chanmi replied, struggling to keep the man still.

    "I didn''t do anything!" Jun imed. "I swear! It wasn''t me!"

    "Then why did you run?" Jaebum scowled.

    "I was scared!"

    "If you haven''t done anything, you have nothing to be scared about," Hobin slightly sneered. "We''re just gonna ask you a few questions today."

    Jaebum forced the man to sit on Jina''s chair and all of them surrounded him. The man cowered upon seeing so many officers hounding him and he was shaking in fear.

    "You proposed to Chaeyeon even though you knew she was happily married," Jina stated. "Why?"

    "I was in love with her," he mumbled. "No other woman caught my fancy the way she did. She had a quality about her. You see, she was very docile and delicate. I like that in a woman. She wasn''t the type who would protest or argue back. Instead, she would put her head down and apologize. The perfect wife material. It irked me to see her with her husband!"

    "Did she ever indicate to you that she was in an unhappy marriage?" Hobin asked, crossing his arms on his chest.

    "No," Jun mumbled. "In fact, he was good to her as far as I know. I hate to say it but they were happy. I just wanted a wife like Chaeyeon. You know, someone I can controlбн"

    "So you killed her husband in front of her and then raped her," Jina said. "And when she said that she''ll tell everyone, you no longer saw her as a meek and docile wife material but a threat to your toxic masculinity."

    "No!" Jun imed. "I never touched her nor did I kill them! I swear! In fact, I was out for a weeklong training at that time. I only returned yesterday to find out that Chaeyeon and her husband died in a brutal manner!"

    "We''ll have to verify it with your boss," Jina said. "Were there any other admirers of Chaeyeon whom we should be wary of?"

    "There isn''t anyбн" Jun trailed off, deep in thought. He frowned for a few seconds.

    "I''m not sure if it''s gonna help but Chaeyeon did ask me a strange question two days before I went off to training," he recalled. "She came up to my desk and asked if I left flowers on her desk that morning. I said no. I didn''t leave any flowers but we never found out who did. She was taken aback that someone gifted her a bouquet of blue hyacinths. It wasn''t her husband either."

    Jina nced at Hobin. Blue hyacinths?

    "Was she stalked by someone else?" Jaebum wondered out loud.

    Jina did not reply but turned to Kim Jun. "We''ll be verifying your alibi with your boss. Don''t leave town until we give you clearance. If you''re innocent, you don''t have to fear anything. Just don''t run away from the police otherwise we will be forced to arrest you. Got it?"

    Jun gulped and nodded. He scrambled out of his chair and ran off.

    "I doubt he did it," Chanmi murmured. "He seems too cowardly to carry out something like this."

    "Let''s see what his alibi says," Jina sighed. "Also I want you two to check the CCTV footage at the office and see who brought the flowers-"

    Her words were cut off by the ringing of her desk phone. She picked it up while Hobin was staring at the board.

    The man was killed first, the woman raped before being killed and the child barely survived. Seeing the brutality of the murder, the woman was the main target. But if he was in love with her, why would he go to that length?

    He studied the woman carefully. Just one clueбн

    Jina abruptly hung up the phone and looked very worried.

    "Boss, what happened?" Jaebum asked. "You look very worried."

    "The call was from an acquaintance of mine from the emergency services," Jina said. "There''s been another murder. Same MO. The man was killed and his testicles chopped off while the woman was found naked with blooding out of herбнYou know the drill! Let''s go!"

    She turned to Hobin who had heard what she said and seemed to havee to a conclusion. And she knew very well what the conclusion was.

    "A serial killer, huh?" he muttered. "This is going to be very twisted.

    "Which means that he has more victims targeted," Jina said. "And will kill again."

    She was now dreading what the unsub was nning. Two murders within a week.

    "What are we gonna find this time?" she wondered.

    "Simple," Hobin said. "Death."

 Chapter 178 - Blue Hyacinths (2)

    "Okay kids! What do we do before going to bed?" the y school teacher asked her students in a cheery tone.

    "We brush our teeth!" the children said in unison.

    "Brush!" Miyoo eximed. She was at her y school where the teachers taught them various subjects. Even though she spoke very little, Miyoo was sharper and more perceptive than most kids at her ss. The teachers loved her and even gave her a lot of star stickers which she collected and handed off to other people.

    "Did everyone do their homeworks?" the teacher asked. "I''ll be going around to check your copies!"

    "Yes tweacher!"

    Miyoo took out her notebook and put it on the desk for the teacher to check. She idly fiddled with her pencil as the teacher went around the ss, checking their homeworks. Unbeknownst to her, a furry little creature had its eyes on her.. It was standing on a trashcan and staring through the window, directly at her.

    "This kid really lives in her own world," he groaned. "But howe she can see me so easily?"

    He had been tailing her for the past two days, keeping a close eye on her. The demon observed that the kid was not an ordinary one but could see andmunicate with spirits. He did not try to enter her house because she would locate him so he kept a distance. Charms and other holy objects would not work easily on a Vozakel lord like him but this girl was intriguing to him.

    "Ugh, what a day hase!" hemented. "I have to use a human brat to find the Prince? If the other demons find out, I''ll be aughing stock!"

    The bell rang and the children let out an earth shattering cheer as recess started.

    "What the hell?" the demon eximed when the ground began to shake so violently that even the trashcan was swaying.

    "Woof!" he yelped and fell into the trash. "Is this an earthquake?"

    Sputtering out trash from his mouth, he climbed out of the can and stared as hundreds of children came running out of the building to y in the park. They were shouting, running and screaming like maniacs. The demon watched in dismay at the puny little minions who were even scarier than a million demons living in Hell.

    "Why do humans procreate such loud creatures?" he groaned.

    He was still on the lookout for the brat who could see him. If only he could corner her and scare her into telling him where the Prince wasбн

    A shadow fell over him and he looked up to meet the familiar brown eyes which were staring at him.

    Uh oh, he thought. Miyoo studied the three headed creature which was now staring back at her. It stood up in a pompous manner and faced her.

    "Listen up, ya brat!" he scowled. "I''m only here to-"

    "Doggo!" Miyoo beamed. To the demon''s horror, she smiled and picked him up in her hands.

    "Oi, w-w-w-what are you doing?" he stammered. "I''m a Vozakel lord! The noble ss! We''re very powerful-"

    "Doggo!" Miyoo simply eximed and carried the creature under her arms. The demon struggled to be let go.

    "Okay! Okay! I''m sorry for scaring you!" he pleaded. "I''ll never follow you again! I just wanna know where the Prince is!"

    Miyoo took him to a remote part of the yground and put him down. The demon was the size of a small puppy, very light and furry. He growled at her in annoyance.

    "Listen up, kid!" he told her. "I''m in no mood to y! There''s a catastropheing and I know that the Demon Prince has been re-incarnated! If I don''t find him, the whole world is gonna be run over by demons!"

    But Miyoo was busy looking for something in her bag.

    "Oi, are you listening?" the demon demanded. "The world is in danger!"

    His words were on deaf ears and he sighed. Why can''t humans be born intelligent like us? Hemented.

    Miyoo finally found what she had been looking for.

    "Cookie!" she said, offering the demon a chocte chip cookie. The demon stared at it with disgust. What was this monstrosity?

    "You really think that an elite ss demon like myself will eat the disgusting earth food-"

    Miyoo pushed it into his mouth. The demon grumbled until he tasted the st of sweetness in his mouth. His eyes widened in shock as he chewed the delicious thing called ''cookie''. The crunchiness was making him misty eyed in joy.

    "Cookie!" Miyoo chirped.

    "I want more!" the demon demanded. "The Vozakel lordmands you to give me another one of these...cookies!"

    "Uwu."

    "Don''t ya act cute with me!" He scolded her. "If I wasn''t hiding my presence, I''m quite a menacing looking monster, ya know!"

    To his horror, Miyoo began to tickle him again.

    "Ahahahaah stop!" he begged, unable to control hisughter. "I''m the great demon Magбнhahahaha...rad...hahaha!"

    "Maggie!" Miyoo nicknamed him.

    "Oi, don''t you go changing my name!" Magrad growled, pping her hand away. Miyoo watched as the demon stood on its furry paws, looking important and haughty. He was now directly addressing her.

    "You," he began, prowling back and forth. "Can you see all kinds of spirits and demons?"

    Miyoo pouted and nodded.

    "Hmm...the powers of a Seer," he concluded. "Who else can see the- Oi, where the hell are you going?"

    Miyoo stood up and was leaving for her next ss. "Maths," she murmured.

    "Oi, I''m not done talking!" the demon eximed. It jumped on her shoulder, demanding attention.

    "Listen to me!" the demon begged. "Who else can see me?"

    "Uwu."

    "That''s not even cute anymore! Now, where are the cookies? In this bag? Are there more?"

    The demon opened her zip and searched for more cookies. Thankfully, there was another box of cookies in it.

    "I guess, I''ll stay with ya, kid," the demon dered. "You better treat me like a noble! I like to bathe in exactly 100 degrees of boiled water and prefer to have food without any salt. I like raw fish the most so I wouldn''t say no to suchi and now, these cookies!"

    "Oldie."

    "Who the hell are you calling an oldie?" the demon angrily eximed. "If I wasn''t in this form, I''d be a very beautiful creature-Ooh, there''s another box of cookies!"

    The demon was busy for the rest of the day, hiding in Miyoo''s bag. As he gobbled up thest cookie, Maggie was in deep thought.

    "If a Seer is nearby, then the Prince will show himself as well," he nodded. "I can feel it. It''s not long before his true powers awaken. I just hope I can reach him in time."

    бн.

    Jina and her team arrived at the crime scene with Hobin in tow. The CSI team was already collecting the samples. This time, the victims were killed in their own home which was very strange. Dahoon checked the passcode system of the door.

    "There''s no sign of forced entry," he told them. "I''ll still check the system for hacks."

    He wore his gloves and took out hisptop to connect it with the automated lock. Meanwhile, Jiwoon, Jina and Hobin were checking the bodies of the victims.

    The man was lying on the floor, this time stabbed to death. His hands were tied behind his back and his pants were down revealing the bloody massacre of his testicles. The woman was lying on the bed. Her hands were tied to the bedpost and her clothes werepletely stripped off. Her body also carried vicious bruises from being abused for hours. Like thest murder, a knife was inserted into her private area and there was a wire mark around her neck.

    "Change in killing style but most of the MO matches," Hobin muttered as he examined the victim''s body. "What about the sign?"

    Jina stepped into the bathroom and said, "Over here. On the mirror."

    Hobin checked the symbol. Now he was almost certain that it was some kind of ritualistic serial killer.

    "This guy will strike again," Jina remarked. "Soon."

    "He will," Hobin agreed. "But when? And who''ll be his next victim?"

    Jina was in dismay. She nced around to find that Jiwoon was in a trance-like state, staring at the corpse of the woman. Frowning, she tapped Jiwoon on the shoulder, startling her.

    "Huh?" Jiwoon gasped.

    "Are you okay?" Jina asked. "You look a little pale."

    "Nothing...just thinking about what the victim must have gone throughбн"

    She nervously nced at the girl and gulped. Why is this murder bothering me so much? She wondered.

    Hobin was still investigating the bathroom when he sniffed something strange in the air. Is that...

    "Detective Hwang!"

    She turned around to find Hobin calling her. He only called her ''Detective Hwang'' whenever things were serious.

    "What is it?" she asked, stepping back into the bathroom.

    "You smell something familiar?" Hobin asked.

    Jina frowned and sniffed before realizing what he meant.

    "Sulphur!" she gasped. "It''s a demon!"

 Chapter 179 - Blue Hyacinths (3)

    Junho was in the living room when Miyoo came bustling into the house. Yoonmin followed her in and put his bag on a couch.

    "Miyoo, don''t you dare skip out on shower!" He threatened his sister. For some reason, it was difficult to bathe Miyoo because she kept on running away. He turned to his grandfather who was poring over some books on the ult. The books had terrifying images in them which would scare Miyoo if she saw them.

    "What the hell are you doing, old man?" he demanded. "Why are you looking at these so openly? What if Miyoo sees them?"

    "It''s her nap time so I can look over these things in peace," Junho grumbled. "It''s important."

    Yoonmin frowned and looked over Junho''s shoulder. The books were on demons, depicting them as hideous winged creatures with horns and red, slick bodies.. Some of them were nearly naked with only a loincloth hiding their pelvic area.

    "Is it for the ritual you''ll conduct on the Doctor Demon a few weeks from now?" he asked warily.

    "Not just thatбн"

    He leaned back, deep in thought. The exorcism on Duho had failed and if it was not for Jina, all of them would have died that day. The demon was powerful but it was not affected too much by the holy objects nor was the ritual having much effect on it. Junho could not help but wonder about the phrase the demon was using for itself.

    "Vurthramis Lord," he quoted. "The demon was calling itself a Vurthramis Lord. I looked for the words everywhere. Books, inte and even asked other exorcists. They have never heard of something like this. Bomi is clueless as well."

    "Wasn''t the demon named Beezy or something?" Yoonmin frowned.

    "Yes, but he was referring to himself as an elite demon. Which doesn''t make sense because we''ve never heard of anything like that."

    Junho was about to say something but at that moment, Miyoo came running out of her room so he hastily hid the books. But she did not linger. Instead, she took a box of cookies and went back into her room, shutting the door behind her.

    "What''s up with her?" Junho frowned.

    "Beats me," Yoonmin shrugged. "Probably found a video on alpacas and is watching it in her room."

    At this point, they were not even fazed by Miyoo''s entricities. They focused on their discussions.

    Meanwhile, Miyoo was in her room. She put the box of cookies on the floor. Instantly, Magrod jumped on it, relishing them.

    "Don''t get me wrong kid!" he was saying as he munched on cookies. "I''m only here till the Prince is found. And I most certainly hate children like you! I''m only staying because I have no ce to stay and you can see me, so I can use you to find the Prince."

    Miyoo patted the furry demon, much to its annoyance.

    "Oi, didn''t I tell you that I hate kids?" he scowled. "Anyways, listen up! Since I''m a Vozakel Lord, you must address me as Lord Magrod or Your Grace-"

    "Maggie!" Miyoo eximed.

    "Stop giving me nicknames! It''s Lord Magrod-"

    "Maggie!"

    "Ugh!" Magrod facepalmed himself. Of all the people who could see him, it had to be an annoying kid like her!

    "Okay kid!" he snapped. "Listen up!"

    Magrod pompously stood on his paws, beaming with self-importance. "I can sense that your house is not an ordinary ce," he went on. "There are charms around this ce to keep away spirits and demons. I can sense them but they won''t affect me. I merely feel a tingling sensation on my skin but it''ll die down. Demons belonging to Vozakel ss and higher aren''t affected by holy objects or charms. We can even suppress our sulphur level to hide our presence. Not even salt affects us. And-OI, LISTEN TO ME!"

    Miyoo ignored him and turned on a video on Alpacas in her tab.

    "Alpaca!" she happily hummed.

    The demon was now cursing his luck even more. Why? Why lord of hell? Why am I stuck with a crazy kid?

    But then something struck him. His heads perked up and he carefully scanned the house. Now that he thought about it, the ce had unusuallyrge numbers of charms. It was highly unlikely for an average human house to have this many charms. Moreover, he could sense that the charms were quite powerful against most spirits and demons except for the nobility like himself.

    This is not an ordinary house, he deduced. There are people here who are aware of the supernatural. Is it possible that this kid is not the only one with the powers of a Seer?

    He studied Miyoo very carefully. She seemed ordinary but her aura was slightly brighter than a normal human''s one. It was not instantly visible but upon careful observation, he was sure that she was glowing.

    Not as much as the Butterfly Priestess though, he thought. Thinking about the Butterfly Priestess and her fate saddened him. Life was not fair to her but her death was even worse.

    But now that the Prince was back and nearing his twenty-fifth year, Magrod had very little time. He must get to the Prince before the other n could.

    "Alpacas!" Miyoo eximed. "Alpaca! Alpaca!"

    "Shut it! Go and get me more cookies! I, the great Lord Magrod, orders you to-"

    "Bleh!" Miyoo stuck out her tongue at the demon and returned to her beloved Alpacas.

    I hate kids! Margrodmented.

    бн.

    Jiwoon was walking down the hospital corridor, holding some stuffed toys and a coloring set for the boy. She headed for the elevator only to see that it was nearly closing.

    "Oh!" she eximed, running towards it. The doors were nearly closed when a hand stuck out of it and pushed the doors open.

    "Get in," Siwan said, holding the doors for her. Jiwoon murmured a thank you to him and stepped inside.

    "Are those for Wook?" he asked, pointing at the toys.

    "Uh, yes," she replied.

    "You''re not supposed to coerce a kid into giving testimony without a guardian''s permission," he pointed out. "Won''t you get in trouble?"

    "I''m off-duty and I''m not going to ask him about the murderer," she simply said. The elevator stopped on the pediatric floor and she headed towards Wook''s ward. Siwan followed her there since he was about to check up on the kid anyway.

    The boy was lying on the bed, looking outside the window next to him. He was quiet and demure, scared by the experience of witnessing his parents'' murders. A light haired woman in her early thirties sat next to him, trying to coax him into drinking warm soup.

    "Wookie, listen to aunty," the woman was cooing at him. "You need to eat and drink in order to be healthy!"

    Wook was not responding to her but kept on gazing outside. The woman was Wang Bora, Wook''s paternal aunt. She nced up when Jiwoon stood next to her.

    "How is he feeling now?" Jiwoon asked her.

    "He''s not eating well," Bora sighed. "But detective, I already said that I don''t want Wook to stand witness at court or any proceedings! He''s a kid. Why are you here to-"

    "I''m not here to discuss the case," Jiwoon said. "I''m just here to check up on him."

    Bora was hesitant but epted Jiwoon''s gifts. Siwan, who was checking Wook''s heartbeats, pretended not to pay attention to them.

    "He''s still traumatized," Bora sniffed. "He was close to his mother. Seeing...seeing Chaeyeon in that state haspletely broken him. I-I don''t know how he''s gonna get through thisбн"

    She broke off, thinking about her beloved brother and sister-inw.

    "They seemed to be in love," Jiwoon remarked. "Very good people and humble."

    "They were," Bora said with a small smile. "I can''t believe that someone would kill them like this! That too in such a brutal manner!"

    "Chaeyeon and Haesoo were always together," she went on. "Since middle school. I don''t know who could have done this but I hope he rots in hell!"

    Borapletely broke down, unable to suppress her grief anymore. Jiwoon patted her back.

    "There are monsters who wear the skin of humans," Jiwoon said in a small tone. Her eyes were nk as if remembering something. "Sometimes, we don''t see them for who they are. They deceive us with kind words one day and then on the next day, they''ll unleash their inner monsters on us. No one deserves that treatment but life isn''t always fair."

    Bora hupped and nodded. Siwan stood up, and addressed them.

    "I''ve sedated Wook for now," he told Bora. "Let him sleep and then when he wakes up, you can try feeding him some juice."

    "Thank you doctor," Bora said gratefully. "You''ve helped us a lot!"

    "I should get going," Jiwoon said. "If it''s okay, can I visit Wook again? I''ll not ask him anything about the case. I just want to check up on him."

    "Y-Yes!" Bora replied. "I think he''ll like it too."

    Jiwoon shed her a rare smile and bid her goodbye. Siwan debated for a while before following her out.

    "Detective!"

    She was almost at the elevator when she heard Siwan calling her from behind. Jiwoon turned around to find him walking towards her.

    "Is something the matter?" she asked him.

    "Let''s grab a cup of coffee," Siwan offered. "My treat."

    "I have to return to work," Jiwoon said but Siwan shook his head.

    "You''re a bad liar," he stated. "You told me earlier that you''re off-duty. Come on. You can''t run away all the time, right?"

    Jiwoon was in a fix but Siwan motioned her to follow him.

    I guess one cup of coffee will not hurt, she thought and went with him to the cafe.

 Chapter 180 - Blue Hyacinths (4)

    Siwan ced two hot cups of cappino on the table along with a cherry pastry. Jiwoon was surprised by the gesture.

    "You didn''t have to do that," she said, indicating the cherry pastry. "Just coffee would have been fine."

    "I felt like it," he shrugged and sat across from her. Jiwoon thanked him and took a bite. It was too sweet for her taste. Siwan observed her struggle not to frown as if she was trying to be polite.

    "You don''t seem to like sweets," he remarked.

    "Uh....I love them!" Jiwoon imed and was about to take another bite but Siwan stopped her.

    "If you don''t like something, it''s best to tell it out loud," he advised in a gentle tone. "The more you keep it in, the worse the situation will be."

    He took the cherry pastry and called a server to take it away. "What would you like to have?" he asked her.

    "It''s okay," Jiwoon said. "You don''t have to get me anything."

    "The chicken sandwich is amazing here," Siwan said. "Do you like chicken sandwiches?"

    Jiwoon sighed. "Okay," she finally agreed. "I''ll take a chicken sandwich."

    Siwan ordered two sandwiches and turned his attention back to her. Jiwoon was quietly sipping her coffee, nervous to be sitting with a guy she barely knew. He noticed that she was defensive and was clutching the burning hot cup with her hands but the heat did not affect her. Instead, she was a little...scared.

    "How''s the case going?" he asked. "Is there any progress on it at all?"

    "Ah...I can''t really discuss it," Jiwoon said, feeling apologetic. "Sorry."

    "That''s okay," Siwan sighed. "But the kid saw some traumatizing things that night. As his doctor, I do have the legal right to know what he saw so that we can treat him ordingly."

    "Wellбн"

    Jiwoon straightened up a little, adopting a more professional stance now. "His mother and father were killed in front of him," she recounted. "They were found in very...gruesome circumstances. His father was shot and...his private parts were...um...cut off."

    She expected Siwan to cringe or be disgusted but he said, "And his mother?"

    "His mother was raped and beaten up," she replied. "Before being killed."

    Siwan was now thinking hard. "For a child to witness all that is concerning," he stated. "Now that I know some things, we''ll have to start his therapy as well. Otherwise, he''ll never recover."

    Jiwoon nodded. The server put the sandwiches before them. She took one and unwrapped it with shaky fingers which did not go unnoticed by Siwan.

    "He''ll be alright, you know," Siwan said. "Wook."

    "Yeah."

    "But why are you visiting him so often?" he asked. "After all, isn''t it strange that a police officer is visiting a witness in her off-duty hours? Isn''t that a breach of conduct?"

    Jiwoon lowered her head, trying to avoid the question. Siwan was curious why she would go to that length. He knew that she was not coaxing the witness into breaking their silence but there were some strict codes which the police needed to follow and Jiwoon was breaking a very important one.

    "Does he remind you of someone?"

    She looked up at him, shocked. Siwan simply sipped his coffee, waiting for her answer but she was still reluctant to talk.

    "It''s okay," he smiled. "You don''t have to say anything. All of us have things we don''t want others to find out."

    "You...do you have secrets you don''t want others to find out?" Jiwoon asked hesitantly. Siwan nodded.

    "I do have an embarrassing one," he smirked. "I guarantee it''ll make youugh."

    Jiwoon slightly frowned, confused. Siwan was smiling when he said, "Your boss rejected me when I asked her out! Kinda embarrassing, right? A good looking guy like me was dumped by my first love!"

    He chuckled in amusement. Even Jiwoon could not help but smile.

    "She told me," Jiwoon revealed. "But she said that you were very gracious about it."

    "I''m d that she''s happy," Siwan admitted. "A little hurt, but that''s okay. It''s not the end of the world."

    "You seem to take things in stride," Jiwoon said. "I wish I could be that strongбн"

    "I think you''re strong," Siwan stated. Jiwoon gave him a quizzical look.

    "Not everyone can reach the ce where you are right now," he went on. "So don''t think that you''re weak. At least I don''t think so."

    Jiwoon gave him a small smile. "Thank you, Doctor Kang," she said, her voice filled with sincerity. "Thatбнthat really motivated me."

    She was done with her sandwich and coffee but she did not leave immediately. Instead, she waited for Siwan to finish his coffee.

    "Aren''t you going to finish that?" she asked when he put the wrapped sandwich in his pocket.

    "I''ll eat it in-between duty," he winked at her. "You see, we snack when no one''s looking."

    Jiwoon smiled and stood up. He walked her to the exit where she turned towards him onest time.

    "Thank you, for the treat," she said. "I''ll see youter."

    "Give me a call when you''re here next time," he said. "I''ll meet up."

    "Uhбн"

    Jiwoon was not sure how to answer that. Siwan sighed and remarked, "You''re not a very sociable person, are you?"

    "I-I''m not used to hanging out with people outside work," she admitted. She was looking down at her feet, unsure of what else to say. To her surprise, he slightly poked her forehead. She looked up at him, touching the spot he poked.

    "Don''t be scared of the monsters anymore," he said in a cryptic tone. "They''re gone for now but if you want them to truly leave, then stop thinking about them. Don''t be afraid of them. Pick yourself up and run as fast as you can. They''ll eventually stop chasing you one day."

    Jiwoon did not understand his cryptic advice but he waved her goodbye and went back into the hospital. She stood there, staring at his retreating back before slowly turning around to leave.

    He is still a good man, she thought. Just like he was all those years ago.

    Unbeknownst to her, Siwan was also thinking the same thing.

    "She really came a long way since then," he mused. He walked into his office and sat on his chair, thinking back to the time he first met her. All this time, he could not recognize her at all. The scared and scarred girl who was dying a slow death emerged out of the ashes. But was she triumphant?

    "I guess we''ll still have to see if you can win over your fears," Siwan said out loud. "Ming Jisoo."

    He nced outside. It was beginning to rain. Just like that fateful night...

 Chapter 181 - Blue Hyacinths (5)

    *shback*

    <em>The sound of the rain is echoing throughout the ce like loud, thunderous stones hitting the building every second. A nervous looking doctor in his mid-twenties is standing behind his supervisor, waiting for instructions. They are at the NICU where a newborn baby has been kept under observation. The young doctor watches the baby which is breathing through a series of tubes.</em>

    <em>"That baby will not survive," his supervisor, Doctor Shin, remarks. His tone is decisive and dismissive. It feels as if he haspletely decided the fate of the child who has just been born and has barely opened his eyes. The young doctor dislikes the tone of his supervisor. Why is he deciding whether this baby will survive or not? He wonders.</em>

    <em>"Why do you say so, Doctor Shin?" the young doctor asks.</em>

    <em>"He''s premature, Resident Kang Siwan," Shin shrugged.. "Kids like this don''t survive. And his lungs aren''t developed. He''ll not survive. Not without a transnt."</em>

    <em>Siwan is still staring at the tiny life who is fighting to survive. The baby is only a few hours old and very small. He is stirring but does not cry. The baby is simply sleeping peacefully, oblivious to everything else.</em>

    <em>He''s just like Hobin, Siwan thought with a smile. He is reminded of how his own brother was once a tiny runt. Siwan used to carry the child everywhere with him and did all the work. Whether it was to change his diapers, feed him or y with him, it was Siwan who was stuck to his brother like glue. Even their mother was surprised by the bond between the brothers and even joked that Siwan was more like Hobin''s mother than she was.</em>

    <em>What would have happened if a doctor had decided that Hobin would not survive? Siwan wonders. Even the mere thought of it makes him angry. They are doctors not gods, right?</em>

    <em>"What if he survives?" Siwan asks.</em>

    <em>"He won''t," Shin stated. "I told you. He can''t survive! This kid is a gonerбн"</em>

    <em>"But-"</em>

    <em>"Stop arguing, Resident!" Shin snaps at him. "You young people think that a mere degree is enough to make you a doctor? You gotta be practical! This baby is a goner and I know it!"</em>

    <em>Siwan bites back his retorts and nods. </em>

    <em>"Yes Doctor Shin," he murmurs. Shin res at him and leaves. Siwan keeps on gazing at the child, wondering if there is a way to save him. Even if it means to prolong that baby''s life by a few days, weeks or years, if there is a slight possibility of his survival, they should take it.</em>

    <em>He balls his fingers into a fist. For the first time in many years, he is feeling helpless. The only time he felt like that was when he was under his father''s thumb. To think that he will feel like this as an adultбн</em>

    <em>Did I change at all? He wonders.</em>

    <em>Siwan sighs and slowly walks towards the general chamber which he shares with other residents of the pediatric residents. He slumps on a chair andys his head down. After working continuously for over 30 hours, he is sleep deprived. Another resident, Yoogun, approaches him.</em>

    <em>"Rough night?" he asks.</em>

    <em>"Just nonstop duty!" Siwan mutters. He stretched his limbs, to get rid of his fatigue but it is of no use. Flexing his muscles, he adds, "A baby was taken to the NICU today. He is premature and won''t survive."</em>

    <em>"Ahh, and that bothers you," Yoogun said. They are the same age and graduated from medical school together. Yoogun is preparing for general pediatrics while Siwan is studying to be a surgeon. Siwan ruffles his dark hair and yawns. Seeing him do that, some of the female interns giggle. They are eyeing the handsome resident who joined their department and is keen to get together with him. One of the interns, Jaira, approaches him.</em>

    <em>"H-Hi Doctor Kang!" she says with a blush. "A few of us are thinking of going to the karaoke tomorrow night. Do you wanna join us?"</em>

    <em>"I''m on duty tomorrow night," Siwan replies with a kind smile. The girl is a little fazed but nods.</em>

    <em>"Let us know when you''re free," she says in a flirtatious tone. Yoogun watches her as she leaves.</em>

    <em>"She''s into you," he snickers. "Just go out with her. She''s cute! Dark hair and a sultry body. I think you two will look great together!"</em>

    <em>"That doesn''t mean we should date," Siwan states. "I''m not into her."</em>

    <em>"Whom do you like then?" Yoogun frowns.</em>

    <em>Siwan thinks for a moment. There was a girl in his childhood he used to like but he had not seen her in years.</em>

    <em>"Personally, I like someone who is observant," he says. "And kind in her own subtle ways. That''s it."</em>

    <em>"That''s all? Not sexy ones? Cute ones? What about a hot, older woman?"</em>

    <em>Siwan simply shrugs. Just then, Doctor Shin enters the room and everyone stands up on their feet to greet him.</em>

    <em>"Listen up everyone!" he barks at them. "I just received a call from the Cho family. Their newborn granddaughter has sustained serious burns and is being rushed to the hospital right now!"</em>

    <em>"I bet he''s going to make us treat the kid and take the credit for himself," Yoogun mutters. Siwan nods. Doctor Shin is someone who will only operate on VIP''s. This kid is his jackpot.</em>

    <em>"However," Shin went on. "All the hospitals have been warned not to treat the child. So we will not be taking her in."</em>

    <em>Loud murmurs erupt among the residents. They will not treat a burn patient? That too a child?</em>

    <em>"The Cho''s have specifically ordered us not to treat the child and hopefully, she will die. It''s the kindest thing for her right now. So don''t you dare to go against my orders!"</em>

    <em>He checks his watch. "I''ll get going now," he told them. "Remember, don''t treat the child."</em>

    <em>With that, Shin turns around and leaves them alone. The residents shrug and return to their work. None of them have any desire to defy Shin''s orders.</em>

    <em>"Are you going to listen to him?" Siwan asks Yoogun.</em>

    <em>"Of course I have to!" Yoogun exims. "We can''t treat the kid. Besides, you heard him. She''s badly burnt. We can''t do anything."</em>

    <em>Siwan is not so sure. Even if she is badly burnt, they should still give her a chance to live for a little whileбн</em>

    <em>"Where are you going?" Yoogun frowns when Siwan stands up.</em>

    <em>"To the cafe," he sighs and walks out of the room. He is near the reception of the pediatric section when someone bustles in through the door. Siwan pauses in his steps. It was a girl with really long hair, almost reaching till her waist. Half of her face is covered with long, thick bangs and she waspletely drenched in the rain. Her hands are slightly burnt but her cheek is also burnt as if it touched a scalding hot object. The girl is carrying a bloody bundle in her arms. A tiny, burnt hand is peeping out of it, blood dripping on the floor.</em>

    <em>The girl is desperately clinging onto her child, crying hard. She rushes towards a passing doctor.</em>

    <em>"Doctor, please save me Yeonjoo!" she begs. "Please-"</em>

    <em>But the doctor, fearing the consequences of going against orders, brushes her off. The girl is in despair and runs to the reception.</em>

    <em>"Please, admit my daughter!" the girl begs. "Please! She''s really burnt-"</em>

    <em>"Sorry but we are out of beds," the nurse lies. "I can''t help you."</em>

    <em>"My daughter is injured!" the girl shouts. She sounded really young, probably in herte teens or early twenties. A girl that young is begging people for help but no one heeds to her cries.</em>

    <em>The baby is in pain, crying from within the nket. She is barely alive as if holding onto any shred of hope she could find. The mother is cradling the child in her arms, sobbing. She fell to her knees in front of the reception.</em>

    <em>"Please!" she begged. "Please treat my daughter! Please, have some mercy on her!"</em>

    <em>The nurse is ufortable by the girl''s pleas but her hands are tied by the management. Their instructions are clear: do not treat the baby from the Cho family.</em>

    <em>The cries of the mother are drowning the sounds of the rain. Echoing the hallways of therge hospital is the sobs of a new mother who is desperately trying to save her child. Even if it is a futile dream, she will hold on to it until the end. She cannot give up. Not like this.</em>

    <em>A shadow falls on her and she nces up to see a young doctor who reached out for the baby in her arms. He takes the baby girl who has been burnt beyond recognition but is still breathing. As long as she is breathing, he will not give up on saving her.</em>

    <em>Siwan turns to the doctors and nurses who are staring at him in shock.</em>

    <em>"Prepare the burn unit!" he demanded. "I''ll treat her!"</em>

    <em>"But-" the nurse begins but falters under his re.</em>

    <em>"Do what you''ve been ordered to do otherwise I will inform the medical board that you all have vited the Hippocratic Oath," Siwan warned. "Then no one can save any of you from getting your license revoked!"</em>

    <em>He turns to the young girl, who was still on her knees, crying in her palms. </em>

    <em>"I''ll do everything I can to save her," he promised. "Even if I fail, I''ll still make sure that I try my best."</em>

    <em>The girl was still crying hard in her palms. She had gone to several hospitals but not a single doctor wanted to help her. This ce is herst hope.</em>

    <em>"Pleaseбн" she sobbed. "Please save her...pleaseбн"</em>

    <em>Siwan nods and rushes the baby into the burn unit to treat her. Thus starts the longest night of his life.</em>

 Chapter 182 - Blue Hyacinths (6)

    *shback*

    <em>The girl is standing outside the ICU, waiting for any news. Several people are staring at her bloodied state and whispering at her but her dead eyes are staring at the door. She did not flinch nor move from there for hours, making people worry about her.</em>

    <em>But no one is daring to approach her. They have been warned not to. The Cho''s are powerful and she is going to be in for a lot of trouble when they arrive.</em>

    <em>"Isn''t she a servant girl at the Cho mansion?" one nurse whispers behind her. Servant, huh? Is that what I am? She wonders vaguely.</em>

    <em>"I think that she gave birth to an illegitimate daughter!" Another nurse ims. "And they''re covering it up."</em>.

    <em>"Poor girl. To have irked the Cho''s! What is she thinking?"</em>

    <em>She can hear their whispers. This...this is her fate. She made a choice once and now, it is punishing her daughter.</em>

    <em>"Yeonjooбн" she whispers. Her lips are dry and the burn on her cheek is stinging. No one will treat her for it. Not a single soul came to help her except the one doctor who agreed. He took her little Yeonjoo and is treating her on his own. No other people dares to go to the ICU. They are too scared of the Cho''s.</em>

    <em>"WHERE THE HELL IS THAT BITCH?"</em>

    <em>A familiar voice echoes through the corridor but the girl does not turn around. She knows who it is. A well dresseddy in her early fifties is storming towards her, furious at the silly girl who is ruining her family''s reputation. She spotted the young mother and grabbed her arm. The girl was spun around and a loud p resonates throughout the hospital.</em>

    <em>"You fucking bitch!" the older woman ps and beats her. "How dare you malign my family name? You whore!"</em>

    <em>She keeps on hitting the girl but thetter does not respond. The girl simply endures it all. It is the only thing she can do. Endure. </em>

    <em>The well dressed woman hits the girl as loudly as she can. A nurse tries to help the girl but another doctor forbids her.</em>

    <em>"That''s the wife of Cho Youngjoon," the doctor hisses. "Yeon Ciara! If we stop her, she will destroy us!"</em>

    <em>The nurse hesitates and stops. Everyone is watching themotion as the woman beats up the girl who is mutely tolerating everything. </em>

    <em>"How dare you get that wrench treated?" Ciara yells. "You know very well that she doesn''t deserve this! First you hoodwink my son and now you give birth to a bloody girl? You fucking-"</em>

    <em>She ps the girl more. The girl''s lips were now bleeding and she was heavily bruised. The burn on her cheek is also bleeding heavily and the doctors stay mum, witnessing the scene. They cannot interfere at all otherwise their license will be revoked.</em>

    <em>Ciara beats the girl until she feels tired and slumps on a bench to catch her breath. The girl is now on her knees again, unmoving and mute. The crowd disperses, not wanting to see anymore of themotion. Ciara turns to the girl.</em>

    <em>"Ming Jisoo, listen up!" she warns. "Forget about the wretched kid. Go home and behave like a good daughter-inw! If the old man hadn''t forged a contract with your parents to have you marry our son, we would have never taken a filthy orphan like you as our daughter-inw! And to top it all, even Sungki fell in love with you! What the fuck did you do to our son? He''s the top idol in the country! Girls line up for him and he secretly marries you! I don''t know what he sees in you!"</em>

    <em>"He''s now on a shoot for a show," she goes on. "You better go home and be his doting wife. Otherwise, no one can save you from his wrath!"</em>

    <em>She res at the girl who is as still as a statue. Jisoo has her head down, her tears have all dried up. Her heart is numb and she is in no state to talk nor react.</em>

    <em>"Did you listen at all?" Ciara spits. "Come home with me!"</em>

    <em>She grabs Jisoo''s hand but thetter remains rooted to her spot. The old woman is annoyed and forcefully drags her daughter-inw but Jisoo does not move. She is not going to go.</em>

    <em>"Fine!" Ciara shouts at her. "I''ll have Sungki deal with you! Ungrateful whore! We gave you a home, a family and that''s how you treat us?"</em>

    <em>She pushes Jisoo to the ground and kicks her on the stomach. Jisoo curls up in pain but does not make a single sound. She is used to the pain and no longer begs for help. Who will help her?</em>

    <em>Jisoo heard Ciara turn on her heels and leave. Shey on the floor, curling into a fetal position. Her eyes are still on the ICU, waiting for her daughter to recover.</em>

    <em>Yeonjoo...please be safe, she prayed. It is a futile prayer.Jisoo knows that no power in the world can save her daughter now. But it is not fair! Yeonjoo is only a few weeks old, hardly bigger than Jisoo''s arm. She is so tiny and innocent. Her dark eyes sparkle whenever she sees Jisooбн</em>

    <em>She held up her shaking hands, staring at them. Only mere hours ago, her daughter wasughing in her arms. Yeonjoo was supposed to live. She was supposed to be a great detective and fight crimes. Jisoo was saving money for her daughter so that she could be something big someday. She knows the Cho''s will never consider Yeonjoo as their heir but that is okay with Jisoo. All she wants is for her daughter to live.</em>

    <em>And now, everything is over. All because of one manбн</em>

    <em>From somewhere, the sound of the television reaches her ears and she hears a deep voice speaking. Her spine goes cold when the familiar voice talks, making her crawl in sadness and disgust.</em>

    <em>"My type of girl?" she hears Sungki say. He giggles a mischievousugh. Theugh which makes thousands of fans go crazy for him. The giggle which once captured her heart.</em>

    <em>The giggle which she hears every night before the torture begins.</em>

    <em>"I like very sweet and innocent girls," Sungki is saying. "One who will love me with her whole heart. I want to treasure her all my life. For me, there will be no one else but her."</em>

    <em>No one else but her...Jisoo wants tough. She is not sure why. In a way, he is right. For her, there is no other. She only gave her heart to one man. And he epts it. He loves her. There is no denying that fact. After all, he tells this to her everyday. She is his. She will remain his. She cannot escape him.</em>

    <em>Even if it means he beds other girls, she has to be pure for him. Untainted and untouched. </em>

    <em>Is this the end? She wonders. Can I die now? Will I not get to see my daughter onest time?</em>

    <em>A curtain of darkness falls over her eyes and she is now feeling dizzy. She does not get up but keeps on lying on the floor until shepletely ck out.</em>

 Chapter 183 - Blue Hyacinths (7)

    <em>Siwan watches the girl in apprehension. She fainted outside the ICU and even though she is not in any danger, her health is very frail. He filled out all the forms for her yet, no doctors are willing to treat her. Siwan has summoned his friend who is in private practice rted to cosmetic and burn surgeries to patch her up and thankfully, he treated her cheek. It is not a deep burn so the skin will heal in a few days. </em>

    <em>The girl is unusually thin and pale for her age. Siwan heard about Yeon Ciara''smotion and how she abused the girl. He knows the Cho family well even though they did not recall him. When he was young, he used to y with Sungki but they were not close. Sungki had a sadistic trait which disgusted Siwan as well and he avoided the Cho''s as much as possible.</em>

    <em>Right now, he is more concerned about this girl. Who is she and why are the Cho''s so adamant on not letting her baby receive any treatment?</em>

    <em>I just hope she can wake up on time, he prays.. The girl stirs and slowly opens her eyes. For a moment, she is confused about where she is and tries to get up only to feel very dizzy.</em>

    <em>"Rx," Siwan tells her. He lightly touches her shoulder but she flinches back in fear. Jisoo cowers in a corner as if scared of him. Siwan is surprised to see her shaking and hiding her face from him. He backs off and keeps a gap between them.</em>

    <em>"You fainted outside the ICU," he says. "So I had you admitted here. You''ve been here for almost twenty four hours. I...had to call a burn specialist from outside to take a look at you and your baby. As for the management, you don''t have to worry about that. I have submitted aint to the health ministry about this. The minister is a friend of my mom''s so he is investigating the hospital for negligence."</em>

    <em>The girl slowly peeks at him from behind her curtain of hair. He is the only person who dared to help her and is even kind enough to fill out the form for her. This man can lose his job or worse, have his license revoked. But he is standing by her.</em>

    <em>"Thank you," she finally says. Her voice is low and hoarse as if she is in pain even while speaking.</em>

    <em>"I didn''t do anything," Siwan states. "But I have to say that you can do everything."</em>

    <em>The girl is silent but Siwan knows that she is listening. "I can tell that you''ve been abused by your inws," he says. "And that Yeonjoo''s state isn''t an ident. Who tried to burn her?"</em>

    <em>To his surprise, the girl let out a giggle. </em>

    <em>"Why are youughing?" he frowns.</em>

    <em>"At your question," Jisoo says. "Who tried to burn her? Iugh every time I think about the irony. The man who was supposed to love and protect her. The man who is responsible for her birth. Someone who ims to love me as well."</em>

    <em>Siwan''s blood goes cold. "You mean...her father?" he demands from her. </em>

    <em>"It''s strange, huh? How can a human being do this? I sometimes wonder if he''s human at all?"</em>

    <em>Is he? Is he human? Siwan also wonders. The atrocities of his own father are now rushing back to him. What Kang Danny did to Shinho is haunting Siwan to this day. The brother he could not save from that monster.</em>

    <em>"There are monsters who wear the skin of humans," he said. "Sometimes, we don''t see them for who they are. They deceive us with kind words one day and then on the next day, they''ll unleash their inner monsters on us. No one deserves that treatment but life isn''t always fair."</em>

    <em>Jisoo does not know why, but at that moment, those words affected her very deeply. She can feel that the young doctor knows a monster like that too. It is evident from his words.</em>

    <em>"Why did you help me?" she whispers. </em>

    <em>Siwan is silently wondering about her question. Why did he help her? </em>

    <em>"I have a selfish reason to help you," he admits. Jisoo clutches her knees, scared of what he is about to say.</em>

    <em>"I guess, I want to make myself feel better," he snorts. "There''s a guilt I''ve been carrying for years. By helping you, I''m trying to tell myself that I''ve been absolved of the guilt."</em>

    <em>"What...what is it that you are guilty of?" she asks.</em>

    <em>Before Siwan could reply, a nurse came barging in. "Doctor Kang!" the nurse exims. "The Cho baby!"</em>

    <em>He was on his feet in an instant. Jisoo was also rmed and got off the bed, ignoring her dizziness to run after Siwan. He barges into the PICU but Jisoo is stopped by a nurse.</em>

    <em>"My baby is in there!" she yells at the nurse.</em>

    <em>"I know but we cannot let you in there!" the nurse exims. Jisoo is crying hard, clutching the nurse who gently consoles the poor girl. She falls to the floor, crying for her baby. </em>

    <em>"Yeonjoo!" she screams. "My baby!" </em>

    <em>Inside, Siwan checks the monitor. The baby''s organs were badly burnt. Even his friend at the burn clinic was unable to do much for her. She is holding on to life by a thread and it is increasingly bing weaker.</em>

    <em>Siwan treated the burns again, hoping that the baby will hold on only for a few minutes more. Just live, dammit! He hoped. </em>

    <em>"Nurse!" he shouts. A nurse arrives and he orders her to get someone from the burn unit.</em>

    <em>"Sir, none of them want toe!" she says in an apologetic tone. "They are all scared and also angry at you for submitting a petition against them-"</em>

    <em>"IF THEY DON''T COME RIGHT NOW THEN THIS BABY''S DEATH WILL BE ON THEIR HANDS!" he yelled. "DAMN THEIR DEGREES! I''LL MAKE SURE THAT EVERY ONE OF THEM IS STRIPPED OF THEIR BLOODY LICENSES!"</em>

    <em>The nurse gulps. She knows that Siwan is from a very influential family and even if his father was disgraced, his family still possesses enough influence to buy the hospital itself. The nurse cowers and goes to find the doctors. </em>

    <em>Siwan kept the baby on life support but her health is declining. He nces at the heart monitor, hoping that she will survive.</em>

    <em>Live, he begged the child. Just live!</em>

    <em>Beep. Beep. Beep.</em>

    <em>In slow motion, he looks at the monitor again. The curves have tlined and the baby''s heartbeats stop.</em>

    <em>A few doctors enter the PICU to find that they are toote. Siwan was still staring at the monitor in a trance-like state.</em>

    <em>"Doctor Kangбн" the nurse says. "You...you have to call the time of death."</em>

    <em>Siwan gulps. "Time of death, Monday, 27th of July, 20XX, 11:40 PM," he announces in a heavy tone.</em>

    <em>бн</em>

    <em>Jisoo is sitting on a bench outside. Siwan is also there and has broken the news to her. She did not move and Siwan is afraid that she has fainted again.</em>

    <em>"We have a funeral parlor inside our hospital," he said. "If...if you want, I can arrange it for her."</em>

    <em>He did not dare to look at her. Like a coward, he is unable to meet the eyes of the woman whose baby died under his care. His first patient, the one he fought so hard for, was dead. </em>

    <em>A nurse approaches him and whispers into his ear, "Doctor, the minister will be arriving today. He''s very much interested to know why the Cho''s warned all the hospitals not to treat the child. Someone even leaked to the media that the Cho''s tried to have their own granddaughter killed. This is turning into a media scandal!"</em>

    <em>"I''ll talk to the minister," Siwan said calmly. He turns towards Jisoo but to his shock, she is gone.</em>

    бн

    *Present*

    Siwan sat on his chair, reminiscing about that girl who was his first patient. After she left, the Health Minister conducted an investigation into the hospitals which refused to treat Cho Yeonjoo. Doctor Shin and many of the doctors at the hospital were suspended. Siwan was rewarded for his bravery but he refused to take the awards because he felt that he did not deserve them.

    As for Yeonjoo''s father, Cho Sungki, the scandal hit him severely. As a former Top Idol, he fell from grace. Someone leaked to the media his wedding pictures and also a video of how he tortured his child. The public was so ashamed that they demanded the Cho''s to disown their son and hand him to the cops.

    Yeonjoo''s mother, Jisoo, signed a case against him but like a coward, Cho Sungki killed himself. He died a coward''s death. After he died, Jisoo secretly cremated her baby and disappeared without a trace.

    But a few days after that incident, Siwan received an unexpected gift. Someone had sent him a bouquet of very beautiful blue hyacinths with a short and concise note.

    "Thank you," Jisoo had written. After that, he never heard from her again.

    Over the years, Siwan wondered what happened to her. At first, he could not recognize Jiwoon. She had cut off her beautiful long hair, sporting a . Unlike the skinny, pale girl who arrived that night, she was now stronger and even brave. She hadpletely transformed herself, changing her name to shed off her past.

    "Guess she''s now tracking down the monsters in human form," he smiled.

 Chapter 184 - Blue Hyacinths (8)

    Inside the Cho mansion, Youngjoon and his wife were sitting inside Sungki''s room with the shaman. They were eyeing him with fear and hesitation. He was in some kind of meditative state,municating with Sungki''s spirit.

    Ciara could no longer hold in her curiosity. "Umm...shaman?" she began. "Where is our son now?"

    He did not reply and kept on meditating. Ciara was getting impatient but Youngjoon hushed her.

    "Let him work in peace!" He scolded his wife. "If he seeds then we will finally get an heir!".

    Ciara hushed up and waited for the shaman to speak. Finally, he opened his eyes.

    "Your son''s spirit hastched on to a body," the shaman stated. "But the body is not very stable nor healthy. He has to go in and out of it several times and hence, returns to his family quite often. He is especially stalking your daughter, Baekha."

    "Why her?" Youngjoon sneered. "She''s a useless brat!"

    "Siblings share the same blood and have a stronger spiritual connectionpared to their parents," the shaman said. "Her spirit energy keeps him sustained but if he keeps on sucking too much from her, she will also die."

    "Why does he need spirit energy?" Ciara frowned. "He''s merely a spirit, right? All we need is for him to give us a son, an heir whom we can name as our sessor! After that, we have to send him back to...the dead world."

    The shaman smiled and said, "Of course we will send him back. But for now, he needs the spirit energy from your daughter to stay in the living world. That is all you need to know. As for the heir, he will only have a son with Jisoo. He wants her and no one else."

    He stood up and nodded at them. The couple were not sure about his methods but after he conducted a seance where they heard their son demand for Jisoo, they were sure that their son''s spirit was around. The shaman took his payment for the day and exited the house.

    Baekha had just arrived from school and was walking towards her outhouse when she spotted the shamaning out of the house. Her nostrils red up and she stormed towards the man.

    "Hey you!"

    The shaman turned around to find Baekha ring at him.

    "Those two might be blind, but I''m not!" she snarled at him. "You''re fooling them with your hocus pocus and feeding on their obsession for an heir! Do you even have a conscience?"

    To her annoyance the shaman was snickering. "Do not talk about things you have no idea about, little girl," he warned. "For you need to watch your own back."

    He was turning away but Baekha was not done. "Hey, I''m still talking!" she eximed, running after him.

    Suddenly, something invisible grabbed her throat and she felt as if she was being choked. Baekha coughed and wheezed, falling to the ground in shock. The hold around her throat was tightening and she was nearly losing her consciousness.

    The shaman paused a few steps away from her.

    "I hope you now know what I am truly capable of," he said in a cool tone. The grip on Baekha''s neck loosened and she coughed violently. What the hell was that?

    She red at the man with her grey eyes, not wanting to lose to him. There was something dark and dangerous about him. Whatever he was doing, she knew that he was going to destroy them all.

    I have to expose him! She swore. This man was duping the two geezers and the two fools were buying into his bullshit. She could only helplessly watch as the shaman walked away from her, feeling victorious.

    "FUCK!" She yelled at him. "FUCK YOU!"

    бн

    Hobin was studying the notes he put up on his bedroom wall about the recent murders. He was munching on ramen as he worked on the case. Thetest couple were named Jang Yuri and Kwon Jaejoon. They were a newly married couple and had recently moved into the t. To add to the strange nature of the crime, Yuri received a bouquet of blue hyacinths a few days before her death.

    "This couple had no children," he muttered. "So that is ruled out from the MO. But why these people?"

    There was a knock on the door and Jina entered. She found him sitting on the edge of his bed, staring at the crime wall he had set up for himself.

    "Any clues?" he asked, offering her the ramen. She took it and began to chow down.

    "Nope," she sighed. "Kyuhyun is still doing the autopsy. We checked for a connection between the victims but there were none. Not even a shared paper route! They lived on opposite ends of the city and had different lives."

    "Travel routes?" Hobin suggested. "Mutual friends or colleagues? Shopping centers? Anything?"

    "I even checked if they bought the same bathroom cleaner," she said in a sullen tone. "Both were different as night and day. No connection at all. Not even between the husbands or their rtives."

    But there was a connection. What was it?

    "The sign," he began. "I looked it up on the inte but there''s nothing. Did you ask your grandfather?"

    "I tried to reach him but he went out of town this morning," Jina sighed. "Apparently, there''s a water spirit causing some problems at a vige and they called him. Plus, they''re paying him."

    Curse the money lovers in my family, she scowled.

    "The killer is a demon or at least possessed by one," Hobin said. "Luckily for us, this guy has a set pattern. Unlike thest one who went off the rail. But he''s raping the women. Clearly, there''s a connection between these women which we are missing. If only I could get more information on himбн"

    Then an idea hit him.

    "Hey, when there are demon attacks, spirits nearby might be witnesses as well, right?" he asked.

    "Spirits can see demons," Jina nodded. "But they''re not always avable at the same spot. Even if a spirit saw something, they might not linger at that spot for long and move elsewhere. Also, spirits are afraid of demons. They don''t wanna mingle in all this."

    Then she thought for a second. "It''s not entirely impossible though," she added. "I think there might be a way to lure in a spirit and ask them!"

    "How?" Hobin frowned.

    Jina smirked and said, "Food."

 Chapter 185 - Blue Hyacinths (9)

    "Are you sure this will work?" Hobin frowned. They were back at the scene of the first murder. Jina drew a circle on the ground and ced several candles on it. ording to her, even though spirits could not eat food directly, there was a way to feed their souls by putting up offerings.

    "The process is simple," she exined as she lit the candles. "I''ll do a small prayer and purify the food before offering it to the ghost. Spirits can''t just eat anything they want but if they''re offered through a small purification ritual, they appear and ept the food. This was done many years ago in ancient times. People used to believe that by offering food to the wandering spirits, it''ll bring them luck."

    "And these ghosts can digest the food?" Hobin questioned her. He was now doubting every science book he had ever read.

    "Well, the food kind of gets absorbed in their soul," she muttered.. "That''s what my old man says. But it works!"

    The circle was looking like a sort of shrine for the deceased. She took out some tes and put them on the ground. Then she ced a few dumplings on the te. Pressing her palms together, she began to chant a small prayer.

    "Dear departed spirit who is lingering in the midst of the living," she said. "Please ept this small offering."

    Hobin sat there, wondering if this would work. This feels really weird, he thought. Will a ghost actually show up?

    As if answering his question, a strong breeze passed by, making him shiver. Jina was still concentrating on the prayer when she felt a heavy presence next to her. She opened her eyes and saw an old man in his sixties, staring at the food. He was drooling over the dumplings but was unsure whether to take them or not.

    She pushed the te towards him.

    "Please ept my offering," she requested to him. Hobin was now a little nervous because there was no one else but them around.

    "You can see me!" the ghost yelped. "And you''re...you''re really bright! Shining!"

    "I hear that a lot," Jina said, feeling shy. "But this food is for you. Please ept it!"

    "Is it a ghost?" Hobin whispered. Jina nodded, her eyes still on the kind looking old man who seemed to be a wandering soul.

    "Is it okay if I have some?" the ghost asked.

    "Please do!"

    He was happy and began to eat the dumplings. Jina waited until he was done eating his food. The ghost burped a little and beamed at her.

    "Thank you youngdy!" he eximed. "I was really lonely and sad here! But now I feel really happy. Thank you so much!"

    "Mister, what''s your name?" she asked.

    "I forgot my name," the ghost said sadly. "But I call myself the Potter! I really love to make pottery so I call myself that."

    "d to meet you Mr. Potter!" Jina greeted him.

    "What''s he saying?" Hobin hissed at her. "Is he Harry Potter? The Hogwarts one?"

    She threw him a look to shut him up before turning to the old man.

    "Mr. Potter, if you don''t mind, can you answer a few of my questions?" she asked. "I''m a detective. My name is Jina and this is my partner, Doctor Ohm Hobin. We need your help, Mr. Potter!"

    "Can he see me?" Potter asked, curious about Hobin. He was not shining as brightly as the girl but there was a strange shadow around him which was a little...intimidating. Potter gazed at Hobin, wondering what he was.

    "He can''t," Jina said. Hobin was looking at a spot next to Potter, thinking that the ghost was sitting there.

    "He''s strange," Potter murmured. He cleared his throat and addressed Jina. "How can I help you?" he asked.

    "A few days ago, there was a murder here," Jina said. "The murder of a man and his wife. The woman...she was abused by the murderer and hung up on the trees. Did you by any chance see it happen? Or heard anything that night?"

    "You mean the couple who died around the cliff?" Potter asked. He was suddenly shivering in fear as if remembering something very nasty.

    "You saw something?" Jina gasped.

    "I didn''t exactly witness the murderбн" Potter began. "But I heard her screams. She was in a very bad state. When I arrived at the spot, she was already dead."

    "What about the murderer?" Jina asked. "Did you see him?"

    "I didn''t see his face because he was wearing a sack over his face," Potter recalled. "But his pants were down and his thing was sticking out. He was drawing something on a tree and then was trying to strangle a kid. I couldn''t let him kill the child so I did some quick thinking. A group of teenagers were passing in the opposite direction at that time. I picked up a stone and hit one of them. They were enraged and began to search for the person who hit them. Thankfully, they stumbled across the crime scene but the half naked guy was gone by then. The kid survived though."

    Jina repeated all this to Hobin who sighed. "So we still don''t know whom the demon is possessing," he groaned. "Is there anything else that the spirit remembers?"

    "There is something strange about the man though," Potter said.

    "What is it?" Jina asked him.

    "The man was repeating a name," he recalled. "Ming Jisoo. Yes! He was saying, ''Ming Jisoo, why did you betray me? Jisoo, I love you. Come back.''"

    Jina interpreted the statement to Hobin who pped his hands together. "Of course!" he realized. "Now it makes perfect sense! He''s targeting these women because they resemble this...Ming Jisoo!"

    "But who is she?" Jina wondered. "Whoever she is, she must be in danger. Or already dead."

    "She doesn''t seem to be dead though," Potter remarked. "The man was also saying that he will find her."

    "You mean that he was searching for Ming Jisoo?"

    "I''m certain that he said that."

    Jina thought hard. Finally, she told the ghost, "Thank you, Mr. Potter. This really helped us."

    "I hope you find the criminal soon, detective!" Potter eximed. "The way he killed that woman...it was horrible!"

    "We will," Jina promised. "I''ll bring you more dumplings from time to time!"

    The ghost smiled at her and vanished. Thank god, he is a good ghost, she sighed in relief. Turning to Hobin, she told him what Potter added in the end.

    "We''ll have to find her first," Hobin nodded after hearing everything. "Too bad this information can''t be shared with the squad. A ghost can''t be used as a legal witness."

    "Yeahбн"

    It was a nuisance to hide her powers from the others. Even though Jiwoon knew, Jina did not want to endanger her life again. They would have to exorcise the demon on their own.

    "Let''s go back home," Hobin suggested. "And think about the case tomorrow. Being sleep deprived isn''t gonna help us."

    Jina nodded and followed him to the car. A long and difficult roady ahead of them.

    I hope whoever this Ming Jisoo is, she''s safe, she prayed.

    бн.

    *shback*

    <em>Jisoo is nervous. She has been summoned to the Cho mansion. Her grandfather was a friend of the Cho family''s head, Cho Mawon. The man is dignified and posh with a haughty yet friendly demeanor. Many years ago, he made a promise with Jisoo''s grandfather to wed off his grandson to her. Now that his friend is no more, it is time to make good on that promise.</em>

    <em>He studied the girl. She just turned eighteen and is studying at a local college for her degree. Jisoo is trying not to get intimidated but it is nearly impossible. She takes a deep breath and tries to be as polite as possible.</em>

    <em>"Are you aware that your grandfather once made a pact with me about marrying you to my grandson, Sungki?" he asks her kindly.</em>

    <em>"Yes, sir," she replies.</em>

    <em>"Jisoo, you don''t have to worry about it," he tells her. "If you think that you don''t want to marry him, then I''ll not force you."</em>

    <em>Mawon means his word. Even though he made the pact, forcing the girl into a marriage all of a sudden is not right. He wants to make sure that she is okay with it.</em>

    <em>"I...I will follow my grandfather''s decision," Jisoo says. "Whatever the elders have decided, must be right. I am fine with it."</em>

    <em>Mawon leaned back. His son and daughter-inw are protesting but their whining does not bother him. However, he is concerned for Sungki as well. Sungki has been the Top Idol for almost nine years and is the heir to their fortune. Will he agree to the match?</em>

    <em>I will talk to him and make the kids meet, he decided. Then Sungki can make a decision.</em>

    <em>"I''ll talk to my grandson," he said. "Meanwhile, you can continue to live at your dorm. I''ll pay for the expenses as promised."</em>

    <em>Jisoo bowed to him in respect. Ever since her grandfather passed away, Cho Mawon has taken care of her like a family member. She is truly indebted to him.</em>

    <em>"Thank you, sir," she said sincerely. "I will make sure to work hard."</em>

    <em>Mawon nodded and Jisoo bid farewell to him. She is walking towards the front gate when she feels as if someone is staring at her. Jisoo turns around but there is no one in sight.</em>

    <em>Maybe I''m imagining things, she thought and left the premises.</em>

    <em>Unbeknownst to her, someone has his eyes on her. He watches her from above, studying her delicate frame. Her long hair is silky and he wonders how soft it will feel under his touch. There is an innocent vibe around her which makes him want to shield her away from the world. Her smooth skin is enticing him.</em>

    <em>A slow smile curves on his lips. She is docile and demure. Just like he likes it. He is imagining all the things he can do to her and she will not evenin. </em>

    <em>After all, he will love her. Forever.</em>

    <em>"Ming Jisooбн" he whispers. A sinister smile was carved on his handsome face. He cannot forget the angelic beauty who just left. He must have her.</em>

    <em>"Soon, my love," he grins. "Soon."</em>

 Chapter 186 - [Bonus ] Blue Hyacinths (10)

    Magrod was sitting in a cross legged position, concentrating hard. His eyes were closed but his ears were alert. He sat in the middle of a circle with a star drawn in it. The demon''s tail waszily wagging behind it while it tried to focus.

    Where is the demon prince? He wondered. Several vague images popped up in his head but none of them were anything concrete. He could sense a dark presence in the town but it was hard to pinpoint the location. It was even hard to tell what exactly the threat was but he could feel that a dark web was beginning to spread around the town and it was only the beginning.

    Is that bloody n at it again? He scowled.

    "Nom nom nom."

    Miyoo was sitting behind the demon, eating popcorn.. She was curiously watching the creature, thinking why it was sitting in that funny position.

    "Nom nom nomбн"

    Magrod was irritated. "Oi, can''t you chew silently?" he snapped at her. "I''m trying to concentrate!"

    "Bleh!" Miyoo stuck out her tongue at him. He gritted his teeth. Ever since he had borrowed the girl''s house to stay in, he was being subjected to all kinds of irritating activities. Just that morning, the kid tried to give him a bath and threw him in warm water instead of the 100 degree hot water! The audacity of the kid!

    "When are you gonna help me find the Prince?" he demanded. "It''s been a week already!"

    Miyoo thought for a while and then snapped her fingers as if she realized something. She got up and walked towards her tiny table. The demon watched in dismay as she took out a book and gave it to him.

    "Snow White and the Seven Dwarvesбн" he read. Miyoo flipped the pages and showed him a picture of Prince Charming.

    "NOT THIS PRINCE!" He yelled at her. "The Demon Prince! The half blood son of our Lord and the Princess'' reincarnation! UGHHHH!"

    Princess? Miyoo tilted her head and then flipped the pages to show him a picture of Snow White.

    "NOT HER! A REAL PRINCESS!"

    The demon was only scolding her which made Miyoo pout. "Maggie, idiot!" she sneered and looked away.

    "I''m Lord Magrod!" he snapped angrily. "I''m the Alpha here! Me! You''re just a puny Omega level servant-"

    Miyoo flicked him on the head.

    "Ow!" Magrod squealed. "I bruise easily, ya know! Fine! You''re a Beta!"

    Miyoo flicked him on the head again. "Alpha! Miyoo, Alpha!" she happily eximed.

    The door flung open and Minyoon''s head popped in. "Miyoo, ready to go?" he said in a sing-song tone. "Yoonmin is taking Soobin on a date today, so it''s you and me again!"

    "Miyoo, ready!"

    She stood up and jumped into her brother''s arms. Magrod hid in her backpack again which was then picked up by Minyoon. He closed the door behind him and took his sister to the car. Magrod peeked out of the backpack and climbed out of it. Miyoo and Minyoon were in the passenger seat. Miyoo sat on her brother''sp, watching her beloved Beaky''s video.

    "Do you have to like this guy?" Minyoon groaned. "He was rude ya know!"

    "Beaky Beaky!" Miyoo happily chanted. Magrod climbed on her shoulder and was watching the video.

    "Hey, isn''t that the girl who saved you that day at the mall?" he frowned. "Why is she dressed like a guy?"

    Miyoo ignored him, busy watching her idol. The demon groaned and decided to sneak into Minyoon''s bag to eat the cookies he hid in there.

    Over the past few days, he had been observing the members of the strange family. It was obvious they were rich but for some bizarre reason they were misers. The twins were a pair of money loving idiots. Minyoon leeched his fans for money and his younger brother, Yoonmin leeched off him for money. Their grandfather was worse. The old man only bought clothes from discount stores or whenever there was a sale.

    And they passed this trait to the alpaca loving penny collector, Hwang Miyoo.

    "Weird family," he muttered as he chewed on the cookies Minyoon hid in his bag.

    Finally, they reached the shooting spot. Upon Minyoon''s insistence, the set was changed. After finding out that a demon was haunting the old set, he refused to step in there. After making sure that the set was changed, he finally agreed to work.

    The new set was at ake within the central park. For the daylong shoot, the park was closed off to the public. It was a bright, sunny day and everyone at the set was sweating as they set up the cameras.

    As soon as Minyoon got out of the car, his face contorted into a scowl. Miyoo followed his gaze which was on Baek.

    "Beaky!" she happily eximed. Miyoo remembered her promise to Baekha about keeping her identity a secret. Surely she could do that for someone who bought her an alpaca!

    Baek was chatting with the director when she heard the familiar voice calling at her. If Miyoo was there then so wasбн

    "Oh no," she muttered as Minyoon walked towards them, holding Miyoo in his arms. The little girl was excited to see Baekha again who tried not to look at her way. Minyoon, however, ignored her and went straight to the director.

    "What do we have to do today, director?" he asked.

    "You and Baek will be shown as best friends who will go on a boat trip on theke," the director exined. "The audience is already shipping your alleged bromance! People are dying to know if you''re friendsбн"

    "We''re not," Minyoon muttered.

    "...and we''ll be capitalizing on the shipping wars to prove that you two are the ultimate idol besties!" the director said, ignoring the jab.

    "Can we hurry up?" Baek demanded. "I''mte for my next shoot."

    "Snob," Minyoon muttered.

    "Git," Baek shot back. Miyoo and the demon looked from Minyoon to Baek. Magrod did not understand humans at all.

    "Was your brother always this dumb?" he asked. Miyoo nodded.

    Minyoon and Baek were climbing on a boat while the cameras around theke began to roll. As soon as the cameras were on, they put aside their animosity and wereughing together as an act.

    "Baek, I think I caught a big one!" Minyoon eximed as his fishing rod was being pulled.

    "Oh, bro that''s so cool!" Baekughed. Miyoo was sitting on a chair while Magrod sat on herp, purring. He was kind of bored but there was no choice.

    "Humans are weird," he muttered. Miyoo could only nod as she saw her silly brotherughing with a girl who was pretending to be a guy.

    "I bet I can catch an even bigger fish!" Baek imed.

    "Oh yeah? Try it!" Minyoon snickered.

    Baek steadied her fishing rod and threw it in the water, waiting for a fish to catch the bait.

    Meanwhile, onnd, Magrod was sleepy and was about to fall asleep when he felt something strange. Miyoo also froze. Her eyes were on the dark shadow which was forming behind Baek.

    "What the hell?" Magrod gasped. Both of them were staring at a half man, half goat-like creature with pitch ck eye sockets. He was once a handsome man but the years in hell had distorted them, turning his once beautiful face into a pasty monstrosity. His hair was half gone and so were his teeth. He was ring at Baek and he put one of his pasty hands on her shoulder.

    Magrod felt Miyoo''s hold tighten around him. She was very scared of what was going on and her brother was on the boat with that demon!

    "Kid, is that a demon?" Magrod whispered. "Did you see that thing before?"

    To his shock, Miyoo nodded, still too shocked to speak. Magrod was now starting to understand some things. Damn that n! He cursed.

    Without another word, Magrod jumped off herp and leapt towards theke. He ran as fast as light and jumped so high that hended on the boat. Before the pasty demon could suck out any of Baekha''s energy, Magrod erged his tail and pped the demon so hard that it squealed.

    "AHHHHHH!" the demon screamed and let go of Baekha. Before Magrod could chase it, the demon disappeared into thin air.

    "Damn it!" he growled. A dangerous demon was now on the loose. This was just one. Many more were going to arrive.

    I must find the Prince! He groaned inwardly. But where the hell is he?

 Chapter 187 - Blue Hyacinths (11)

    The boat suddenly rocked a little and Baekha nearly lost her bnce.

    "Woah!" she screamed and nearly fell overboard but Minyoon caught her wrist and pulled her. She fell on his chest and he instantly hugged her.

    "Are you okay?" he asked in panic. "You nearly fell!"

    Baekha was blushing a little at the proximity. She was afraid that he would look too closely at her and realize that she was a girl so she pulled back.

    "I''m fine!" she eximed, bbergasted. "I''m okayбн"

    "And cut!" the director shouted. Both of them were startled and for a moment, had forgotten that they were in the middle of a shoot..

    Minyoon rowed the boat back to shore and they got out of it. As soon as they anchored, Magrod silently jumped off the boat and returned to Miyoo''s side who was stiff in fear. She was about to cry, scared of the demon which appeared a few moments ago on the boat.

    "Oi, don''t cry!" Magrod hissed. "That thing is gone."

    But to his embarrassment, Miyoo broke into a loud fit of tears which made Minyoon rush towards her.

    "What happened?" he asked in worry. "Did you see something bad again?"

    "She probably got scared when Baek nearly fell into the water," the director said. Minyoon tried hard to hush up his sister but she was crying hard.

    "Baek is alright!" he consoled her. "He''s fine! Look, he''s not hurt at all!"

    Baekha, who was standing a few feet away, was worried that the girl was going to expose her secret.

    Oh crap! She cursed. Don''t say anything!

    "Beaky!" Miyoo cried. "Beaky!"

    "Miyoo, it was all fake!" Minyoon told her but it was in vain. Magrod sighed and whispered into Miyoo''s ear.

    "I''ll tell you where your grandpa keeps his stash of pennies if you just shut up!" he hissed. To Minyoon''s surprise, Miyoo stopped crying and was quiet again. Her mind was distracted by her grandpa''s penny collection.

    "You''re a weird kid," Minyoon sighed. He picked her up and took her back to his trailer. Magrod, on the other hand, was now interested in Baekha as well. The demon was sucking out her spirit energy and she did not even know it. But this sort of phenomenon was only possible when the demon was somehow directly rted to the person they were sucking out energy from. The human would be unaware of it and they would gradually be weak before dying a slow death.

    Judging from this girl''s state, the demon still did not suck out a lot of energy, Magrod thought. But it''s only a matter of time. How is she rted to the demon?

    He was now in deep thought. There was only one way to find out but taking the kid with him was a risk. She was too young and even impressionable. The demon might harm the child and even though Magrod was a demon himself, he had some rules to follow as well.

    "I''ll keep an eye on this girl as well," he decided. "But first, I''ll have to search this area for more demons."

    He snapped his fingers and disappeared in thin air.

    бн

    Hobin was sweaty and gasping. He was in his bed, tossing and turning around as if he was uneasy. Colorful images were shing in and out of his head and he was seeing the shape of arge creature with three heads, bowing down to him. But he could not make out the face of the creature. It was saying something to him, looking very worried but Hobin could not hear anything.

    A static sound echoed in his ears as the creature spoke. He was trying to hear it but why? Why was it not audible? Who was that creature? Why was he bowing?

    "...find...kill...Handбн"

    He heard these words spoken by someone but who was it? Who else was there?

    Suddenly, the creature swished its long tail and vanished, leaving Hobin into a nk abyss.

    "UGH!"

    Hobin eximed and opened his eyes, gasping for breath. It took him a few moments to realize that he was in his bedroom, sleeping. He was having a strange dream again but it was all hazy. All he remembered was a strange, three headed creature.

    "What the hell?" he muttered and sat up. Are these demons rted to the other guy? He wondered. Junho had informed him that they were going to do a sort of ritual next week to dive into whatever it was living inside him. Was it a demon? Or something else?

    Hobin was no longer sleepy so he got out of bed and put on a jacket. It was his habit; whenever he was not sleepy, he would go to a convenient store and eat choctes.

    Should I take Tinkerbell with me? He wondered. Why not?

    Feeling a little better, he went on to knock on Jina''s door. He had to knock quite a few times before she finally opened the door, looking very grouchy. Her hair was tied into a messy braid and her eyes were filled with sleep. And she was annoyed to see her boyfriend look like a celebrity model in the middle of the night while she was a slob.

    "What is it?" she gritted.

    "Let''s go out!" Hobin smirked. Jina red at him and was about to close the door but he held out his hand and shamelessly stepped into her t.

    "It''s 2 am in the morning!" she groaned. "I''m sleepy and unlike some people, I like to sleep early and wake up early!"

    "Aren''t you happy to see your boyfriend?" he asked, pretending to be hurt. "I thought I''d hang out with my cute and tiny girlfriend but you''re being so mean!"

    "I''d prefer to meet you when I look pretty and don''t smell like a skunk!" she snapped. "And why is it that you look as if you were just on the runway?"

    "What do I say?" he grinned as hey on her bed and leaned against the headrest. "I was born sexy!"

    He winked at her flirtatiously but Jina was very wary.

    "What''s going on?" she asked, sitting next to him. "Why are you really here?"

    "I couldn''t sleep," he sighed. "I was just having weird dreams."

    He told her about the strange creature he saw in his dreams and also about the ones he had seen before. Jina was frowning as she listened to his tale. As soon as he was done speaking, she lightly pped his arm.

    "Why didn''t you tell me this before?" she demanded. "Don''t hide important stuff from us!"

    "I wasn''t sure what these were," Hobin mumbled. "Sometimes these dreams seem random but other times they show some kinda meaning...I don''t know. It''s all hazy. Once, I saw I was in a dark tower, chained to the walls. Other times, I was some kind of monster, about to kill. And now this three headed creature. I don''t know what these are."

    He took a deep breath and asked what was bothering him for a long time.

    "Am I...am I a demon?" he whispered.

    Jina was looking at him with a gaze mixed with worry and sadness. Siwan''s words wereing back to her and she knew that whatever Hobin was, it was not normal. Hobin reached for his neck and took out a star shaped ne to show it to her. Jina took the strange locket in her hand to examine it.

    "What''s this?" she frowned.

    "This is the only thing my birth mother left me," he revealed. "She told my mom not to let me take it off. It was as if she knew that something was going to happen to me and put this around my neck to protect me."

    Jina studied the pendant. The star was encased in a pentagon but there was something else.

    "There''s writing on it!" she gasped. Hobin nodded.

    "It''s not visible by all," he revealed. "Only I can read it. I asked my mom and brother what the writing was about but they couldn''t even see it."

    Jina leaned in closer to read the phrase.

    "I seek a truth you see not," she read out loud. "What does that mean?"

    "I don''t know," Hobin said. "I''ve tried my best to find out but no matter how I see it, the phrase makes no sense. See the truth you see not...what does it even mean?"

    Jina bit her lip and positioned herself toy next to him. Automatically, Hobin''s arm wrapped around hers and they settled into afortable silence.

    "What if I am a demon?" he finally asked her. "Will everyone hate me? Will you hate me as well?"

    Jina hugged him tight and replied, "I don''t think about all that. I''ve met so many spirits in my life and they were much better than most human beings. I don''t know much about demons but who knows? Maybe there''s good and bad amongst them as well. And even if you are a demon, so what? We''ll make sure that you don''t do anything you''ll regret. I''ll make sure that you''ll not do anything wrong."

    Hobin chuckled in amusement. It was ironic that the ability he asked for to protect this woman was also deadly to her. What if he hurt her someday?

    "Can I stay here tonight?" he whispered. "I just...I just want to stay with you for a while."

    Jina was quiet for a while but slowly nodded.

    "Okay," she sleepily mumbled, hugging him tightly. "Sleep well."

 Chapter 188 - Blue Hyacinths (12)

    Inside the Cho mansion, Ciara and Youngjoon were very tense. They were in their bedroom, wondering what to do.

    "Did we do the right thing, dear?" Ciara questioned her husband. "Letting the shaman bring back our son? What if we never find Jisoo?"

    "What nonsense?" Youngjoon snapped at his wife. "We need an heir to the business! We can''t rely on Baekha! She''s a girl. One day, she''s gonna get married and our business will be taken over by her husband. The Cho''s will be gone and her husband will take over! We can''t let that happen."

    "But Sungki only wants that bitch!" Ciara eximed. "God knows where she is. Maybe she got remarried or has other kids? Or she might have died! Whatever the thing is, she''s not in our lives anymore. Besidesбн"

    A bitterness seeped into her tone as she recalled Jisoo and what she did to their family.. "My son is dead because of her!" she spat. "You really want that wrench to give birth to our heir? She only bore a girlst time and we managed to get rid of that brat! But she went against us and had our son killed! I''m not going to let her give birth to another curseбн"

    "We have no choice!" Youngjoon said. "That cursed son of ours is obsessed with her. He only wants her, even in death. I''m going to send my men to find her. It''s the only way to-"

    There was a movement outside the door. He was startled and rushed towards it to fling it open.

    Baekha stood there. She was ring at them, having listened to their words.

    "Didn''t you guys learn a lesson at all?" she demanded. "Why are you trying to meddle in Jisoo sis'' life again?"

    "You ungrateful little brat!" Youngjoon cursed at her. "What are you doing, listening in on us? Don''t you have any shame?"

    "Don''t you have any shame?" She snapped back. "You married her off to a psych who tortured her everyday and now that she''s finally free from him, you want to fnd her again? Who can''t you let her live? What has she done to you?"

    "She killed your brother!" Ciara screamed.

    "That coward killed himself!" Baekha retorted. "He was a fucking fool! He not only tormented Jisoo sis but also killed their baby simply because Yeonjoo was taking up attention from Jisoo sis! That''s just sick! And you two idiots are using a fake shaman to bring his spirit back? Are you insane?"

    Youngjoon raised his hand to p her but Baekha grabbed his arm and shoved him aside.

    "I''m not a child anymore!" she shouted at them. "You can''t threaten me into submission!"

    Her parents red at her in anger but she no longer cared about what they thought. She was way past that stage. These two were supposed to be her parents. They were supposed to love and protect her.

    Instead, they only despised her. The only person who was kind to her in the family was Jisoo but now that she was no longer around, Baekha only felt lonely.

    "You two are going to suffer a lot," she predicted. "You might think that Jisoo sis is weak but I don''t think so. Eight years have passed and I know that she''s no longer that weak girl who used to be scared of her own shadow! Just you wait. You guys will face your karma and your darling son will be the end of you!"

    "You fucking bitch-" Ciara cursed but faltered under Baekha''s intense re.

    "You two sicken me!" she spat. With that, she turned on her heels and walked away, leaving her parents to their fates.

    "She''s barking too much!" Youngjoon snarled at his wife. "Make sure that she doesn''t b her mouth elsewhere!"

    "She never listens to me!" Ciara snapped. "She''s stubborn and arrogant. I thought school would help her focus but she''s as adamant as ever. We should send her abroad."

    They were arguing about what to do with Baekha. Unbeknownst to them, a three headed creature was hiding behind a pir, watching them.

    "Ugh, these two idiots summoned a demon!"he growled. He had been keeping an eye on Baekha all day and followed her to this mansion. After keeping an eye on them for a long time, he came to the conclusion that the family elders were a bunch of morons who dabbled in things they had no clue about.

    "I can feel the presence of a demon," he muttered. "And it''s not a good one."

    It had to be a Kistris, he thought. A very strong one.

    Ever since Magrod entered the Cho mansion, he had been feeling the presence of a strong demon. Even though it was not a very old demon and was probably newly formed, he knew that it was dangerous. The more obsessive a demon was, the more dangerous it became. It was the same demon which attacked Baekha at the boat but currently, it was elsewhere. But its mark was profound on the house.

    Its human version must have conducted the ritual here and died, he concluded. A Gate of Hell opened here only a few years ago. This is badбн

    "Shaman, huh?" he muttered. "These two idiots made a pact and now, the shaman must have made them sign an agreement to bring the demon to this world. Ugh! It just had to be a Kistris demon!"

    He thought hard. There was only one way to kill a demon but with the Butterfly Priestess dead, there was no one else who could kill this demon.

    "I''ll go back for now," he sighed. "This girl is doomed without the Priestess anyway. I can''t even break the rules to stop a contract from being fulfilled."

    I just hope the girl can survive on her own, he added in his thoughts. Miyoo seems to be attached to her.

    With that, he disappeared into thin air.

    бн

    Jina stirred in her sleep and opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was Hobin''s handsome face turned towards her, peacefully sleeping. Last night, they had fallen asleep in each other''s arms without any hesitation. It felt nice to feel his warmth against her body and she blushed at the thought of being even more intimate with him someday.

    She leaned forward and kissed his nose before nuzzling it.

    "Wake up, Doctor Ohm," she mumbled. He slightly frowned and hugged her even closer.

    "I don''t want to," he said in a sleepy tone. "You feelfortable."

    Jina shook him but he was enjoying their closeness. Instead, he was acting like a child, only embracing her even more closer. He was unwilling to let the moment go, making her giggle.

    "We have work," she reminded him.

    "Work can wait," he said. "I''m with my girlfriend now."

    He cocooned her against his body, feeling at peace. Jina sighed and tried to tickle him into releasing her but to her annoyance, he was not ticklish.

    "Not gonna work," he muttered, his eyes still closed.

    "What can I do to wake you up?" she groaned. With his eyes still closed, Hobin leaned forward.

    "Kiss me awake," he said.

    "Huh? I have morning breath!" she protested. "No!"

    "So what? All couples cuddle and kiss in bed. It''s normal!"

    Hobin grinned at her, waiting for the kiss but Jina made a counter offer.

    "If you let me go, then I''ll make pancakes and feed them to you myself," she said. "For that, you must wake up."

    Hobin was now at a crossroad but an idea struck him. Pancakes huh?

    "Fine!" he conceded and opened his eyes. "I''m awake. And I want pancakes!"

    "Go and freshen up," Jinaughed. "I''ll make them ande over to your ce."

    Hobin shed her a mischievous smile and let her go. "I''ll be waiting, Tinkerbell," he winked before heading out.

    Jina sighed and got up. She brushed her teeth and watched herself up before going to the kitchen. Within a few minutes, she was whipping up soft, fluffy pancakes for breakfast. The aroma was delicious and she concentrated on making them as perfect as possible. She even made hot cups of coffee and put them all on a tray.

    Opening the door with one hand, she carefully walked towards Hobin''s t. The door was kept unlocked and Hobin was in his kitchen, already fresh as a daisy. He was wearing a casual white shirt and a pair of grey sweatpants. Even in such casual clothes, he looked...yummy.

    Jina blushed and shook off all perverted thoughts. He came forward to help her with the tray.

    "Looks like you''re not a bad cook, Tinkerbell," he remarked.

    "I''m the only good cook in the family," she said, beaming with pride. "After my mom, of course."

    "What about your dad, brothers and the old geezer?" Hobin asked. "Can''t they cook?"

    "Thest time they tried to cook, they made the kitchen explode," she said warily. "Minyoon learned after a lot of hits and misses though. The rest of the men and my aunt Mina are just terrible at it."

    "Aunt Gayoon''s cooking really is something," Hobin said without any thought. "She made the best crab cakes."

    Jina frowned at him. It took Hobin a few seconds to realize that he had made a slip. This was something Shinho knew. But Hobin was not supposed to know this.

    "How do you know that mom makes really good crab cakes?" she questioned him.

 Chapter 189 - Blue Hyacinths (13)

    Jina was waiting for an answer from him. She was sure that Hobin never tasted her mother''s cooking. They never even met and yet, he spoke of her as if he knew her very well.

    "Yoonmin told me," he smoothly lied. "Also, seeing how your sister is nuts for crab cakes, it''s obvious she eats them a lot at home. Am I right?"

    He smirked at her. Jina rolled her eyes. He was right; Miyoo always ate up all the crab cakes whenever their mother made them.

    "You are right," she nodded. "Now eat up!"

    "Heh?"

    Hobin shed her a naughty smile.. "Aren''t you gonna feed this to your handsome hunk of a boyfriend yourself?" He teased her.

    Jina blushed hard, gaping at him. "Eat it yourself!" she mumbled.

    "How mean," Hobinmented. "My girlfriend won''t even feed me pancakes! And here I was, hoping that she''d be more romantic towards meбн"

    He peeked at her and was amused by herpletely embarrassed face. How shameless!

    "No!" Jina eximed stubbornly. Hobin''s shoulders fell in disappointment but he had other ideas to tease his Tinkerbell. Jina took a bite from the pancakes on her te.

    "You have something there," Hobin said, pointing at her lips. Jina wiped them.

    "Is it gone?" she asked him.

    "Noбн"

    Jina was about to wipe her lips again but he grabbed her hand. Before she could react, Hobin leaned forward and stole a kiss from her. She was surprised by the sudden lip lock, his tongue slightly brushing against her lips.

    "It''s gone now," he said in his sexy hoarse voice and winked at her. Jina was dazed by the moment,pletely embarrassed. Hobin pinched her cheek and she pouted at him.

    "That was mean!" She whined.

    "What? I was just wiping the syrup off your lips."

    "With your own lips?"

    "Yes."

    Jina tried to yfully hit him but he grabbed her hand again and leaned over to kiss her again. This time, he did not stop at a simple peck but deepened the kiss, prying her lips open. Jina''s brain stopped focusing on everything else and gently kissed him back, letting herself immerse in the moment. She softly moaned when he lightly bit her lower lip, making blood hum in her veins. He pulled her close, positioning her on hisp without breaking their kiss. The sounds of their passionate kisses echoed in the room and she giggled against his lips.

    Finally, he let her go. Both of them were gasping for breaths, their chests heaving heavily.

    "That was tasty," he winked. "I wonder what''s for dessert-"

    Jina pinched his arm.

    "Nothing!" she imed. "No dessert! We have work today."

    "I don''t mind dessert after dinner tonight," he said, feigning innocence.

    "Pfft!"

    Jina tried to get off but Hobin kept a strong grasp on her and was not willing to let her go. He hugged her tight, breathing in her essence and realized how much he missed being with her. Ever since he regained his memories, he could not help wanting to stay with her all the time just like they used to.

    She giggled when he kissed her neck.

    "You''re being really clingy," she smiled. "Why the sudden outburst of love?"

    "Because I want to!" He smiled back. "And my hands are busy holding on to you so you''ll have to feed me the pancakes."

    "This was your n all along?" she eximed. "You are such a-"

    "Genius! I know."

    Jina could not win against this guy at all! He only smiled at her shamelessly, waiting for her to feed him breakfast.

    "Now be a good girlfriend and-"

    Jina stuffed the whole pancake into his mouth, making him gag a little. Hobin coughed while Jina stuck out her tongue at him.

    "Serves you right!"

    Before Hobin could cause any more mischief, she slipped out of his arms and went back to her chair. He grumbled while she onlyughed and they finished their breakfast in peace.

    "I''ll put the tes away," Hobin said warily once they were done. He picked up the tes and put them in the sink. His phone rang up and Jina answered it.

    "Doctor Ohm, this is Soobin!"

    "Soobin? This is Jina. What happened? Why do you sound so panicked?"

    Hobin turned around when he heard that Soobin was panicking over the phone. Jina was also worried by her tone as if something had happened.

    "Jina sis! Thank goodness you''re there! There''s been an incident with one of Doctor Ohm''s patients!"

    "Hold on, Soobin. I''m putting you on speaker!"

    Jina pressed the speaker button and put the phone on the table for Hobin to hear as well. Soobin took a deep breath on the other end.

    "Doctor Ohm''s patient, Kim Yooseok, was found dead in his apartment," she revealed.

    бн.

    Jina and Hobin rushed to Yooseok''s apartment. The police were already there but the case was under a different precinct. Without the permission of the head detective, they could not enter the crime scene.

    Jina sought out the detective in charge, Detective Yeon Li, who was talking to his colleagues.

    The portly detective was in his forties with thin hair and was stern looking. He eyes Jina with suspicion.

    "How can I help you?" he asked them.

    "I''m Detective Hwang Jina," she told him. "And this is Doctor Ohm Hobin. He was treating Kim Yooseok for insomnia."

    The two men shook their hands.

    "Yes, we came across his prescriptions," Li said. "He also recorded in his journal that he couldn''t sleep for days."

    "Can we see the state of the dead body?" Hobin asked. "I was his doctor and I might be able to give insights into his murder. I''m also a criminal profiler with the police."

    Li was a little suspicious of them but after checking their badges he nodded. "Lemme warn you folks," he said. "You''re not gonna like the state his body is in."

    He motioned them to follow him to the bedroom where the body was being investigated by the CSI.

    "When did you meet himst, doctor?" Li asked.

    "About two weeks ago," Hobin stated as they headed for the bedroom. "He came in for a second check up but he said that the insomnia was not gone. I referred him to a massage therapist and also to take a week off work. He was supposed toe in today for another session."

    "Wellбн"

    Li opened the bedroom door and revealed the situation behind it. Jina and Hobin werepletely shocked by the state of the room. A strong, pungent scent hit their nostrils.

    "Thisбн" Hobin began. They stared at the walls which were filled with the symbol of a star and cross in a circle. Every inch of the walls was drawn with it, even the ceiling.

    Yooseok''s bodyy on the bed,pletely thin and dehydrated. His skin had sunk and his dead eyes were staring up. The body had entered rigor mortis and judging by the stink, he had been dead for days. He had lost a lot of weight to the point his bones were visible. Maggots had already eaten parts of his stomach, crawling in and out of it.

    All of them covered their noses as they examined the body.

    "How did he die?" Hobin asked.

    "I can''t be sure but it seems that he starved himself to death," Li winced. "We found that his fridge was stocked but the food was rotten. He did not eat anything for days and justy here until he died."

    Jina was also studying the body. The presence of the symbol meant that this man was rted to their couple murders'' caseбн

    "I''ll have to call my team here," Jina told Li. "The symbols on the wall are rted to a case we''re working on."

    "But this is under our jurisdiction!" Lil protested. "We can''t let you take our case!"

    "You can take it up with the Commissioner and report to him on why you interfered with the investigation of a serial killing case," Jina said warily. Li was silenced and Jina took the opportunity to call her team over.

    "Where did this guy work?" Jina asked Li. "Maybe we can ask his colleagues about why he might have been so depressed?"

    "He worked for Cho Industries," Li stated. "The steel tycoon."

    While Jina was talking to the cops, Hobin was flipping through Yooseok''s diary. It was more about his work life than his personal thoughts. He was about to shut it close when he came across a page which had only one phrase written all over it.

    "Oi, Tinkerbell," he muttered to Jina. "Look at this."

    Jina took the diary and read the phrase. Her eyes widened in shock.

    "Son of a bitch!" she cursed. "He wrote just one name here."

    Hobin nodded. "Ming Jisoo," he said. "Our demon friend is after Ming Jisoo."

    "But why? Why is he after her?" Jina whispered. "And where is she now?"

    "Wherever she is, she better hope that the demon never catches her," Hobin said in a grim tone. "Otherwise she''ll face the same fate as the women in the other murders."

    Just then, Jina''s phone rang. It was Jiwoon.

    "Yes, Jiwoon!" She said. "Where are you guys?"

    "Dahoon and Woohee are heading over there," Jiwoon informed her. "I''ll have to take Chanmi and Jaebum with me elsewhere."

    "Why aren''t you guysing?"

    "There''s been another murder," Jiwoon revealed. "A woman was raped and murdered in her house by our killer."

 Chapter 190 - Blue Hyacinths (14)

    Jiwoon arrived at the crime scene with Chanmi and Jaebum in tow.

    "This is officially a serial killing now, huh?" Chanmi winced.

    "If the MO is correct, then yes," Jaebum confirmed. "We can now publicly call it a serial killing. But that''s gonna cause a nationwide panic. People will start to question us."

    "They question the police all the time," Jiwoon grimaced. "Nothing new. But this case is going to cause a plethora of trouble for us. Especially with the civil rights'' groups. They''re gonna call us ipetentбн"

    They stepped on to the fifth floor where the woman lived.. CSI had secured the area and were busy keeping the other residents away from the crime scene. Jiwoon did not waste any more time and headed straight towards the t.

    The woman was lying in the living room, next to a table. Her hands were tied behind her back and there were various bruise marks over her naked body. There was a pool of blood around her head and while a knife was stuck up in her private area, it seemed that very little blood came out of there.

    Kyuhyun was leaning over the body, examining it.

    "What''s the story with her, doc?" Jaebum asked. "Is it the same killer as the previous cases?"

    "Judging by the blood flow from her head and the bruises on her body, the victim was killed approximately three hours ago," Kyuhyun stated, not looking at them. "She was raped and then abused for hours but suffered a trauma to the head when she was hit against the table."

    He pointed at the blood on the table. "It killed her instantly and the killer panicked. He paced back and forth on the floor quite a few times."

    Jiwoon looked behind her where another area was kept sealed. She could make out the bloody footprints on the floor but there was something odd about them.

    "Jaebum, take a picture of these," she instructed him. He obliged and took a few snaps.

    "The prints are odd, don''t you think?" Chanmi frowned. Jiwoon stooped down to study them. There was an ''S'' carved on the prints with the logo of a famous brand on it. The brand was of an infinite loop with a round ''G'' written on it.

    "Gambit fashion?" Chanmi gasped. "That''s a very famous brand! Our killer wears something like that?"

    "And the brand is exclusive to only a few customers," Jaebum muttered. "Not everyone can buy it. I only know a handful of idols who wear them but that''s it."

    Jiwoon was staring at the prints. S...whoever owned the shoes, his name started with S.

    "Let''s finish up over here and head back," she told them. "The boss also found something rted to this case. I just hope it''s a breakthrough."

    All of them nodded. Jiwoon walked around the house, looking for the final clue. And she found it behind a potted nt which was ced beside a wall.

    "The symbol," she muttered, staring at the strange sign which the killer was leaving behind. Why was the man leaving this symbol behind? Was it some sort of cult which was targeting women?

    I must find out, she decided.

    She was about to turn around when something else caught her eye. Slowly craning her neck to the left, she saw a vase on a table. Bright blue flowers were kept in it, swaying slightly in the breeze.

    Blue hyacinths.

    бн

    After a few hours, everyone was back at the precinct where Hobin was briefing them on the murders.

    "So far it was only a spection but now, with three murders, we can confirm that this is a serial killing," he stated. "The other precinct which was handling Yooseok''s case, had to turn it over to us because of the clues and symbols we found at the crime site."

    He put up the pictures of all the victims on the wall.

    "At first, we thought that the murders were about revenge," he said. "Or some kind of cult activity. But it''s not about revenge. This is about...love."

    "Love?" Jaebum echoed. Hobin nodded.

    "Look at the pictures and tell us what simrities can you see?" he asked them.

    Jina was quietly watching her team making guesses.

    "The women were the ones who were abused the most," Chanmi stated.

    "And?"

    "But they''re not all couples," Woohee piped up. "Which means that the killer isn''t targeting couples but rather the women only. The men were coteral damage."

    "Good," Hobin said. "There''s one more."

    The team studied the picture but could not figure out the link but Jiwoon spoke up.

    "Their appearances," she said. "They have dark hair and simr petite features. Also, they were extremely docile and soft as a person. They weren''t assertive. All of them received a bouquet of blue hyacinths before their deaths. And they''re the same age."

    "Bingo!" Hobin agreed. "This means that the killer has a type. He''s into girls who are dark haired and obedient. Girls who don''t fight back. It''s like he''s searching for someone in these girls. Perhaps a girl he loves? Or someone whom he is obsessed with? And that girl has simr features to our victims."

    "And the males?" Dahoon asked. "They can''t just be coteral damage!"

    "Those are murders hemitted out of jealousy," Hobin stated. "In his mind, he thinks that his lover has betrayed him with these men. In his own twisted way, they were ''cheating'' on him. He was enraged and hence, killed them. But in the third murder, the victim was single. Which is why he gave her an easier death. Or maybe she died in the struggle so he paced back and forth when she would not wake up. He felt guilty for killing her because she was ''loyal'' to him. Still, he decided to punish her corpse. I assume that the punishment he gave to her was for leaving him. I''m only specting here but if the object of his desire was with him, his anger would have been directed towards her."

    "So," he went on. "Either his lover is already dead or she ran away."

    "What about the murder of Kim Yooseok?" Chanmi asked. "How is he involved in all this?"

    "Is he the killer?" Jaebum asked. "But how''s that possible? A weak, skinny looking guy who was starving himself took on two people during the second murder."

    "He died days before the third victim," Woohee nodded. "She died only this morning."

    Jina leaned back in silence. There was no doubt in her mind that the demon was probably possessing Yooseok''s body and kept on using it for days even after his death. She exchanged a look of understanding with Hobin.

    "We''ll be questioning the people around Yooseok," she spoke up. "He was working for Cho Industries as their IT expert. So we''ll be looking into his work life and-"

    CRACK!

    Everyone turned around towards Jiwoon who froze in her ce. She had loudly broken the nib of the pencil in her hand.

    "Jiwoon?" Jina called her. She was startled and looked around in fright.

    "Huh?" she asked.

    "Are you okay?" Hobin frowned.

    "I''m fine!" She lied. "What were you saying, boss?"

    "I was saying that we''ll be questioning the employees at Cho Industries," Jina said. "You and Chanmi will go there to question them. Okay?"

    Jiwoon nervously nodded. Hobin raised an eyebrow at her reaction. Jiwoon was usually cool and collected. Why was she feeling so nervous after hearing of this?

    "Dismissed," Jina dered. She waited for them to leave before turning to Hobin.

    "I think that the demon possessed Yooseok," she said in a low voice. "And used him tomit the murders."

    "But Yooseok died days before the third female victim," Hobin pointed out.

    "As far as I know, demons can keep possessing the body of a human even if the body is in aatose state," Jina said. "Also, if the vessel dies, they can keep on possessing the body until it starts to dpose. Years ago, when my mom and dad had to take down a demon, it was possessing my uncle''s body while it was in aa. At that time, the demon revealed he can possess a dead body for a few days until dposition kicks in. Maybe the demon left Yooseok''s body and is now seeking another one."

    "But then...who''s his new host?" Hobin wondered. "Or is he still looking for one."

    "I just hope we find him before that," Jina sighed. "Where is this damn demon?"

    бн

    Ciara was scared to enter her son''s room. That morning, she felt a strong gush of cold wind which almost suffocated her and she knew that he was furious. The body they had chosen for him had died and after murdering another girl, Sungki had to leave his vessel.

    Now they would have to find another vessel for him but it was not easy. Sungki was choosy about the body he wanted to possess and he was angry at them for failing to find one for him.

    She slowly entered the empty room. The temperature was freezing and she shivered as she stepped forward.

    "S-Sungki?" she called for him. "S-Sungki, talk to mommyбн"

    A strong wind blew by and she felt the cool fingers of her son on her shoulder. She turned around to find a message on the wall.

    "Vessel...find me a vesselбн" Sungki had written with a marker.

    "We''re trying!" Ciara imed. "But it''s gonna take time to find someone who can be your host!"

    The wind furiously blew at her and she felt a sharp p on her cheek. Ciara fell on the ground, shocked and scared. Her son hit her! He actually pped her and was not even sorry about it!

    Suddenly, the room went colder and all around her, another message was beginning to appear.

    "Jisoo...Jisoo...I want Jisoo..Jisoo...Jisooбн"

    "Stop!" Ciara begged, shutting her ears. "Please, son! Stop this madness! Just choose any other girl and we''ll make sure that your blood lives on! Jisoo is gone-"

    It was all in vain. Sungki only wanted one woman and it had to be Jisoo. If not in life, he would drag her to hell with him but they would be together. This was his love for her and she was going toe with him.

    "Jisooбн"

    Ciara thought that she heard her son whisper in her ears. But what could she do? Where was she going to find a new host?

    There must be someone! She thought in despair. Anyone!

 Chapter 191 - Blue Hyacinths (15)

    Baekha was walking through the corridor, heading towards the ss. She was rummaging through her bag, looking for her science book which she might have left at home by mistake.

    "Shit, I''ll be screwed," she muttered. She was so lost in searching for her book that she did not notice someone heading her way.

    CRASH!

    "Ugh!" She cried when she fell on the floor and to her horror, her uniform was stained with juice. She looked up to find Sera who was bbergasted.

    "Baekha, I''m so sorry!" Sera squeaked. "I didn''t see you!"

    "Be careful," Baekha remarked and stood up. Her while shirt was ruined and now she would have to find spare clothes. Great! What a start to my day, she thought..

    "Don''t worry!" Sera reassured her. "There''s some spare clothes in my locker! I can get them for you."

    "That''s okay," Baekha told her and was about to leave but Sera grabbed her arm.

    "You''ll be scolded if you go around like this!" she insisted. "Just take my clothes. They might berge but they''d do until your shirt dried off."

    "I-"

    "Please, Baekha!" Sera requested. "I feel really bad for ruining your clothes. Come on, please!"

    Ugh, she won''t leave if I refuse, Baekha winced. "Fine," she agreed.

    She followed Sera to the girl''s washroom. "Why don''t you wait in the stalls and undress? I''ll bring the clothes. My locker isn''t far from here!"

    Before Baekha could say anything, Sera ran off towards her locker. Baekha shrugged and put her bag on a stand before entering one of the stalls. This washroom is strangely empty, she noticed.

    She took off her shirt and hung it over the door while waiting for Sera, standing in her bra only. After a while, she heard footsteps entering the washroom.

    "I have the spare shirt right here," Sera''s voice came from the other side. "Just a minute."

    "Oka-" Baekha was saying when suddenly a hand pulled away the stained shirt which was hanging over the door.

    "Sera, where''s the shirt?" She asked. But to her surprise, Sera was walking away and the door was shut.

    "Sera?" Baekha called. "Sera, where are you?"

    But there was no reply. Sera left her there in her brassiere! What the hell?

    Baekha waspletely shocked. Why would Sera do that?

    "Sera?" she called, banging on the stall. "Sera, give me back my shirt!"

    She was now worried. How am I going to get myself a shirt? Bitch!

    Then she paused and thought hard. Panicking would not work. This was bullying and there was only one way to counter a bully.

    Meanwhile, the bell had rung and all the students were in their ss. Minyoon was sitting in a corner, thinking of a new song while Yoonmin was behind him, sitting with Soobin. She was telling him about the death of Yooseok.

    "Starved to death?" he echoed. She nodded.

    "And his fridge was stocked," she added. "I heard it from one of the nurses who knows people in the police department. It''s really strange."

    "Strange indeedбн"

    He was thinking hard when something caught his eye. From a distance, Sera was...ring at them. Or more specifically, she was ring at Soobin.

    "Did something happen between you and Sera?" he asked her.

    "No, why?"

    "She''s giving you a weird look."

    Soobin followed his gaze and saw that Sera was ring at her a little. In fact, Sera was so focused on them that she did not notice that something was sticking out of her bag. It looked like the sleeve of a shirt.

    "Sera, something is sticking out of your bag!" Soobin mouthed at her but Sera looked away, fuming. She did not listen to what Soobin said at all. Soobin was a little hurt but Yoonmin raised an eyebrow. He did not make any remark but simply shook his head.

    Everyone around them were talking and chatting. Miho was ncing at Minyoon who did not even look at her way. She fixed her hair and slowly approached him.

    "Minyoon, can I sit here?" she asked him, pointing at the empty chair next to him but he put his bag there.

    "No," he said cheerfully. "I''m writing a song and I don''t want any distractions."

    Miho was inwardly fuming but put on a sweet smile and nodded. She exchanged a nce with Sera who nodded at her. Sera had thought that Miho was going to hate her for ruining the date with Minyoon but to her surprise, thetter called her upst night. Miho told her to steal Baekha''s shirt and leave her topless in the washroom for the day as a lesson. Even though Sera was unwilling to do it, Miho promised her that she would be invited to their sleepover if she seeded.

    I''ll let her out after this ss, she decided. It''s not like Baekha wille out in that state.

    A group of boys were talking in the front seat when one boy suddenly looked at the entrance to see a figure storming towards the ss.

    "Woah! Look at that!" he eximed, pointing at the stunning scene he just witnessed. Hearing his cries, everyone looked up to see the shocking sight. Baekha was casually entering the ss wearing only her skirt and bra with no shirt on top!

    Many boys catcalled at her but she ignored the jeers. She felt the girls giving her jealous looks as she passed by, her perfectly toned body on disy. Minyoon, who was still working on his music, did not look up at themotion. Soobin was shocked while Yoonmin was mildly entertained because he was sure something was up.

    Baekha walked towards the empty seat next to Minyoon. She shoved the bag aside, causing Minyoon to frown and look up from his notes.

    "I told you I don-"

    He froze midway when he saw Baekha in that state. She shamelessly arrived topless without any thought!

    "Uhбн" Minyoon waspletely red in the face and looked away. But Baekha sat next to him and red at the students who were ogling at her.

    "What? You guys never saw a girl wearing a bra?" she shot at them. "I mean, it''s probably not the first time someone was bullied into taking off their shirts?"

 Chapter 192 - Blue Hyacinths (16)

    There was a deathly silence following her words. She silently challenged every one of them and none of them dared to refute her words. Her gaze fell on Sera, who was trying to leave the ss.

    "YOU!" she yelled. "Fatty!"

    She pointed at Sera and motioned her toe closer. Sera winced and gulped. Soobin was about to tell Baekha off but Yoonmin stopped her.

    "Trust me, Sera isn''t innocent here," he muttered to her.

    "What?" she whispered. "What do you mean?"

    Minyoon watched as Sera approached Baekha, looking timid.. Sera nced at him for help but this time, he stayed still. After her stint with the blind date, he was in no mood to save her. Last time, he stood up because she was being bullied but now, he was having doubts.

    "Y-Yes, Baekha?" she stammered.

    "Show me your bag," Baekha demanded.

    "W-Why?" Sera cried. "I''m not showing you my bag!"

    "Leave her alone!" Miho spoke up. "She''s been bullied enough! First Rachel and now you-"

    "Tell her to give me her bag," Baekha ordered. But the other students were now supporting Sera.

    "You''re such a slut!" one girl said. "Don''t you have any shame? Coming to school without a shirt and you''re ming poor Sera for it?"

    "Honestly, you''re just a pompous princess!" Another boy imed.

    "Arrogant heiress to the Cho family! No wonder your brothermitted suicide all those years ago."

    But Baekha was not going to listen to any more of their nonsense. She stood up and mmed her hands on the desk. Her grey eyes glowered at them, silencing the idiots with a look alone.

    "Either you hand over your bag otherwise, I will tell the school authorities to check the CCTV footage and decide who was the real bully here," she warned Sera. "And I''m not fucking around, fatty!"

    "Baekhaбн" Soobin began. "Sera wouldn''t-"

    "Soobin, check Sera''s bag," Minyoon said. Everyone was shocked to see Minyoon standing up for Baekha.

    "If Sera didn''t do anything, she has nothing to fear," he pointed out. "And we''ll see who the real culprit is."

    Baekha did not reply to him but was still ring at the fatty who was now nervous. Soobin stepped forward and took Sera'' bag. She was hoping that Baekha was wrong but Sera was also acting a little strange.

    Everyone held their breaths as Soobin searched the bag and took out a shirt stained with orange juice. Soobin''s mouth widened in horror and she gave Sera a disappointed look.

    "Sera, did you really do this?" she asked her.

    "She did," Baekha stated. She snatched the shirt from Soobin''s hands and put it on. "If you mess with me next time, I''ll not bother with this charade. I''ll simply break your bones, got it fatty?"

    Minyoon scowled at Sera.

    "Didn''t I warn you that day, not to pull something shitty again?" he sneered at her. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

    Sera was now on the verge of tears. Everyone stared at her with disgust. It was the same look they had given her all her life. She was the one who was always bullied! So what if she did the same to someone else? The other students should let her off the hook for what they had done to her all the time!

    "Seraбн"

    Soobin tried to touch her shoulder but Sera shoved her aside.

    "Stop pretending to be my friend!" she yelled at Soobin. "You''re such a two-faced bitch! You fan girl over Minyoon but now, you''re dating Yoonmin? I like him! I like Yoonmin and yet, you stole him away from me! You''re such a heinous slut-"

    Soobin was shocked by the usations. Sera like Yoonmin? But she never mentioned anything like that!

    "Aren''t you being too full of yourself?" Yoonmin told her. "What the hell do you mean by stealing? I didn''t even know about your existence until Soobin came along. Even then, I pitied you but I liked her."

    "Sera, you need to calm down and think about what you did to Baekha," Minyoon added.

    "She needs to think about her entire existence," Baekha muttered. Everyone was criticizing Sera. Only Soobin stayed quiet, not sure of what to do. She was too numb to think and she needed some space to process all this. Sera hated her. And she was not even sure why.

    "Everyone, I think we''re judging Sera too harshly," Miho said. "After all, we used to bully her as well. This was just a mistake. I''m sure Sera is very sorry about it."

    She pointed at Sera who was crying hard. Life was unfair to her and no one wanted to understand it. She gritted at Soobin who was the cause of all her problems and now, Baekha also joined in to add to her misery!

    "Just look at her," Miho said. "Don''t you think she''s suffered enough? It was only a prank! Sera suffered more than Baekha did in this school. We shouldn''t be harsh on her."

    The students were now whispering to themselves. The twins listened to snippets of their intense discussions, knowing very well that they were changing colors.

    "I just want a break!" Sera sobbed and hugged Miho, who hugged her back. The other students now felt sympathetic to Sera and admired Miho for her maturity.

    "Miho is so nice. She''s even cating Sera," one student whispered.

    "Baekha might be hot but actions were seriously shitty," another student said. "It was just a shirt! A harmless prank."

    "I feel really sorry for Sera now."

    "I always felt that Soobin was too nice and fake," another student said, shooting a disgusted look at Soobin.

    "Fake friends! How sick."

    Yoonmin was about to tell them off but Soobin stopped him. She shook her head. He stepped back, biting his tongue.

    "What the hell are you all doing?"

    Everyone scrambled back to their seats upon hearing the teacher yelling at them. Baekha smoothed her shirt. Suddenly, a jacket was put over her shoulders. Startled, she looked around to find that Minyoon had given it to her.

    "That''s my fan club jacket," he said. "You can wear it for the day."

    "Uhбн"

    "Think of it as repayment for helping my sister that day," he winked.

    "Thanks," she muttered and put on the jacket to hide her stained shirt. It was toorge for her but warm.

    She nced back at Soobin, who was looking down. Her face was hidden by her long locks but Baekha could tell that she was secretly trying not to cry.

    Sera really messed up, she thought. Somewhere in her heart, Baekha was feeling guilty towards Soobin because Sera''s outburst had hurt her. Soobin was genuinely nice to her and it was obvious. Too bad some people could not appreciate it.

    Baekha thought hard and wrote a note.

    Soobin was not looking up. Instead, she was nkly staring at her notebook when a note was dropped in front of her.

    "Wanna hang out at my ce after school? Lemme know :)

    -Bakeha"

    "Looks like you found a new friend," Yoonmin whispered to her.

    "Iбн"

    "Stop chasing fake people like Sera," he advised her. "She chose her way. You shouldn''t feel responsible for her shitty actions."

    Soobin bit her lip. Sera was up ahead, sitting next to Miho. She was still cryingбн

    But Yoonmin was right. Sera needed to figure out her issues on her own. Soobin picked up a pen and wrote, "Okay" on the note before throwing it on Baekha''s desk. Thetter opened it and turned slightly to smile at her.

 Chapter 193 - Blue Hyacinths (17)

    Jiwoon was fidgeting in the car. She was staring at the mansion in front of her with a nk look.

    "Second Boss, let''s go," Chanmi said. "We''ll have to question the Cho family."

    "Can''t we question them at their workce?" Jiwoon asked. Chanmi gave her a quizzical look.

    "Jaebum and Woohee have gone to the workce but the CEO took a day off," she told her. "So we''ll have to question him here. Besides, the sooner we get their testimonies, the better."

    Jiwoon was not willing to step out. She was gazing at the mansion which was full of dreadful memories for her..

    Either fate was ying a cruel joke on her or she was simply born unlucky. The mansion was exactly how she remembered it from her memories. Its white walls were sparkling under the sunlight and the nted roof made of jade was still perfectly polished just like it was in the past. Therge mahogany door was still there, ready to lock up innocent people in its midst while the luscious garden was full of different types of flowers.

    And she also knew the existence of one such flower in that cursed garden.

    "Jiwoon sis, are you okay?" Chanmi asked, dropping the formalities. "You don''t look so good."

    "I''m fine," she reassured Chanmi. "I...I''m actually feeling a little faint. Can you go and talk to them? I want to rest in the car for a while, if that''s okayбн"

    Chanmi was confused. It was unlike Jiwoon not to interrogate the suspects herself but seeing how hard Jiwoon had worked over the past few days, Chanmi thought that her senior was really tired.

    "Okay," she said. "I''ll talk to them."

    She got out of the car and headed for the front door. A few guards stopped her but she shed her badge and was allowed to enter.

    Jiwoon let out a sigh of relief andid her head on the dashboard. She was trying not to look at the wretched mansion but it was impossible not to. Coming back here after so many years was tormenting her.

    It felt as if she was back in time when she would cower in the corner of a room, hoping that he would not return. Her mind was always alert and she rarely used to sleep in those days. Till present, she had trouble falling asleep. She was a naive girl who found herself married to a man who was everyone''s desire.

    At first, it was a dreame true. The day they met, he was sweet and kind. The 18 year old Jisoo was awestruck that her husband was the Top Idol of the country. She only saw him on television or interviews.

    To see him in person was nothing short of a dream. A dream which became a nightmare.

    бн

    <em>Jisoo is feeling quite nervous. She looks around the fine dining restaurant where she has arrived to meet her future husband. Grandpa Cho told her to meet his grandson but he did not specify his name. All Jisoo knows is that he is quite well known and it is one of the reasons why they chose this ce.</em>

    <em>She is so nervous that she cannot even appreciate the beautiful decor. The pir-less restaurant has a chic, European vibe with a mix of traditional Austrian art and modern French architecture. She is sitting on afortable chair, surrounded by a beautiful view of the city below her. The lights are twinkling all over the town, lighting up the dark sky. A server asks her if she wants anything.</em>

    <em>"Water, please," she requests. He nods and goes back inside to bring her a ss of water. Jisoo is alone, wondering what sort of man her future husband is going to be.</em>

    <em>Truthfully, she is too young to get married but her parents were also married at that age. By all ounts, they had a happy marriage. Jisoo lived happily with them until she was five and they died in a tragic car crash.</em>

    <em>She was raised by her grandfather but he, too, died a few months ago. Before dying, he told her about his friend, Cho Mawon, who sponsored her education. He also said that Mawon wanted her as his granddaughter-inw. Jisoo was hesitant at first but after meeting with grandpa Cho, she made up her mind to honor that promise.</em>

    <em>Grandpa Cho said nothing but kind words about his grandson. Jisoo is yet to meet him but she is already expecting him to be a good man. After all, Grandpa Cho is a good person and his grandson must have inherited his qualities too. </em>

    <em>The door to the private dining room opens and Jisoo looks around. A man in a cap and mask enters the ce, carrying a silver package in his hands. He looks at her and waves.</em>

    <em>Is this him? She wonders. The man sits across from her and slightly bows his head.</em>

    <em>"I''m so sorry that I''mte!" he exims. "But I ran into a few fans on the way and I didn''t want them to disturb us here."</em>

    <em>"Fans?" she echoes. </em>

    <em>"Oh right," he realizes. "You don''t know who I am."</em>

    <em>He slowly takes off his mask and hat, leaving Jisoopletely speechless. His silky blonde hair shines under the bright light and he shes a dorky cute smile at her. She freezes in her spot. Sungki''s sea colored eyes twinkle at her and his perfectly chiseled jaw bes even sharper when he smiles. He has a beautiful smile, one which is enough to make her heart stop.</em>

    <em>She knows who he is. Everyone knows who he is.</em>

    <em>This is Cho Sungki, the Top Idol in the country. Every song he makes is a hit and he is the heartthrob of the nation. Girls are crazy for him and boys want to be like him. He is only twenty three years old and already a global ambassador for several renowned brands. </em>

    <em>Jisoon cannot believe her luck. The Top Idol is her fiance? What sort of crazy fate is this?</em>

    <em>Sungki chuckles at her cutely shocked expression.</em>

    <em>"You''re really cute," he snickers. "I can tell that you''repletely surprised."</em>

    <em>"I-Iбн" she stammers. How am I supposed to react to this?</em>

    <em>"Are you okay?" he asks, feeling concerned for her. "I know it''s a lot to take in. Truthfully, I thought that I''m too young to get married but after how my grandfather praised you, I couldn''t help but wonder who this girl is? And I''m d that I came. You''re even prettier in person than in the picture."</em>

    <em>Jisoo blushes hard. She is not used to suchpliments at all and that too from the Top Idol.</em>

    <em>"Thank you," she mumbles. "I really didn''t expect that you''re my fiance."</em>

    <em>Before Jisoo can answer, the server arrives with a ss of water.</em>

    <em>"Madam, here is your water," he says in a professional tone. He puts the water in front of her but he makes a slight slip and some of the water spills on Jisoo''s right palm.</em>

    <em>"I am so sorry, madam," he apologizes and hands her a tissue. She thanks him, taking the tissue. Their fingers slightly brush, a gesture which does not go unnoticed by Sungki. Jisoo is so focused on wiping her hand that she does not notice a dark gleam in Sungki''s eyes.</em>

    <em>The server apologizes again and leaves. Jisoo turns back to Sungki, who smiles at her.</em>

    <em>"Miss Jisoo, what is it that you expect from the man you''ll spend the rest of your life with?" Sungki asks her.</em>

    <em>"I...I don''t really know," Jisoo admits. What do I want from the man I''m going to spend the rest of my life with? She thinks.</em>

    <em>"I guessбн" she begins. "I want someone who is kind and sweet. He''ll love me with all his heart. Respect his family and also be kind to children. I really like children! I want him to be like that. Looks don''t really matter to me. I just want a good person."</em>

    <em>"I''m not sure if I''m a good person," Sungki smiles. "But I want to be all those things for you, Ming Jisoo."</em>

    <em>He looks at her with a gaze full of sincerity. Jisoo''s untrained eyes cannot see anything other than love and devotion. He is making many promises with that single look and she is touched.</em>

    <em>"I really like you and I hope that you will give me a chance to be a good husband to you," he adds. "We will live a happy life. Together and forever."</em>

    <em>He hesitantly reaches out and touches her right palm, rubbing it with his fingers. Jisoo cannot believe her luck at all. Not only is he a Top Idol but is genuinely kind and sweet. </em>

    <em>I guess we will be happy, she thinks. Sungki is overjoyed when she smiles.</em>

    <em>"Together and forever," she promises.</em>

    <em>"Oh, I almost forgot!" Sungki exims. "This is for you."</em>

    <em>He hands her the silver package. It looks like some kind of gift basket. Jisoo curiously opens it to find the most beautiful bunch of blue flowers she has ever seen. The scent is sweet and enticing. She cannot help marveling at the flowers which look very expensive.</em>

    <em>"These are blue hyacinths," he says. "I grow them in my garden myself. These are my most precious possessions and I wanted to give them to you on our first date. Do you like them?"</em>

    <em>"I...I love them!" Jisoo gasps. "These are so beautiful! Thank you so much."</em>

    <em>She is genuinely happy by his gesture. The flowers are really pretty and to think, he gifted her something he grew himself. </em>

    <em>This man will love me forever, she thinks. I can feel it.</em>

    <em>They chat for a long time over dinner. Jisoo is feeling morefortable around him and Sungki is the perfect gentleman.</em>

    <em>"I''ll be right back," Jisoo says, excusing herself to go to the washroom. Sungki nods and watches her go. As soon as she is gone, his smile turns into a stone cold scowl. He had nned for a romantic evening with just the two of them.</em>

    <em>And the fucking waiter ruined it.</em>

    <em>He walks over to the manager''s room at the backside. The manager is surprised to see the country''s Top Idol in his premises.</em>

    <em>"Mr. Cho!" he gasped. "What can I-"</em>

    <em>"The server who brought water for my fiance," Sungki begins. "Fire him."</em>

    <em>"But why?"</em>

    <em>The manager wants to protest but seeing the cold re in Sungki''s eyes, he stops himself.</em>

    <em>"Do it otherwise, I will destroy this restaurant in seconds!" he warns. "I''m not fucking around here!"</em>

    <em>The manager gulps. "Y-Yes sir!"</em>

    <em>Sungki turns around, putting his smile back on for his dear Jisoo. His mood is finally better. Once he is married to Jisoo, he will make sure that no other man can touch her.</em>

    <em>Even if he has to keep her locked up all the time. She is his and his only.</em>

    <em>A few more days, Jisoo, he thinks in glee. And then we''ll be together. Forever.</em>

 Chapter 194 - Blue Hyacinths (18)

    Hobin arrived at the hospital only to find that Soobin''s spot was empty. He frowned and checked the messages in his phone to realize that Soobin had texted him earlier that she was taking the day off.

    "I guess I''ll have to do the paperwork today myself," he sighed and went into his chamber. He just put on his coat when Siwan entered his room.

    "Busy?" Siwan asked. "Or can we talk?"

    "Bro, you don''t have to ask!" Hobin groaned. "What is it?"

    Siwan sat on a couch while Hobin took a seat opposite to him. "It''s about the kid, Wook," Siwan began. "I''ve been keeping tabs on him and his condition. We managed to save him that night but he''s traumatized. So I want to discuss his treatment n with you.. Other than physical treatment, we''ll also have to incorporate mental therapy for him. His aunt is keen on therapy but knowing that you''re also involved in the case about his parents, she was hoping that you''ll sign a non-disclosure agreement. She doesn''t want him to be exposed nor tormented by the police."

    "She doesn''t have to worry," Hobin said. "This...this is officially a serial murder case. If we find the culprit, we might not have to use his testimony anyway. DNA evidence will be enough."

    "Serial murder?" Siwan frowned. "There were more such cases?"

    "Officially, there are now three murders with the same pattern so the police have to call it a serial killing case," Hobin nodded.

    "What''s the murderer after?" Siwan asked. "I know you''re not supposed to answer but maybe I can provide a perspective? After all, I treated one of the patients."

    "That''s okay. This information will be public anyway."

    Hobin leaned forward. "One of my patients who was found dead today had the murderer''s symbol in his apartment," he exined. "But there was one other thing. The patient who died, we saw a name in his diary."

    "I suspect that this name has got to do something with the murders," Hobin went on. "Jina and I didn''t tell the name to the team yet because we want to find her first. That girl might be hiding and she''s in danger. If the police find her, then she''ll be exposed to the public and the murderer will target her. Which is why we''re trying not to use her in this case at all."

    "She seems to be in a tight spot," Siwan sighed.

    "She is," Hobin said. "Anyways, we''ve sent Detective Jiwoon and Chanmi to the house of my patient''s boss. Hopefully they''ll be able to say something."

    "What''s the name in the diary anyway?" Siwan asked.

    He was about to pour himself a ss of water when Hobin said, "Ming Jisoo."

    Siwan froze in his actions. Ming Jisoo?

    "Yeah, we''re trying to find her as quietly as possible," Hobin went on. "I know you won''t tell anyone. Hopefully, Detective Jiwoon will be able to find enough clues from the Cho''s so that we don''t have to find Jisoo."

    "Cho''s?"

    "Yeah, the steel magnate? Owner of Cho Industries-Where are you going?"

    Hobin was surprised when Siwan suddenly stood up. "If anyone is looking for me, tell them that I had to leave!" Siwan was saying. "It''s an emergency!"

    "What-"

    But Siwan was gone, leaving Hobinpletely shocked. He had never seen his brother act like that before.

    What the hell is going on? He wondered.

    бн

    Jiwoon was nervously standing outside the mansion, waiting for Chanmi toe out. She kept her back to the house but could not help ncing back every now and then to make sure that no one spotted her. Thankfully, the guards were new and did not recognize her. The car was parked across the mansion anyway, so they did not bother much.

    She leaned against the car when she noticed a ck BMW approaching the mansion. Youngjoon was in the car, reading a paper when he noticed the police jeep outside his mansion and someone was standing there with their back against the house.

    "What''s that?" he frowned. "Driver, stop the car here."

    The driver obliged and Youngjoon came out of the car. Jiwoon was unaware of the man approaching her because she was texting Chanmi to ask how long it would take her to question the Cho''s.

    "You! Who are you?"

    Jiwoon froze when she heard the familiar voice call for her. She was frozen to her spot, unable to move. Her heart was racing nervously and she suddenly could not breathe. That voice...it was Cho Youngjoon, her father-inw!

    What should I do? She wondered frantically. Her hands were shaking as she heard the footsteps approach her way. He was going to turn around any second and see her. What if he recognized her? Her hair was shorter than it was eight years ago and she was skinnier now but the Cho''s would recognize her right away!

    Jiwoon was panicking. Every second enhanced her fears and she was counting the footsteps as they slowly came her way.

    "I''m asking who are you-"

    Suddenly, a hand grabbed Jiwoon and turned her around. Before she could react, she found herself pressed against someone''s chest and another familiar voice rang in her ears.

    "Honey, I''m so sorry that I''mte!" Siwan said out loud. Youngjoon paused in his steps. He was only a few feet away from the girl. For some reason, she looked very familiar so he decided to approach her but another man appeared and was now hugging her. Youngjoon could not see her face because the other man was embracing her tightly.

    "I know I''mte for my date, Areum," Siwan went on. "But don''t be mad, honey!"

    "What are you doing?" Jiwoon whispered.

    "Just follow my lead and don''t talk," he muttered in her ear. "I know who you are, Ming Jisoo."

    Jiwoon was shocked. He remembered her?

    Siwan put his hand around her shoulders and quickly pulled her away. Youngjoon shrugged and went into the mansion.

    Heaving a sigh of relief, Siwan pulled the visibly shocked Jiwoon to a corner, away from the eyes of the people in the mansion.

    "How do you know my real name?" she gasped.

    "Well, you repeated the same line I told you all those years ago," he pointed out. "You really think that I''ll forget my first patient?"

    Jiwoon looked down. She leaned against the wall, trying to collect her thoughts.

    "Hobin told me that you came to this ce," he went on. "And I figured that you wouldn''t want to face these people. Not after what they did to you. Are you okay?"

    She slowly nodded, still not looking at him. Her heart was still beating in fear. To think if Siwan had not arrived, she would have been exposed to the Cho''s once again.

    "I don''t know how to thank you," she mumbled. "You saved me again."

    Siwan was about to say something when someone else spoke up.

    "Jisoo sis?"

    Jiwoon''s neck snapped around. Siwan was also surprised to see two girls standing there, equally shocked.

    "Soobin?" he frowned.

    "Doctor Kang? Detective Kim?" Soobin asked. "What are you doing here?"

    But the people in the most shock were Baekha and Jiwoon. Baekha could not believe her eyes. Jisoo was back?

    They were all so shocked by the events that none of them realized the temperature around them was falling. An eerie chill was in the air, swirling around Jiwoon. She shivered but was too dumbfounded to pay any heed.

    Jisoo...the demon was seeing his Jisoo after many years. She was thinner and her dark, beautiful locks were cut off. But it was her. She was back, only for him.

    Then his eyes fell on the other man. The one who dared to touch his Jisoo. She was tainted by his touch and the demon was now going to cleanse her.

    I found my vessel, he thought in glee.

 Chapter 195 - Blue Hyacinths-Conclusion

    Baekha was staring at her sister-inw. She could not believe that she would meet her again in this lifetime. Jiwoon was also stunned but she was smiling a little. Baekha had grown up so much! She was just a little child when Jiwoon left the house but she had grown up so much. In fact, she was almost as tall as Jiwoon.

    "Jisoo sisбн" Baekha whispered. Soobin was confused. Jisoo?

    "Do you guys know each other?" she asked. Siwan, however, was a little wary of Baekha.

    "Is she rted to your inws?" he asked Jiwoon.

    "Yes, but it''s okay! She''s Baekha.. My sister-inw and the only one who was kind to meбн"

    Baekha did not wait and instantly hugged Jiwoon, happy to see her. She felt tears in her eyes but she did not care.

    "Sis, what are you doing here?" she asked. "If those two bitches spot you, they''ll kill you! You have to go!"

    "I can''t," Jiwoon said. "My teammate is in the mansionбн"

    "Tell her that you had an emergency and had to leave," Siwan told her sharply. "Just leave!"

    After a lot of insistence, Jiwoon reluctantly left with them. Baekha took them to a nearby cafe where she got them a private table. Soobin was the only one who was very much confused.

    "Doctor Kang, what''s going on?" she asked. "Why is Jiwoon sis hiding from Baekha''s parents?"

    "Who is he?" Baekha demanded, peering suspiciously at Siwan.

    "He''s my guardian, Doctor Kang Siwan," Soobin said. "Doctor Kang, this is my friend Cho Baekha."

    "What''s your rtionship with Jisoo sis?" Baekha demanded. "How do I know I can trust him?"

    "You can," Jiwoon spoke up. "He...he''s the doctor who treated Yeonjoo when no one else would."

    Yeonjoo...the mention of that little girl made Baekha''s heart ache. What her brother did to his own daughter was something which haunted Baekha in her dreams. The way he killed his own child was so despicable that she doubted her brother was a human at all. No, he was a monster.

    "But how do you guys know each other?" Soobin asked again. "I''m really confused here."

    Siwan exchanged a look with Jiwoon. She was still nervous but took a deep breath.

    "I''m...I''m Baekha''s sister-inw," she revealed. "My real name is Ming Jisoo, not Kim Jiwoon."

    Soobin''s mouth gaped open in shock. She stared at Baekha who nodded.

    "It''s a long story," Baekha told her. "And we''ll tell you when the time is right. But at this moment, we must hide Jiwoon sis from those two monsters. They''re nning something really bad and are looking for Jisoo sis."

    Jiwoon was now rmed. They were looking for her?

    "Why?" Siwan asked. "Why are they after her now?"

    "Those two idiots have gone crazy!" Baekha said. "They''re consulting with a fraud shaman who ims that he canmunicate with my brother''s spirit. And ording to the shaman, my brother wants Jisoo sis back in his life. I don''t even know how that''s possible! A spirit? That''s just nonsense."

    "In their crazy obsession, they''re paying that shaman a lot of money," she went on. "He''s been ''talking'' to my brother for a long time. Almost two years. And now, those two are totally under his control."

    Jiwoon and Soobin exchanged a worried nce. They knew about the existence of supernatural creatures but was it really possible tomunicate with spirits like that? Only Jina knew the answer to this.

    Baekha reached over to pat her sister-inw''s wrist.

    "Please, don''te back here!" she begged. "This ce is dangerous for you. If they find out that you''re nearby, they''lle after you. Just...just stay away. Hide!"

    To her shock, Jiwoon shook her head. "No," she said. "I''m not gonna hide anymore."

    Her mind was repeating the images of what Sungki did to her. The torture, the tears...everything he did was etched into her body and mind forever. No matter where she hid, those memories would not let her live. And she was tired of hiding. What was the point of hiding? Why should she hide anyway? She did nothing wrong.

    "I won''t hide," she finally said. "I''m a police officer now. I took an oath to protect the citizens and solve crimes. If my cases bring me face to face with the Cho''s, then I''m not going to hide."

    Baekha gaped at her. Police officer? Her timid and shy sister-inw was now a police officer?

    "That''s right!" Soobin added. "Jiwoon sis isn''t the type to hide! I''ve seen her work hard alongside Yoonmin''s sis. She even got hurt while chasing criminals but did not give up. If your parents are criminals, then it''s only fitting that Jiwoon sis will put them in jail!"

    Baekha was about to argue but Siwan stopped her.

    "She can''t stay in hiding forever," he told her. "She has to face her demons too. If not today, then tomorrow. For now, we''ll leave but your parents will find her someday."

    Baekha sighed and nodded. "I''ll keep you updated with their activities," she told them. "But I still think that Jisoo sis shouldn''t stay alone. What if something happens to her?"

    "We''ll think of something," Siwan assured her. "For now, we should leave."

    Jiwoon exchanged numbers with Baekha and they hurriedly left. Baekha was relieved that Jisoo was not caught but she was also scared. What if those monsters reached her?

    I have to find out more about that shaman, she decided. He''s lying to my parents and I''m sure of it.

    Meanwhile, Jiwoon and Soobin followed Siwan to his car. They must hurry and tell everything to Jina as soon as possible.

    "Should I drop you off at the station?" he asked.

    "No!" Jiwoon eximed. "I need to talk to my Boss. She''s at theb. I must get there!"

    "Me too!" Soobin piped in. "Both of us need to talk to Jina sis!"

    Siwan was taken aback. Both of them seemed to be in a rush about something but he did not question them. Instead, he stepped on the elerator and drove off.

    From a few meters away, a dark shadow was watching them with disdain. He was fuming with anger upon seeing his beloved Jisoo drive away with another man, without any shame. Where was his docile and innocent wife who did not even dare to look at another man? Why was she now in the arms of that asshole?

    "Kang Siwan?" he whispered. The demon was quiet for a while before bursting into a fit ofughter. He knew that man very well. That was Kang Siwan, his once childhood ymate. That bastard was now sleeping with his Jisoo!

    "Hahahahaah!" heughed. "Siwan, I never thought you''d betray me, my friend!"

    The demon''s maniacalughter was unheard by the passersby but some of them felt a strange chill in the air. Despite a bright, sunny day, they felt the cold wave temporarily rush over them which was strange.

    But the demon did not care. His pupils werepletely ck and he was ring at the spot where Jisoo was only a few minutes ago.

    I will make you mine, honey, he vowed. And the body I''ll use will be that of your beloved Siwan''sбн

    "Hahahahaah!"

    The coldugh echoed silently around the area, chilling everyone''s spine. Something dreadful was about to happen.

 Chapter 196 - Dead Killer (1)

    Magrod was standing still on a closet, watching the kid carefully. His eyes were moving left and right like a pendulum as he observed the working of the puny human who was busy rolling around.

    Interesting, he thought. Miyoo was rolling back and forth on the carpet, pouting for some reason. She was not specifying any reason for it but it seemed that her brothers refused her something.

    "Mmmm!" she puffed and rolled to the side. "Meanie!"

    She rolled to the left. Then right. Then left. Magrod let out a sigh and jumped on the floor to stop the roller coaster of a kid. He erged his paw and held it out to make her stop. Miyoo scowled when he managed to do so, holding her arm firmly..

    "What the hell are you doing?" he demanded. "We''re supposed to find the Prince!"

    "Binbin!" Miyoo eximed. "Miyoo wants Binbin!"

    She sat up and clutched her knees. It had been days since she saw Soobin because her brothers were almost always home now. Also, when Soobin came overst night, Yoonmin took her away on a date. Even though Soobin wanted to take Miyoo, Yoonmin refused and made Minyoon look after her.

    "Oi, aren''t you being too childish? Your brother went on a date with the girl! Have some pride, woman!"

    "Miyoo, child."

    Magrod only shook his head. He was d to be a demon and not a human anymore. Full fledged demons were always adults. Handling children was out of his expertise. Moreover, the thought of tiny little demons like Miyoo, running around to create chaos was a nightmarish thought.

    "Listen up!" he said. "We have little time! We must find the Prince-"

    "Binbin!"

    Ugh! I''m never gonna get this kid to focus like thisбн

    He was thinking hard. There must be some way to use her to find the Prince. But how?

    Just then, the doorbell rang. Miyoo scurried out of the room while Minyoon went to answer the door. To his surprise, it was Jiwoon and Soobin.

    "Binbin!" Miyoo eximed and jumped into Soobin''s arms.

    "She''s really excited to meet me, I guess!" Soobin said, hugging her back.

    "She''s been wanting to meet you for days," Minyoon yawned. "But why are you guys here?"

    "Where''s the Boss?" Jiwoon asked. "We can''t find her. She was supposed to be at the precinct, but she''s not there. Even her phone is turned off. We went to her house but thendy said she''s not there."

    "Did you try that doctor''s number?" Minyoon frowned.

    "We did but his number was switched off too."

    Jiwoon was now very worried. The Cho''s were doing something crazy with a shaman and she needed to find out what they were doing.

    "Why don''t you wait here?" Minyoon suggested. "Sis might turn up. She did mention this morning that she''ll stop by."

    They nodded and stepped into the house. Magrod was watching them carefully from afar. He recognized Soobin but the other girl was unfamiliar to him. She looked very tense as she sat on a couch, fidgeting her fingers. Miyoon also noticed her state.

    "What happened, Jiwoon sis?" he asked. "Why do you look so tense?"

    "Uhhбн"

    Jiwoon was not sure if she should tell Minyoon the truth but Soobin came to her rescue. "We think that an acquaintance of Jiwoon sis is being taken advantage of by a fraud shaman. So we came to Jina sis for help!"

    "But if he''s a fraud, shouldn''t Jiwoon sis be able to arrest him?" Minyoon pointed out.

    "Well...he ims to be seeing spirits and stuff," Soobin added. "So we want to be sure before doing anything. She''ll be able to tell us."

    Minyoon nodded in understanding. Jiwoon called Jina again only to find that the number was still switched off. Please pick up, boss! She begged.

    Just then, the front door opened and to their relief, Junho was back. He was a little grumpy and scowling for some reason. Magrod could not help but notice how much grumpy Miyoo resembled her equally grumpy grandfather. Miyoo instantly ran towards her old man.

    "Old man!" she greeted and jumped into his arms. Junho picked her up and handed her a candy which she popped in her mouth, feeling happy.

    "Damn taxi driver tried to rip me off!" He growled at the others. "I saw his meter! It was 100 dors not 101 dors!"

    "But...it''s just one dor difference," Soobin frowned but Minyoon cut in.

    "Only one dor?" he gasped. "Do you even know us at all, Binbin? We won''t give even a dor extra! Even my clothes are always bought at seventy percent off! We don''tpromise with money."

    "In your case, you can''t even count money!" Junho grumbled. He then realized that Jiwoon and Soobin were there.

    "What are thedies doing here today?" he asked as he sat down. Jiwoon instantly spoke up.

    "Grandpa Hwang," she began in a shaky tone. "I need your help."

    Her eyes were glistening with hope and pleading which made Junho surprised. He had known Jiwoon for a while and she was always in the background, quietly doing her work. Jina always praised her as the one who kept the department together and also a tough person who rarely cried. Seeing her in that nervous condition made Junho suspicious.

    "Minyoon, take Miyoo and put her to sleep," he instructed. "I need to talk to Jiwoon."

    His grandson was sensible to understand that he should not be prying into this matter. He picked up Miyoo and went back inside, leaving Junho with the girls.

    "Now," he began. "Tell me what''s going on."

    Jiwoon hesitated before she began to tell her tale.

    "Ten years ago," she began. "I was married to someone. My real name is Ming Jisoo and I was eighteen when I got married to...to the son of the Cho family."

    She expected Junho to disbelieve her or be surprised but if he felt anything, he masked it well. Instead, he nodded and told her, "Go on."

    "His name was Cho Sungki," she revealed. "The Top Idol of that time. Money, fame, love. He had it all. Everything was perfect in his world. Until one day, his grandfather, Cho Mawon, told him about a promise he had made many years ago with my grandfather. They had promised to marry me off to Sungki when we grew older. That year, my grandfather passed away, leaving me an orphan."

    At this point, Jiwoon broke off, not in sadness but in fear. Her nightmares started as soon as her beloved grandfather died and she was left alone in the cage of a heinous beast.

    "And that''s when my world crumbled," she whispered.

    бн

    Jina was at theb with Hobin. Kyuhyun had handed them the report of the bodies but they were more interested in how to find the demon.

    "If he''s targeting only women who are 29 and have dark hair, then the pool of victims is huge," Hobin muttered.

    "But why is he sending them hyacinths?" Jina frowned. "What''s the connection here?"

    "The hyacinths mean something to the killer," Hobin concluded. "Must be his favorite flower or his lover''s favorite. Both of them are connected in some way."

    Just then, Kyuhyun arrived with the reports of the victims and Yooseok.

    "What is it?" Jina demanded. "What''s in the reports?"

    "The victim named Yooseok died sometime between four to five days ago, of acute starvation and dehydration of the body," he stated in his monotone. "Latest victim, Hyun Kara, died over twenty four hours ago of trauma to her head after being raped. The severity of her wounds is lesser than that of the other victims thanks to her early death. Also, she bled less when the knife was plunged up her-"

    "We get the idea!" Hobin stopped him. "So you''re saying that Yooseok died before Kara and is not her killer? What about the others?"

    "I have checked the samples of Yooseok andpared the DNA found on the other victims," Kyuhyun stated. "It matches the crime scene DNA. Yooseok most definitely killed all the three victims and their families."

    "Eh?" Jina frowned. "All three victims? Didn''t he die before the third victim?"

    "His DNA is all over her," Yooseok stated. "I even found a maggot in her body which matches the DNA of the maggots in Yooseok''s body. Probably crawled into her body through her vagin-"

    "Stop it with the graphic details!" Jina groaned but Hobin was now interested.

    "We''ll take the reports and leave then," he simply said and motioned Jina to follow him out. Jina obliged, not wanting to hear any more of Kyuhyun''s details at all!

    Once they were outside, Hobin turned to her. "It''s like we suspected," he said. "That demon possessed Yooseok''s body before and after his death. But how did he hide his sulphur presence in front of me?"

    "Only the demon can answer that," Jina winced. "But this really makes the case moreplicated! The demon is on the loose and he''s looking for a new host. We''ll have to track down the demon before he finds a new vessel. What if we end up putting an innocent person in jail?"

    Hobin sighed. Both of them were running out of time. If the demon found another body to possess then the human vessel would be used of murder. It was something they wanted to avoid at all costs.

    "I''ll switch my phone back on," Jina said. "Screw Kyuhyun''s no phone policy!"

    She switched her phone back on and to her surprise, there were several missed calls from Jiwoon and a message from Soobin.

    "Meet me and Jiwoon sis at your brothers'' house," Jina read out loud. "URGENT."

    She turned to Hobin. "I feel that something is wrong. Why are Jiwoon and Soobin together?"

    "Let''s go," Hobin nodded.

 Chapter 197 - Dead Killer (2)

    Magrod was listening to the detective who just mentioned Cho Sungki. So that is his real name, he thought. He was now rmed. Cho Baekha was already being stalked by the demon but if what Jiwoon said was true and the demon''s real target was her, then it would probably be looking for a vessel to control.

    "I''ll have to go and stop it," he muttered and vanished in thin air.

    Junho was now listening intently. He could read the fear in Jiwoon''s eyes and it shocked him to see her in that state. She was trying to remain calm but her voice was cracking and she was hugging herself close in a defensive way. Her hands were mmy as she narrated her story.

    "It all started after my grandfather died," she whispered. "The former chairman of the Cho industries, Grandpa Mawon, summoned me to the mansion and told me about the pact he made years ago with my grandfather. I knew that Grandpa Mawon was sponsoring my studies and I was grateful to him.. He asked me if I wanted to marry his grandson and he''ll make sure that I was well taken care of."

    "I didn''t know his grandson but I was indebted to Grandpa Mawon himself," she went on. "So I agreed. And on our first date, I realized that my fiance was the country''s Top Idol, Cho Sungkiбн"

    бн

    <em>*shback to 10 years ago*</em>

    <em>The stadium is lit up with a thousand bright lights, sparkling like stars. Fans were chanting all around the area, filling it with joy and they eagerly anticipated the arrival of their idol.</em>

    <em>"Sungki! Sungki!" they chanted.</em>

    <em>"He''s so handsome!" one of the fans squealed. </em>

    <em>"I love him! Look at his pretty face!"</em>

    <em>"His voice is so soothing."</em>

    <em>"I wish he was my husband!"</em>

    <em>They are all chanting and screaming for their idol. He is the perfect being in their eyes. Everything Sungki does is perfect. HIs songs, his voice, his kindness. He is the epitome of goodness in the eyes of the fans.</em>

    <em>A few feet away from the stage, a girl enters the stadium. She is wearing a cap and a mask to hide her face but she is equally excited. In her hands is a backstage pass which gives her ess to the idol''s main room. A guard tries to stop her but she shows him the badge and he lets her go.</em>

    <em>She steps into a long corridor which leads to Sungki''s room. Jisoo is humming to herself as she heads to his room. He is probably waiting for me, she thought. She is so excited that she does not spot a person rushing from the other end.</em>

    <em>"Whoa!" </em>

    <em>Both of them collide against each other. Jisoo manages to bnce herself but the young assistant who was carrying some clothes in his hands, falls.</em>

    <em>"Are you okay?" Jisoo asks and hurriedly helps him to stand up. "I''m so sorry!"</em>

    <em>"It''s okay!" he reassured her. He takes her hand and stands up to steady himself. "Thank you."</em>

    <em>She helps him pick up the clothes and smiles as he rushes away. Unbeknownst to her, someone is watching them from afar. His handsome face is marred by a disgusted scowl and the sight of his fiance with another man is sickening him. She is too bold but he knows he can tame her into submission. All he needs is patience until then.</em>

    <em>Jisoo spots her fiance a few feet away and waves at him. She does not notice him ring at her but he quickly masks his obsession with a smile.</em>

    <em>"Jisoo!" he exims and is about to hug her but she stops him. </em>

    <em>"Public!" she pointed out. "Let''s go to your vanity."</em>

    <em>Since Sungki is a public personality, they have to keep their rtionship a secret for a while. Grandpa Mawon was against it but he relented after Jisoo requested it. She prefers to stay lowkey and the fans are only going to create trouble for Sungki if they find out about their engagement. Many idols lose their brand reputation once they get married. For the sake of Sungki, she had decided not to disclose their rtionship for a few years. Once he is ready, he will announce it.</em>

    <em>He pulls her to his vanity and Jisoo takes off her mask.</em>

    <em>"Grandpa Mawon told me that we can register the marriage next week," she is saying as she puts the mask on a desk. "And he also showed me a few wedding dresses-"</em>

    <em>She turns around only to find Sungki really close. In fact, he is standing too close and she is a little stiff by the intimacy. Jisoo backs herself against the wall but he keeps on inching closer until there is no other ce for her to run.</em>

    <em>"Whatбн" she began but he put a finger on her lips. He trails from her lips to her jawline until he gently grabs her chins with his strong palms. </em>

    <em>"You look so beautiful today," he mumbles. Jisoo almost feels his breath on her face and even though it feels good to be with him, she is a little hesitant. He wasing closer and closer. She can count his eyshes as his facees closer. Her heart is beating but not in anticipation but rather in nervousness. </em>

    <em>"Iбн" she tries to tell him but his lips are already on hers. There is a strange urgency in his kiss which the inexperienced Jisoo cannot understand. She is still as a rock but he is forcing her to open her mouth and pry his tongue into hers. Jisoo feels suffocated and gasps. He is too demanding and she is suddenly very ufortable.</em>

    <em>Is this how kisses are supposed to be? She thinks for a wild moment. She read about romantic kisses and how meaningful they are for a couple. Maybe she expected too much? </em>

    <em>Sungki moans against her lips but Jisoo feels nothing. No sense of happiness nor is her stomach fluttering. Instead, she feels cold and stiff in her position. Finally, he pulls away and grins at her. Jisoo smiles back, not wanting to tell him that it was a terrible kiss. Maybe I am the one who is bad at it, she thinks.</em>

    <em>"It''s time for my show," he murmurs. "But I don''t want to goбн"</em>

    <em>"You have to," Jisoo nudges. "The fans are waiting for you."</em>

    <em>He sighs and holds her hands. "Wait for me, okay?" he winks.</em>

    <em>She nods and watches him kiss her hands before leaving. As soon as he leaves, she feels a burden lifting off her chest. It was a strange kiss but she brushes it off. Not all kisses are magical or romantic, she convinces herself. I''m just inexperienced. I''m sure he felt it too. He was being considerate.</em>

    <em>Jisoo keeps on repeating this in her head until she is fully convinced that the kiss was only a small setback. There are other things in a rtionship too. She is yet to know him properly but she will get to know him much better. He is a good and kind person after all. His interviews reflect his kind nature and eloquent thoughts.</em>

    <em>She will be very happy with him. Very.</em>

 Chapter 198 - Dead Killer (3)

    <em>*One Week Later*</em>

    <em>Jisoo is standing in front of her inws, feeling very nervous. Ciara is giving her a cold re while Yongjoon looks at her in dismay. Mawon is the only one who is beaming at her and it felt a little encouraging.</em>

    <em>She is wearing a gorgeous white gown with thousands of tiny diamonds stitched on it. The gems on the helm made the dress heavier and bogged down her shoulders. Jisoo has been wearing it for the whole day and her shoulders are aching but she did notin. </em>

    <em>Even though Jisoo had chosen a simple wedding gown, Sungki preferred this one over hers.</em>

    <em>"You''ll look like a princess in this," he had said when he bought this dress for her. Jisoo did not refuse but graciously epted his gift.</em>

    <em>That morning, they had finally registered their marriage in the Cho mansion.. Sungki is standing next to her, feeling very happy. He is unaware of Jisoo''s fears as she stays meekly at her spot.</em>

    <em>"Wee to our household!" Mawon exims and gives her a warm hug. "Ciara and Youngjoon are very pleased to wee you as well."</em>

    <em>They look anything but weing, Jisoon thinks. Her new inws are furious to see her and their expressions reveal it all. She knows that they want someone richer and even better for their son. To them, she is a poor orphan who has n social standing and in a way, they are right. Sungki really is way out of her league and it is only sheer luck that she is now married to him.</em>

    <em>I will have to make the best of this, she decides.</em>

    <em>"You two muc be very tired," Mawon says. "I have an important meeting now so I''ll have to leave. The servants will show you to your room."</em>

    <em>A maid appears and escorts Jisoo to her new room. She is very scared now. Jisoo is not ready for such a huge responsibility and she did not have a talk about this with Sungki. The thought of their wedding night is scaring her because she has no idea what to do or expect in their marriage bed. Her heart is still trying to process the change and everything is still too surreal for her.</em>

    <em>But she is thinking of having a talk with him that night. I''ll have to tell him to hold off the consummation for a while, she thinks with a blush. </em>

    <em>She freezes when she sees something moving behind a wall. Jisoo peers at the spot to find a child of around 7 or 8 years old staring at her. The girl had the same grey eyes as her brother and was quite cute with her twin pigtails.</em>

    <em>Is that Baekha? Jisoo wonders. Sungki mentioned his sister once but Jisoo never met her.</em>

    <em>"Baekha-" she calls but the little girl turns around and runs away.</em>

    <em>Strange, she thinks. Maybe she''s not used to strangers. </em>

    <em>"Your room, madam," the maid announces and leaves. Jisoo is nervous as she enters the bedroom.</em>

    <em>There is no decoration nor any flowers to wee her. The room feels cold and unusually lonely. Sungki''s pictures are stered on the wall. His handsome face is nice to see everyday but the thought of seeing these pictures watching them as they slept is also a very creepy notion.</em>

    <em>Jisoo slowly changes out of the heavy dress and changes into a simple lc dress which the Cho''s have bought for her. She takes off her makeup and washes her face while waiting for Sungki. </em>

    <em>Finally, he enters the room and closes the door. Jisoo stands up to wee him but he holds her tight.</em>

    <em>"You looked so breathtaking in the wedding dress I chose for you," he boasts. "I couldn''t wait to get you out of itбн"</em>

    <em>"Um...Sungki," she began, nervously wiggling out of his arms. "I was wondering if we can...er...wait for a while before we consummate?"</em>

    <em>She is so nervous that she did not notice the change in his expression. </em>

    <em>"I just want to wait for a while," she went on. "Get to know each other. I think that''ll really help us-"</em>

    <em>SLAP!</em>

    <em>Jisoo fell backwards on the bed by the sheer force of the p. She is stunned and too confused to say anything. Did he...did he just p me?"</em>

    <em>Before she can react, his hand grabs her long hair and pulls her close to him. Her heart pounds in fear as she faces him. His handsome face is smiling but not in happiness. It is an obsessive smile which is scaring her. He is gleaming at her with his grey eyes, as if eyeing a prey.</em>

    <em>"Wait?" he whispers in a cold tone. "For what? We are married now. You are my wife and I can do whatever I want with you."</em>

    <em>Jisoo feels his hand tighten on her head and she screams in pain. Her eyes are tearing up and she is wincing. </em>

    <em>"Sungkiбн" she sobbed. "What are you d-d-d-doing?"</em>

    <em>"What are you doing, Jisoo?" he asks instead. "You''d let a filthy waiter and assistant touch you but not your own husband?"</em>

    <em>"Huh?"</em>

    <em>Jisoo was not scared and clueless. He is using her of being with other men? It made no sense!</em>

    <em>"Do you know how much pain I went through when that waiter touched your fingers that day?" he whispers like a maniac. "I had to fire him! As for that assistant who held your hand...I had him sent to jail!"</em>

    <em>"What?" Jisoo whimpers. "Jail?"</em>

    <em>"Wasn''t hard. Simply snuck some of my things into his pockets and used him of stealing," Sungki shrugs as if the life of another person means nothing to him. "Very easy to do, sweetie."</em>

    <em>Jisoo was now scared. This man is crazy! She thinks.</em>

    <em>"Sungki, I-"</em>

    <em>"They dared to touch you, my love," he whispers. "I can''t let that goбн"</em>

    <em>Suddenly, he pushed her on the bed. Jisoo tries to run but he ps her a few more times. He is too strong for her. Grabbing her hands, he pulls her to the edge of the bed and to her shock, there are handcuffs there!</em>

    <em>"NO!" she screams. "NO PLEASE NO!"</em>

    <em>But her cries fall on deaf ears. He cuffs her to the bed, making sure that she is unable to run. Jisoo cries hard as he takes off his clothes, standing neked in front of her.</em>

    <em>"No, please don''tбн" she begs but he rips off her dress like a wild animal until she ispletely naked in front of him. She feels his filthy hands touching her body and she only cries harder.</em>

    <em>Outside, Ciara and her husband are in the living room, sipping tea. They can hear the girl''s screams of pain but they do nothing. The servants also hear the poor girl screaming for hours but they are too helpless. </em>

    <em>"These people are so heartless," one of the maids muttered. "How could they just leave her in that hell hole with that monster?"</em>

    <em>"Chairman Mawon doesn''t know what sort of monster his grandson is," another maid winced. "He doesn''t even live in this mansion but he thinks that his grandson is a saint. And-"</em>

    <em>She looks around to see Baekha standing at the kitchen. The girl''s eyes were dead and sad which made the servants feel pity for the girl. She was treated worse than a maid in her own house simply because she was a girl.</em>

    <em>"Miss Baekhaбн" the maid began but Jiwoon''s screams made Baekha look up.</em>

    <em>The little girl starts to cry. Another person is going to be trapped in that hell with her. There is no escape from that awful ce for either of them.</em>

    <em>"She''ll need medicines," the little girl mutters. "And hot soup. Mushroom soup. Take it to her when he is gone."</em>

    <em>Even though she is small, she knows that her new sister-inw is in for a lot of suffering. The only thing Baekha can do is to lessen the pain a little.</em>

    <em>With that, she leaves the kitchen while Jisos''s screams and tears stain the walls of the perfect mansion.</em>

    <em>This is only the beginning of the nightmare for her anyway.</em>

 Chapter 199 - Dead Killer (4)

    <em>"Make her shut up!" Ciarains. "She''s so annoying! Always crying and screaming whenever Sungki even slightly touches her!"</em>

    <em>She is tired of Jisoo''s whimpers. The girl is constantly crying and trying to escape the house so Sungki keeps her tied to a post so that she cannot run away. She begs everyday to be released but no one dares to let her go. </em>

    <em>*Sniff...sniff*</em>

    <em>The servants passing by the room felt nothing but guilt and sadness for the girl who is locked inside. They want to help her but the Cho family is too powerful. If they dare to aid her, they will all be punished and it is impossible to escape their ire.</em>

    <em>Chairman Cho Mawon passed away a few days after their wedding which is quite odd.. The day after Jisoo got married, he visited them and found out what his grandson did to her. Seeing the girl abused and strapped to the bed with nothing on but a thin nket, he was so enraged that he went to confront Sungki. </em>

    <em>But the next day news came that Mawon suffered a heart attack and was hospitalized where he died a few dayster. No one knew how he suffered the heart attack because Mawon never had any heart problems. Even the doctors were confused but his death was the final nail in the coffin for Jisoo.</em>

    <em>"Shouldn''t we help her?" a young maid asks another older maid.</em>

    <em>"We should," the older maid said sadly. "But we can''t. If we try, all the servants will be brutally punished. The one who will help her will take her ce."</em>

    <em>"That man is a monster! How can any parent let him do what he''s doing? Don''t these people have a heart? Poor young mistressбн"</em>

    <em>"These people are fools and they''re going to be destroyed by that monster they raised. That man is very dangerous. He''s not only an abusive jerk but I''ve heard that he does...he does some very crazy things!"</em>

    <em>The younger maid is now curious. "Crazier than torturing his wife?" she asks.</em>

    <em>The older maid looks around to make sure they are not being heard by anyone. She drops her voice to a whisper.</em>

    <em>"That man is also involved in some kind of voodoo shit," she reveals. "There''s a shaman he consults who made him sign some sort of pact in exchange for fame and power."</em>

    <em>"That''s bullshit! Those things don''t work."</em>

    <em>"I don''t know if they work or not but that shaman does some very weird stuff. I once saw the young master sneak a woman out of his room. She was unconscious and he drove her away. I followed them out of curiosity and saw that he took her to that shaman''s house. After an hour, he left the house, alone. I stayed around for a few more hours but the girl never came out. The next day, a missing report was published on the paper about that girl."</em>

    <em>"What? Do you think that he killed-"</em>

    <em>The young maid breaks off when she spots Baekha standing there. She overheard enough to deduce what may have happened but said nothing.</em>

    <em>"Is the soup ready?" she asks.</em>

    <em>"Yes young miss!" the older maid says at once. She pours soup into a bowl and puts it on a tray. To her surprise, the little girl holds out her hands.</em>

    <em>"I''ll take it to her," Baekha says. The maid smiles and hands over the tray to the little girl. The tray is a little heavy but she walks very slowly, making sure not a single drop of soup spills over. She climbs the stairs, one step at a time and carefully walks towards the room where Jisoo is kept captive.</em>

    <em>She slowly pushes the door open.</em>

    <em>"Jisoo sisбн"</em>

    <em>The room is so dark that Baekha cannot see anything. She turns on the light, causing something in the corner to jump if fright.</em>

    <em>"I didn''t do anything!" Jisoo screams, clutching her knees together. "I didn''t-"</em>

    <em>"Sis, it''s me!"</em>

    <em>Baekha''s voice brings Jisoo out of her fear and she snaps her eyes open. Her state is quite pitiful. The clothes were torn as if by an animal and there are all sorts of bruises on her body. ck and purple. Old and new. Her once beautiful face is haggard and sullen. The long lushes are rough and dried. Jisoo''s hands are tied behind her and her feet are also in binds. </em>

    <em>The little girl''s heart aches for Jisoo. The pain and trauma she is put through every night is unimaginable.</em>

    <em>It has been a year since they got married and Jisoo forgot what a peaceful day feels like. Every night, Sungki tortures her to the extreme. Even for the slightest mistake, Jisoo endures pain and suffering whichsts for weeks. She is locked up in the room all the time and she has lost a considerable amount of weight. Sometimes, the servants took pity on her and snuck in food for her while Sungki was away.</em>

    <em>Her inws are not any good either. During the rare moments when Sungki goes on tour, they turn her into a maid to serve their guests. Jisoo''s marriage has been kept hushed up and she is forced to serve food and alcohol at theirvish parties. Siara treats her worse than a dog, even beating her up in front of guests for small mistakes.</em>

    <em>"He won''t be back tonight," Baekha says. She puts the tray in front of Jisoo and unties the knots. It takes her a few tries but she manages to undo the binds. As soon as she is free, Jisoo pounces on the soup. She is starving and needs a lot of nourishment. </em>

    <em>"Thank you, Baekha," she whispers. The child sits next to her and watches her finish the soup.</em>

    <em>"Why did you marry him?" she asks. "Why did you agree to do it?"</em>

    <em>Jisoo put the bowl down and sniffed. "I just didn''t want to be alone," she said in a hoarse tone. </em>

    <em>Her voice lost its innocence. She is even more demure and timid than before, shuddering at the slightest sound. Only Baekha is her confidante in this hell hole which she cannot escape.</em>

    <em>"When my grandfather died, I had no one else," she goes on. "No money. No ce to live either because the house we lived in was rented and thendlord wanted to evacuate it. I had no choice but to leave. I don''t have any other rtives eitherбн"</em>

    <em>She breaks off,menting the day she said yes to marrying Sungki. Staying homeless is a better option than living here but it is toote now.</em>

    <em>"And now, I can''t ever run," she says. "He found out."</em>

    <em>"What did he find out?" Baekha frowns. Jisoo looks at her with teary eyes.</em>

    <em>"He...he found out that I''m pregnant!" she reveals.</em>

    бн.

    *Present*

    The doorbell rang and interrupted Jiwoon''s tale. She was shaking in fear as she recalled those terrible days. Soobin clutched her hand, trying not to cry. To think that there was a monster like that who put up a facade in front of others while torturing his wife everydayбн

    Even the thought made Soobin shudder but Jisoo had to go through it.

    "Sis, it''s okay," she whispered. "You''re safe now."

    Junho opened the door to find that it was Jina and Hobin.

    "Jiwoon called us!" she said. "What happened? Why is she here?"

    They stepped into the living room only to find that Jiwoon was teary and fearful which shocked them. Junho quickly filled them in on what she said so far, which shocked them. Jiwoon went through all that?

    "Jiwoonбн"

    Jina was looking at her partner in a new light. She had always assumed that Jiwoon was a calm, determined person but to hide that much pain in her heart needed courage which was impossible to maintain. Even Jina could probably not be that brave.

    She slowly sat next to her partner, her eyes tearing up too.

    "Why didn''t you tell us?" she whispered. "I would have never let you near that house!"

    "I...I didn''t want to disturb the investigation," Jiwoon said in a small voice. "Besides, I can''t let the culprit escape because of my past! How can I stand by while the killer murders those innocent women? I''ll finish this investigation even if I have to meet the Cho''s-"

    "You''ll do no such thing," Hobin said sharply. "This is not an ordinary serial killing case."

    Jiwoon blinked in surprise. "What do you mean?" she slowly asked.

    "Yooseok''s DNA matched the ones we found on all crime scenes," Jina stated. "But...but he died a few days before the third female victim. Yet, his DNA was in the crime scene. Which means that our victim was killed by a demon who was possessing Yooseok''s body until his corpse deteriorated."

    Jiwoon and Soobin exchanged a look which did not go unnoticed by Hobin.

    "You two know something?" he frowned.

    "How does a demon end up in our world?" Jiwoon asked. "Last time when we were investigating the painting, you said that the original artist summoned it, right?"

    "Yeah, a demon needs to be summoned through a ritual," Jina said slowly. "Why are you asking?"

    Jiwoon took a deep breath, swallowing her tears. It was not a time to cry.

    "I think I know who might be behind this," she finally said.

 Chapter 200 - Dead Killer (5)

    AUTHOR''S NOTE: 200 CHAPTERS? THANK YOU FOR THE LOVE GUYS <3

    бн

    Jiwoon filled them in on what she found out from Baekha about the Cho''s. A long silence followed her statement as they began to work out the clues.

    "This makes sense," Hobin said. "The demon aka our killer is possessing bodies to stalk and kill women who look like Jiwoon!"

    He sat down and took out a paper to jot down the theories they confirm about the serial murders.

    "Ming Jisoo, had long hair," he stated with a point. "She was 21 when she left her husband and now, she is 29. Hence, he''s targeting women in that age range. He stalks them to see what sort of woman she is. If she''s strong and independent, he''ll leave her alone but if she''s meek and timid, he''ll think that she''s Jisoo. The women who were with partners suffered terrible deaths.."

    "But I''ve never heard of this before," Junho frowned. "I know that humans go to Hell only if they make a deal with a demon. But Sungki was literally a human being. How can he be a demon? And souls stuck in Hell can''t be broken out that easily! The Gates of Hell are sealed tight. If they are opened, then not just one but countless souls will escape."

    "Grandpa is right," Jina said. "Gates of Hell have strange rules. They''re not easy to open. It can take decades to even find one. Unless, the shaman already knew?"

    "Where are these...Gates?" Jiwoon asked.

    "The Gates pop up only at a ce where a demon has appeared to collect the soul of a person who made a deal with him," Jina rified. "That is either when a person dies or the time on their contract has psed.

    "Wait a minuteбн" Soobin began. "Jiwoon sis, didn''t you just mention that your husband used to consult a shaman? I''m not sure how it works but what if those two made a pact with a demon?"

    Jiwoon thought about it and realized that she was right. That was a possibility.

    "And Sungki killed himself in the house," she gasped. "But that still doesn''t exin how he escaped."

    "Two theories for it," Hobin stated. "Either the shaman knows how to extract a single soul from Hell. Or, and it''s just a theory for now, human souls in Hell can turn into demons."

    Everyone was looking at him with curiosity but it was simple psychology.

    "Think about it," he said. "If some humans can turn into spirits after their deaths, isn''t it possible that they can also turn into demons if they''re sent to Hell? I don''t know how long it can take, but what if their souls are taken through a process where they eventually turn into demons? And then the cycle of demon summoning continues?"

    Junho was thinking hard. They had so little information on Hell that it was impossible to determine this theory but Hobin''s assumption was notpletely off the mark.

    "He might be correct," Junho nodded. "If Sungki was taken to Hell where he somehow turned into a demon, then he can be summoned without opening the Gates! That way, it''s just a normal demon summoning."

    "And the Cho''s were probably tricked into it," Jina added. "They made a pact with their own demonic son and the shaman took advantage of it."

    "The demon is now possessing others and killing any woman who is like his version of Ming Jisoo," Hobin said. "But what bothers me is that Jiwoon has nowe into contact with Baekha. If the demon is around the Cho family, there''s a chance that he might have found out about you."

    He looked at Jiwoon who was now frozen. The demon might know that she had changed her identity? What if he found her?

    The images of the dead women haunted her and she was suddenly scared again. If Sungki could do that to them, there was no telling what he would do to her. He was going to punish her in the worst way and Jiwoon was not strong enough to go through all that again. Her heart was pounding hard and she clutched Jina for support.

    "Don''t worry," Jina said firmly. "We''ll not let anything happen to you."

    "We''ll need to hide her," Hobin said. "Somewhere safe. You should take a few days off, detective. Until we find the demon, it''ll be best if you stay low. We need to move you elsewhere. A ce where he''ll not expect you to be."

    "B-b-but where will I stay?" she stammered.

    She was now very scared. Even after death, Sungki would not leave her alone and it was a terrifying thought.

    "Don''t worry," Junho told her. "I''ll make some charms for you. It''ll keep any demon or supernatural creatures away from you."

    "As for where you can stay," Hobin began. "I''ll ask my brother to look for a safehouse for you. He''s got some properties in town. He can help."

    "Or, she can live with us."

    Everyone turned around to frown at Soobin but she rified her stance, "Doctor Kang is a good man. He helped sis out once. They even know each other and it was Doctor Kang who saved her from her inws today."

    "Huh?" Jina asked in surprise. "Really? Do you two know each other?"

    "That exins why bro hurriedly left my office!" Hobin realized. "He realized that you were in danger!"

    Jiwoon slowly nodded. "It''s a long story," she said. "I''ll tell you some other day. But I don''t want to trouble him anymore."

    "What trouble? It''s a big house!" Soobin eximed. "We can stay there together!"

    "I agree," Hobin added. "I''m calling bro right now."

    Jiwoon protested but Jina stopped her.

    "He''s right," she said. "Stay with Siwan for now. Besides, Soobin had put up a few charms around the house so it''s safe from demons. Don''t worry about it."

    Hobin, who had just talked to Siwan, shed a thumbs up. "He said okay," he said. "We''ll help you move your stuff."

    "I''ll prepare to do a seance with Bomi and see if we can find out more about this demon," Junho stated. "Until then, I''ll give you a few charms and a talisman. Do not lose them. Got it?"

    Jiwoon nodded. She was overwhelmed by the support they were giving her and did not know how to thank them.

    As if reading her mind, Jina said, "You can thank us by treating all of us to a meal when all this is over!"

    "I will," Jiwoon promised with a genuine smile. She felt lighter and much better.

    I should thank Doctor Kang too, she added in her thoughts.

    "It''s settled then!" Soobin eximed. "Jiwoon sis will live with us! Finally, I''ll have somepany in thatrge house!"

    бн

    That evening, Siwan returned home to find that some of Jiwoon''s luggage had arrived and she was carrying the bags on her own towards a spare bedroom. The bag was too heavy for her to carry and she was dragging it up the stairs with great difficulty.

    He instantly rushed to carry it for her.

    "I can do it!" Jiwoon insisted but Siwan already took the bag from her hands.

    "It''s okay, you''re the guest," he said with a smile and walked ahead to lead her to the guest bedroom.

    "Thank you," she said. "For helping me out."

    They entered the room and Siwan turned on the lights. It was a simple yet cozy bedroom with a single bed and furniture made of ckwood. Jiwoon was a little awed by the mansion.

    "You have a beautiful home," she could not help but remark.

    "It''s okay, I guess," he shrugged. He put the bag on the bed. Jiwoon noted a hint of bitterness in his voice.

    "You don''t like living here?" she asked hesitantly.

    Siwan was silent for a while but he was not angry. He was debating about whether to reply or not.

    "My younger brother was murdered in the basement of this house," he revealed. "My dad abused and killed him. I guess that''s one of the reasons I don''t like this house. One of the many reasons."

    Jiwoon wished she had not asked that question and was immediately apologetic.

    "I''m sorry, that was rude of me to ask," she said.

    "It''s okay. I''m not really that secretive about my disdain of this ce nor of the fact that my father was a murderer."

    Jiwoon could not help but admire him for his honesty. He had epted the bitter truths of his past with a smile.

    "You''re brave, Doctor Kang," she mumbled. "I wish I was that brave."

    She looked down at her fingers, fidgeting. Siwan watched her and sighed.

    "I wouldn''t say I''m brave," he admitted. "I''m living here to remind myself everyday of my failure to protect my brother. I was living a life of luxury, oblivious to his sufferings. In a way, I''m punishing myself by living here."

    Jiwoon was speechless, unsure of what to say. "That''sбн" she began but Siwanughed it off.

    "Brave? Sad? Nah. It''s just my way of living. Life is hard but, at least we''re alive, right? Living this moment right now. Just because our past was filled with pain, doesn''t mean it defines us. It doesn''t even make us stronger. We just be more humane and start to love life for what it is."

    He shed her a genuine smile and added, "Think about it. If you hadn''t taken the step to leave that monster, would you have met the amazing people you know now?"

    Jiwoon thought for a while. He was right. If it was not for her horrific past, she would not have gotten the courage to leave and carve her own life.

    "But at what cost?" she mused sadly. "My daughter died a horrific death. She was supposed to be the one living, not me! It was supposed to be her lifeбн"

    She choked up her tears.

    "We can''t save everyone," Siwan said. "But we can remember them and be better people. I''ll carry the guilt of not saving my brother. You''ll carry the guilt of losing Yeonjoo. I guess...that makes us humans too."

    It was as if he was telling that to himself rather than her. He smiled at her before exiting the room, leaving Jiwoon to her thoughts. She stared at his back and was awed by the man who was fighting his own battle.

    Is that why you tried to save Yeonjoo that night? She wondered.

 Chapter 201 - Dead Killer (6)

    The shaman was in a fix. He paced back and forth in his small shack, growling in anger but the demon was adamant.

    "Are you crazy?" he hissed at the demon which was glowering at him from above. "You want to chase her? Even after all these years? Just possess someone and make a baby like you are supposed to! Why are you after that bitch?"

    "Herбн" Sungki whispered. "Only herбн"

    The shack was in the slums of the town, a few miles deep within the main city. The roads were broken and full of puddles there. The houses were semi-basement lodgements made of cheap wood and tin. The shack the shaman lived in was small and congested with books. There was no furniture except for a cheap bed in a corner. Rest of the shack only consisted of books on the ult which the shaman had written himself but unpublished. These books were his own findings about Hell and demons which he was using tomunicate with them. He could not see them but his skills gave him enough powers to sense their presence and hear them.

    For years, he had honed his knowledge with the help of the cult members who harnessed the power of the true Prince. They were arge brethren, awaiting the arrival of the true Prince of Hell. They spent their lives searching for and worshipping him to the point of fanaticism. Their goal was simple: to ensure the birth of a half demon vessel which the Prince could easily possess.

    The shaman was named Hong Wongshik and he had been part of the brethren for over thirty years. He had been working with Sungki before thetter''s death. Sungki had summoned a demon named Alganal to ask for fame and power. Sungki was an ambitious idol who wanted to achieve love from the public while hiding his own true sadistic persona. In return, the demon wanted regr human sacrifice otherwise he threatened to take Sungki''s soul.

    As a result, Sungki brought some of the girls from his club in exchange for his own life and fame which only grew day by day. He was obsessed with his career but all that took a backseat when Jisoo arrived. As soon as Sungki found a new obsession, he abandoned his original mission and tried to make Jisoo fall in love with him. He tried to make the demon force Jisoo into loving him and being with him only but the demon refused.

    "A human''s will can never be bent," the demon had warned. "It is against allws of nature."

    But Sungki did not give up. He beat up Jisoo everyday in the hopes that he could scare her into loving him but her feelings of disgust remained. No matter how much he abused her, she was scared of him but not in love with him.

    One day, when she gave birth to a girl, Sungki was even more enraged. He was so angry and disappointed that he trashed his whole room, not wanting to share his wife''s love with anyone and definitely not with a daughter! His parents wanted a boy as well and were trying to console him but he was enraged.

    But Jisoo turned out to be extremely protective. One day when Sungki was trying to choke the child with a pillow, Jisoo stopped him on time and stood up to him. Even after several beatings, Jisoo stood her ground, even hitting him back for the first time in their marriage. She was enraged by his actions and threatened him that if he tried to harm Yeonjoo again, she would reveal what he did to her.

    Instead of hitting back, Sungki left her alone for a while. He was patiently plotting his n and one day when Jisoo was in the bathroom, he set the baby''s room on fire. Jisoo came out of the bathroom and was horrified to see what Sungki had done and rushed in to save the infant who was already burnt beyond saving.

    But Jisoo still ran with the baby from hospital to hospital. The Cho''s warned all the hospitals in the city from treating the child and warned them that if anyone did, the facility would be shut down. What they did not expect was that an influential resident was studying at one of the hospitals and had enough power to defy them: Kang Siwan.

    "That bastard is sleeping with my Jisoo!" the demon growled. "He''s with her! I saw it."

    "It''s been eight years," the shaman pointed out. "You are dead and she has a life to live. She can''t wait for you all-"

    His words were cut off when an invisible hand sped his neck, choking him. The shaman wheezed and coughed as Sungki lifted him in the air, fuming in anger.

    "She is mine!" Sungki imed. "Only mine! I don''t want anyone else but her to give birth to my son! And if she''s with that guy, then I''ll only possess him. I"ll use him to make her give birth to my son and then take both of them away!"

    "Y-You c-c-c-c-can''t!" the shaman managed to say. "You p-promised us that your child will be given to the cult!"

    "I lied," the demon revealed. "Once my child is born, I''ll take my wife and son away to make them live with me. They''re my family, you hear me? Jisoo can only love me and no one else!"

    The demon was obsessed. Even after the torture he went through in hell, his obsession and deeds were so great that his demonization was faster than usual. Within a few years, he reached the level of the fourth most powerful demon lord which was unusually fast progress for a human soul to achieve.

    But unlike others, Sungki reveled in it. He boasted his newfound abilities which gave him so much power over humans. It was surreal that he was summoned back to the human world by his own foolish parents. He had tricked them into selling their souls and once they died, they would alsoe with him.

    Only Baekha remained out of his contract but that was okay. She was his power source, the only living human who could give him her soul energy to survive on. Even though he was a Kistris level demon, he was still unstable. It took centuries for a demon to fully gain control over their overwhelming abilities and adhere to thews of nature. But Sungki was too impatient to wait centuries. He wanted Jisoo and could wait no more.

    In his blind obsession, he turned into a monster which was worse than a demon. He started to stalk women who looked like Jisoo in the hopes that he would find her. But seeing them with other men enraged him and he killed them. Once they were dead, he tried to capture their souls and forcibly take them to Hell with him but the Gates just would not open. No matter how much he tried to create the symbol and open the Gates, they would remain shut.

    "Tonight, I''ll possess him," the demon said. "And take Jisoo with me! Maybe the Gates will openбн"

    He threw the shaman aside. The old man was still coughing and wanted to say something but decided against it. He knew demons and theirws. Whatever Sungki wanted, was not easy to get. The Gates would not open easily. Furthermore, while Sungki could kill Jisoo, it was impossible to take her to Hell against her will. Everything hadws and the brethren were aware of it. They had spent years bending thosews but some were unchangeable. No one could enter a contract with a demon against their will.

    But the demon would not understand all that. He was already too far into his obsession to care. The shaman was not worried but rather let him do anything he wanted. He watched the demon leave and once he was gone, he headed towards a pile of books to take out an object.

    It was a 3D pentagonal puzzle which had the symbol of a star and a cross encased by a circle. The symbol was drawn on every block of the pentagon and was the object the shaman had used to keep the demon in the living world.

    For now.

    "I must tell the n that Sungki is going out of hand," he muttered. The object in his hand was glowing ominously under the dim light.

    бн

    "Agh!" Hobin winced in pain. He was reading some files in his room when he suddenly felt a sharp pang in his head. A strange static sound was echoing in his ears and he tried to clear it out but the sound would not go away.

    Zzzzzzz...the sound was ying in his ears. The headache was getting worse by the second and he staggered off his chair. Slowly trying to stand up, he shakily grabbed a bottle of headache pills and swallowed it. He downed it with a bottle of water and gasped.

    He stood leaning against a wall, letting the headache ebb. A strange image of a funny looking man being held in the air as if being choked, shed in front of him.

    "What the hell?" he muttered. "What was that?"

 Chapter 202 - Dead Killer (7)

    Jina stood outside Hobin''s apartment, knocking on it. Miyoo was in her arms, trying to reach for the automated lock but Jina was keeping her away from it. The child was dropped off at Jina''s ce by Minyoon who had a show that night and could not take her along. Miyoo pouted and was angry at her brothers. One was keeping her away from Binbin and the other one was keeping her away from Beaky.

    Moreover, Magrod did not return for the past two days which also annoyed her to no end. How was she going to y pranks on the demon now?

    "Why are you cranky?" Jina wondered when her sister scowled.

    "Maggie," Miyoo mumbled.

    "Who?"

    "Binbin. Beaky!"

    Jina shook her head. She knew very well that if Miyoo wanted, she could talk properly but the girl was just toozy.

    "Oi, Doctor Demon!" She called, knocking on the door again. "Where are you?"

    "I''ming!"

    Hobin opened the door. He was shirtless and was wiping his wet auburn hair with a towel. Jina, who was still looking at Miyoo to figure out why she was angry, turned around and almost gasped.

    Water was dripping slowly from his sturdy body from his neck to all the way to his absбн

    "I''d love to let you stare all day but your sister is here," he pointed out.

    "What''s wrong in ogling at my boyfriend''s body?" Jina said cheekily. "It''s okay as long as I''m the one ogling and not anyone else!"

    "Ogle ogle!" Miyoo added. Hobin shook his head and let them enter the house. It was past midnight but they were so used to barging into each other''s houses that it became a norm for them to converse tillte hours. He put on a t-shirt and turned to her.

    "Jiwoon settled into Siwan''s house," Jina sighed and sat on a chair while Miyoo jumped off herp and ran towards a te of crab cakes which were on the desk. She was busy eating while the adults discussed the recent events.

    "But the whole thing is so strange," Jina went on. "Her husband became a demon! I''ve never heard of such aphenomenon!"

    "You mentioned that your parents once had to encounter a demon," Hobin said. "Tell me about it."

    He vaguely recalled that Hwang Minho''s mother was killed by a demon when Minho was really young. For years, many people believed Junho was the one who killed his wife but it turned out that it was the work of a demon.

    "That demon had killed my grandmother a long time ago and pinned the me on my grandpa," Jina said sadly. "He hid in my mother''s household after he was forced to go on the run. You see, he was her godfather and after my maternal grandmother died while giving birth to mom, he raised her. Yearster when my dad and grandfather met, they managed to clear out the misunderstanding thanks to my mother''s intervention. But the demon was still on the loose. Now, the entire family was looking for him because he was creating havoc in our lives."

    "The demon possessed my uncle Kanji," she went on. "His purpose was to free his lover from hell. You see, demons aren''t allowed to fall in love with humans. It''s aw. If they do, the demons be obsessed and when the human dies, the demon can be crazy. Some even get banished from Hell like the one we had encountered."

    "Banished from Hell?" Hobin echoed. "That''s weird. I thought only people who do bad things go there."

    "People who sell their souls to demons go there, regardless of their actions," Jina corrected him. "The rest either go straight to Afterlife or to Purgatory. Anyways, long story short. The demon was trying to open the Gates of Hell to bring out his lover but the Gates can only be essed through Purgatory. You see, the Gates are hidden in there so the demon needed a Transporter like my dad who could open them. But mom and grandpa stopped him on time and dad pushed the demon in the way of a reaper who shed him."

    At that point, Hobin held up his hand to stop her.

    "This isn''t going to work," he said sharply. "I''m not understanding anything. Is there any way for someone like me to enter there and see for myself?"

    "Wellбн" Jina fidgeted nervously. "Usually, no one can enter the ce unless they are sent there after death for purification. But...I can take someone with me."

    Hobin was surprised. "Can you take me there?" he asked.

    "Yes, but not for too long," she replied. "If a living person other than a Transporter stays there for more than an hour, he or she might die! It sucks out the soul energy from a living human but not from Transporters. And if you fail to return, you''ll die and remain there forever."

    "Ten minutes then," Hobin said.

    "Okay. I''ll put Miyoo to sleep and lock the door."

    Upon the sound of her name, Miyoo looked up. Jina picked up her sister in her arms and began to hum a luby for her. Miyoo, who was full from the crab cakes, was already sleepy. It did not take her long to snooze.

    Jina put her on the bed and locked the door. For added safety, she put up charms on the walls to protect Miyoo from passing spirits who might disturb her. Once she was done, Jina turned to Hobin.

    "Let''s go," she said.

    "But you just locked the door," he frowned. "How are we going to go anywhere if the door is locked?"

    "We don''t have to," she said.

    When Hobin looked confused, she revealed, "Purgatory is here, my dear doctor. It''s everywhere. And also nowhere."

    With that, she raised a finger and drew a circle in the air.

    "Patentibus," she whispered.

    Instantly, red sparks began to erupt from her fingers and a portal was opening. Hobin watched in astonishment as the circle grew bigger and bigger until a small pathway appeared. Jina stepped into it and he followed suit.

    To his shock, it was his bedroom and yet, there was something odd about it. Miyoo was no longer sleeping on the bed, leaving it empty but that was not the only odd thing. There was something else.

    "Noise," he whispered. "There''s no sound!"

    "Wee to Purgatory," Jina grimaced.

 Chapter 203 - Dead Killer (8)

    It was the most surreal experience he had ever had. There was a sense of calmness in the ce but it was not of peace. Rather, he was dreading the strange world he had entered.

    The world around him was dead. He was not sure how else to put it but it really felt dead or sleeping. Not a single sound could be heard. Even in the midst ofplete silence, there was always a sound. Whether it was slow breathing or drops of water falling in a sink. Sometimes, insects would cry or the sounds of horns would erupt in the distance.

    But now he was scared that he had gone deaf. The silence was ominously alluring him to its embrace, seducing him as if he wanted to be there. It was, after all, his own bedroom. He lived there.

    "What is this?" he whispered. He looked around the ce. Everything was a replica of his room. The desk, the bed and even the pen he had dropped on the floor were exactly how he put it. His towely on the chair where he had tossed it.

    "This is Purgatory," Jina said.

    "This is my room!"

    "It is and yet, it''s not," she replied. "Do you feel as if you belong here?"

    Hobin pondered on her question. To be honest, he was feeling a cold and unsettling feeling in his heart. He never realized how noisy the world was and now that he was thrust into the silence, he missed those sounds. Even the slightest sounds which used to annoy him, suddenly felt more endearing. The calm world was starting to overwhelm him and he needed to get away from it.

    Suddenly, he felt as if he was about to suffocate. He was a little restless and tried to control it but Jina saw through him.

    "Staying here for too long will harm you," she said. "We should go back."

    Jina felt the same dread but not as powerfully as him thanks to her abilities as a Transporter. She did not know why she was the odd one out in an already odd family.

    But Hobin shook his head.

    "No," he said. "I want to see this world. It''s...it''s making me curious."

    Jina sighed. "Ten minutes," she stated. "No more than that."

    He nodded and followed her to the door. She unlocked it and nced outside.

    "Remember, if you hear the sounds of a chain, hide," she warned. "Also, if youe across a reaper, jump out of its way without making any noise. Reapers are blind but have sharp hearing. Also, they can only sense someone if that person is standing directly in their way. They can move in only one direction. Forward. They patrol all corners of Purgatory to purge and sh any soul or creature whiches in their way. Living or dead."

    "What happens if they sh us?"

    "You''ll be a Mindless soul," Jina replied in a whisper. Mindless?

    "Krrrбн"

    Both of them jumped at the sound and looked around to find a very strange creature standing at the end of the corridor.

    "What-" Hobin began but Jina put her hand on his mouth, shutting him up. The creature was unlike anything Hobin had ever seen.

    It had several hands and legs, walking like a giant spider with limbs sticking out from its body. But it was big and the body was too heavy for it to move around. The creature had thousands of eyes but all of them were sewn shut. Only its mouth was open, grumbling and gurgling as it slowly came closer.

    Hobin was staring at the humanoid spider which was inching towards them. His instinct was to run but to his surprise, Jina shook her head.

    "Stay still," she mouthed him. Hobin did not question her but was rooted to his spot. The creature shrieked loudly but they did not move. It sniffed the air but the nostrils were also sealed shut. It had no sense of direction nor any rational thoughts. All it could do was exist.

    The creature gurgled and passed by them, not bothering to even acknowledge their presence.

    "What the hell is that?" Hobin whispered once the creature was gone.

    "That," Jina began. "Is a Mindless soul. They were shed by the reapers foring in their way. Several of the Mindless souls merge together with time to be hideous creatures. It doesn''t give them any strength though. Once a reaper shes someone, they lose all their sanity and be an empty shell. They exist without any memories or sense of their previous selves. These creatures can''t hurt anyone but their punishment is harsh. To live like that for eternity."

    "All souls turn into that?"

    "No. Just the ones unfortunate enough to be attacked by a Reaper. If any soul manages toplete their redemption here without running into a Reaper, they move to the Afterlife. This is a punishment process for their deeds. To be constantly on the run after death. Nothing can escape a Reaper''s punishment once they are caught. Not even demons. That''s how my parents got rid of the demon which haunted them for years. They pushed him in front of a reaper and had him turned into a Mindless."

    Hobin was now horrified. Did someone really deserve a punishment like that?

    "Let''s go back for today," Jina nudged.

    Hobin nodded and followed her back into his t. He nced onest time at the spot where the creature disappeared off.

    What a terrible ce, he thought. Jina closed her eyes again and muttered the chant to open the portal. They passed through it and were back in his room. Hobin was sure that it was really his house because Miyoo was sprawled on his bed, lightly snoring.

    "Shaken by the experience?" Jina asked.

    "Curious too," Hobin admitted. "It''s like a parallel universe. Looks exactly like our world but it isn''t!"

    "You can say that it''s a form of poetic punishment," she said in a bitter tone. "Waking up in the same ce of their death. The souls there can''t move from one building to another. They''re confined to that ce, running from Reapers for years. Centuries or millenniaeven. Until the soulpletes the redemption that is."

    Hobin was lost in his thoughts. He had studied psychological science for years and even though there was mention of death, no one could fully grasp what it was. He merely assumed it was the end of life.

    Who knew that there was another unending journey beyond death?

    It wasplicated. It was fascinating.

    And it was going to push them close to the Gates of Hell.

 Chapter 204 - Dead Killer (9)

    Siwan yawned widely as he stretched his limbs. He woke up in the middle of the night, feeling kinda thirsty. The water jug by his bed was empty so he headed for the kitchen.

    It was quite dark that night, even darker than usual. The sky outside was moonless and the shadows from therge trees in the garden were looming around the mansion. A strange calmness lingered in the air but it was rather a cold one. The windows were closed but a cool breeze wasing from somewhere, making him shiver. Siwan was too sleepy to notice the chill.

    Instead, he sleepily walked towards the kitchen to pour himself a ss of water. A shadow was closely tailing him, watching its prey. Siwan was unaware of the thing following him and he entered the kitchen. The shadow was in tandem with his steps, stalking him as he slowly opened the fridge.

    A dark figure slowly emerged from the shadow. Its red eyes were observing the man who was now residing in the heart of the woman it loved.

    "She is mineбн" Sungki hissed. Siwan did not hear anything but groaned. There was no water in the fridge either.

    "I''ll have to made do with juice," he sighed and took out a juice carton. The demon was still hovering near him. Sungki''s eyes were filled with hatred for the wretched man who dared to touch his Jisoo. What did she see in him anyway? If she wanted money, Sungki would have given her the world.

    Was it too much to ask her to love him and him only? What was wrong in locking her up? He only wanted to tame her. She was being too arrogant, pleading and begging to be let free.

    But they were married and she was his property. How could he let her go? It was impossible!

    "She''ll be mine again...Kang Siwanбн"

    Siwan felt a slight chill brush his neck but he simply shook it off. He hated it when his sleep was broken in the middle of the night. If there was somethingmon between him and his brother, it was their love for sleep.

    The demon was impatient. His prey was alone and it was the perfect time to strike. Siwan''s back was turned to him and the invisible entity was finally delighted. Not only was he going to take his beloved Jisoo away, he was also going to eliminate his rival soon.

    "I can murder another bitch and nt it on him!" the demon smirked. "Perfectбн"

    He positioned himself behind Siwan. The unsuspecting man was oblivious to the cold presence approaching him, slowly engulfing him in an unseen fog. Siwan was still drinking from the juice carton, unaware of the danger behind him. Sungki slowly reached out and touched Siwan''s shoulder. He grinned as he slowly integrated himself in Siwan''s bodyбн

    Siwan froze. For a moment, time had stopped and he was not moving at all. It was as if everything had gone immobile, unmoving and unflinching. Not even a sound could be heard in that moment as the demon entered its prey.

    "AGHHHHHH!"

    A loud scream echoed through the air. Jiwoon, who was wide awake, jumped in fright. The sound came from Soobin''s room. Was she in trouble?

    Instinctively, she grabbed her gun and ran towards Soobin''s bedroom. She burst in through the door, wildly pointing the gun in the air. To her surprise, Soobin was standing in a corner, looking frightened.

    "What happened?" Jiwoon demanded.

    "C-Cockroach!" Soobin squeaked, pointing at a cockroach on the floor. Jiwoon groaned and put her gun away. Soobin yelped when the cockroach moved and hid behind Jiwoon.

    "It''s not going to hurt you," she said calmly.

    "I''m scared, sis!"

    The girl was truly frightened. She was shaking in fear, making Jiwoon wonder how she managed to take down a criminal but was scared of a tiny cockroach. Jiwoon sighed and picked up the cockroach. Soobin winced when Jiwoon threw it out of the window.

    Just then, Siwan came running into the room. He had heard the screams and ran towards Soobin''s room as fast as he could.

    "What happened?" he asked in confusion.

    "She''s scared of a cockroach," Jiwoon said, trying not to snicker. Soobin pouted in shame. She hated cockroaches and it was not her fault that they terrorized her!

    "I guess everyone has something to be scared about," Siwan said with a smile. "Go back to sleep. You have school tomorrow."

    "Yes, Doctor Kang," Soobin mumbled and went back to bed. Jiwoon and Siwan quietly left her room. When they reached the mini living room on the second floor, they could not help but snicker.

    "I can''t believe the girl who caught a criminal is scared of a cockroach!" Siwanughed.

    "Give her a break," Jiwoon gently reproached him but she was also smiling. "She''s just a kid."

    "Yeah," he agreed. "Sometimes, she worries me a lot. With all the work she does and now that she is dating that Hwang twin, I feel that she''s doing too much."

    He sighed and shook his head. It was strange that Soobin managed to keep up with her top grades while juggling so many things. That girl was just something else.

    "Why are you holding a juice carton?" Jiwoon asked, pointing at his hand.

    "Oh, I was thirsty and was drinking from this when I heard Soobin''s screams," he shrugged. "Want some?"

    He offered her the carton which she epted with a ''thanks''.

    "But you look wide awake," Siwan said, yawning. "Is everything alright?"

    "I usually sleep very little," Jiwoon admitted, taking a sip from the juice. "Kind of an old habit."

    She did not borate but Siwan correctly guessed that after years of suffering from abuse, her sleeping cycle was distorted. It was a pattern he had often seen in children who were abused too. They lost their sleep and appetite.

    Come to think of it, she barely eats, he realized. Thest time they were at the cafe, Jiwoon did not even fully finish her sandwich but merely took a bite and took the rest of it as takeaway. He did not have the chance to check on her diet either.

    She is skinny for her age, he thought but did not say it out loud.

    "Thanks," she said, handing him back the carton. "I think I''ll be able to sleep for a while before I head for work tomorrow."

    She shed him a small smile and walked away. Siwan stared at her retreating back, wondering why she was still keeping herself isted from everyone. She came a long way from the timid and scared girl who was trying to save her baby all those years ago. But sometimes, he felt that she was still scared of her past as if it was going toe back to haunt her.

    When Hobin asked him to let Jiwoon stay at his mansion, Siwan did not even ask him for a reason. He simply agreed, knowing fully well that the Cho''s are going to reach her someday. Siwan was aware that Jiwoon could protect herself now but her trauma was still pulling her back from confronting them.

    "I''ll have to speak with Hobin about this," he decided before heading back to his room.

    As Siwan fell back into a blissful sleep, the shadow was still following him. Sungki was enraged by his failure to capture the body of this damn bastard who was with his Jiwoon. He had nearly seeded in entering Siwan''s body but before he could fully possess the doctor, a strong jolt of electricity shocked him and he was thrown out. It was as if Siwan''s body had rejected him for some reason.

    But he was not wearing any charms nor holy objects; those would not harm Sungki to this extent. He was immune to salt and most holy charms. Then why did Siwan''s body reject him?

    Over the course of the night, Sungki tried to enter Siwan''s body several times but failed. Everytime he tried, he would be electrocuted. It was easy to possess the weak and depressed Yooseok but Siwan was nearly impossible!

    "I''ll have to ask that damn shaman!" he cursed out loud. But he was still eyeing Siwan''s sleeping figure.

    I must possess him by hook or by crook, he swore. And make Jisoo mine.

    бн

    The shaman was shaking his head at the foolish demon who was enraged at him. Did he really think that he could possess just anyone?

    But Sungki was impatient and he pulled the shaman by his cor.

    "Why did the possession fail?" he snarled. "Where did I go wrong?"

    "You can''t just possess anyone!" the shaman snapped. "Demons have their own rules! Even the most ruthless ones can''t randomly target any person and possess them!"

    "What the fuck do you mean?" Sungki growled.

    Wongshik was annoyed at the dumb demon. Sungki might be powerful but he was still a fairly new demon. He had no idea about many things. Possessing Yooseok was easy but that was luck. Possession required more than that.

    "Yooseok was already suffering from mental health issues," Wongshik pointed out. "Your parents chose him as a vessel for you because he was burnt out and depressed. His mind was weak which made the possession of his body easy. He could not fight back."

    "But the person you want right now, Kang Siwan, is not like that," he went on. "That man must have hardened his mentality to the point he can endure all sorts of pressure and still thrive. He is mentally strong. Maybe he had seen the harsh realities of life and is more perspective. Also, he''s a famous surgeon. He has hardened his mind to the point that he doesn''t let himself be depressed. Demons can''t easily possess a human like that!"

    Sungki growled in anger. Not only was that bastard Siwan sleeping with his wife, but he was impossible to possess!

    "Just my fucking luck!" the demon cursed.

    "But there might be a way," the shaman revealed. "I just need a few days to hone it."

    "Do whatever you have to do!" the demon ordered. "But I want that body! I''ll be able to bend Jisoo to my will by using him!"

    "Just a few days," the shaman promised. "And he''ll be yours. But you''ll need a lot of soul energy to recover from the shocks you received today."

    "Don''t worry," the demon grinned. "My dear sister will help me out with thisбн"

    Outside the shack, Magrod was listening in to their conversation. He managed to gather almost all the information but as a demon, he was not allowed to intervene with another demon''s contract. If he did that, he would be sucked back into Hell and be locked up in there for a thousand years.

    "This one can''t be easily exorcised either," he muttered.. "I''ll have to save that girl somehow."

 Chapter 205 - Dead Killer (10)

    Soobin was humming to herself as she walked down the school corridor. She greeted some of the students on her way and reached her locker when her eyes fell on Baekha who was also walking towards her own locker.

    "Baekha!" she called. Baekha turned around to find Soobin ushering her over.

    "Is everything alright?" Soobin asked as she took out her locker keys.

    "I guess," Baekha shrugged. "I''m still living in the outhouse."

    "And what about...you knowбн"

    Soobin was indicating about her situation with Ciara and Youngjoon who are still obsessed with the demon and shaman.

    "Still fixated on the fake shaman," Baekha replied but Soobin was not so sure if that man was a fake.

    "Just out of curiosity," Soobin began. "Why do you think he''s fake?"

    When Baekha raised an eyebrow, she quickly added, "I''m asking because not all shamans are fake. Some are real and might be able to summon spirits or demons. What if he''s the real deal and your brother''s spirit has actually be summoned-"

    "What nonsense!" Baekha scoffed. "There''s no such thing as spirits or demons. People who are dead, stay dead."

    She did not believe in such things. Why should she? IF the dead came back, then they would be living in a very scary world. As if the living humans were not scary enough. Who would worry about the dead ones?

    "I dunno," Soobin shrugged. "There are...things in this world which can''t be exined."

    She shuddered to think of her experience with Duho and how the demon had possessed him. Even though Duho was an obsessed stalker, to suffer a fate like that was cruel.

    "Anyways," she went on as she put the key in her locker. "I-"

    BANG!

    There was a mini explosion when Soobin opened her locker and a sticky substance hit her. Baekha, who was also standing next to her, felt some of it hit her but her state was not as bad as Soobin''s. The sticky, gooey dough was stuck to thetter''s clothes and hair, making her shriek.

    "What the hell?" Soobin cried, trying to take off the sticky goo but to her horror, her hair waspletely stuck together and no matter how many times she rubbed her skin, the goo only stuck deeper.

    Students gathered around her and were whispering to themselves, pointing at her.

    "That thing doesn''te out easily!" one of the students said.

    "It sticks worse on hair."

    Baekha red at them and yelled, "DON''T JUST STAND THERE, HELP HER!"

    A few students came forward to console Soobin who was panicking. She was not angry but desperate to take the thing off her skin but to no avail. Baekha and the other students quickly took her to the girl''s shower at the gym nearby. Only Baekha followed her there, while the others stayed back to see how else they could help.

    Once inside, Baekha turned to the hysteric Soobin who was now on the verge of crying.

    "This is gonna take forever to take off!" Soobin sobbed. "And the uniform is so expensiveбн"

    She was now scared and worried. The clothes werepletely ruined by the orange stain and it was only deepening. It was hard to afford these uniforms and she had to work long hours for months to afford them.

    "You got covered in goo and you''re worrying about a dumb uniform?" Baekha snapped. "This thing won''te off easily!"

    She searched in her bag. Luckily, there was arge bottle of nail polish remover which should take off the substance from Soobin''s skin. But the hairбн

    "Use this," she said, handing the remover to her. "The skin will be easy to clean. As for the hair...I might have to cut it."

    Soobin gasped. Cut her hair?

    She sadly looked at her once silky hair which was now stuck together. The goo hadpletely covered her long locks, making them tangled and sticky. It was not going toe off easily with shampoo and water. Most of it would have to be cut off.

    "Don''t worry," Baekha assured her. "I''ll do it for you."

    Thanks to her secret identity as an idol, she knew how to cut someone''s hair. Soobin was now on the verge of tears.

    "Who did this?" she sniffed, wiping tears from her sticky cheeks.

    "Isn''t it obvious?"

    Soobin gulped at that question. Was it? Did Sera really do this to her?

    "Just go and get cleaned," Baekha suggested. "I''m here. I''ll wait. I''d better call your boyfriend and-"

    "No!"

    Soobin was adamant. Yoonmin should not find out about this at all. He was away on a two day trip for some business and if he heard it, he would leave everything and rush to her side.

    "Don''t tell him," she said. "I don''t want to worry him. I''ll...I''ll handle this."

    "You do realize the other kids are gonna talk," Baekha pointed out. "And he''s gonna hear it when he arrives at school."

    "I''ll worry about thatter! But don''t tell him now. Please!"

    Baekha wanted to argue but the genuine plea in Soobin''s eyes stopped her from doing so. Ugh, this girl has a quality to make people listen to her, Baekha groaned inwardly.

    "Fine!" she agreed. "But you''d better tell him yourself once hees back!"

    "Okay!"

    Soobin gave her a sad smile. Baekha handed her some of the essentials she always carried with her. Since she was an idol, she had to carry things like soap and shampoo with her so that she could clean herself quickly whenever needed.

    "You carry all these?" Soobin frowned.

    "Be thankful that I do. Otherwise, you''d have to go to the hospital to take this off!"

    She also extracted some extra clothes from her bag and handed it to her. After the fatty tricked her, Baekha kept a spare set of uniform with her all the time. Soobin shed her a smile and went to take a shower.

    The fatty...Baekha was sure that Sera was behind the attack. She did not usually call people like that but after what Sera did, she did not even want to acknowledge her with a proper name. Sera reminded her of a child who threw tantrums whenever they did not get their way. To side with bullies when she was bullied herself, was something Baekha could not forgive.

    Finally, Soobin came out of the shower room. No matter how many times she tried to clean her hair, it was impossible topletely clean her hair. Baekha sighed at the state of Soobin''s beautiful hair and pulled out a pair of scissors from her bag.

    "Do...do I have to cut my hair?" Soobin asked in a sad tone.

    "It''s just hair," Baekha said. "It''ll grow back."

    "I know butбн"

    Soobin gazed at her poor hair. It took her many years to grow them out and she always took extra care of them. She could not help feeling sad, feeling as if she was losing an old friend.

    Yoonmin likes my long hair, she thought sadly. What if he loses interest in me after seeing that I''ve cut it off?

    Baekha sighed and patted the girl''s back. She was being dramatic but somewhere in her heart, Baekha understood her dilemma too. After all, she also had to cut off her hair to hide her identity as Baek.

    "I''ll be gentle," she promised. "And give you a good haircut, okay?"

    Soobin nodded but did not say anything. Her eyes were stung with tears but she brushed them away as Baekha extracted a few strands. Soobin''s heart ached as she heard the snipping of the scissors, the long locks falling all around her.

    бн

    Minyoon was in the ssroom but he was surprised to find out that Soobin was not there. She was always early to school and never missed out on a single say. In fact, she had called him that morning to ask if he could bring Yoonmin''s Biology notebook for her so that she could jot down his lessons for him while he was away.

    The first period ended and it was time for their math ss.

    Where is she? He wondered. The teacher waste and the students began to chatter.

    "Did you hear about Soobin?" One of the students was saying. Minyoon, who was about to text Soobin, froze.

    "Her locker exploded and some weird glue-like stuff stuck to her body and hair!" the student was telling his friends. "She was crying."

    At that very moment, Baekha entered the ssroom followed byбн

    "Soobin?"

    Minyoon was gaping at her. She was now sporting a short bob cut. Baekha had expertly cut her hair, making it look cool and chic. Some of the boys were ogling at Soobin, who felt really shy. She changed into a fresh set of uniform and to her shock, Bakeha wore really tight clothes. The uniform now stuck to her frame, highlighting her curves and she was attracting the attention of every male student. Even the skirt was shorter than the standard size.

    "Baekha, this is too revealing!" Soobin squeaked. "People are staring!"

    "Good," Baekha muttered. Even Minyoon was trying hard not to stare at his brother''s girlfriend.

    "What happened?" he hissed at them. Baekha did not reply but was looking around for someone. Her eyes fell on Sera.

    "That happened," she said, pointing at the fatty who was fuming at Soobin. Instead of bing the butt of the joke, Soobin was prettier than before. She looked mature in her new hairdo and the tight uniform only made her look more desirable.

    "Just look at her," Miho muttered from behind her. "Showing off her body like that! You were right Sera. She''s a fake!"

    Sera nodded and looked away. She should not be bothered with trash like Soobin. The goo might have backfired but she would unmask Soobin someday.

    Minyoon followed Baekha''s gaze and instantly understood what she meant.

    "I''ll go and sit somewhere," Soobin said. "Ugh! This is justбн"

    She trailed off and headed towards an empty chair, drowning in misery. Baekha could not help feeling bad for the girl because she seemed to be genuinely nice.

    "Oi, bozo," she muttered to Minyoon. "What do you say you and I teach that fatty a lesson she''ll never forget?"

    "I don''t bully people," Minyoon stated.

    "We''re not bullying," she replied. "Just gonna teach her and that blonde lotus a lesson."

    Minyoon frowned at her. "What are you nning?" he frowned.

    But Baekha shed him a sarcastic smile and lightly patted his cheek. Her small gesture made Minyoon blush but she did not notice.

    "You''ll see," she said.. "All you gotta do is send an email."

 Chapter 206 - Dead Killer (11)

    Jina was humming to herself as she drove along the highway. The road was rtively empty at that time of the night. It was past midnight and she had to file in several reports that day before Taejoon finally allowed her to leave for home. She cursed him inwardly for keeping her sote for no reason but he was an idiot anyway.

    "I wonder if Doctor Demon arrived home yet," she sighed. He had asked her to pick up crab cakes for him. For some reason, he only preferred this dish.

    I''ll have to cook healthier things for him, she decided.

    The night was darkening and it seemed that it would rain soon. Thankfully, the demon did not attack anyone for the past few days and given that Yooseok''s DNA was found at the scenes, the higher ups thought he was the murderer. Even though Jina did not want to pin the murder on the poor fellow, thew did not believe in ghosts or demons. It only wanted solid evidence even if it was unfair.

    Thunder rumbled in the sky and she was momentarily startled. Jina was a bit wary of the storm which was approaching. Stormy nights were the worst for Seers like her because ghosts would pop up any moment. In fact, a lot of ghosts appeared on stormy nights and she was worried that they would bother Miyoo as well. The child was already scared of her own powers and the onught of ghosts would only scare her more.

    "I should tell the old man to increase the protection charms around her," she muttered. "I''d do it once I reach home."

    She continued to drive along the dested highway when her phone rang. Putting it on speaker, she answered the call.

    "Did you get the crab cakes?" Hobin''s voice came from the other end.

    "Do you ever eat anything other than crab cakes?" she sighed. "I''m not buying anymore of this junk!"

    "I love crab cakes!" Hobin slightly pouted.

    "How about this? If you decrease your intake of unhealthy food, I''ll cook you good food everyday."

    "Are you nning to take over my kitchen?" he teased. "I don''t mind. You can take over my bed too. Of course, I''ll be sharing it-"

    "Pervert!" Jina scowled. "We''ve just started dating! I am not jumping into bed with you this easily."

    "This easily? Does that mean you will jump one day?"

    Jina gaped at him. Only he knew how to twist her words to his advantage. Stupid doctor! She winced but could not help smiling.

    "I''m on my way home," she said. "Still on the highway. I''ll-"

    Suddenly, a white figure appeared in the middle of the road, causing Jina to panic and swerve off the road. The tires screeched as the car circled around uncontrobly, causing her to scream.

    "AHHHHH!"

    Her screams alerted Hobin. "Jina!" he yelled. "What happened?"

    But she did not answer. Instead, she was screaming as the car went off track, falling headfirst into a small ditch. Jina hit her head and fell unconscious while Hobin kept on yelling her name.

    "JINA! JINA!"

    She was out cold. Blood trickled down her head and shey on the wheel,pletely out of it. The line went cold and Hobin was scared. He picked up a coat and grabbed his keys, rushing to find her. Rushing to his car, he jumped into it and sped off.

    Just be alright, he prayed. Please!

    бн

    "Mmmmбн" Jina moaned as she opened her eyes. Everything was a blur to her and her body was heavy. Her head was hurting badly and she smelled blood. Trying to lift her head, a spin of dizziness hit her and she fell on the wheel again.

    "Aghбн" she winced and tried to get up again. Her ribs were probably broken as well because her chest was in agony. She struggled to unlock the seatbelt with her shaky hands. Finally, she was freed and opened the door.

    Jina staggered out of the car, dragging herself forward. The car was half dangling on branches and the other half was almost on the ground. She fell on the hard forest floor with a thud and yelled in pain.

    "AHHHHH!" she screamed. Her whole body was in immense pain and she felt the energy being sucked out of her. Thankfully, her legs were still fine so she tried to stand up. She limped towards the road, clutching her chest. There was no car in sight and it was impossible for her to walk all the way home. She was badly injured and needed emergency care. Hobin must have heard her screams so she assumed he was on his way to help her.

    "Ow ow ow!" she moaned in pain. It was too much to bear but she had to hold out a while longer. Leaning against a tree, she tried to steady herself. She was so engrossed in her pain, she did not realize that everything around her waspletely silent.

    A lone figure was watching her with its empty sockets. It stalked her, inching closer by the second. She was unaware of its presence, her senses affected by the ident. Jina closed her eyes, praying that the pain would go away soon. A pair of hands was touching the bark of the tree, making their way towards her. They were so silent that even Jina could not hear their movements.

    The hands were sneaking towards her, eager to feel her. She was the one they seeked. The one whom they wanted.

    Jina was still leaning against the tree with her eyes closed when the hands quietly crept to her neck.

    "AHHHH!" She screamed again when she felt her throat being throttled. The hands pulled her closer to the tree, choking her. Jina felt the cold touch on her neck, trying to break free but the grip was too firm.

    "GAH!" she choked and tried to w at the hands but to her shock, another pair of hands grabbed her wrists, pinning them back. Another set of hands grabbed her feet, preventing her from moving at all and someone shut her mouth.

    Jina was panicking and thrashing, trying to fight them off but she was too weak to do so. Her vision was darkening but several spirits were whispering in her ears.

    "Prince is back...Priestess must die...Prince is backбн"

    Prince? She weakly thought. She was almost losing consciousness again, her body unable to take any more torture.

    Is this the end? She vaguely wondered as her eyes were shutting.

    Suddenly, she heard someone calling out her name and felt the sprinkling of a pleasant smelling powder. The spirits grabbing her squealed in pain and disappeared. A strong pair of hands lifted her up and Jina felt the familiar warm touch.

    "H-Hobin?" she whispered. "You''re...hereбн"

    "I''ll always protect you."

    His voice was soothing, yet filled with fear as if he was afraid of losing her. He gripped her tightly against his chest, not letting her go at all. Seeing her in that dire state was killing him. She was his tiny Tinkerbell. She was loving and strong. How could he let her die? He would die with her if that happened.

    "I promised you, didn''t I?" he whispered. "I''ll always protect you. Even if I have to be a monster, I''ll protect you. It''s a promise I made in death, after all."

    But Jina was nowpletely unconscious. She did not hear thest part but a part of her brain was telling her that she missed something important. Death...why was he talking about death?

    Hobin put her in his car and drove at full speed towards the hospital. His eyes were filled with grief and fury. He had touched her and saw what she went through in the past hour. The spirits were trying to kill her. Not one, but hundreds.

    Yes. There were hundreds of spirits around her. Jina''s cognitive memory stored the images of the ghosts which were looking at her with disdain and hatred. They were adamant on killing her as if they were in a trance.

    I''ll destroy them, he vowed.

    бн

    Miyoo woke up in the middle of the night and was suddenly very still. The room was shrouded with darkness and everyone else was asleep. She did not know why she woke up but something was not right.

    Her eyes fell on a charm her grandfather had stered over the window. It was stuck to the wall but slowly, it was being peeled off. Miyoo''s eyes widened in horror as a hand was scratching at it but there was no body attached to it. There was just a lone hand touching it, peeling it as if it did not hurt at all.

    Then she nced outside the window and froze in fear. Several faces were staring at her with ominous smiles on their faces. They were all pale white figures of various ages. Old, young. Male, female. Adults, children.

    And they were watching her.

    "Don''t move!"

    Miyoo did not dare to but was sobbing in fear. Magrod jumped on the bed, growling at the spirits which were now gleefully eyeing the child. They were going to take her away.

    Those bastards must have sent these things, he realized. This is happening again!

    "Maggieбн"

    Miyoo was not scared for herself; she was scared for him. The spirits were going to hurt him to get to her.

    "Don''t worry kid," he told her. Miyoo was surprised when he was starting to grow in size. His tiny figure was increasing and his two sleeping heads were awake, growling like a pair of wild beasts at the spirits. His fur was silky ck and his tail grew longer with every second. His teeth grew into sharp canines and his red eyes began to glow.

    A pair of wings erupted from his back, spreading almost as wide as her room. He was now over twenty feet high, a ferocious beast with fire emitting from his mouth.

    The spirits were ring at the demon with hatred but they were unaware of his powers. Miyoo was awed as Magrod stepped forward, looking like a royal beast.

    "Now y''all will know what a Vozakel Lord really is!" he threatened and let out an ear piercing growl.

 Chapter 207 - Dead Killer (12)

    All three of Magrod''s heads let out an earth shattering roar. The sounds resonated throughout the room, breaking all the ss into pieces. Miyoo hid under the covers, shutting her ears. Several spirits flew towards her but a sh of light erupted from the mouth of one of Magrod''s heads, hitting the ghosts square on the face. They squealed in pain and disappeared.

    More ghosts wereing to attack him but Magrod''s other head released a foul smelling gas at them which, upon touching the pale figures, burnt them to a crisp. The other spirits were attacking him in groups but they were no match for him. He let out another roar.

    "AGHHHHH!" The ghosts cried and closed their ears but the sound of the roar echoed in their ears until they exploded into thousands of shiny lights. Miyoo, who was still under the covers, peeked out to see that the lights were shining like stars, floating in the air momentarily.

    "Pretty!" she gasped.

    "You got attacked by a hoard of spirits and you''re awed by the pretty lights?" Magrod scoffed. The little girl nodded and shes a thumbs up at him.

    Maggie, cool!" sheplimented him.

    "Of course I am cool!" he said pompously. "I ain''t the gatekeeper to Hell for no reason ya know."

    He beamed in pride, his other two heads nodding in agreement. "You should be thankful that an elite demon like me saved you-WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?"

    Miyoo grabbed his bushy tail and stroked it. "Pretty tail," she said.

    His long tail was curly with smooth fur on it which fascinated the girl. She tried to pet it but Magrod snatched it away from her.

    "Don''t touch my tail, you puny human!" he snapped. "Now you know who the true Alpha is!"

    She nodded and pointed at herself. "Miyoo, Alpha!" she dered.

    "WRONG! I''m the Alpha here! The leader. The divine being who-DON''T TOUCH MY TAIL!"

    Miyooughed and pulled his tail again, making Magrod yelp. She was now trying to climb on his back to touch his wings but he stopped her. Picking her up with his paw, he red at the girl. He wanted to be menacing but Miyoo was onlyughing at him.

    "Oi! Don''t youugh in this dire situation!" He scolded her. "We need to know why those things attacked you."

    The ghosts had clearly targeted her for a reason and he must find out why. They needed a Seer.

    Did the n send them? He wondered. Then it would fit in perfectly with their prior ns. Are they looking for the other Prince?

    Miyoo leaned forward to touch Magrod''s whisker, making the demon growl.

    "DON''T TOUCH MY PRETTY WHISKERS!"

    He dropped her on the bed and grumbled. Ever since he managed to escape the box, he had been bullied by a puny human! No no. She was not a human being. She was probably a spawn of the Demon Lord himself!

    Tch! He scowled as Miyoo chased his tail again, jumping up and down to grab it.

    Just then, the door to her bedroom burst open and two figures entered. Junho and Minyoon were horrified to see the mess in Miyoo''s room. The child had stopped jumping and sat on her bed quietly as her grandfather and brother rushed towards her.

    "Miyoo!" Junho eximed, picking her up in his arms. He hugged her tightly, relieved that she was alright. They had heard the loud explosion in her room and had hurried to save her.

    Minyoon was checking the windows. All the windows were broken along with the bulbs and vase. Even the tiles in the bathroom were shattered, the pieces scattered all over the floor. A strong sulphuric scent lingered in the air, which only meant the worst had happened.

    How the hell did this happen? He wondered.

    "Old man, there''s something wrong," he said at once. "All the charms have been ripped off and the sses are broken. How the hell did this happen?"

    "I''ve never seen this kind of phenomenon," Junho murmured. Miyoo was quiet in his arms as if she understood the gravity of the situation.

    "A demon broke in," Junho went on. Beside him, Magrod had shrunk back to his small size and froze. The sulphur! He realized. I released sulphur, ugh!

    Miyoo poked her grandfather, trying to tell him not to worry but he was too engrossed talking to Minyoon.

    "I''m sure that this is a powerful demon," he went on. "But how the hell did it break the barrier?"

    "Old man, is it possible that charms don''t work on certain kinds of demons?" Minyoon frowned.

    Junho frowned at that but it was a possibility. "I''ll go to Bomi tomorrow," he was saying. "And-"

    Suddenly, his phone rang up. It was Hobin.

    "What is it?" he asked Hobin over the phone. He listened carefully, his eyes widening in shock. Minyoon and Miyoo felt him stiffen in fear. Junho was so shocked that he slumped on the bed, unable to talk. Minyoon grabbed the phone from his grandfather and addressed Hobin.

    "What happened?" he demanded.

    "Jina was attacked by several spirits," Hobin revealed. "And she got into a severe ident."

    "WHAT?" Minyoon eximed. "We''re heading over right now!"

    He hung up the phone and turned to Junho. "Sis was attacked by several spirits?" he demanded from Junho. "Again?"

    Magrod was now apt with attention. Miyoo''s sister was attacked too?

    She must be the other Seer, he realized. This is a coordinated attack.

    There was no doubt about it. The spirits attacked both the sisters, injuring one and nearly killing the other.

    Fucking n, he cursed. This is them. I''ll have to follow this family and check on the other Seer.

    He would have to keep a distance though. The other Seer might not be as weing to him as Miyoo was. It would be best to observe her first.

    "Let''s go!" Junho eximed. "Jina...Iбн"

    He was almost hysterical to the point that even Miyoo was worried. She clutched her grandfather tightly, trying to assure him that her sister was fine. Her older sis was strong. There was no way she would be hurt!

    Minyoon nodded and they rushed outside the house, not even bothering to change into fresh clothes. He only grabbed his wallet and the keys before heading out. Once inside the car, Minyoon revved up the car and stepped on the elerator. Magrod quietly snuck in, taking a seat beside Junho who was still holding Miyoo.

    Junho was quiet all throughout the journey, patting Miyoo absentmindedly. But there was a fire in his eyes which was burning with a strong desire for vengeance.

    If there was one thing Junho could never forgive, it was someone hurting his family. He spent decades chasing a demon which killed his wife and did not rest until he destroyed it. His family was his everything and if anyone dared to hurt a hair on their heads, he would not hesitate to burn the culprit down.

    Even if it meant to destroy all the parallel worlds which kept humanity intact.

    "I''ll not spare them," he whispered. "Whoever those spirits are...I won''t spare them."

    Minyoon nced at his grandfather from the rearview mirror and for once, he was scared of the old man. He was not kidding when he said that he would not spare those ghosts. Until those spirits were destroyed, Junho was not going to rest.

    Even Magrod could feel the determination from this human being. He studied Junho with interest and was impressed by his vow. There were very rare humans who would go to that length. Seeing his devotion to his family, it was obvious why Miyoo was safe from ghosts.

    "This is one scary family," he muttered. Miyoo, who was now sleepy,y her head on her grandfather''s shoulder and fell asleep. She did not need to worry about her sister because her Jina sis was going to be fine. Nor was she scared of the spirits.

    Her grandfather was going to destroy them anyway.

    бн

    Hobin was sitting outside the emergency room. His eyes were wide open, unblinking. He did not know how much time had passed but he remained in that position without moving an inch.

    A strange feeling was burning in his heart and he was controlling himself with great difficulty. The moment he saw Jina''s mangled body on the road and her near death state, he was in a sort of catatonia. He was aware of everything around him but was also dead inside. It was as if someone had ripped his heart apart, leaving nothing but an empty space inside his chest.

    His gaze was fixated on the emergency room where Jina was taken to. The doctors were treating her at the very minute and would shift her to surgery if required. He did not care. All he wanted was for her to survive this.

    Because if she did not survive...he did not know what he was going to doбн

    Footsteps rushed towards him and he looked up to see that Junho and Minyoon had arrived.

    "Where is she?" Junho demanded. Hobin did not reply but pointed at the emergency room. His hands were shaking so he sped them together to keep them steady. Minyoon stood outside the door, touching it.

    "Sisбн" he whispered. He was trying not to cry but it was impossible. To see his sister in that state was heartbreaking.

    The demon arrived on the scene to find Minyoon and Junho outside a room. He slightly frowned when he saw Minyoon taking a seat opposite to Junho instead of the empty one right next to his grandfather.

    Weird family, he thought. While the family worried over Jina, Magrod slipped through the door and entered the emergency room. He saw a group of doctors treating a patient. They were blocking his view.

    "Move," he muttered. As if listening to him, one doctor shifted and Magrod''s eyes fell on the unconscious woman on the table.

    He gasped in shock.

    "That faceбн" he whispered. Her long hair was covered with a haircap and even though her eyes were shut, he recognized the woman right away.

    "Priestess!" he realized. "The Butterfly Priestess!"

 Chapter 208 - Butterfly Priestess (1)

    *shback*

    A twig crunched under her foot, startling her. She gulped, her heart racing crazily as she slowly made her way towards the dark mountains in front of her. It was past midnight and the whole vige was immersed in a deep sleep. Not a single soul was in sight. The girl was trying not to be scared but it was hard to keep up a brave front.

    It was rumored that the mountains were haunted by a demon which killed people on sight. The demon was a hideous one with several heads and a menacing aura which would freeze anyone on sight. Whoever tried to kill it, ended up dead themselves. When the night was silent and dark, the demon would prowl the mountains to look for prey.

    "It feeds on human blood," one of the vigers had told her that morning. "The monster in the mountains will kill us all if he does not get to drink blood for one night!"

    Ailee was scared. She had been given a task to find this demon and exorcise it but could she do it? After all, she was simply a human being who was up against a 4,000 year old demon!

    She slowly climbed the steps on the mountain which led to the caves above. The area had been closed off to visitors and only a few people would dare to go there. Some brave heroes had attempted to kill the demon but it was impossible to kill demons. Only Ailee had the powers to do so. After all, she was born with it for a reason.

    Clutching the dagger hidden in her cloth, she slowly made her way up the steps. Her long robe fluttered in the wind, brushing the ground as she went. The air became chillier with each step, indicating that the demon was in the mountains. He was hiding somewhere nearby, probably even watching her. What if it really had three heads?

    Her heart was troubled. How am I going to kill it? She wondered. Will this dagger work?

    She kept on climbing several flights of stairs until she reached the top of the small mountain. It used to be an old temple but had been abandoned many years ago. The priests in the temple died after a fire broke out and everyone had to evacuate it. Ever since then, the ce had been haunted by their ghosts and now, by a demon.

    Something brushed against her foot and she yelped. To her surprise, it was a small child.

    The child was white and pale, almost translucent. He was hardly eight or nine years old when he had died and was looking at her with itsrge eyes as if pleading.

    "Sister, do you have any food?" he asked. "I am very hungryбн"

    "Uh...I do!" Ailee eximed. She always carried some food with her for wandering spirits who might be hungry.

    "But I need a ce to purify it," she said in a gentle tone.

    "Sister, can you purify it for us all?" he requested.

    "All?"

    The boy pointed behind him. A few more children appeared. They were all under ten years old, sullen and sad but harmless. The children were souls who wandered the temple for food.

    These children must have died in that fire, she realized. Seeing their state broke her heart. But there was something wrong. Ghosts usually simted the state they died in. If someone was stabbed, they would appear with arge gash on his or her torso.

    However, these children did not carry burn marks. In fact, all of them had a thin cut on their necks as if someone had cut their throats. How was that possible?

    "Sister?" the boy''s ghost called her.

    "Ah yes! Food! Let''s seeбн"

    She nced around and found a t area where she could perform the food purification ritual. Sitting on it, she drew a circle using a chalk stick which she found in her bag and ced a box of dumplings in the middle. sping her hands together, she did a small prayer.

    The children watched in awe as the food momentarily lit up. The food was now purified for their souls.

    "Please have some," Ailee offered. Instantly, the sullen ghosts squealed in delight and began to eat the dumplings. They broke the dumplings, sharing it among themselves. For once, they did not look like ghosts but rather innocent children who ended up leaving the world too soon.

    Who would do this to these innocent souls? She wondered.

    "What is your name?" She asked them. The boy ghost who approached her spoke first.

    "My name is Hwayoung!" he squeaked. "And this is бн"

    A timid looking girl in pigtails smiled at her.

    "...Injingбн"

    A chubby boy grinned at Ailee.

    "...Hoonбн"

    A short, dark haired boy waved at her.

    "...And she is Moona. She''s also the youngest one among us."

    A shy girl nced at Ailee but immediately looked down. She was hardly five years old and seemed to have been killed very recently which made Ailee frown a little. This ce had been abandoned for years. Then howe these children were killed and that too so recently. Was it the demon''s doing?

    She watched the children eat their fill. Finally, they were satisfied and full. Thankfully, Ailee had brought arge box full of dumplings for them so there was enough for the spirits.

    "Sister, what are you doing here?" Hwayoung asked. "It is dangerous for someone like you to be here!"

    Ailee was shining so brightly in their eyes that they could tell she was not an ordinary person. Her aura was different from the other humans who wandered there. Not only was she shining but she was also harmless which meant that she would not try to attack them.

    "I am looking for something," Ailee told them. "But tell me something, children. How did you all end up here in this state?"

    The tiny ghosts nced at each other as if they were confused as well.

    "Sister, we do not know," Hoon said in a sad tone.

    "Yes...we happened to have wandered here and lost consciousness," Injing added. "Then we woke up as ghosts."

    Ailee was shocked. Woke up as ghosts?

    "If it was not for Magrod, we would have been taken away by the mean priests!"  added.

    "Mean priests?" Ailee questioned them.

    "The p-priests f-f-from o-other temples!" Moona squeaked.

    "Sometimes, the priests from other templese here and try to capture ghosts," Hwayoung revealed. "To take our souls."

    "Are you saying that they try to purify your souls?" Ailee supplied.

    "No sister," Hwayoung said, shaking his head. "They take our souls captive. One of them nearly seeded in taking Moona away. If it was not for Magrod, she would have been captured by the evil priests!"

    Ailee was now in a deep thought. She had heard that there was a group of priests who went missing in this mountainous area because of the demon. But to think that they were looking for souls...why?

    Unbeknownst to her, she was being watched from afar by a pair of red eyes. Therge creature was observing the unsuspecting woman. He was hiding his presence from her, wary of the human who was shining brighter than the others he had killed. His res pierced through her, waiting to attack the human who dared to stray into his realm.

    "Who is Magrod?" Ailee asked. "Your friend?"

    "Magrod is our best friend!" Moona squealed. She was shy but whenever someone spoke about Magrod, she would be unusually lively.

    "He is a good soul," Hwayoung nodded. "Grumpy but he protects us. Even tries to bring us food but he cannot purify it. But he is sweet."

    Ailee was now even more confused. She had only heard rumors of a demon haunting this area. But who was this Magrod?

    "Children," she began. "Is there any demon which is haunting this ce?"

    Hwayoung was about to tell her something when he stopped. Arge shadow appeared behind Ailee. She suddenly felt a chill down her spine and swiftly turned around only to gasp in horror.

    A gigantic three headed dog was ring at her. Its heads were emitting smoke and a foul stench of rotten eggs. A long, curly tail was swaying behind it ready to strangle her with it.

    But it was the wings which scared her the most. The wings were spread up to fifty feet in width and the demon could probably stretch them even wider if he wanted to. She eyed the raven shaped wings which could slice her down in a second if she did not dodge.

    Ailee sprang to her feet, shielding the children with her hands.

    "Children, hide behind me!" she ordered, not flinching from the ring red eyes of the monster. The demon let out a foul exhale, glowering at her in anger. He let out an ear piercing roar which almost made Ailee''s ears bleed. She was more worried about the children rather than herself, trying to push them away from harm.

    But Moona slipped through and ran towards the demon.

    "Magrod!" she squeaked and hugged one of the demon''s hind legs. Ailee was frozen to her spot and she stared at the demon who was grumpily allowing the child to hug him.

    Magrod? He is Magrod? She realized. Magrod is a demon!

 Chapter 209 - Butterfly Priestess (2)

    The demon was suspicious of the priestess who had swayed into their midst. Unlike the other priests and priestesses who wandered to the mountains, she was different. Her aura was bright, too bright. He also sensed a strong mass of energy from which could only mean that she possessed powers he could not fathom.

    Ailee was also ring back at the demon. It was undoubtedly powerful but not dangerous. If it was, the children would not be so friendly with him.

    "Magrod, the pretty sister gave us food!" Hwayoung told the demon. "She is really nice!"

    "Magrod, where have you been?"  asked. "We were worried!"

    "Did you bring us more food?" Injing asked, pointing at the bag Magrod stole from a small shop at the vige. He had snuck into the humans'' territory by concealing his powers and stole a bag of bread for the children. The demon could not purify them but he could not leave them starving for so long.

    Ailee also noticed the bag and sighed. "Here, let me purify it," she offered.

    "How do I know you are not going to betray them?" Magrod demanded with a snarl. "I do not trust humans!"

    "I just fed them," she pointed out. "I can purify the food properly. Trust me."

    Magrod was skeptical but handed her the bag. Ailee took it and drew the circle on the ground again. She sped her hands together in a prayer and began to chant. Magrod backed off as much as possible. The spell was a simple one but demons like him could not tolerate purification nor exorcisms. The rituals were painful for them and even a Vozakel level demon like him was not an exception.

    A sharp pain stabbed his heart but he held his ground, trying not to squeal in agony. Moona was worried about him and patted his paw.

    "Magrod, are you okay?" she asked in her innocent voice.

    "I am fine, brat!" he hissed. Even though he scolded her a lot, she was still very much attached to him. Out of all the children, only she could ride on his back and even curl up to him while he was asleep. She regarded him as almost like a parent, not wanting to go anywhere without him. Which is why she wasfortable with him around.

    Magrod did not admit it but the children were very important to him. No matter how much he said that humans were a pain, he could not help protecting these kids who had helped him out when he was injured. These five spirits were trapped in these cursed mountains and were susceptible to the dark magic which took ce there. He had to stay by their side until he could find the other Prince.

    Ailee was done with the ritual and looked up.

    "The food is pure now," she dered and handed the bag to the children. They immediately jumped at the bread, beaming in joy. Moona took one piece of bread and offered it to Magrod.

    "Mag must be hungry too!" she eximed happily. Magrod scowled.

    "I can not eat that! It''s purified now. It''ll burn my tongue!"

    "That is okay," Ailee said. She took out another box of dumplings from her bag and handed it to him.

    "You can have this. It is not purified."

    Magrod stared at her suspiciously. He sniffed the box and realized that she was right. It was not purified.

    Ailee opened the box and put it in front of him. "Have it," she said. "I always keep food for wandering spirits. And I can tell that you are not a danger to the children."

    Magrod hesitated but he shrunk his size. Ailee watched as he decreased to the size of a small puppy with three heads. The other two heads fell asleep while the middle one was awake. The demon bent over and took a bite of the dumpling. To his delight, the food was delicious. The dumplings were soft and vorful with chicken and bits of vegetables in it.

    Soon, he finished off the entire box and burped. Ailee could not help smiling at the cute little puppy demon. Even Moona was patting it while the demon only scowled but secretly enjoyed being petted.

    "Are you really terrorizing the people whoe here?" Ailee asked. She was now curious about this strange situation. How did these children end up here? And why was the demon protecting them?

    "I am keeping the people away from these children," the demon revealed. "There are some dark forces at y in these mountains."

    He nced at the pitch ck mountains which surrounded them, hiding many gruesome secrets within its midst.

    "This ce...this ce is a gateway to Hell itself," the demon went on. "Some people have been conducting activities which should not take ce."

    "Are you referring to the recent missing children''s cases?"

    The demon turned to her. Ailee was now grim and serious. There was another reason why she came to these mountains. Sources told her that the demon in the mountains was also abducting children and she was sure that these children were also kidnapped before being killed. But after meeting Magrod, she could tell that he was not the perpetrator but someone else was.

    "We were taken at different times,"  said meekly.

    "Yes!" Injing added. "I am not even from this vige. My mother and father were traveling with me and we stopped at a temple to rest. I was sleeping in my bed but the next thing I could recall was waking up in these mountains as a ghost!"

    "I was taken from my own home," Hwayoung said sadly. "I was also sleeping and woke up as a ghost here."

    The other children also had a simr story. All of them were sleeping and woke up as ghosts. There was no doubt that they were abducted and killed in their sleep. The only thing they could not recollect was the injury around their necks.

    "These children were killed for a reason," Magrod said. "I can tell. Their deaths are not ordinary. The air in these mountains is heavy and overwhelming. Moreover, I can smell a strong presence of sulphur."

    "Sulphur?" Ailee asked in confusion. "What is that?"

    "It is an element which can be found in the air and some ces like the sea," Magrod exined. "But in small quantities or in a mixed form. However, the sulphur I can smell here is a little different. It is the purest form which smells like rotten eggs."

    Ailee sniffed the air and realized that he was right. The smell of rotten eggs was traditionally associated with demons. She had been smelling it ever since she began to climb the mountains but merely thought that it was the single demon who lived there.

    Now that I think about it, the smell is quite stronger than I thought, she realized.

    "People are summoning demons," Magrod went on. "And not just any lowlife demons. They are summoning Kistris levels and above."

    Ailee gasped. Kistris demons? This was not good at all. If Kistris demons were summoned, then soon the noble levels would arrive and that meant more people were going to be sacrificed.

    "What level are you?" she demanded. "I know that you are not an ordinary demon! You can control your presence and also size."

    Magrod sighed. "Vozakel," he revealed. "I am a Vozakel lord."

    A long silence ensued. Vozakel lord?

    "Who summoned you?" she whispered. And how many people were sacrificed to bring this demon into our world? She wondered in fear.

    Magrod looked sad and even guilty as if he did not want this. "The person who summoned me here is now in Hell," he revealed. "As soon as his wish was fulfilled, I sent him to hell."

    "Why did you stay back?" Ailee questioned him. "If your work isplete, why did you not go back?"

    "I...I have my reasons," Magrod said. Oddly, he was looking at the children who were now very curious. They were looking from him to the Priestess, wondering what was going on.

    "Anyways," Magrod went on. "A group of humans are summoning Kristis level demons or higher to fulfill their desires. And you know very well that this requires a lot of human sacrifice. One Kristis needs the sacrifice of at least ten human beings. That is not a small number. And the number only doubles with each higher level of demon."

    Ailee did not want to think about how many people were sacrificed to summon a Vozakel like Magrod in this world. To think more than a hundred people must have died simply for him to arrive was unfathomable.

    "Why are these demons being summoned?" she asked quietly.

    "To awaken the true Prince of Hell," Magrod revealed. "The lords of Hell can do the ritual to wake him up."

    "True Prince of Hell?"

    Magrod nodded. "The only purebred offspring of our King," he revealed. "The demons will not let a half human rule Hell. They want to awaken the true Prince, the one who is a pure demon. They will not tolerate anyone else. But I cannot allow that to happen."

    "Why not?" Ailee asked. "Hell needs a ruler to keep the demons in check. After the King left, Hell was left unguarded and unruly demons broke out! You have seen what they are doing. Killing off humans, tricking them to sign contracts and even possessing many innocent people!"

    "That is not the worst thing," Magrod said. "The real Prince is even worse. He was put to a deep sleep by the King himself."

    Now Ailee was even more confused. "Why?"

    "Becauseбн" Magrod turned to her, his red eyes filled with deep sadness.. "The Prince tried to kill all humans."

 Chapter 210 - A Smile Hell Die For

    *Present*

    Magrod was now grim. He watched the poor girl who was being treated for her injuries by the doctors. Slowly prowling out of the room, he headed back to the corridor where Junho, Miyoo and Minyoon sat. He was in deep thought about the Butterfly Priestess.

    There was no doubt this woman was the reincarnation of the Priestess. She had the same aura and appearance as Ailee which only meant she had reincarnated.

    But where was the Prince? Why was he not there?

    "I''ll have to find him before the Brethren get their hands on him," he muttered. Just then, his thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of three other people.

    Siwan, Jiwoon and Soobin rushed towards the family, looking very worried. Magrod decided to leave, giving the family some space. As long as Miyoo''s grandfather was there, everyone was safe anyway.

    I''ll go and check up on our demon friend, he decided and vanished.

    "What happened?" Siwan asked Hobin. "How did Jina end up like this?"

    "She had an ident," Minyoon said when Hobin did not speak. "The doctors are treating her now."

    The door to the emergency room opened and a doctor came out.

    "Doctor, how is she?" Junho asked.

    "She''s fine but still very much injured," the doctor told them. "She''ll need at least a month to recover from her injuries. But otherwise, she is fine."

    Everyone let out a sigh of relief. Hobin, who was quiet all this time, closed his eyes. A huge burden had been lifted from his heart and the news of Jina''s state was reassuring to him. Siwan was also hugely relieved. His heart was in a pandemonium ever since he heard that Jina was injured. It was hard not to feel worried for the girl he was in love with even if she was now with his brother. The lingering feelings were a little hard to get rid of.

    He sat next to Hobin and patted his shoulder.

    "Are you alright?" he asked.

    "I''m fine," Hobin muttered but he was lying. He was not fine. Burying his head in his hands, Hobin was still troubled.

    "I don''t know what I''d have done if anything had happened to her," Hobin said in a tone so low that only Siwan could hear him. The others were gathered around, talking to the doctor.

    "Hobinбн"

    "I nearly lost control, brother."

    Siwan was confused for a moment. Lost control? What did he mean?

    But Hobin was scared. Not simply of losing Jina but rather what would happen if that day ever came. He did not call the Hwang''s immediately after Jina''s ident. In fact, he called them two hourster.

    "Hobin, what are you hiding?" Siwan demanded.

    "I...After I brought Jina to the hospital, I was feeling agitated. Seeing her like that made me snap and something in me was torturing me. So after she was wheeled into the emergency room, I went to the washroom in my cabin. Andбн"

    He trailed off but Siwan was rmed. Suddenly, he stood up and rushed towards the second floor where Hobin''s office was located. Junho noticed him leaving and frowned.

    Siwan raced towards Hobin''s office and burst open the door. His eyes widened in shock at the sight.

    The whole ce was trashed as if an earthquake took ce. Everything was broken to pieces while the papers were ripped apart as if by an animal. The couch was overturned and the pillows were torn to shreds. Inside the washroom, the light bulb had been annihted. The sink was ripped off from the wall and smashed to the floor while the tiles were broken as if someone had hit them continuously with a bat.

    But Siwan knew this was all done by a single person. He could not believe what he was seeing.

    "What the hell happened here?"

    Startled, Siwan turned around and met Junho''s eyes. The old man was not surprised but rather calm andposed as if he had been expecting something like this.

    "Someone probably broke in-" Siwan was trying to lie but the old man raised a hand.

    "The truth," he demanded. "Tell me the truth. I want to know how Hobin is able to do all this?"

    "You know?" Siwan gasped.

    "I know about his powers. I also know that he''s not fully human. Nowбн"

    He stepped forward, studying therge w marks on the walls. "Tell me what you know," he said. "Everything."

    Siwan was debating with himself. Should he tell Hwang Junho about this? But why was he interested to know about Hobin?

    Suddenly, Siwan was protective. "Why do you want to know about my brother?" he asked. "How do I know that you won''t reveal his secret to the world?"

    "I already know that he can read minds and also that he feels nervous whenever someone is doing a holy ritual around him," Junho revealed. "He did this before, didn''t he? Break things down like this?"

    Siwan slowly nodded. He was not sure how Hwang Junho knew all this but it seemed that the old man was well aware of Hobin''s situation. Slowly, he narrated the stories of Hobin''s childhood along with what happened on the night Wang Taehee was executed.

    When he was done, Junho was in deep thought. It was just like he thought. Hobin had demon blood in him.

    "You... How far are you willing to go to save your brother?" he finally asked.

    "I''ll do anything!" Siwan firmly said. "As long as my brother can live a normal life, I''ll do anything!"

    He was stating the truth. A hard determination was visible in his eyes and Junho had to admit that Siwan came a long way from the spoiled child he once was.

    "Tomorrow night is the only chance we''ll get to determine what Hobin really is," he said. "And for that, I need someone who knows him well. I was about to use Jina for this but she''s injured so you''ll have to do as I say. Can you do it? It''ll be a painful ritual for him."

    "R-Ritual?"

    Siwan was frowning. What sort of ritual? Why was Hobin going to be subjected to something like that?

    "Your brother might not be human," Junho pointed out. "Not fully at least."

    "I won''t let you do any ritual on my brother!" Siwan protested. "That''s ridiculous! My brother is human! What else will he be-"

    "Both of us know very well that there are things out there which aren''t human and the thing that killed your father all those years ago is an example," Junho pointed out. "You saw him being dragged away by an invisible force, did you not?"

    "I...I didбн"

    Siwan was no longer sure what was right or wrong. He just wanted to make sure that his brother and the woman they loved were safe. It all sounded ridiculous. Not human? Other beings'' existence? He was a doctor and believed all that was nonsense!

    But the memory of his father being dragged away by an unseen force was still fresh in his memory. Even though he had assured himself that Danny had killed himself that night, he knew that it was nothing but a false assurance. Kang Danny did not kill himself.

    "Fine," he agreed. "But if anything happens to my brother, I won''t spare you."

    He red at the old man, not caring about being polite. Junho was not offended but a little impressed by Siwan''s determination to save Hobin.

    "He''ll be fine," Junho affirmed. "But whatever you''ll find out during this ritual, don''t let it waver your faith in your brother. Because he doesn''t just need you for the ritual. He''ll need you more afterwards."

    The old man gently patted Siwan''s shoulder and left. Siwan stood there, numb and confused. Was his brother really not a human being but something else? Did that affect their bond at all?

    His mind wavered back to the day his mother brought Hobin home.

    ...

    <em>"Aunty Bosung is no more," Doyoung had told him. "And this little guy has no one in this world so we''ll be taking care of him as his mother and brother."</em>

    <em>"Brother?" Little Siwan echoed and nced at the baby in her arms. A tiny pair of ck eyes was peering from it, staring at him. Their eyes had met for a few brief seconds and Siwan thought that he saw the baby smile. Did Shinho also smile like this when he was born?</em>

    <em> He stood quietly for a while before turning around to go back upstairs. </em>

    <em>"Where are you going?" Doyoung asked.</em>

    <em>"To bring my toys of course!" Siwan replied. "And a nket. He''ll also need a crib to sleep in. You have my baby crib, right? It''s in the storage. I''ll help the servants to take it out. After all, I can''t let my brother sleep on the floor, can I?"</em>

    <em>Doyoung was stunned. "You...you''ll ept him as your brother?" she gasped and smiled.</em>

    <em>"Of course he''s my brother! I will love him like my own brother. Nothing will ever change that."</em>

    бн.

    "That''s rightбн"

    The memory of Hobin''s first meeting with him was ying in his mind, strengthening his determination. It was his own sort of protection charm which kept his mind sane. Whenever he was sad or depressed, he only recalled the day Hobin first smiled at him and everything would be at peace again.

    "We''re brothers," he told himself. "And nothing can change that."

    I''ll do anything to save him, he decided.. "Anything."

 Chapter 211 - Awake

    Jina was wincing in her sleep. Her chest hurt and there was something heavy on her neck. She was vaguely annoyed by the thing and wanted to get rid of it but as soon as she reached for her neck, a memory ran through her mind.

    Several pairs of hands were sping her throat, throttling her while holding her against a tree. The white figures surrounded her with a manic smile.

    "Priestessбн" they chanted. "Come with usбн"

    "Noбн" she whispered.

    "Come with us..e with usбн"

    "No!"

    Her eyes snapped open and a bright light almost blinded her. For a wild moment she thought it was those spirits.

    "Help!" she whispered in a weak tone. "Help...pleaseбн"

    She was shaking in fear, trying to move but her body was paralyzed. Her limbs were not moving and she was confined to a bed. Jina was gasping and panting when a strong pair of hands stopped her from moving. Terrified, she looked around to see a familiar pair of chocte eyes looking back at her.

    "You''re safe now!" Minyoon told her. "Rx, sis."

    The sight of her brother calmed her down. Jina slowlyy back, trying not to panic but her hands would not stop shaking.

    "Where am I?" she gasped. "And why can''t I move?"

    "You''re in the hospital," Minyoon told her. "And you''re sedated so you can''t move for a while."

    He helped his sister to rx. Jina winced at the pain in her chest.

    "Your ribs were badly injured," he exined. "And so was your throat but not that much. The doctors said it will take you a month to recover."

    Soobin entered the room, carrying a sleeping Miyoo. Jina was a little surprised to see Soobin in a short hairstyle because the girl loved her long hair.

    "Sis, how are you feeling now?" Soobin asked.

    "Painful," Jina grimaced. "But what''s with the hair? I thought you didn''t want to cut it off. You nearly cried when I offered to trim it a little for you."

    "Uh...I like the look now!"

    Minyoon sighed at her. "Tell her the truth, Binbin," he said.

    "Truth?" Jina blinked.

    "Someone put an explosive goo in her locker," he said before Soobin could stop him. "It stuck to her skin and hair. Baekha took off the goo from the skin but her hair was so badly affected that she was forced to cut it off."

    "What?" Jina eximed and then scowled in pain. "Is the bullying still going on?"

    "Yep. And now Binbin is a target."

    "I am not a target," Soobin mumbled but she looked very sad. Shey Miyoo on a soa, tucking the pillows under her and then sat next to her sleeping form. Soobin fidgeted her fingers nervously as she spoke to Jina.

    "I was taken aback by it," she admitted. "I don''t know why someone would do this. Sometimes, I wish that I hadn''te to this city. People are so strange here."

    "Don''t talk like that!" Jina said. "I''ll be having a talk with that principal of yours after I''m discharged! How can they just let the students go on-"

    "That''ll turn Binbin into a social pariah," Minyoon stated. "The bullying will worsen. Nah. You gotta fight fire with fire."

    When Jina threw him a confused look, he simply said, "You''ll see."

    Before Jina could ask her brother what he was nning, Hobin, Junho and Siwan entered the room to check up on her. Junho was relieved to see Jina well while Hobin was stone faced. Siwan smiled at her and walked towards her to check on her.

    "Are you alright?" he asked. "I was doing rounds so I thought to check up on you."

    "I''m fine," Jina assured him.

    "Of course she is!" Junho imed with pride. "My granddaughter can survive anything! After all, our bloodline is known for our love of money, discounts and life."

    Everyone chuckled except Hobin. He stood in a corner, watching everyone else in silence. Jina noticed that he was pale and frightened but tried not to show it. Only she could read his fears.

    "Oi, old man! Stop trying to take credit for Jina sis'' survival!" Minyoon scolded his grandfather. "She was always a fighter!"

    "Shut it, Yoonmin!"

    "It''s Minyoon. Cough up twenty bucks, old man!"

    The duo bickered like cats and dogs but it was fun to watch. Soobin wasughing while Siwan smiled, shaking his head. Jina was amused but it was Miyoo who was able to shut them up. The child was annoyed that her sleep was disturbed and she woke up, feeling grouchy.

    "Miyoo, sleepy!" she pouted at her brother and grandfather, who immediately stopped fighting.

    "Look what you did!" Minyoon hissed at his old man. "You woke her up!"

    "Me? It was your fault!"

    "Stop fighting!" Soobin said sharply. "She didn''t sleep a winkst night. And Jina sis needs rest."

    She red at the crazy pair who muttered an apology. Miyoo went back to sleep while Siwan snickered.

    "I''ll go and tell Jiwoon that you''re fine," he told Jina. "She''s at the cafe, buying breakfast for everyone."

    "I''ll go and tell Yoonmin that sis is fine," Minyoon piped up. "The moment he heard about sis, he rushed to the airport for a flight but got stuck there due to a storm."

    "We can go and join Jiwoon at the cafe," Junho suggested. "Hobin can stay with Jina."

    Everyone nodded and murmured, slowly dispersing. Only Miyoo was left behind because she was still sleeping. Finally, Hobin was alone with Jina. All this time, he was silent and not talking at all. He averted his eyes, unwilling to look at her in the eye but Jina slowly reached out her hand.

    "Come here," she whispered. Hobin hesitated but slowly walked towards her. He sat next to her. Gently stroking her cheek, he gazed down at her with his sad eyes. She looked so fragile and pale that he was afraid the slightest touch was going to break her.

    "I thought I lost you," he admitted.

    "You didn''t," she croaked. "I''m fine!"

    "I know," he said with a small smile. "But I...I was scared. What if something had happened to you? What if I waste even by a second? All these terrifying thoughts swirling in my head. I couldn''t help itбн"

    Jina sped his palm weakly, as if trying tofort him. He held her hand in his.

    "Don''t ever scare me like that again," he almost begged. "Promise me?"

    "I won''t," Jina smiled. "But I hate this broken look on you! Where''s the demon who keeps on calling me Tinkerbell?"

    "I thought you hated it," Hobin smirked.

    "It grew on me."

    She chuckled but the pain in her ribs was too much. Seeing her wince, Hobin instantly stopped her from talking too much.

    "You need to rest," he told her. "Your injuries are really bad. You won''t be able to go to work for a further few weeks after being discharged."

    Jina sighed. Her team would have to work on the case without her. The caseбн

    "Were there any more deaths?" she asked. "You know, while I was in surgery."

    "No," Hobin said, shaking his head. "It seems that the demon is looking for a new host."

    "But where is Sungki now?" she wondered out loud. "Why is he taking so long to find a body?"

    "It''s weird," Hobin stated. "Unlessбн"

    "Unless what?"

    "Is it possible for demons to be like humans?" he wondered out loud.

    "What do you mean?"

    He quickly filled her in on what Junho told him the other night. Jina was shocked to learn that Miyoo was attacked at the same time as her.

    "What?" she whispered. "Miyoo was also attacked? How? Why? Her room is always protected with charms!"

    "What if the charms don''t work in certain cases?" Hobin asked.

    "Why do you think that?"

    "Lately, I''ve been thinking," he began. "This demon is highly functional. He knows what''s wrong and right. If my theory is right and demons are really human souls which are trapped in Hell, then he must be retaining his human memories and personality. In short, he''s just a nasty spirit in demon form. But no different than the human psyche. Maybe the charms don''t work on him because he possessed enough powers to bypass the effects of a charm? Also, if he can bypass them, who''s to say that other demons can''t?"

    He grabbed a notebook and pen from a desk and began to scribble down.

    "This is like a patient analysis," he went on. "Sungki is a high functioning psychopath and a narcissist. Two of the most dangerousbinations in psychology. If he''s still after Jiwoon, he''s a psychopath for sure because of his obsession. As for the narcissistic part, what if he''s not murdering anyone because he wants the perfect body to possess? Yooseok was more of a necessity to him rather than a choice. But now, he''s looking for someone who fits the bill. Someone who is good looking and possibly charming enough to lure women who resemble Jiwoon. Hence, he''s waiting to possess that body."

    "And if he has gained enough powers to the point that even holy charms don''t work on him," Hobin went on. "Then he''s more powerful than we thought."

    "There was a shaman involved," Jina said in a hoarse tone. "He might have the answers we need. Where are we gonna find him?"

    "This shaman has his own agenda to summon this demon," Hobin said in a grave tone. "If we can find him, we''ll be able to solve the mystery. Why did he target the Cho''s?"

    He turned to Jina. "Are there other Seers out there?" he asked. "Apart from you and Miyoo?"

    "We never came across any," she frowned. "My mom''s bloodline might have scattered but she doesn''t have any cousins. Both her parents were single children and had no siblings."

    "I might have to trace down the rest of your bloodline," he said. "Can your mom send us any information on her other rtives? It might help us in finding that shaman or any other Seer who might be involved in summoning demons."

    "I''ll ask her," Jina nodded. They were now in deep thought. Something was not right. The spirits were being controlled by something or someone who made them target Jina and Miyoo. Whatever force was behind the attacks, it was powerful.

    "Maggieбн" Miyoo mumbled in her sleep. "Doggoбн"

    The adults momentarily nced at the child who was fast asleep.

    "Why is she dreaming of dogs?" Hobin sighed. "Gave up on Alpacas?"

    "God knows what goes on in her head," Jina sighed. But they stopped discussing any further because Jina''s sedatives were kicking in.

    "Take rest," Hobin said and kissed her forehead. "I''ll be right here by your side."

    She weakly nodded and drifted off to a peaceful sleep, knowing that Hobin was with her. He would protect her and as long as he was around, she was not afraid.

    "See youter, Doctor Demon," she mumbled.

    "See youter, Tinkerbell," he whispered and patted her head.

 Chapter 212 - Mouse

    Baekha woke up in the middle of the night, feeling uneasy. She was sweating a lot and her heartbeats had sped up for the past few days.

    "Agh!" she winced when a sharp pain jabbed her head. Massaging her temple, she slowly got off her bed. She shuffled towards the desk where a jug of water was ced. Pouring some for herself, she drank it all. Her uneasiness was not going and she was confused by it. Usually, she was quite healthy and rarely became sick. The Cho''s would not pay for her medicines so she had to take extra care of herself to make sure that she did not fall ill.

    Buttely, something was happening to her. She was more tired than before even though her schedules were fairly normal.

    Is there something wrong with me? She wondered as she poured herself another ss of water.

    A cold chill swept over her, making Baekha shiver. She turned around to see if a window was left open but everything was shut. The air conditioner was set at room temperature but she switched it off.

    CREEEEAK!

    Baekha jumped in fright at the sound of something creaking. Instinctively, she grabbed a metal rod which she kept by the bed and slowly opened the door.

    The outhouse she lived in was well within the CCTV coverage of the mansion''s premises so if someone had broken in, the guards would alert them. But there was no such rm so it was impossible for someone to simply waltz in her tiny house.

    Nevertheless, she raised the metal rod as she slowly stepped forward. Her hands were shaking in fear but she sped the rod tightly. The house was seemingly empty without another soul in sight. Her small number of furniture were kept in order without even a speck of dust on them. From somewhere, a cold wind was blowing in but she could not pinpoint the source. Her breaths were short and haggard as she looked around for an intruder.

    CREEEEAK!

    It was that sound again! Baekha turned towards a small study in a corner of the outhouse which was mostly used as a storage room. She twisted the knob but it was in a rut. It took her several attempts to open it.

    A thick wave of dusty air hit her. Baekha coughed violently, the dust making her slightly allergic.

    The room was full of old junk and abandoned furniture. Several shelvesy in disarray while broken wood and china were scattered all over the floor. Baekha entered the room, stille holding the rod. She was now more alert but there was no one in sight.

    Something soft brushed by her foot.

    "AHHH!" she screamed and jumped only to find that it was a mouse. Sighing in relief, she watched as the mouse ran under a shelf, disappearing from view.

    "Just a mouse," she sighed. "I''m going paranoid here!"

    She felt more rxed and left the room. Her energy was low and she was now very sleepy which was unusual. Baekha was a light sleeper buttely, she had been sleeping a lot.

    Should I get myself checked by a doctor? She wondered. "I''ll tell my manager to book an appointment," she muttered and went back to her room, shutting the door behind her.

    Inside the store room, the mouse was scurrying fast. It ran from one spot to another, seeking food or small crumbs to eat. The brown creature was sniffing something in the air, attracted by the strange smell. Its tiny paws were running towards the source while its small nose twitched with excitement.

    The mouse stopped in front of a broken old couch, studying it curiously. The small animal edged closer to it. A smell of rotten eggs wasing from underneath, luring the innocent mouse. It scurried towards the scent and-

    SPLASH!

    Blood exploded everywhere, staining the walls and furniture around the couch. Arge w had smashed the tiny creature, letting blood ooze out from underneath its palm. Slowly, the palm moved, revealing the mangled remains of organs and crimson liquid. A long tail was slightly wriggling on the ground. The w shoved the remains towards itself and the sounds of chewing echoed through the room.

    The monster under the couch was eating the mouse it had just killed. For days, Sungki had been sucking out Baekha''s energy but every time he did that, his appetite would increase. He killed the small animals around the mansion to sustain himself but he needed to find a body quickly.

    "Fucking shaman!" he hissed. "How long will it take?"

    The shaman said the drugs would take at least a month to make because the ingredients were illegal and he must smuggle them into the country. This made Sungki even more furious because he was tired of waiting.

    Baehka''s soul energy was also depleting fast and she would die if Sungki kept on sucking out her energy. He did not care if she died but she was his source of energy and without that, he would not be able to gather enough power to take Jisoo with him. Sungki was a Kistris level demon but still highly unstable. It took other demons centuries to be a Kistris but Sungki''s obsession was so strong that he gained powers fast.

    "Jisooбн" he whispered as he tore off the mouse''s skin, gobbling it down in a bloody mess. "I''ll take him and you! I''ll take that bastard''s body and make youe to hell with me! I''ll not spare him...you...you are mineбн"

    "And what are you going to do if she refuses?"

    The demon spun around to see a strange dog-like creature staring at him with its red eyes. Magrod was ring at the demon which was now going out of control. His canines were snarling at Sungki, who immediately knew that the dog was also a demon.

    "You...you are a demon too," he smirked. "I can sense it."

    "Leave these people alone," Magrod warned. "This isn''t your world! You were summoned by those two idiots. Just take their souls and leave!"

    Sungki only grinned. "They still didn''t get what they wanted," he saidzily. "They want a child. My child. And I will only have a child with Jisoo.. So the contract hasn''t been fulfilled yet."

 Chapter 213 - Contract

    "Andбн" Sungki came out of the couch and faced Magrod. The demon towered over the Vozakel Lord, tall and enigmatic just like he was in his lifetime. His was wingless but he had a reddish hue surrounding him. Sungki''s scarlet eyes were gloating. He knew that Magrod was a higher level demon but there were things even Magrod could not interfere in.

    "You can''t interfere, old man!" he hissed. "This is a valid contract which those two fools signed of their own will. Once a contract has been signed, no one can break it! Not even a demon. Until then, I''m free to do what I want in this world. I can make many people sign contracts. I can make the Cho''s bend to my whims! They want my heir and I''ll only have one with Jisoo."

    "And those other girls?" Magrod demanded. "We''re demons but you...you stooped lower than that! Why did you kill them?"

    "I felt like it," Sungki saidzily. "They dared to look like my Jisoo. And also had affairs with other men. I hated it. A woman should be pure and innocent! My Jisoo has also been tainted by that doctor but no worries. I''ll make her pure again. Once she''s in hell, she''ll be a demon like me and we''ll live happily ever after-"

    "Moron!" Magrod cursed. "Not all human souls in Hell can be a demon! And you can''t force her to go there. She has to sign a contract of her own will!"

    "She will," Sungki vowed. "And you can''t stop it. If you do, the jail will open and you''ll be stripped of your powers. I know it."

    Magrod wanted to throw this bitch back in Hell but it was impossible. Until a contract was fulfilled, the Gates would not open nor would Sungki go back.

    "You''re screwed, old man!" Sungki snickered. "You can''t stop me. And I can make Jisoo sign the contract willingly. Whatcha gonna do?"

    The demon chortled, making Magrod''s blood boil. He was being too cocky but Magrod knew what to do. He did not have to break a contract but he could surely keep this demon away from his heart''s desire. Magrod knew that this ''Jisoo'' was Jiwoon and as long as she did not sign any contract with Sungki, Magrod could protect her.

    Sungki knew what the demon was thinking and onlyughed. No one can keep her away from me, he seethed inwardly. No one!

    Magrod red at him onest time and disappeared in thin air. I''ll have to deal with himter, he decided.

    бн

    Yoonmin was running through the hospital corridor. He was still wearing his suit which he had not changed for the past two days. In fact, he was at a meeting when he received news about Jina''s ident and had rushed to the airport without even changing his clothes.

    "Sis!" he eximed as he barged into her ward. Jina was slightly startled but smiled at him. Hobin was sitting next to her bed while Miyoo also beamed.

    "Yoonie!" Miyoo chirped. She got off her chair and rushed towards her brother who scooped her up. But his eyes were on his older sister who was bedridden.

    He had never seen Jina in such a state before. She got hurt many times on her job but those were minor injuries which she brushed off. But this...this was different.

    "What happened?" he demanded.

    "It was only an ident," Jina assured him. Her voice was still weak and her chest pained every time she spoke but she tried to tolerate it as much as possible.

    "No, it was not," Hobin said sharply. He quickly filled Yoonmin in about the ident which enraged thetter.

    "Another ghost attack?" he echoed. "And they tried to kill her?"

    "Yes," Hobin replied, ignoring Jina''s res. "She was attacked. If I hadn''t found her on time, she''d have died!"

    "Miyoo, ghosts!" Miyoo added, trying to tell her brother that she was attacked too. Yoonmin hugged her and walked towards Jina.

    "Don''t you ever scare us like that again!" he told his sister. To Hobin and Jina''s surprise, Yoonmin''s eyes were stung with tears.

    "Is my thug of a twin crying?" Minyoon''s voice came from the doorway. Junho was also there, his mouth gaped open.

    "Shut up!" Yoonmin scowled, wiping his tears.

    "Ya know, sometimes I forget that you''re younger than me," Minyoon sighed.

    "Whatcha talking about, Yoonmin?" Junho asked Minyoon. "Minyoon is the older one!"

    "I''m Minyoon, he''s Yoonmin!"

    "Your eyes are rotting off, old man," Yoonmin muttered.

    "What a crazy family," Hobin remarked.

    "Crazy!" Miyoo eximed, unaware of the chaos around her. Everyone was yelling orically arguing, making Jina smile. She was quietly watching the weird people, letting the chaos unravel.

    Watching them argue was fun because behind this facade was genuine love and concern. She knew very well that her family had been worried about her. They did not leave her side for even a second. Nor did Hobin. He had been with her almost all the time, making her heart well up in happiness.

    "You owe us twenty bucks!" Minyoon was saying.

    "Each!" Yoonmin added.

    "Rotten ripoffs!" Junho yelled at them. "Taking a poor old man''s money! Don''t you have any shame for taking money from a senior citizen?"

    "Didn''t you buy a watch from switzend?" Minyoon asked.

    "I-It was a discount!" Junho imed. "And that was for Miyoo. Not for myself."

    "Miyoo got dollie only," Miyoo mumbled. "Miyoo wants watch."

    "Liar," Yoonmin simply told his grandfather. Junho was outraged. How the hell did they know about the watch?

    "Tch!" he scowled. "Fine! I''ll give twenty bucks! But only because I love you guys."

    "We love you too," Minyoon said.

    "I love his bank ount more though," Yoonmin muttered.

    "And yet, I don''t get paid for my therapy sessions with the Alpaca lover there," Hobin said, pointing at Miyoo.

    "I pay for your food!" Jina added.

    "How dare you make my granddaughter pay for food?" Junho growled. "When I was your age, I never made my girlfriends pay!"

    "That''s coz you drove everyone away with your love for money," Minyoon pointed out.

    "Didn''t one of your exes block you on Tinder?" Yoonmin recalled

    Soobin, who was about to enter the room, stopped upon seeing the showdown between the crazy group. She was unsure if they were being funny or serious.

    What a weird bunch, she sighed as the Hwang''s and Hobin bickered over the silliest things. But she smiled to herself.

    "I guess this makes them unique," she mused.

 Chapter 214 - Will You Dump Me?

    AUTHOR''S NOTE: I''m hosting a small contest on Instagram until 18th October where 5 lucky readers can win free coins to read on allnovelfull! Please follow tea_tae93 on instagram to check out the rules of the contest!

    Don''t forget to tag three friends in thements as well! The more youment, the more chances you get to win the coins! Contest will end on 18th Oct

    Hurry up!

    ..........

    Soobin cleared her throat to get the attention of the crazy family. Yoonmin nced at her and blinked in surprise. Why was her hair so short?

    "I''m done with my shift for today," she told them, not looking at Yoonmin. "I can stay back with sis tonight."

    "I''ll be staying," Minyoon said. "Why don''t you take Miyoo home? Yoonmin can take you."

    "In that case, I''ll go as-" Junho was saying but Minyoon put a hand around his mouth to shut him up.

    "You''ll stay with us old man!"

    Jina and Hobin only shook their heads while Miyoo only stared at all the adults, unable toprehend what the hell they were talking about. Soobin was not looking at Yoonmin who gave her an odd gaze but did not say anything.

    "We''ll get going then," he said. "I''lle back tomorrow morning."

    Turning to Soobin he added, "Let''s go."

    She merely nodded, not looking at him. Her heart was troubled because she knew he was going to ask her about the haircut and she had no answer to it. What was going to happen if he found out that she was bullied?

    Knowing Yoonmin, he was going to make sure that Sera and Miho''s families were destroyed. She had heard about what the Hwang''s were capable of doing and even though they were normally very affable, once angered they could bankrupt someone in seconds.

    They reached his car. Yoonmin had thankfully gotten a special driver''s license for himself thanks to a few strings he pulled. He put Miyoo in the backseat, buckling her. She was half-asleep by then, dozing off. Soobin got into the car with Yoonmin, still wondering what to tell him. Yoonmin revved up the engine and they sped off.

    "H-How was your trip?" she asked in an attempt to lighten up the atmosphere.

    "It was good."

    "Did the investors like your proposal? They must have! After all-"

    "Both of us know that you don''t understand an iota of business and are trying to change the topic," Yoonmin said bluntly. "What happened in my absence?"

    "Nothing!" Soobin lied. "Everything was fine other than Jina sis'' ident. That was scary! We were all so scared and-"

    "Your hair, Kim Soobin. What happened to your hair?"

    "I like the hair style."

    Soobin tried to keep her voice steady but she was a bad liar. Yoonmin stopped the car and turned to her. His almond colored eyes were staring at her with an intensity which was hard to ignore. She tried not to look at him but it was impossible to escape him. Soobin gulped, afraid that he was going to dump her because her hair was short now. After all, he really liked touching her hair whenever they were alone.

    "Are you going to dump me?" she asked in a small tone.

    "Heh?"

    Yoonmin''s stern gaze turned into an incredulous one. Dump her? What?

    "Why would I do that?" he frowned.

    "You like my long hair," she mumbled. "And how I look pretty in itбн"

    Yoonmin poked her forehead but instead of annoyance, there was affection in his action. "Silly girl!" he snorted. "I don''t care about how you look! Who the hell cares if your hair is long or short? I don''t."

    "You''ll not dump me?"

    Soobin was relieved. She was worried that he was going to be angry at her or do something rash after seeing her like that but he was calm.

    "Of course not! Why will I do that? The only thing I''m worried about is that it''s gonna be harder to keep the other pesky guys away from you!"

    Soobin was confused. Why would other guyse after her?

    "You look sexy now!" Yoonmin admitted. "It was hard to keep your fan following away from you but now, the fans will only increase."

    He let out a loud sigh, making Soobin blush. "What I want to knowбн" he went on. "Is why you got the haircut?"

    "I-I told you! I like it."

    "Liar."

    Yoonmin knew that she was lying through her teeth to stop him from bing angry. Soobin loved her long hair and always took care of it. There was no way she would cut it off without a valid reason.

    "Iбн" Soobin took a deep breath and narrated what happened to him. Yoonmin''s gaze darkened with every word. He gripped the wheel of the car, his aura growing colder and colder as Soobin described what happened that day at school.

    "Baekha helped me that day," she said. "And she had to cut off my hair because the goo wouldn''te off. And I asked Minmin not to tell you because I know you''d leave everything ande back. I didn''t want to disturb you. So I kept quiet. I still don''t know who did it-"

    "I do," Yoonmin said as he started the engine again.

    Soobin gulped and quickly said, "Please don''t do anything to them! I know they''re wrong but this is all childish games. Let''s just ignore them and move on. Besides, after we graduate from high school, we won''t be seeing any of those people. So, let''s not hold a grudge!"

    "I''m not holding a grudge," Yoonmin said, surprisingly calm. He shed her a small smile but Soobin could see that he was plotting something.

    "You...you won''t harm their families?" she asked in a skeptic tone.

    "Nope. I won''t harm their families at all."

    "Thank godбн"

    Soobin was now truly relieved. Yoonmin was more sensible than he let on. She was happy that he was not going to stretch this issue. All Soobin wanted was to spend her high school years in peace with the few friends she had.

    A whileter, they stopped in front of Siwan''s mansion where Soobin was about to get off. She gave Yoonmin a quick kiss and smiled.

    "See you tomorrow," she promised. "I''ll go to the hospital after school ends."

    "I''ll pick you up," Yoonmin said. She got out of the car and waved at him as she went into the house.

    Yoonmin watched her leave. As soon as she was out of sight, he took out his phone and texted Minyoon. He was sure that after witnessing what happened to Soobin, Minyoon was not going to stay quiet at all.

    "Are we taking down those bitches?" he texted. Within seconds Minyoon replied.

    "Of course we are! Baekha will tell us what to do. Let sis get better."

    Yoonmin nodded. As if sensing his overwhelming aura, Miyoo woke up.

    "Yoonie," she mumbled. "Angry?"

    "No sis," Yoonmin said. "Yoonie isn''t angry."

    He paused and added, "He''s furious."

    "Ooo!"

    Miyoo was now interested. Yoonie was angry? Even the child knew that her brother was going to wreak havoc. She shed him a thumbs up.

    "Good luck, Yoonie!" She cheered him on.

    Yoonmin smirked and drove away, ready to root out the bullies who dared to hurt his girl.

 Chapter 215 - Mirror & Water (1)

    AUTHOR''S NOTE: I''m hosting a small contest on Instagram until 18th October where 5 lucky readers can win free coins to read on allnovelfull! Please follow tea_tae93 on instagram to check out the rules of the contest!

    Don''t forget to tag three friends in thements as well! The more youment, the more chances you get to win the coins! Contest will end on 18th Oct

    Hurry up!

    бн.

    Hobin stroked Jina''s head. She was sleeping peacefully. In her slumber, she looked even more frail and pale which worried him to no end. Was she always this tiny?

    His heart tugged whenever he thought of the state he found her in. The scene would not leave his mind and he was nearly traumatized by the feelings which erupted in him at that time. No matter how much he tried to be strong, it was impossible to keep hisposure.

    Junho stood behind him, watching the young man carefully. In a way, Junho understood what Hobin must have gone through when he saw Jina in that state.

    "When my wife was possessed by a demon," he began in a grim tone. "I thought I was going to die."

    Hobin was a little startled and turned around to face the old man.

    "Did she suffer a lot?" he asked, unsure if he wanted to hear the answer.

    "They say that Hell is where the demons live," Junho said in a bitter tone. "But they''re wrong. Hell is when you see the person you love the most, die in front of you. Slowly and painfully. They scream and cry for help but you can''t do anything for them because you don''t know what to do."

    "And you know what''s even worse than Hell?" he went on. Hobin shook his head.

    "When you have to kill your most precious person to bring them out of their suffering."

    Junho stared at his hands. "These handsбн" he said. "These hands are stained with her blood. The day I had to stab her so that she won''t suffer anymore. I still dream of her. Thest thing she did was to smile at me. But that smile haunts me in my nightmares, not letting me live nor die in peace."

    There was a long silence between the two men. Hobin was now looking at Junho in a new light. Behind the gruff and goofy exterior was a man who had suffered a lot. From the little memories of Shinho he had, Hobin was aware of Junho''s fight with the demon which killed his wife. But he did not know that Junho had to stab his wife with his own hands to end her suffering.

    "That night was hell for me. Nothing can evere close to the pain I felt that night. Nothing."

    Junho stared at his granddaughter''s sleeping figure. "I know what you''re going through," he continued. "But both of us know very well that a day mighte when you''ll also be faced with choosing life or death for Jina. When that dayes, can you make the choice?"

    He now turned to Hobin, who was stone faced. Hobin was lost and confused with his choices. Could he really make such a choice?

    "I can''t," Hobin finally admitted. That''s right, he realized. He could never make that choice. He was reincarnated to protect her and he would do that. There was no way he could let her suffer. It was going to shred his heart into pieces. Life without Jina was true hell for him. It took him years to realize it but it was the truth.

    Junho gave him a hard stare.

    "Tonight, you''ll have to go through the ritual," he said. "Are you ready to face whatever it is hiding in you?"

    Hobin stiffly nodded. "I am," he dered.

    бн

    Bomi was waiting in his house for Junho and Hobin to arrive. Since Jina was unavable for the ritual, Hobin''s brother had agreed to participate in it. Bomi alreadypleted the preparations for the mirror-water spell.

    He nced outside at the full moon which was shining brightly in the sky.

    "The night is cold," he muttered. On full moon nights, spirits and demons were at their peak. Their powers amplified during this time, making them dangerous and deadly. But full moon nights are perfect for shamans like him to perform spells as well. If the powers of supernatural creatures were at peak, then so were the ones of the shamans.

    The ritual he was going to conduct would expose any supernatural creature hiding within Hobin. It was dangerous and if they were not careful, Hobin might even die. But there was no other choice.

    There was a knock on the door. Bomi opened it to find Junho with two young men. One was in his mid twenties with auburn hair and the other was in his early thirties with dark hair. Thetter of the two was looking at Bomi with suspicion.

    Siwan was wary of the shaman who was wearing funny clothes. He did not believe in such superstitions but seeing how Hobin was actingtely, he had to apany them. Maybe Hobin''s powers were the result of something supernatural.

    "Come in," Bomi said. "I have prepared the things we need to conduct this ceremony."

    The trio followed him into another room deep within the house. The whole room was sealed with charms. Even the windows were locked.

    There was a long two-way mirror in the center of the room and two buckets of water stood on opposite ends of the mirror.

    "What is this?" Hobin frowned.

    "The mirror-water ritual," Junho realized. "But that''s dangerous!"

    He turned to Bomi who was looking at them with an unreadable expression. "We can''t do this!" Junho imed. "They might drown!"

    "There''s no other way," Bomi stated. "We need to look into the heart of Hobin and this is the only choice we have. And with a loved one going into the mirror realm with him, he can be pulled out."

    "Wait, what do you mean that we can drown?" Siwan demanded. "This is insane! You can''t expect us to get involved in something dangerous like this."

    "Is there any other way?" Bomi challenged. "Do you want to know the source of your brother''s powers or not?"

    Siwan gaped at the shaman, trying toe up with a counter argument but Hobin stopped him.

    "Stop it brother," he advised. "I want to know what''s inside me. Am I possessed? Or is it something else?"

    Siwan held his brother''s arm and pulled him aside.

    "Hobin, this is dangerous," he hissed. "We don''t know what this shaman is doing! What if he''s a fraud? What if he kills us? Or worse? Can you trust him?"

    "No," Hobin admitted. "But I trust old man Junho. I know he''s right."

    Siwan could only sigh. It was hard to believe these things but he also knew that Junho would never put them in deliberate danger.

    "Fine," he said. "But if anything goes wrong, I''ll take you and leave. Understand?"

    "Bro, I''m an adult! I thin I can-"

    "Do you understand?" Siwan said, his tonepletely undeterred. It did not matter to him if Hobin was 24 or 60. As long as Siwan was around, he was not going to sit and let Hobin run into danger.

    "Fine," Hobin sighed. They then turned to the shaman.

    "What do we have to do?" Siwan asked in a cool tone.

    "Before we start," Bomi said. "I need to check something."

    He came forward and held out his hand to Hobin.

    "I need to check your powers," he said. "Tell me, Ohm Hobin. What happened on the twentieth of October 1999?"

    Hobin stared at Bomi''s hand. Slowly, he touched it and closed his eyes.. Everyone in the room held their breaths as Hobin was transported into Bomi''s memories.

 Chapter 216 - Mirror & Water (2)

    AUTHOR''S NOTE: I''m hosting a small contest on Instagram until 18th October where 5 lucky readers can win free coins to read on allnovelfull! Please follow tea_tae93 on instagram to check out the rules of the contest!

    Don''t forget to tag three friends in thements as well! The more youment, the more chances you get to win the coins! Contest will end on 18th Oct

    Hurry up!

    бн.

    He is standing in the middle of a long corridor where a single door lies at the end. It is a small suburban house which has beenpletely sealed with red tapes on the walls. The windows are shut tight; not even a small ray of light can enter the house.

    Everything was shrouded in darkness except for the one room through which the cries of a girl ising through.

    "AHHHHHH!" The screams echo through the house, shattering the silence of the night. It is midnight and the screams do not stop. Inside the room was a grim atmosphere.

    Like the rest of the house, the room is also sealed with red tapes. But it is a chaotic mess inside. Four people are standing in the middle of the room, overseeing a girl who has been tied to the bed posts. The whole ce is trashed with papers and upturned furniture. ss and china lie all over the floor. Water is leaking from the bathroom, almost flooding the area while the papers are flying here and there, swirling like a tornado. The temperature inside the room is freezing to the point that everyone is shivering but they are still trying to keep their focus on the girl.

    The girlбн

    Her whole face is contorted into something inhuman. Blisters are sprouting all over her skin and her eyes are glowing red. The once ck, shiny hair is dull and tangled while a green goo oozes out of her mouth as she stares at the people around her, hissing.

    "YOU ROTTEN MOTHERFURCKERS!" She screams in a strange voice which is almost like a grown man''s. The girl is hardly ten years old but her tone is thick and heavy. Her parents are standing next to her, horrified at the daughter.

    "Ira!" her mother cries. "Ira, snap out of it! I''m your mom!"

    The girl snarls and tries to kick the woman but her limbs are tied to the posts. But her strength is inhuman, shaking the bed violently as she struggles. A shaman in strange clothes is standing next to her bed. The shaman is Bomi and the other man standing next to him is Junho. Both of them are looking at the girl with worry and fear. They have never faced anything like this before and are at a loss on what to do.

    "Mr. Bomiбн" the girl''s father calls him. "Please, heal our daughter! I...I don''t know what to do!"

    The father''s name is Yang Jason while his wife''s name is Jung Mira. They are desperate to save their daughter Ira who has been acting strange for months. They had taken her to doctors who are perplexed by the behavior of the seemingly normal child. She has been acting strange ever since she yed with some kind of strange card which she found in the garden.

    It started slowly at first. Ira was experiencing mood swings. She started to be easily irritated andshed out at her parents. At first, Jason and Mira thought she was going through hormonal changes at that age butter, Ira began to hurt small animals. Mira once found dead rats in Ira''s bathroom, all of which had their throats ripped apart. They told themselves that it was probably a cat that did it but that was not the end.

    Soon, Ira began to attack people as well. She pushed one child off the second floor''s window, injuring the child so severely that he can never walk again. The school suspended Ira and the Yang''s had to pay a lot of money to the child''s parents who wanted to throw Ira into juvenile prison.

    After the doctors announced it is impossible to treat her, her parents had to resort to a shaman. Bomi and Junho arrived upon hearing of her condition. Junho, who has encountered a spirit once, instantly knew the symptoms.

    He is holding a book as he chants the spell to cast the spirit out.

    "Oh you who have lost his way in the world, leave this girl and go back to your realm!" he chants. Junho sprinkles holy water on the girl who hisses in annoyance. Her skin burns at the ces where the holy water touches her and she growls like a wild animal.

    "You fucking twat!" she curses. "You think you''re so great and mighty? Ha ha ha! I''m not gonna leave until I take this girl''s body! She''s mine! I have a deal with her! You can''t break a deal, ya fucking-"

    Bomi throws salt on her, making her scream in agony. Her limbs are red with blood and she is cursing violently at them. Jason and Mira are crying, hopelessly watching their daughter''s state. Their sweet Ira has turned into a monster.

    "Iraбн" Mira sobs and hugs her husband. Jason is also teary but keeps up a strong front. It is impossible to see their child suffering so much.

    "Go back to your realm!" Junho chants. "You who have lost your way, Imand you to go back to your-"

    A strong gust of wind throws the book away from Junho''s hands but he does not stop chanting. The girl screams in pain. Her body twists and contorts as she tries to fight off the effects of the spell but the spirit in her is not leaving. She thrashes on the bed, almost breaking it. Her parents jump in and hold down her limbs.

    "You motherfucking shaman!" she curses in the manly voice. "You basta-"

    Bomi throws more salt and peach powder at her. The girl curses at him more, spewing ngs which are too crude to even speak of. The spirit in her is too powerful and adamant. By using the card, it has taken over her mindpletely and is refusing to leave.

    "Shaman, what do we do?" Mira yells as she tries to keep her daughter steady. The bed is shaking very violently and they are unable to control her anymore. Jason is thrown backwards by the brute force of the spirit. The spirit spits at them, ring at the two men who are trying to get rid of it.

    The exorcismsts for hours but the spirit does not leave. Junho and Bomi try everything to take him out but they are unable to do so. They do not know the spirit''s name nor its origins. The girl is still trapped in her mind, unable to escape.

    Finally, Junho closes his book and sighs.

    "We can''t," he said sadly to the parents. "We have never faced a ghost like this before."

    "Butбн" Jason begins. "There must be something you can do!"

    Behind him, the girl curses at the shamans.

    "Ghost?" she wheezes as if taunting them. "Is that what you think I am?"

    Sheughs hard at their stupidity. Humans are so naive. They really do not want to ept anything else as an answer.

    "Shut it!" Bomi snaps at the entity. "Why are you possessing the girl? What harm did she do to you?"

    "It''s a contract, you fucker!" she gloats. "You can''t break this contract! I''ll not let her go until I take her soul with me to Hell!"

    Sheughs a bone chillingughter which makes even Junho''s blood go cold. Contract? What contract?

    "Once a contract is made, you can''t break it!" the entity reveals. "And you''ll never be able to make me leave her! You don''t even know my nameбн"

    The entity in the girlughs again at the foolishness of the men. Do they really think holy objects and spells are enough to cast out something like him? They are really fools!

    "You don''t have time, old man," the entity says. "It''ll be 1 am soon and once the clock strikes 1, I''ll take her with me!"

    "What do you mean?" Junho asks sharply. But the entity only smirks at him. Her parents are also fearful.

    "1 am?" Mira gasps. "That...that is the same time when Ira found the card!"

    "Where is the card?" Bomi asks.

    "I ate it!" the entity chortles. "And shat it out! You can''t cast me out, moronбн"

    Behind them, the clock struck 1 am. Everyone freezes in their spot as the girl lets out a roaringughter.

    "You failed, shamans!" sheughs. A light was beginning to engulf her. Unbeknownst to the silly humans, an invisible gate is opening up nearby. All they can feel is a strong wind which is blowing from somewhere, almost sweeping them off their feet. Junho holds on to one of the posts while the others seek shelter under the furniture. The wind is too strong to resist but they are more horrified by the sight of what is happening to the girl.

    Her body is being twisted and mangled by the entity. Blood gushes out of her mouth mixed with the green goon and she is convulsing hard. Junho tries to reach her but the wind sweeps him away. Things are flying all around them, forcing them to hide but the girl is still thrashing around on the bed in pain. She is in a catatonic state as the light overtakes her body.

    They watch helplessly as a loud roar thunders the room and everything goes silent. Mira and Jasone out of their hiding ces only to be devastated at the sight of their daughter''s lifeless body.

    She is dead.

    бн.

    Hobin pulled himself out of Bomi''s memories. The shaman was studying him intently.

    "A girl named Ira died that night," Hobin whispered, shook by what he had just witnessed. "It was a demon that killed her."

    Junho and Bomi looked at each other. He was correct. Siwan froze in his spot, shocked by the news of the girl''s death. A demon possessed her? He was confused by the revtion but there was no time to dwell on that.

    "What happened...what happened to the parents?" Hobin asked.

    "They knew what killed their daughter and didn''t me us," Bomi said in a hoarse tone. "They moved away from the country."

    These powers...he had never seen something like this before. Hobin was a strange case and they must find out the origins of his abilities. Was he human or something else?

    He cleared his throat and took a deep breath.

    "I''ve seen enough proof," he dered. "Now, it''s time for the ritual."

    Bomi turned to the brothers. "Are you two ready?" he asked them.

    Hobin gulped but nodded while Siwan also did the same.. They were ready.

 Chapter 217 - Mirror & Water (3)

    AUTHOR''S NOTE: I''m hosting a small contest on Instagram until 18th October where 5 lucky readers can win free coins to read on allnovelfull! Please follow tea_tae93 on instagram to check out the rules of the contest!

    Don''t forget to tag three friends in thements as well! The more youment, the more chances you get to win the coins! Contest will end on 18th Oct

    Hurry up!

    бн.

    Hobin and Siwan were sitting on the chairs, their backs turned to one another. Each of them had a mirror and a bucket full of water in front of them. Siwan was skeptical of the ritual and Hobin was not much keen to do it either. But he was eager to know what was inside him and there was no other way.

    Bomi arrived and chanted some spells over the water. He then drew a hexagon on the mirror. Bomi then repeated this step on Siwan''s bucket and mirror,pleting the first phase of the spell.

    Siwan was ash faced, not trusting the shaman at all. Bomi sighed and bent down to whisper something in his ear. He frowned upon hearing those words.

    "What?" he hissed. "That''s-"

    "That''s the reason you''re here," Bomi whispered. "Only someone who cares about Hobin deeply enough can bring him out of that state."

    Siwan blinked but nodded. If what the shaman said was true, it was a nearly impossible task. He took a deep breath.

    "If you screw this up, I won''t spare you."

    The gentleness in Siwan''s voice was gone, reced with a cold determination. He red at Bomi whom he believed to be putting ideas into Hobin''s head. His brother might be entric but he was not a monster. Siwan knew that well.

    "You''ll thank meter," Bomi said in a grim tone. He left Siwan''s side and stood in the middle of the room.

    "The spell I''m going to cast is very dangerous," he told them. "You must always remember that you''ll be in the mirror''s world. Mirrors are the window to our soul so you''ll be peeking into your own souls. If Hobin truly has anything living in him, the mirror will show it."

    "And now, we''ll be putting your heads into the water," he went on. "We won''t be pressing you down. You''ll have to find the right moment toe out of the water otherwise you can drown."

    "How do we know it''s the right time?" Hobin asked.

    "You''ll see."

    Bomi motioned at Junho who nodded. Junho took his ce next to Hobin while Bomi stood next to Siwan. They grabbed each one by the head and slowly pushed them into the water.

    Hobin felt the cold wave hit him as he was being gently pushed into the water. Something was not right. He was not feeling the wetness of the water but rather, it was like air. Cold, icy air. No bubbles formed in his mouth as he gasped for air. Strange visions were shing by, most which he could not make out. They were simply shes of random colors which were popping in and out of his mind as the icy air pulled him deeper and deeper into its realmбн

    "Agh!" He groaned. Hobin felt as if hended on cold, hard ground. He was confused and dazed because he was no longer at Bomi''s apartment. Instead, he was all alone in the strangest ce he had ever seen.

    It was that silence again. The gravely silence which had shrouded him at Purgatory. He could not hear a single sound but unlike Purgatory which felt like death, this was different. The atmosphere was lighter here than it was in Purgatory with no signs of a soul. No Mindless, no Reaper. It was just him.

    And a room full of mirrors.

    All the mirrors were the same size and shape, ced randomly around the room. And the room was not an ordinary one either. It was infinite. The room stretched to horizons beyond hisprehension, going on and on with no end in sight. There were probably thousands, no, millions of mirrors in that ce.

    Hobin stood on his feet, looking around. There was no sign of Siwan anywhere and he was alert.

    "Bro?" he called out. Bro...bro...bro...his voice echoed in the Infinite Room, going far and wide. Everywhere he looked, only his own reflection looked back at him.

    What am I supposed to do? He wondered. Hobin slowly walked around the mirrors, studying them carefully. All he saw were his own faces looking back at him. There was no sign of anything else which might be existing within him.

    Was I wrong all along? He wondered. Maybe my powers are simply the result of a strange miracle.

    CREEEEEAK!

    Hobin jumped at the sound of something creaking. He turned around to see what it was but there was nothing in sight. But the creaking sound was getting closer. The sharp noise was causing the hair on his hands to rise.

    CREEEEEEEEAK!

    Hobin''s ears felt as if they were going to bleed.

    "UGH!" he eximed in pain. The sound was torturing him, inching closer and closer. He shut his ears and wanted to run but his feet were rooted to one ce.

    No. He could not run. This...this feels familiar, he realized.

    Something wasing towards him and he knew that he arrived at this strange mirror world to look for him. Was this his soul? Just a bunch of mirrors where a mysterious creature was hiding?

    The sound was bing unbearable. Hobin felt his eardrums almost bursting but whether it was the power of the world he was in or something else, he was not bleeding from the ears. In fact, he was physically fine.

    He was being made to feel the pain in his head.

    "Who the hell are you?" he gritted. "Come out, you fucker!"

    The sound stopped. Hobin felt the torment in his ears lessen and he slowly looked up. There was still no one around but he felt a chill down his spine.

    Someone was watching him. He was not sure how, but there was someone else in that Infinite Room. He could feel a pair of eyes observing him with an unknown emotion. Hatred? Guilt? He did not know.

    His reflections on the mirrors showed his conflicted state. He was confused but remained calm. The air was now colder to the point that Hobin could see his breath. He was now determined to root out this creature from within him.

    "Who are you?" he demanded. "Why aren''t youing out?"

    He did not expect a reply but a cold voice came from the deep terrain of his soul.

    "I am you and you are meбн"

    Hobin''s blood chilled at the voice. It sounds like me! He realized.

    "I am you," the voice echoed around him. "We are one, Ohm Hobin. Kang Shinho...Wang Daesung."

    Huh? Wang Daesung?

    "A soul like yours is rare indeed," the voice said. "Toe back for the same girl over and over again...You are tenacious."

    Same girl? Jina?

    "Where are you?" Hobin whispered.

    "Here."

    He turned around only to see his own reflection staring back at him. Even on his sides, there was nothing else other than his reflections. Was the creature messing with him?

    "You still can''t see me, Ohm Hobin?"

    Hobin went from mirror to mirror, looking for the creature but there was nothing. No winged monster, no demons. Just his face on the mirrors.

    "Stop messing with me!" he roared. "Come out, you coward!"

    "Ha haha haha...You are naive...Look carefully. I am here. I am there. I am everywhere."

    Hobin was confused. The mirrors only showed his own reflection. What the hell was this demon talking about?

    "Look again, son of Hellбн"

    Hobin looked carefully at one of the reflections. At first it was impossible to make out what the demon meant but within a few seconds, realization dawned on him. He stared at his reflection as if he was unable to believe his own eyes.

    "Youбн" he whispered. His own lips were moving but the reflection in the mirror was grinning in triumph.

    "Hello, Ohm Hobin," it greeted. "We meet atst."

    Hobin did not know what he had expected. Wings? Horns? An ugly demon which was hellbent on destroying everything?

    Instead, all he saw was his own face. It was as handsome as him with the same auburn hair and chiseled appearance. They were even wearing the same gray t-shirt and jeans. Everything was the same.

    Except the eyes. Unlike Hobin''s dark ones, the demon''s eyes were gleaming red. It was not evident at first but upon closer look, Hobin realized that the demon''s eyes were slowly turning scarlet.

    "What do you want?" Hobin demanded.

    "You," the demon replied. "I want you, Ohm Hobin."

    "Why?"

    The demon did not reply but was looking at his host with interest. "You''re not an ordinary demon," Hobin said. "The other demons were calling you the-"

    "Prince," the demon revealed. "They call me the Prince of Hell. I am a Prince. Now that Hell is vacant and there is no one to rule it, I have to take over as the ruler."

    "Are you insane?" Hobin hissed. "Take over Hell? The fuck?"

    "You really think that you can stay here?" the demon taunted him. Hobin could not help but wonder what kind of twisted game this was. His own reflection was talking to him. As a psychiatrist, he could not help thinking that it was all in his head.

    "The demons wille for you," the demon went on. "And her. They wille for her. Do you really think the attacks by those spirits were random? No. They were not random."

    "What the hell do you mean?"

    The demon smiled at his naivety. "For a psychiatrist, you are not that smart, are you?" he sneered.

    He tutted and shook his head. Hobin did not give into the bait but was ring back at the demon.

    "What do you mean?"

    "Those spirits are controlled by another power," the demon revealed. "Something more powerful and dangerous. Unless you take your rightful ce as the heir of Hell, they will not stop attacking her untilбн"

    "Until what?"

    The demon slightly leaned forward, meeting him in the eye.. "Until they kill her and her sister," he chortled. "Can you see them die, Ohm Hobin?"

 Chapter 218 - Mirror & Water (4)

    He drew a sharp breath. The demon was staring back at him with its red eyes with an impassive expression.

    "Can you see them die, Ohm Hobin?" he questioned.

    "How are the attacks on them rted to me?"

    "That is not the answer," the demon said. Hobin raised an eyebrow. The demon was deliberately avoiding his question for some reason and Hobin was now more curious.

    "You know something," he used. "Tell me the truth. Why were they attacked?"

    "Keep asking me that and they''ll be attacked again," the demon smirked. Hobin felt like smashing the mirror to pieces but he remained calm. The demon was trying to y a psychological game with him.

    Two can y at that.

    "Fine," Hobin said. "We''re here for a while. Let''s do this then."

    He stepped back and sat on the floor. The demon mimicked his actions, watching him carefully. Hobin stared back at the demon in the mirror, contemting his next move.

    "What happened all those years ago?" he asked. "What''s your real name? Wang Daesung?"

    "That''s your name," the demon repliedzily. "Not mine."

    Wang Daesung...that was my name in the past? Hobin thought. But why is the demon saying his name is a different one?

    "What is your name then?" he asked. "Surely, you want me to call you something."

    "You can''t exorcise me out of your body, Ohm Hobin," the demon sighed. He grinned and leaned backzily, watching his human counterpart. "Unlike other demons, I''m a special case. I was born a demon. The result of the union between a human and the King of Hell. I was born with you and unlike Daesung, I didn''t die with him. I was simply in a limbo until the King of Hell mated with the reincarnation of the woman he loves. And I was allowed to return to Earth once again."

    "Imagine my shock when I saw that you were my host again," he added and snickered. "Promise to protect the woman you love? Ha! Bullshit! You can''t protect her, Ohm Hobin. She''s gonna be the death of youбн"

    He let out a loud, sarcasticughter. Hobin watched his own reflection, his handsome face contorted into a manic obsession. He was disgusted by his own reflection but the demon tutted.

    "What''s there to be disgusted about?" The demon questioned him. "I am you and you are me. This is the world of mirrors. It shows your soul, Doctor Ohm. And you...you are a demon."

    "So you can read my mind," Hobin concluded.

    "I live in it."

    Hobin studied the demon. He was sure that this was not the demon''s real form. The real form of the demon must be more sinister but he merely took over Hobin''s reflection. Then Hobin frowned at something.

    "You said that unlike other demons, you were born one," he pointed out. "What do you mean? Have you been to Hell?"

    "No," the demon revealed. "I haven''t. Unlike other demons, I wasn''t born there. You and I, we are the only exception. Other demons were created there. We weren''t."

    "Created?"

    "You were right, Ohm Hobin," the demon said as if toying with him. "The demons were once humans. Your little friend, Sungki? He is the manifestation of his obsession. Thanks to his deal with the demons and mania to have his wife at all costs, he turned into a demon sooner than expected."

    "But he''s a Kistris," the demon went on. "Annoying types but beatable."

    "Kistris?" Hobin frowned. He recalled the demon at Duho''s apartment. It called itself a Vusthamis Lord. Was it a ss of demons? Hobin did not think about it much because demons were known to lie but was his own demon lying to him?

    The demon was eyeing him, amused by the situation. "You really don''t know much about your own powers, do you?" he taunted. "If only you''d let me out!"

    He let out a sigh and added, "I can show you so much more."

    "My father," Hobin said, ignoring his questions. "Is he a demon too? They call me the Prince. Does that mean he is the Emperor of Hell? Who is he? Where is he?"

    "If anyone knew, you wouldn''t have had the problems of stray demons," the demon said. "Rules for a contract are simple. Take the soul and leave. No one is allowed to stay back."

    "But someone must have summoned my father then!" Hobin eximed.

    "Who knows?"

    The demon was now withholding information. Hobin was thinking of what to say next. The demon was inside his head, reading his mind. There was no way he could outwit it without shutting down his thoughts. But this was the world of his own soul. He was sure that no matter what he did, the demon would be at an advantage.

    He suddenly cleared his mind, deciding to let his mouth run instead of his head. It was the only way. Demon? Oh please! He was no different than a stubborn patient.

    "You have a superiorityplex like all demons," he stated. "You think you''re the best but in reality, you really don''t know much about anything."

    The demon raised an eyebrow but Hobin went on.

    "Being the exception to the rules of Hell, you think that you can take over it," he went on. "But you can''t survive without a host so you need to take me with you. However, you can''t take a human being without his will. Can you?"

    "You don''t know what will happen if you don''t go," the demon said quietly. "The throne is empty, Ohm Hobin. Imagine what you can do if you go there-"

    "You''re not trying to take me there to rule Hell," Hobin pointed out. "You want to take me there so that you don''t fall in a limbo again likest time."

    He leaned forward, crossing his legs. "You saw what happened to Wang Daesung. You know many things and you don''t want to say it. Is it out of guilt? Or something else?"

    The demon''s eyes shed a bright scarlet light. It was trying to read Hobin''s mind but the psychiatrist hadpletely blocked him off. It was a skill Hobin had learnt a long time ago. If it works against humans, it would work against demons too.

    "You''re guilty," Hobin used. "You did something. Daesung died because of you, didn''t he?"

    "Daesung died because he was a fool who fell in love with his own murderer!" the demon cursed. "The Butterfly Priestess was born to kill him! Yet, the dumbass fell in love with her-"

    "And so did you."

    Hobin''s words were simple but effective. It was the oldest story in the world. Two personalities cohabiting in the same body were also in love with the same person. Even if the personalities imed they were not one, they had the same mind and heart. One of themon traits in an already dysfunctional mind.

    "You loved her and were jealous of Daesung!" he realized. "Which is why you betrayed him-"

    "I did nothing of that sort!" the demon roared. Hobin watched his reflection move desperately as if trying to prove a point. But he had touched the demon''s sore spot.

    "I didn''t betray them!" the demon hissed.

    "But you did. You betrayed them. Why? Was it because you thought you could take over Daesung''s body? Or was it something else? Whatever it was, you felt you could have the Priestess all to yourself."

    "She didn''t kill Daesung," Hobin concluded. "She was killing you-"

    "They killed themselves!" the demon burst out. It was on its feet and so was Hobin, shocked by the revtion.

    They killed themselves?

 Chapter 219 - Mirror & Water (5)

    "Yes," the demon confirmed. "I had nothing to do with their deaths! Those two fools killed themselves and have now reincarnated into you and that little detective you run around with."

    Jina? Hobin''s eyes widened with realization. They were the reincarnations of Daesung and the Priestess?

    That exined why Jina was able to kill demons. But why did they reincarnate? What was their purpose?

    Suddenly Shinho''s warning was echoing in his ears.

    "The promise we made to protect Jina, will also be a curseбн"

    The curseбн

    Hobin looked at the demon who was now ring back at him with pure hatred. He could not read the demon''s thoughts but the demon was now able to read his.

    "You think that you can have her," the demon taunted him but there was a hint of sadness in his words. "She might love you now. But she will be the end of you. Reincarnating for her over and over again but it won''t do anything. If you want to protect her, leave her and go to Hell. These spirits are only the beginning. If the throne stays empty for too long, more such spirits and demons wille for her!"

    "No."

    Hobin was adamant. Leave? Never. He did not make the promise to protect Jina simply to leave her behind.

    He made the promise to be with her. Forever.

    "I''ll stay here and protect her," he vowed. "You can do whatever you want, but I''m not going anywhere! Demons? Let theme. I''m not scared."

    The demon was now visibly angry and punched the ss, smashing it to bits. But Hobin turned to another mirror and saw the demon was still in his reflection.

    "You can''t make that choice!" the demons roared. "You can''t stay here! What right do you have to stay here? She died because of you! Do you want her to die again?"

    "I have no intention of letting her die-" Hobin was saying but the demon smashed the ss again. This time, a stray ss cut through Hobin''s cheek but he did not flinch. He calmly turned to another mirror, ring at the demon again.

    "I won''t let you have her!" The demon challenged him. "You killed herst time but this time, I''ll not let you have your way! I''ll take over your body soon, Ohm Hobin!"

    "I''d like to see you try."

    The demon red at his cocky attitude but then smirked.

    "You think you can stop me?" he sneered. "But I know your weak point, Doctor! You can''t control yourself when your loved ones are in danger. Remember Wang Taehee?"

    Hobin froze. He tried not to let the familiar feelings of rage and helplessness engulf him but Taehee''s story always filled him with guilt. His fingers clenched into a fist but he was not going to give into the demon''s taunts. The creature wanted him to fall for the bait.

    "Taehee''s death was unfortunate," he gritted through his teeth. "None of us could do anything-"

    "You know very well who really killed Taehee!" the demon hissed. "Or rather...what killed Taehee?"

    He chortled out loud. Hobin was nk because the demon was correct. Even though it took him years to figure it out, he finally knew what really happened to Taehee.

    "It was a demon," he whispered.

    "And no ordinary demon," the demon said. "The highest level of demon. He''s going toe for you and the Priestess someday. And if he gains control over the throne in Hell, everything will be ruined. You won''t be able to protect anything!"

    "Who is he?" Hobin demanded. "Tell me!"

    "Leave her!" the demon challenged. "Go back to Hell and rule it. Don''t evere back again!"

    "If I go, then you''ll have to go with me. How is that going to help you?"

    "It''ll protect her at least!"

    They red at each other. Hobin was not going to give in to his bait but the demon was now snarling. His eyes were glowing brightly and his skin was starting to be redder by the second. Sharp teeth were beginning to emerge and Hobin watched in horror as the demon began to change.

    It grewrger, sprouting upwards. The wings on its back were beginning toe out, spreading so wide that they were out of the mirror''s range. The auburn hair was turning darker and the demon''s eyes red down at its puny human host.

    Why did the Priestess choose him? Why was he with her? What right did he have to be with her?

    "You''re a curse!" the demon said in a deep tone. "You don''t deserve the Priestess'' love! I do! I love her and I can protect her."

    "You can''t do anything!" Hobin challenged. "You know it very well. She won''t love you-"

    His words were interrupted by the sudden sounds of ss breaking.

    In slow motion, the mirrors were being smashed into thousands of pieces. ss flew all around him as the demon let out a loud roar of anger and sadness. Hobin''s words were piercing its very soul, making him angry and bitter at the thought of being unloved by the woman he desired.

    "You can''t force someone to love you!" Hobin shouted over the sounds of breaking ss. "We''re humans! You can''t force your will on anyone!"

    The demon was enraged and within a swift motion, he tried to reach out of the mirror but he was trapped in it.

    "You fucking fool!" he cursed. "You think you can control me? No! I''ll take over your body someday and you can''t do anything! I''ll drag you to Hell if I have to but I won''t let you kill her again! You hear me?"

    "We want the same thing but why are you so insistent on-"

    SMASH! SMASH! SMASH!

    The demon was now on a rampage, breaking everything within the mirror world. His body was alight with the red hue and he was only turning stronger every minute. Hobin suddenly felt a sharp pain in his chest.

    The demon was trying toe out!

    "If not by hook, I''ll take over your body by crook," the demon dered. "But I will take over. You''ll beg me to do it!"

    "AGHHHH!" Hobin screamed in pain as the chest pain aggravated. He bent over, crouching in agony. ck spots were appearing in his vision and he felt as if he was going to die.

    "Tell me to take over!" the demonmanded.

    "N-No!"

    "You-"

    Before the demon could do anything, Hobin felt a hand on his forehead. That touch wasбн

    "Bro!" he gasped.

    Siwan was not looking at him but his eyes were on the creature in the mirror. He had seen this creature before and he now knew what it was.

    The demon was also ring back at him. There was no fear in Siwan''s eyes but sheer hatred for the thing which was making his brother''s life hell.

    "Youбн" Siwan whispered. "STAY THE FUCK AWAY FROM MY BROTHER!"

    The demon snarled and was about to reach but Siwan took out a charm from his pocket and put it on Hobin''s head.

    A bright light shed everywhere and the brothers disappeared in thin air, leaving the demon behind.

    The demon watched them leave, feeling helpless.

    "AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

    His screams broke every single mirror, echoing far and wide in the infinite room until there was nothing left but shards of broken ss.

 Chapter 220 - Mirror & Water-Conclusion

    Bomi and Junho were tense. Junho nced at the clock and was fidgeting. It had been over a minute and the two brothers still did not emerge from the water.

    "We need to pull them out!" he eximed but Bomi shook his head.

    "We can''t," he said in a butter tone. "If we interrupt the ritual, they might get trapped in the Infinite Room forever. No, they muste out on their own."

    As soon as he said those words, the water in the buckets began to form bubbles and Siwan pulled out of it. He was gasping for air, his hair and face all wet. But he rushed over to Hobin who was still inside the water.

    "Hobin!" he called.

    To his relief, Hobin also emerged from the bucket. He struggled to breathe, his nostrils blocked by the water so Siwan thumped his back, helping him to cough out the water. Still coughing, he looked around as if to make sure he was back in the real world.

    "Where are we?" he demanded. "Is this the real world? Or the mirror one?"

    "We''re real," Bomi said. "You''re out of the mirror world. What did you see there?"

    "Let him breathe first!" Siwan snapped at the shaman. He turned to his brother and asked, "Are you alright?"

    Hobin was unusually pale and shaken by what he had witnessed. The demon''s threat loomed over him and he was now even more determined not to let the demon get its way.

    "I''m fine," he said in a hoarse tone. Junho headed out of the room and returned after a few seconds clutching a couple of towels.

    "Dry yourselves up," he ordered. "And tell us what happened in that ce? What did you see?"

    Bomi, however, was testing the water bucket Hobin was submerged in.

    "He saw a demon," he concluded. "You have a demon inside you, Ohm Hobin."

    There was a long stretch of silence following his words. Siwan was ash faced while Hobin kept quiet. Only Junho spoke up.

    "How can you tell?" he asked.

    Bomi pointed at the water. Under the dim light, it was hard to tell but upon closer look, they realized that the color had changed.

    "ck," he whispered. "The color turned ck."

    Everyone was now staring at Hobin who felt ufortable by the attention he was getting.

    "It didn''t say its name," Hobin revealed. "It only said...it only said that the demons in Hell were once humans."

    He went on to exin how the demons were escaping Hell and that the spirits trapped in there eventually became demons as well like Sungki. Hobin deliberately hid the part about him being the Prince of Hell and also about his father''s origins. He only said that the demon did not know who his father was.

    "What about the name?" Bomi asked. "Did the demon mention his name?"

    "No," Hobin replied. "He didn''t."

    Siwan was frowning a little but the other two men seemed to have bought his exnation. Hobin turned to his brother.

    "How did you get us out?" he asked. Siwan pointed at Hobin''s forehead. To thetter''s surprise, there was a charm on it. The charm was a yellow paper with something written in ancientnguage. There were also a few drops of blood on it. Hobin looked at Siwan''s hand and realized that there was a small cut on one of his fingers.

    "Broбн"

    "The shaman told me before we started the ritual," Siwan revealed. He nced at Bomi and added, "He put this charm in my pocket and told me to put a few drops of blood on the paper. He also warned me that the mirrors in that world will try to tempt me. So I''ll have to break the temptation and find you. After that, I must put this charm on your head and return us to the real world."

    Siwan was still skeptical of Bomi but there was no doubt the man knew what he was doing. He had also seen the demon inside Hobin which only increased his fears.

    But what concerned him the most were the things Hobin was hiding. He knew his brother well and was sure that Hobin was not being truthful.

    "Now that we know the humans in Hell can turn into demons, we''ll have to n ordingly," Bomi said. "Kistris demon...I''ve never heard of something like this."

    "Let''s look into more demon lore and see if this thing pops up anywhere," Junho said. "Butбн"

    He looked at Hobin. "Now that we know there''s a demon in him, how are we going to exorcise it?"

    "We can''t without a name," Bomi sighed. "We also don''t know if the demon will leave him. After all, they were born together. If we extract the demon out, what if this guy dies?"

    "No!" Siwan said sharply. "He''s not going through any such thing!"

    "Bro-" Hobin began but Siwan silenced him with a look.

    "No," Siwan repeated coldly. "If you do such a thing, I''m telling mom and she will stop you. Understand?"

    Hobin sighed. There was no way he could go against Siwan when he made that threat. If their mother found out, she would leave everything and turn the world upside down. Hobin was not scared of demons but his mother was a different case when she was angry. Also, he did not want to worry her.

    "Fine," he gritted.

    "But if we don''t exorcise-" Bomi began but Siwan silenced him with a look as well. The shaman might not be a fraud but he was not going to let this guy do funny stuff on his brother.

    "Let''s just keep an eye on the demon," Junho hastily suggested. "That will do, right? Just give the kid some charms to keep the demon contained."

    Bomi and Siwan were still ring at each other but the former relented. "Fine," he said. "I''ll give a few charms only."

    He prepared some charms and handed them to Hobin who took them. Siwan led Hobin out of the house while Junho stayed back.

    "That kid is being a nuisance!" Bomiined. "If we don''t exorcise the demon, we''ll not know how to get rid of itpletely!"

    "He''s right in his own way," Junho pointed out. "Siwan doesn''t want Hobin to die. We don''t know the demon''s name. Also, he saw what''s inside his brother. He must have been rmed! Let them deal with it on their own for now. If anything goes wrong, we''lle to you."

    Bomi was not so sure. Siwan was hellbent on not taking his help but there was little choice. If Hobin could not go against his brother, then there was nothing he could do.

    Outside, Siwan led Hobin to the car and turned towards him.

    "What did the demon tell you?" he demanded. Hobin looked straight at his brother, feeling conflicted. He never lied to his brother before and he was unwilling to do so. But there was no choice.

    "I already said it!" Hobin imed. "He only talked about how humans can be demons. And-"

    "Look, I might not understand all this demon stuff," Siwan cut across him. "But know you! You''re lying. The demon told you something. What is it?"

    "I can''t tell."

    Siwan was taken aback but sighed. "You don''t have to do this on your own," he said.

    "I know," Hobin admitted. "But there''s something...I can''t tell you right now. I will someday. I promise! But not now. I need to figure out some things."

    "Fine," Siwan conceded. "But my threat still stands. No exorcism. I won''t let you do that."

    "Okay!"

    Hobin smiled at his brother. If he was not there, Hobin would have died that night. Again.

    "Thanks bro," he mumbled. "For being there."

    Siwan patted his hair andughed. "I''ll always be there," he promised. "To kick your ass whenever you''re doing something stupid!"

    He still treated Hobin as if thetter was a kid but Hobin did not mind. As long as his brother was with him, nothing was going to harm him.

    Not even a damn demon.

 Chapter 221 - Baekhas Plan (1)

    A month passed by in rtive bliss. Jina was finally discharged from the hospital and was well enough to go back to her house despite the protests from her brothers. They wanted to bring her back to their penthouse but she shot them down.

    Junho was off on another trip in order to learn more about the demons in Hell. Hobin and Siwan were back at their work while Soobin decided to keep her hair short for a while longer. Jiwoon was still living with Siwan because the demon was not caught yet.

    The crimes had stopped but the hunt for the killer was still ongoing. Jina knew very well that it was impossible to catch the criminal because it was a demon and not a human being. The police were at a loss without any clues and given that Yooseok was already dead, there were no new leads. The media were not informed about the fact that Yooseok was dead before the third victim despite the presence of his DNA on her body. If it was leaked, the cops would be aughing stock.

    Amidst all the confusion, someone yelled out loud in the Hwang household.

    "AHHHHHHH!" Magrod screamed. "NO NO NO! NOT THE BEAUTY AND THE BEAST''S PRINCE! THE PRINCE OF HELL! HELL!"

    Miyoo blinked at him. He was talking about the Prince again so she was showing him the pictures of the fairy tale princes again.

    "Hmph!" she scowled. "Prince!"

    She pointed at the Beast on the book''s cover.

    "That''s not the Prince of Hell!" He eximed. "What sort of Princes are you kids being exposed to?"

    Miyoo thought hard and her eyes lit up in realization. She plopped towards her phone and typed something on it before showing it to Magrod. He stared at the picture of seven boys who were dancing on a stage.

    "Prince!" she beamed. "Handsome! Smooth like butter!"

    "NOT BTS!" he groaned in dismay.

    "BTS are Princes!" Miyoo insisted. Magrod only facepalmed himself.

    Why am I babysitting a kid? He wondered. I should start charging this miserly family!

    He had been looking for the Prince for over a month but no luck. It was like he did not exist at all! But that was impossible. If the Butterfly Priestess had reincarnated, then the Prince must also have done so.

    "Ugh! Why are you home on a weekday anyway?" he grumbled. "You''re supposed to go to school and bring me back cookies!"

    Miyoo was now miserable and her stomach growled not out of hunger. She was suffering from an upset stomach again.

    "Serves you right for eating so many candies!" Magrod taunted her. "Who told you to eat the entire box of candies your mom and dad sent you?"

    Miyoo stuck out her tongue at him. Just then, Minyoon entered the room.

    "Miyoo, both Yoonie and I will be busy today," he cooed at his sister. "We''ll drop you off at Soobin''s house where Siwan bro will take care of you. He''s home today and he''ll also check up on you. Soobin will look after you after school and I''ll pick you up in the evening. Are you happy now?"

    The little girl''s eyes were not glowing with happiness. Doctor Siwan? Her one true love will take care of her!

    She enthusiastically nodded. Minyoon sighed and packed up her things. Magrod only shook his head.

    "I don''t wanna be alone here!" heined. "Might as well tag along with the kid for free food."

    He crept into Miyoo''s backpack and hid there. Soon, Minyoon and Yoonmin were driving Miyoo to Siwan''s house. Since Jina was still resting and Soobin was at school, Siwan agreed to look after Miyoo on his off day. He was going to treat her stomach infection as well so it worked out fine.

    After a while, Yoonmin stopped the car in front of the Kang mansion. They walked up to the front door where Siwan greeted them.

    "Ah, how is our little Miyoo today?" he eximed with a smile. Miyoo instantly jumped into his arms.

    "Wanwan!" she squealed. "Miyoo, okay!"

    But her stomach grumbled again and she hung her head low in embarrassment.

    "We''ll treat that infection right away!" Siwan promised. He turned to the twins and asked, "I''ll take it from here. Soobin will be home soon."

    "Good," Yoonmin said. "She doesn''t have any work today, right?"

    "No. Why?"

    "Nothing," he quickly said. Siwan frowned a little but shrugged it off. As long as the teens were following the rules and curfews, he did not mind them dating.

    Miyoo waved her brothers goodbye and went with Siwan. As soon as the twins were back in the car, Minyoon called Baekha on her phone. She picked up after a few rings.

    "Is our n in ce?" he asked.

    "Y-Yes, it is," Baekha replied. But something was off. Minyoon frowned a little.

    "What happened? You don''t sound so good?"

    "I''m fine!" she imed. "Did Yoonmin send the email to those idiots?"

    "He did," Minyoon confirmed. "Tonight then."

    "Yes!"

    He hung up but was still worried. Baekha sounded too weak on the phone. Was she alright?

    "I''m not gonna spare them," Yoonmin said quietly. His fingers gripped the wheel tightly. He had been quiet for a month because of Jina''s condition but now that she was fine, he was going to teach that gang of bullies a lesson.

    "Baekha has it all nned out," Minyoon assured him. "And let''s face it. That girl is quite resourceful."

    Yoonmin gave his brother a ''are-you-kidding-me'' look. Either his brother was in denial orpletely stupid (Yoonmin suspected thetter) but Minyoo still did not figure out Baekha''s secret despite spending so much time with her to hatch a n.

    "Brother, what''s two times eight?" he asked.

    "Erбн" Minyoon counted on his fingers. "One thousand!" he finally replied.

    Yep, he''s dumb, Yoonmin concluded. He did not respond and simply revved up the engine before driving away.

    Meanwhile, inside the mansion, Siwan made Miyoo sit on a chair.

    "Okay, Miyoo," he said. "I''ll be checking your stomach for any abnormalities. It''s not gonna hurt but you''ll feel cold on your belly. Okay?"

    Miyoo wined but nodded. "I''m lifting your shirt a little," Siwan said.

    He lifted her shirt till her chest and put on his stethoscope to check her condition. There were some digestive actions which signaled that her digestion was slow and even a little painful.

    Miyoo was ashamed when Siwan sighed and covered her belly again. He gave her a stern look.

    "You ate too many candies again, didn''t you?" he asked shrewdly. "I told you. Only one candy per day."

    "Uwu!"

    "No candies and only porridge for you today," Siwan went on. "Also-"

    He was cut off by a movement from upstairs. Jiwoon was also home that day because she was on duty all night. Siwan thought of not disturbing her but she was unable to sleep much. Miyoo also nced at her.

    "Jiji!" she called when Jiwoon came downstairs.

    "Ah! Miyoo!" Jiwoon realized. "What happened?"

    "She''s ill and needs to take care of her diet," Siwan informed her. Jiwoon stooped down to see if Miyoo was feverish.

    "She''s got a fever too!" Jiwoon gasped. "Did you eat something bad?"

    Miyoo nodded. "Candy!"

    "That''s bad for your health," Jiwoon gently reproached her. "I''ll make you some porridge, okay?"

    "I was about to make her some-" Siwan began but Jiwoon''s face lit up with a small smile. Seeing her excited like that made him stop talking and let her do whatever she wanted to do. Jiwoon might be mostly quiet, but tiny things like these made her happy.

    Maybe it makes her feel less sad about Yeonjoo, he thought.

    His lips also curled to form a smile. Miyoo looked from him to Jiwoon who was walking towards the kitchen.

    "Wanwan," she called him. Siwan turned to her.

    "What is it, Miyoo?"

    She pointed at him and said, "Whipped!"

    Siwan frowned. Huh?

 Chapter 222 - Baekhas Plan (2)

    "No more!" Jina scowled. Hobin gave her a stern stare.

    "You know that you''ll have to finish this," he reminded her. They were in her apartment where he made her vegetable porridge. Jina insisted on having something else but she was barred from having solid food for a while.

    "I hate porridge!" she winced.

    "Too bad. You''ll have to eat it."

    She sighed and ate a few more mouthfuls with great difficulty. Once she was done, Hobin put the dish away.

    "The doctor said that you can''t work for a while," he went on. "So don''t you dare call your subordinates from here!"

    "I won''t!" she eximed. "I know they''ll rat me out to you."

    Even though she was their boss, her teammates were now Hobin''s minions. She had tried tomunicate with them on the day she returned home, asking for the updates on the case. But Dahoon ratted her out to Hobin who scolded her a lot.

    Who''s the older one in this rtionship? She wondered.

    Hobin smiled and patted her head. "Now that''s like my good Tinkerbell," he said. "Rest. I''ll check up on youter."

    He was about to leave but Jina grabbed his hand and pulled him back.

    "Don''t leave!" she whined. "I''ll be bored!"

    "You need to rest."

    "No! I want to spend time with my boyfriend!"

    Jina tried to entice him with herrge doe-like eyes. It was an attempt to have him around her for a while longer. Even though he was by her side at the hospital, they barely got any chance to spend quality time together. He did not even tell her what happened at the shaman''s ce. All he said was that he would tell her everythingter.

    Hobin shook his head. She really was stubborn at times which made him chuckle.

    "Fine," he said. "You have my attention. What do you want?"

    "You. I want your attention."

    She shed an innocent smile at him which made his heart melt. How could he refuse a request when she smiled like that?

    "Come hereбн"

    Jina scooted over to the side of the bed to let him sit beside her. Their palms were entangled together as they turned to each other.

    "Are you alright?" she asked. "Ever since you returned from that shaman''s ce, I feel that you''re hiding something from me."

    "I''m not hiding anything," Hobin lied. "I already told your grandfather everything. There''s a demon in me but he doesn''t know who my dad is. And he said that human souls in Hell turn into demons. That''s it."

    Hobin made Siwan promise that he would not tell Jina about what they saw in that world. With great difficulty, Siwan agreed but he made Hobin promise not to go back to that shaman. For some reason, his older brother had a grudge against the old shaman and thought of him as some kind of dangerous man.

    "Aren''t you afraid?" Jina whispered. She touched his chest, putting her palm on his heart as if trying to feel his heartbeat. Her choctey eyes were gazing at him, filled with concern.

    "What if this thing...this thing inside you...what if it tries to hurt you?"

    "He won''t hurt me," Hobin said firmly. He put his hand over hers and added, "He''s not going to hurt anyone. I''ll make sure of that."

    "Stillбн" she trailed off. Her grandfather may have given him charms but Jina doubted those things would work. If Miyoo could be attacked in her room where there were many such charms, who was to say that the demon inside Hobin could be kept under control?

    "I''ll be fine," Hobin reaffirmed. "Besides, I know that if anything happens to me, my Tinkerbell is gonna cry!"

    "I will not!" Jina imed. "I don''t cry easily."

    "You were crying when those ghosts attacked you," he pointed out.

    "I was...I was really scared," she mumbled in embarrassment. She was ashamed of being afraid. It was an emotion she tried to hide a lot, putting up a strong front for the people she cared for. Which is why she hated to cry.

    The night she was attacked in her house, was the first time in years she had cried. It was embarrassing and out of all the people in the world, she broke down in front of Hobin. He must be thinking that I''m weak, she thought.

    Hobin sighed. Since their hands were tangled together, he read her memories and thoughts.

    "I can read your mind, ya know," he chuckled.

    "Don''t do that!" Jina protested. "I don''t like it!"

    "Can''t help it," he shrugged.

    It was true. Ever since the shaman performed the ritual on him, his powers sometimes worked up at random times. He could control them most of the time but whenever he was feeling rxed or happy, his powers would activate and he could read the memories of the person he was touching at that moment. Mostly, it was Jina who ended up as his unintended victim of mind reading.

    "This is so annoying!" she frowned. "It''s not fair! Howe you can read my mind and I can''t read yours?"

    "It''s a natural gift," Hobin grinned. "Not everyone can have it! But I am curious though. Of all the people, I''ve rarely read your memories."

    "Why do you want to read my memories? They''re full of scary ghosts!"

    "I want to," Hobin replied. "It''s fun. I really want to know about all the ghosts you''ve encountered and also learn what happened to Casper-"

    Hobin stopped himself from talking. Jina stared at him in shock. Casper? How did he know about Casper?

    Casper was a ghost whom Jina had befriended when she was around eight years old. It was during the time when Shinho was also living with her family. Casper was amnesiac and scary looking but underneath his rough exterior was a kind old man who protected Jina. He was her first friend and even Shinho respected him. Casper''s soul was freed shortly after Shinho left.

    "How do you know about Casper?" she asked suspiciously. "I never mentioned him to you!"

 Chapter 223 - Baekhas Plan (3)

    "I just read your memories," Hobin lied. "You were talking to some Casper and a boy''s ghost. Who are they?"

    This lie came to him naturally. It was one of the perks of being a psychometric demon.

    "Oh," Jina said. "Casper was a friend of mine. He used to stay with us and even knew Shinho well. A very nice person. He was killed by his enemies but held no grudges against them. In fact, he only wanted to meet his grandson. Casper was mute so he couldn''tmunicate with people well. There were many misunderstandings between him and his grandson which is why he stayed back. But when the misunderstandings were solved, he decided to leave."

    There was a hint of mncholy in her tone as she remembered her old friends. All of them had departed one by one, leaving her behind all alone.

    Hobin did not interrupt her but listened to her stories as she recalled her spirit friends.

    "Then there was Yumi," she said. "She was murdered by a serial killer but she ended up in our house because my mom was looking after her case. She was really sassy! Always fighting with me and Aunt Mina. Even though my aunt wasn''t able to see her, they used me as a medium to argue! But Yumi cared for all of us. Herst wish was to see her half sister. She couldn''t meet her mother and half sister before she was killed so she decided to fulfill herst wish."

    Jina excitedly told him about all the other friendly ghosts she had encountered. Yes, there were scary spirits but she also met some of the nicest ghosts who loved and protected her. Her heart was filled with joy as she remembered them, talking to Hobin about them.

    He smiled at her and gently stroked her cheek. Jina blushed but went on chattering about the good ghosts. They were such an integral part of her childhood that she really wished they had stuck around longer to see that she had fulfilled her dreams of bing a detective.

    "And then there was a guardian dog named Jojo!" she eximed. "He lived in the forest where I attended camp. He was really sweet. When I got lost, he helped me find the way. After that, whenever I went back to camp, he''d follow me around to protect me!"

    "Now I know where Miyoo gets her tendency to attract trouble from," Hobin sighed. "Those were dangerous spirits!"

    "They were inherently good souls," Jina said. "Maybe they did bad things when they were alive. But they got a chance to redeem themselves after death. Not everyone can get that."

    "And Shinho?"

    Hobin was now curious about her answer. "What if...what if Shinho fulfilled his promise to you?" he asked her. "I mean, you once told me that he promised that he''de back for you. What if he doese back? What''ll you do then?"

    "You mean as a ghost?" Jina frowned. "His soul has been released. He''s in the Afterlife-"

    "I mean what if he returned?" Hobin pressed. "Actually returned?"

    "That''s impossible!" sheughed. "I know ghosts exist but reincarnation? Nah! Besides, I think he''s in a happier ce nowбн"

    She looked at their entwined fingers,zily ying with his palm. "Besides, I think that he deserves to be at peace. I miss him but I don''t want him to be miserable again."

    Her eyes dropped with sadness. Somewhere in her heart, she had held a hope that one day, he would return. But it was a silly notion.

    The dead do not reincarnate. No matter what her grandfather told her, Jina did not believe that people would want to return from the Afterlife.

    Hobin was silent for a while. He had been contemting whether to tell Jina the truth about his reincarnation but he decided not to. If it was meant toe out someday, it will do so. Till then, he would rather enjoy his time with her.

    ''You''re strange," he muttered. "But I like your entricities."

    "Really?" Jina blushed. "What else do you like about me?"

    "Wellбн"

    He suddenly leaned over and pecked her lips. Jina was surprised by the sudden disy of affection but she was notining.

    "I like how you go red in the face every time I''m around," he winked.

    "Hey! I don''t-"

    He pecked her again, making her blush harder.

    "Hey," she mumbled. "You''re stealing kisses from me!"

    "Why? You don''t like it? You can steal kisses from me any time."

    "Okay!"

    Jina swooped over and briefly kissed him but before she could back out, he cupped her cheeks and pulled her closer, deepening the kiss. She giggled, straddling on hisp to return his kisses with fiery passion. Hobin tasted her luscious lips, gently nibbling them. Their tongues were meshed together, savoring each other.

    Hobin slightly backed off when he felt that they were treading dangerous territory. Especially when he was starting to get turned on. Jina pouted a little.

    "What happened?" she whispered.

    "You''re still not fully healed," he said in a hoarse tone. "If we go any further, you''ll be hurt."

    "I''m fine!" she imed but her ribs ached a little. Hobin noticed her pain and gently pushed her back toy her on the pillows.

    "We''ll...do it when you''re fully healed and the time is right," he said.

    "How do you speak of these things so easily?" she mumbled. Just thinking of being intimate with him made her shy like a bunny but he was saying it so openly.

    "Coz it''s you," he simply said. He plopped on a pillow, gazing at her. "There isn''t a single say when I don''t think of ripping off your clothes and make wild love to you all night long-"

    "Don''t say it like that!" Jina squeaked. Her face was as red as a tomato. How was he so shameless?

    "Why? Don''t you fantasize about me? I saw you ogling at my abs! I don''t mind though. You can even touch them-"

    "NO!"

    She was about to yfully smack him but Hobin grabbed her hand and stole another short kiss from her. Jina was mortified but merely pouted. Hobin, on the other hand, wasughing. He felt lighter and more at ease. Even though her memories were pouring into his head with every kiss and touch, he ignored every one of them.

    What mattered to him, was that he was back for her. The past was the past. He was living with her at the moment and that was how it should be.

    "Meanie!" Jinained. But Hobin reached over and gently hugged her, cradling her tiny frame .

    "I missed you, Tinkerbell," he whispered. Jina, who was caged in his strong embrace, smiled.

    "I missed you too, Doctor Demon," she whispered and closed her eyes, resting peacefully in his arms.

    This is what I came back for, Hobin told himself. He stroked Jina''s hair, lulling her into afortable sleep. She was the essence of his existence. The promise he made in death was not only to protect her but to be by her side all the time.

    As Jina fell asleep in his arms, Hobin''s determination only grew. The demon might be lurking in the shadows, ready to attack but he was not going to give up.

    I''ll not let anything harm her, he vowed.. Not even a damn demon.

 Chapter 224 - Baekhas Plan (4)

    Baekha was waiting for the twins outside a private inte cafe. She was wearing a loose sweatshirt with a hoodie and dark pants to hide her presence. Her real hair grew out a lot quicker than she had expected so she switched her style, opting to wear a short wig when she was Baek. Besides, it was hard to wear an itchy wig for most part of the daypared to the short one she could use for a few hours in her idol persona.

    Leaning against the wall, she kept an eye out for the twins who said they were nearby.

    "Agh!" she winced. Baekha had been suffering from headaches for the past few days and it was strange because she never suffered from headaches before. Moreover, She was also feeling feverish.

    She coughed a few times but did not let her difort affect her work. I''ll take some medicinester on, she decided.

    A ck car turned around the corner and stopped in front of her. Minyoon got out of it followed by Yoonmin. Thetter nodded at Baekha while Minyoon was his urs cheerful self.

    "Hi Haha!" He greeted her with a bright smile. Baekha gave him a stiff nod. Ever since the incident with Miyoo, Minyoon had been too friendly with her which was awkward. She was supposed to beat him and take his ce as the top idol, not get chummy with him!

    But Minyoon being himself, flocked around her calling her that nickname Miyoo gave her.

    "Who the hell are you calling Haha?" she scowled.

    "You. Admit it, Haha! You''re now part of the crowd!"

    "I''d rather not be associated with you-"

    "Alright kids!" Yoonmin dered. "Stop fighting and let''s start nning! What''s the update?"

    Baekha made a face at Minyoon and turned to Yoonmin. "It''s time to send the mail," she stated.

    She led them to the inte cafe. The owner knew her so he booked a private corner for her. Since her parents were ignorant and obsessed with their dead son, Baekha was free to do whatever she wanted. In her spare time, she hung out at the cafe, ying games.

    Taking a seat at her usualputer, she turned it on. "Okay," she muttered. "We need to send that Miho and her minion an email on behalf of Minyoon''s agency. Are the details of the contest ready?"

    "They''re ready," Yoonmin said. "We''re announcing tonight. Don''t you need the details of our official email ount?"

    "Good and no."

    Baekha flexed her fingers. The twins watched as she opened amand box and began to type inplicated codes on it.

    "Oi, are youбн" Minyoon frowned. "Are you hacking our system?"

    "Yes."

    Baekha ignored their shocked faces as she hacked into their agency''s official ount and essed it.

    "You guys have a really weak system," she muttered. Typing in a message, she put Miho and Sera''s email addresses in the box before scheduling the mail to be sent at exactly 9 PM.

    "There!" she eximed. "Done. This will put those two idiots against each other."

    "And the manager just told me that the contest will be announced tonight," Minyoo said, checking his phone. "Are you sure this is going to work? What if they refuse?"

    "Miho will never refuse this opportunity," Baekha told him. "She''s too much into you. And Sera will do everything she can to stay near Yoonmin. After all, he''s coordinating the contest, right?"

    "Rightбн" Yoonmin said, scowling a little. He let Sera hang out with him and Soobin quite a few times despite his difort. It relieved him that Soobin finally cut off ties with her. At least his girl was gaining somemon sense.

    But he could not say the same for Sera.

    Baekha''s phone rang up. It was her manager Jango. She disconnected the call.

    "Isn''t that an important call?" Minyoon asked.

    "It''s spam," she lied. "Anyways, I need to go-"

    A sudden wave of dizziness hit her and Baekha nearly toppled forward. Minyoon, who stood nearest to her, instinctively grabbed her before she could fall off.

    "Oi, Haha!" He called out her nickname. To his shock, her skin was burning!

    Was this girl pretending to be fine all this time? Minyoon wondered. Yoonmin also stooped down to help. Baekha''s face was pale and she touched her temple. The headache was getting worse and the fever only kept increasing.

    What the hell is happening? She wondered. Is it a virus?

    "Oi!" Minyoon called for her. "Are you alright? Let''s take you to the hospital-"

    "I''m fine!" she imed. Gathering up her remaining strength, she slowly stood to her feet. She felt wobbly but she could walk.

    "I''ll go home and rest," she said. Her voice was weak and barely a whisper.

    "We''ll drop you off!" Minyoon said at once.

    "He''s right," Yoonmin added. "You shoulde with us. We''ll drop you off-"

    "Don''t be stupid!" she snapped at them. "You''ll have to go back to your agency to prepare for tonight''s contest! I''ll be fine. I have my own car."

    Without another word, Baekha headed towards the exit, leaving them behind. Minyoon stared after her, debating whether to go after her or not. He decided to go but Yoonmin stopped him.

    "Don''t," he advised. "It''ll hurt her pride if you treat her as a weak person."

    "But she''s ill!" Minyoon protested.

    "She is. But she doesn''t want help. She wants people to treat her as normal. She''s used to doing things on her own. Helping her will only make her feel weaker and drive her away. Give her some time."

    Minyoon sighed. They watched her trying to put up a strong front as she left the cafe.

    Once outside, Baekha got into her car. Her driver, Dokyung, noticed her state and was rmed.

    "Young Miss!" he eximed. "You''re-"

    "Take me to the agency!" she ordered in a horse tone. "I have a show tonight. I can''t miss it."

    "But-"

    "Just do it!"

    Baekha did not mean to be rude with him but she had very little time. They needed to teach those bullies a lesson.

    I''ll be fine, she assured herself. I only need a few medicines. That''s all.

    Dokyung watched her through the mirror and was concerned. Sheid her head on the seat, trying to catch a little bit of sleep. Dokyung was afraid that something bad was happening with Baekha. He even raised the concern with Youngjoon and Ciara but they gave him a cold response.

    Those two really don''t care about their own daughter, he thought in disgust. God knows when they''ll learn!

    Unbeknownst to them, an invisible figure was sitting next to Baekha, absorbing her energy. Sungki had been sucking out more energy from his sister than usual because he was impatient. The shaman told him that the girl might die if he continued to do that but Sungki needed a lot of power to take over Siwan''s body.

    "That fucking asshole!" he growled as he absorbed more of Baekha''s energy. "He''s ruining everything!"

    No matter how many times he tried, it was impossible to possess him. The shaman told him that Siwan was mentally too strong to possess and to seek someone else but the demon was adamant.

    Jisoo...His Jisoo was with that bloody doctor! He was not going to let them stay together for long.

    "Just a few more days!" he growled. "A few more days and I''ll make Jisoo mine againбн"

 Chapter 225 - Baekhas Plan (5)

    "Pfft!" Miyoo''s cheeks puffed up in annoyance. Jiwoon sighed. She had been trying to feel the girl porridge for over an hour but the child was refusing. Instead, she wanted more candies.

    "Miyoo, eating more candies will make you sick again," Jiwoon said patiently. "Don''t you want to be well again?"

    But Miyoo was still refusing to eat. "nd," She murmured.

    "Should I add more salt to it?"

    Miyoo shook her head.

    "Candy!" she mumbled. Magrod, who was watching the whole thing, groaned. He came out of Miyoo''s bag and to his delight, he found some cookies in a jar. He snuck some out and was munching them as he watched from afar.

    "Hah! A puny human bing sick coz of cookies!" He taunted. "Look at me. I ate fifty cookiesst night and I''m still well!"

    Miyoo threw him an annoyed re. Jiwoon was at a loss.

    "If you eat the porridge, you''ll get this."

    A voice came from behind. Jiwoon turned around to find that Siwan was holding a penny. Instantly, Miyoo''s eyes lit up in excitement.

    "Penny!" she eximed, reaching out for it but Siwan shook his head.

    "Finish up the porridge and you''ll get this," he said. The little girl nodded and to Jiwoon''s surprise, finished it all in a few minutes. She then held out her palm.

    "Penny!" she said.

    Siwan chuckled and handed her the penny. Excited to get another coin, Miyoo jumped off the chair and ran off to y, leaving the adults alone.

    "She might be cute but very stubborn," Siwan said to Jiwoon. "I''m surprised that you were so patient."

    "She''s a good kid," Jiwoon smiled. She stood up and was tidying up the table. Siwan helped her in it.

    "Any progress on the case?" he asked her. "The serial murder one?"

    Jiwoon froze for a second but quicklyposed herself. "The Cho''s refused to testify," she replied. "They im that they don''t know anything about their employee. And given that they have thousands of workers, they didn''t pay attention to Yooseok. The police can''t charge them either."

    "Did he really do it?"

    "I don''t knowбн"

    There was an awkward silence between them. Siwan nced at her. She looked nk and lost as if on her own trail of thoughts.

    "Thank you," she finally said. "For helping me out."

    "If I had a penny for every time you thanked me, I''d be on the road by now!" Siwan joked. Jiwoon smiled but turned to him.

    "Why do you help me so much?" she asked, feeling curious. "From trying to save Yeonjoo to that day at the Cho''s. You always step up to help me. Why?"

    It was not an usation but rather curiosity. Jiwoon was usually a cautious person. After her time with the Cho''s she tried not to trust anyone easily.

    But Siwan was different. He was the only one who helped her without any question. There was no ulterior motive nor any sort of repayment. He simply wanted to help and that puzzled her even more.

    Siwan was not looking at her but put the bowls on the table, addressing her.

    "If you had asked me this questionst month, I''d have told you that I just wanted to help," he said. "But, something happened and I realized that I have a selfish motive to help others."

    That surprised Jiwoon. Siwan had a selfish motive?"

    "Last month...I went somewhere with Hobin," he went on. "Let''s just say, that ce showed me something I didn''t want to see."

    Everyone was so focused on Hobin that night that no one asked Siwan what he saw in the Infinite Room. Hobin did ask him once but Siwan lied to him and imed he saw nothing.

    But he did see something.

    Without another word, he walked away leaving Jiwoon confused. He headed towards the kitchen and put the bowls in the sink. Putting his hands on the sides of the sink, he took a deep breath as the memories of the Infinite Room rushed back into his head.

    бн

    *shback*

    Mirrors. There was nothing but mirrors in the endless room which stretched to all sides. Siwan woke up with a start and was confused by the strange ce he had ended up in.

    Is this supposed to be my soul? He wondered. He was skeptical of the shaman and his words. For some reason, he could not trust that man at all. Was it his protective instincts or something else, he did not know. But the man was not trustworthy.

    "I must find Hobin!" he realized. Something was not right at all.

    He ran past the infinite mirrors which were reflecting his figure as he searched for Hobin.

    "Hobin!" he yelled. His voice echoed far and wide but there was no response.

    "Hobin!" he yelled again. "Where are you?"

    No response. Siwan was now panicking. The shaman told him that once inside this Infinite Room, he must find Hobin within five minutes otherwise both of them would drown in the water.

    "Ugh! What the hell is this?" he muttered. The room was cold and deste with a sense of eeriness. Souls? Were people''s souls that empty?

    "Do you really care about your brother that much?"

    Siwan was shocked. There was someone else in that room?

    He spun around, trying to find the person who spoke but all he saw were his own reflections. To his shock, his reflections were not confused like him. Instead, they were looking cold and cruel, staring at him in a sinister manner.

    "Do you really care about your brother?" the reflection on the mirror questioned him.

    "You...howбн" Siwan stammered. Did his reflection just talk to him? How was that even possible?

    "I know what you really think," the reflection taunted him. "You''re no different than your father. He was also overprotective of you, right? His heir and oldest son."

    "Stop itбн" Siwan gritted.

    "And you think that you should save people because you failed to save your younger brother," the reflection went on. "But you knew...you knew what your father did and you were quiet. Were you not?"

    The reflection grinned at Siwan. "Your camera recorded the murder," the reflection revealed. "And you found it. You saw what he did. Yet, you remained quiet for weeks. Why?"

    "Stop itбн" Siwan repeated. The images of Shinho''s death were swirling around his mind.

    Yes, he knew that his father was a murderer. He knew that his camera captured Shinho''s death. And he did nothing.

    "Saving people!" the reflectionughed. "You''re just trying to prove to yourself that you''re not your father. That you''re different! But it''s a lie. You are like your father. Trying hard to put up with your image! Ha hahaбн"

    Am I? Am I really putting up an act to protect my image? He wondered. Everyone knew him as the responsible one. The kind doctor who would save anyone and he liked it. He liked it when people called him that. The image stuck to him.

    Was he really like his father? Image obsessed?

    "Go, save your brother!" the reflection hissed. "Protect your image! But remember. You know it well too. One day, your image will crumble and you''ll know what you really areбн"

    "Bro!"

    Hobin''s voice interrupted his thoughts. Siwan looked around to try and find him. Was his brother near?

    He quickly searched his pocket and found the charm the shaman had given him. There was a needle too.

    "You really love to put up with that image, don''t you?" the reflection chortled. "But for how long?"

    "Yes," Siwan admitted. "I love my image. It''s the only thing I have left. Whether it is to save a life or to take care of my brother, I want people to see me as a good person. Butбн"

    He turned to the reflection, facing it head on.

    "If anyone dares to hurt my brother, I''ll cast the image aside," he warned. "And I''ll kill anyone who''d hurt him. No one can touch him. You hear me? Not even you."

    The reflection watched warily as Siwan took the needle and pricked his finger. Drops of blood fell on the paper and a light lit up on it.

    "Are you sure you can keep up with that threat?" the reflection asked. "Aren''t you being too cocky?"

    "So be it."

    Siwan turned away from his reflection which was still sneering at him. His brother needed him.

    бн

    *Present*

    "Doctor Kang?"

    Jiwoon''s soft voice broke his reverie. He turned to face her. She was a little hesitant, her cheeks were red but she looked right at him.

    "What is it?" he asked.

    "I just want to say that, it doesn''t matter what your selfish reasons are," Jiwoon said. "Even if it''s for your own selfishness, it''s best to be honest with oneself than put up an act."

    Siwan let out a sarcastic snort. "Even if it''s to obsessively protect my image?" he questioned her. "The good guy. The pure and gentle guy...What if beneath it is someone who''s just selfish?"

    "So?" She simply asked. "Is it so wrong to be selfish? Is there an unselfish person in the world?"

    It was not an excuse for his reasons but simply a statement. Siwan was taken aback by her words but she continued to speak.

    "If some selfish deeds result in someone''s well being, then isn''t that a good thing?" she asked him. "It''s not like you''ve hurt anyone. So what if you can''t save everyone? At least your selfish desire to protect your image made you try and save Yeonjoo when no one else did. You didn''t have to. But you did. And the same goes for your brother. Your selfish desire to be a good elder brother is the reason he has a home, right?"

    Jiwoon took another step towards him and raised a hand. Siwan did not stop her when she awkwardly patted his cheek.

    "It''s okay to be selfish at times," she smiled. "As long as you''re not hurting others but helping them, be selfish. The moment you start loving yourself, you''ll realize that life is not so bad."

    Siwan was frozen to his spot. She made something soplicated look so simple. There was a subtle warmth in her words which overwhelmed his heart and it was beating crazily. Never did he feel something that strong, not even for Jina.

    Jiwoon gave him another small smile and left. Siwan stood there for a while, trying toe to terms with what she said. Then he let out a soft chuckle.

    "I guess, being selfish isn''t that bad," he mused.

    He was so engrossed with Jiwoon''s advice that he did not notice the cold breeze which was filling the kitchen. A dark, invisible figure was seething in the corner.

    She touched him. She fucking touched him!

    "Mine!" Sungki hissed. "MINE!"

    He lunged at Siwan who was unaware of his presence. But before he could hurt Siwan, Magrod appeared and hit the demon with his tail. Sungki hissed and backed off.

    "I might not be able to interfere with the Cho''s but I can stop you from hurting these people!" Magrod growled. "Get outta here, motherfucker!"

    "This ain''t over!" Sungki yelled like a child who had lost his candy.

    "Get out!"

    Sungki red at Siwan''s back and disappeared. Magrod was now fuming at the audacity of the low level Kistris.

    "Ugh! The Priestess just had to be ill at this time!" he groaned. "If only I can cancel the contractбн"

    While Magrod was cursing Sungki, Siwan was still reeling from the memories of that night.

    Jiwoon was right. It was okay to be selfish for his loved ones. He smiled to himself, feeling relieved.

    "I guess, I can be a little selfish," he mused.

 Chapter 226 - Baekhas Plan (6)

    "Tell me, why are we here again?" Hobin asked.

    "To support my brother!" Jina eximed. They were backstage at Minyoon''s vanity room where Jina had VIP ess to. It was time for Minyoon''seback performance and Jina wanted to cheer for her brother.

    "I mean why are we here when we could have gone on a date?" Hobin mumbled. "Your brothers keep on ring at me like hawks whenever I''m near you."

    "They''re protective."

    "Protective? Of a sister who''s a detective and fights off ghosts?"

    "They protect me from men. Especially you!"

    She snickered at her own joke making Hobin scowl. When Jina suggested that they could go out on a date, he did not expect her to bring him to her brother''s stage show. How was he going to get touchy touchy with her when her brothers breathed down his neck?

    "Does this ce have any food?" he wondered as he strode towards the mini fridge. Minyoon''s vanity room was just like the idol himself: loud and colorful. The walls were stered with a mix of pink, blue, yellow and orange shades. It was probably double of Jina''s apartment with arge walk-in closet. Large photos of Minyoon with his family members were hung on the walls as if it was an art gallery.

    Hobin stopped in front of arge portrait of two people. The man was in his early sixties but had a dignified aura. He had the same hair and eye color as his children, only lighter. Even at that age, he had high cheekbones and amanding personality. Next to him was a woman in her fifties. She had a warm smile and resembled her daughters a lot except that she had dark hair and eyes. Her calm aura perfectly bnced her husband''s overwhelming one. Even from a mere picture, it was obvious that the couple was deeply in love.

    "Those are my-" Jina began;

    "Mr. and Mrs. Hwang," he replied. "That''s Hwang Minho and his wife, Jeon Gayoon. Right?"

    Jina nodded. "If you think my grandfather and brothers are protective, you have no idea about my dad then! He''s the most paranoid one!"

    To her surprise, Hobin had a fond look on his face. He reached out to touch the portrait, feeling as if it was a special possession.

    Unbeknownst to her, Hobin owed a lot to this couple. Especially to Hwang Minho.

    Does he still do that silly dance? He wondered.

    "He''ll like me," Hobin said with confidence. "I know he will."

    "Dream on!" Jina scoffed. "It''s very hard to impress my dad! He''s the biggest money lover out there. If you don''t earn at least twice his ie, he''s gonna chase you out of the house! He really loves me and wants my boyfriend to be worthy of me."

    But Hobin was sure that Minho would like him. If he met Minho one day, he knew that his Bunny Uncle would be happy. The scene of the dancing bunny was still ying in his head and he could not help chuckle.

    "What is it?" Jina asked impatiently.

    "Nothing," Hobin sighed. "An inside joke which your simple brain won''t be able to understand."

    "Hey! I''m smart!"

    "What''s fifty time two?"

    "Errбн" Jina calcted on her fingers. "Thirty?"

    "Uh huh. You''re smart."

    She pouted and made a face. The door opened and three people walked in.

    "Sis!" Miyoo eximed and jumped out of Jiwoon''s arm. Siwan brought them directly to Minyoon''s concert because Soobin was going to be there that night with her fanclub. Since all the Hwang''s would be there, Siwan decided to take Miyoo and Jiwoon to the show as well.

    "Miyoo!" Jina eximed, hugging her sister. She turned to Siwan and asked, "How''s her stomach now?"

    "She''s fine," Siwan smiled. "She was up and running all day long. Never saw a child with an upset stomach that energetic."

    "Did she trouble you a lot?"

    "I''m sure she did," Hobin said. "After all, she troubles me a lot."

    Miyoo stuck out her tongue at him. "Hobin, silly!"

    For some reason, Hobin was the only one whom she did not give a nickname to. They fought like cats and dogs all day long which drove Jina up the wall.

    "Says the one who breaks into my house!"

    "Bleh!"

    "Stop fighting with a child!" Siwan scolded his brother. Miyoo instantly shut her mouth, blushing because her crush told her so. Jina and Jiwoon only smiled, trying to suppress theirughter. They felt very lighthearted, a refreshing change from all the gloomy events which took ce the past month.

    The group chatted while waiting for the show to start.

    Outside, hundreds of fans have gathered at the studio for the idols'' showdowns. Several artists had theirebacks at the same month but it was Minyoon and Baek''s songs which created the biggest buzz. After the reality show where their friendship was showcased to the world, everyone fell in love with their camaraderie.

    At the middle of the row was Minyoon''srgest fanclub named ''Aroma''. It was the official fandom name because Minyoon once imed his fans were the ''aroma of his sess''. Ever since then, the name stuck with the fans.

    The Aromas were all dressed in bright blue shirts and white skirts, which is their official theme. Most of them were girls but there were guys too, supporting Minyoon. They held periwinkle lightsticks which shone the brightest among the fans. The other fandoms red at them with jealousy but the Aromas ignored them.

    Standing in front of the Aromas was their fanclub President, Soobin.

    "Listen up you lot!" she ordered. "We''re gonna sing along to the song today! Remember, to chant our slogan exactly five times when Minmines on stage."

    "Yes President!" the Aromas shouted in unison.

    Soobin nodded and checked all the fans carefully.

    "You! Where''s your heart shaped face paint?" She demanded from one of the fans.

    "It got ruined, Pres!"

    "Go and re-do it! You have ten minutes!"

    The fan nodded and ran off to draw it back. All this while, Yoonmin was watching his girlfriend from afar in dismay. Minyoon''s manager, Chanhyuk, was also watching the Aromas with him.

    "Those kids sure are feisty!" he chuckled. "Especially their President. She takes her role very seriously."

    Yoonmin made a ''tch!'' sound. She never fangirled over me, he thought with a scowl.

    In her fangirl mode, Soobin was a totally different person. She was strict and decisive with the fanclub, even going to the lengths of kicking out obsessive fans.

    He sighed and walked towards them. The other Aromas gasped when he came up to Soobin.

    "Isn''t that Minmin''s twin?" They whispered. Soobin heard them and turned around to find her boyfriend standing there, looking irritated.

    "What happened?" she asked.

    "Nothing," he muttered. "I''ll stay here. That''s all."

    He was annoyed that Soobin was not paying attention to him at all.

    "Stop sulking and cheer for your brother!" she snapped at him. "No room forziness! Go go go!"

    Huh?

    Soobin thrust a lightstick in his hands and turned towards the stage. She wanted everything perfect for Minmin''seback. Yoonmin''s scowl only deepened.

    "Now I regret not being an idol," he muttered.

    Amidst all the cheers, a tiny dog-like creature was trying to find his way.

    "AH!" Magrod yelled when someone nearly kicked him in the butt. "Watch it!"

    The fan paid no attention to the invisible creature. Another leg came out of nowhere and kicked Magrod high.

    "AHHHHH!" he screamed as he fell right near the stage. "My back!"

    He tried to move past the excited fans but there were so many of them that he was confused where to go. Magrod was enjoying a nap inside Miyoo''s backpack but when he woke up, she was gone and he was left behind in the car. He was trying to find her but with so many people, it was hard to track her.

    "Oi, kid!" he cried. "Where are you? Imand you to take me from here-AHHHHH!"

    Another person kicked him to the side. And then another. He was being kicked like a football by the crazy fans.

    "Woof! I''m cute, let me go!" he begged but was once again sent flying, this time towards the stage. Hended on the solid ground but the lights above him almost blinded him.

    "Ugh! What the hell is this ce? Why are there so many crazy humans?" he bemoaned. "I wanna go home and have cookies!"

    Spotting an assistant who was inspecting the instruments on stage, he quickly climbed up to her shoulder. The assistant felt a shiver but ignored it.

    "This human is a little weak," he muttered. "I''ll use you as my vessel for a while. Don''t worry, I''ll release you once I find the kid."

    Without a word, entered her body. The assistant froze and blinked.

    "Ah, now that I have a temporary body, I''ll go and search for the kid," Magrod said in the assistant''s voice. "Maybe I''ll run into the Priestess as well."

    With that, he rushed off to find Miyoo.

 Chapter 227 - Baekhas Plan (7)

    Baekha was in her makeup room, feeling a little dizzy. She held the dresser to steady herself but for some reason her body was acting strange. Her skin was burning with fever and she was pale as a ghost.

    "Agh!" she eximed and slumped on a chair. Her knees were getting weaker and weaker.

    "What''s happening?" she mumbles weakly. She was usually very healthy. How did she fall so ill?

    The door to her dresser opened and her manager, Jango, walked in. He was talking on the phone so he did not notice Baekha''s condition.

    "Yes, he will shoot for themercial," Jango was saying. Baekha quickly steadied herself and started to put some powder on her face. Jango hung up the phone and turned to her.

    "Good news!" he told her. "The CEO of Purple Light just called. They want you to be the brand ambassador of the men''s fall line!"

    "Ironic that they want a girl to promote their men''s collection," she muttered as she put on her wig, securing it tight on her head.

    "They don''t know that!" he scoffed. "This is great. Not only are you beating Hwang Minyoon in the charts but now, you''re managing to take away his endorsements too! Purple Light was his brand until very recently."

    Baekha was only pretending to listen. Her head was spinning but she ignored it and focused on getting ready. Jango chatted for a while but she was not paying much heed to him. He finally left her alone and as soon as he was gone, sheid her head on the dresser, trying to get some rest.

    Behind her, the demon was still sucking out her energy. He was now restless and impatient. The shaman told him that the potion would be ready by the next day but he could not wait.

    That damn doctor was ruining his Jisoo and he could not sit idly!

    "I''ll have to suck out more energy from this bitch!" he muttered, looking at his sister. "She''s not enough though. I need more. Where will I get some?"

    I should try sucking some out from the people outside, he thought. The shaman told him that only Baekha could be his source of energy since they shared the same blood and DNA. But the shaman lied to him about many things so he no longer trusted that man.

    Baekha was on the verge of fainting but she managed to control herself. She could not afford to ck out that night.

    Meanwhile, Minyoon was backstage. He was already dressed and wildly energetic for the show. His new song, ''Restless Nights'' got a tremendous response from the fans but Baek''s song was starting to challenge his one. That night was going to be a battle for the top and Minyoon was charged up for it.

    He did not want a spoiled brat to take over his spot as the top idol. Anyone but that guy.

    Also, there was something else he needed to aplish that night.

    "Are you ready?" Chanhyuk asked him.

    "Yes!" Minyoon eximed. "Let''s do this!"

    He stepped on to the stage where thousands of fans cheered at the sight of him. Smiling at them, he waved at all his beloved fans who were screaming his name at the top of their lungs. The lights fell on him, making him brighter in their eyes and his dazzling smile made the fans go weak.

    "He''s so cool!" Soobin squealed in delight, making Yoonmin feel irritated.

    "He looks like a stick!" heined. "No good features at all!"

    Soobin stared at him. "You two look the same!" she pointed out.

    Yoonmin ignored her and kept on ring with jealousy at his twin. He was going to make his twin work twice harder for the next six months, making his schedule so tight that the guy would hardly get time to breathe.

    And I will get the fangirl to myself, he realized with an evil smirk.

    Minyoon was still waving at the fans, happy to see that they love him so much. All his hard work was worth it simply for their smiles and happiness.

    "Thank you everyone!" he waved at them. "I''m so thankful to you all for loving me this much!"

    "YESSSSSS!" The chants of the fans echoed throughout the studio. "WE LOVE YOU MINYOON!"

    He was overwhelmed butposed himself. The stage fell into silence as he adjusted his microphone. All the fans hushed up while the lights began to dim except for one which shone right on Minyoon.

    Slowly, his melodious voice began to fill the silence.

    "When I fell in love with you

    My heart became restless and weak

    Our love was not easy

    We fought, we made up, we fought again

    It was drama and romance

    And sadnessбн"

    The fans swayed to his tune, lighting up their lightsticks. The whole stadium was filled with periwinkle lights, illuminating the whole ce as he sang.

    "He''s so cool!" Soobin sighed.

    "He''s a drama queen," Yoonmin muttered. Soobin sighed and turned to her jealous boyfriend. Yoonmin was sulking because she was Minyoon''s fangirl and he did not want to admit that he was envious.

    To Yoonmin''s surprise, she lightly pecked his lips.

    "You don''t have to be jealous!" she giggled. "I might be his fan, but you''ll still be the number one person for me!"

    Her words soothed his jealousy and he became a little pompous. "Of course I''ll be your number one person!" he boasted. "After all, I am the more handsome one of the twins. And richer."

    "No one really cares about your money or looks!" she sighed but smiled at him. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and she settled against his chest while cheering for her idol.

    Inside Minyoon''s makeup room, Jina and Hobin were also watching the show on arge television set. Miyoo was on Hobin''sp, happily cheering for her brother.

    "Minmin!" she cheered. "Minmin!"

    "He can''t hear you from here, silly!" Hobin reminded her but Miyoo did not care. She was going to cheer for her brother. Jumping off hisp, she walked towards the TV and hugged it as if she was hugging her brother.

    "He might have hundreds of fans but she''ll remain number one!" Jina snickered. "By the way, where are Siwan and Jiwoon? They were supposed to grab dinner for us but what''s taking them so long?"

    "They''ll be here soon," he assured her. "Besidesбн"

    He put his arm around her and pulled her closer. "I want to stay with my cute girlfriend," he whispered in her ear.

    "Miyoo is here!" she hissed. "Behave!"

    "So what? She''s busy with her idol."

    He kissed her neck, making Jina blush. Miyoo turned around and Jina quickly pushed Hobin away, making him pout. They were both red in the face as if Miyoo had caught them doing something naughty. The little girl did not care. She simply shrugged and returned her attention to her brother on the TV.

    "And my restless heart

    Will only beat for youбн"

    Minyoon ended the song with a low note. As soon as the song was over, the entire studio exploded into loud cheers and chants for him.

    "MINYOON! MINYOON! MINYOON!" the fans shouted. Minyon smiled at them and waved.

    "Guys! I have an important announcement!" he dered. The fans were excited. Announcement? What was he going to tell them?

    "Tonight, an email was sent out to two of my most special fans," he went on. "These fans were chosen based on their support and activities on the fansitesбн"

    "Email? I didn''t get one!" Soobin mumbled.

    "You meet him almost everyday!" Yoonmin pointed out.

    "But I''m his number one fan!" shemented. Yoonmin merely shook his head and turned his attention back to his twin. This was it. Time to unmask those idiots in public.

    "These two fans really love me a lot," Minyoon went on. "We''ve been tracking their activities on my fasite for months and I''m happy to say that they''ve been chosen for this task. They''ll have to go through a series of contests tonight to winбн"

    Drum rolls began to y in the background as he made the announcement.

    "A DATE WITH ME!" he dered. The fans gasped and squealed in surprise. A date with Minyoon? Who were these lucky girls?

    "Hard to believe, right?" Minyoon smirked. "But yes! Whoever will win is going to be my date for one night. Which is why, they''llpete it out in front of the whole world. But...they don''t know this."

    The fans were confused. Those girls did not know this?

    "They will be kept in the dark about the contest being public," Minyoon went on. "As of this very moment, they''ve been taken to a safe house where they''ll be locked away from the public for the night. No cell phones, noptop, no inte. Nothing! All they have been told is that they''ll be participating in a few small games and whoever wins, will get to go one one date with me. Needless to say, they''ve agreed!"

    "Let''s see what they''re doing!" Minyoon said cheerfully as arge screen descended towards the stage. Everyone watched as the screen came to life and two girls came into view. Upon the sight of the girls, Soobin was shocked.

    "They...theyбн" she stammered. She turned to look at Yoonmin, still reeling from her shock.

    "Sera and Miho," he confirmed.

 Chapter 228 - Baekhas Plan (8)

    Sera was quite nervous. She sat on a bench, trembling while Miho was confident. That night, they received an email from Minyoon''s agency about the contest. Initially, Sera thought it was a joke so she called up Miho and to her surprise, thetter got the letter too. Miho confirmed to her that the email was from Minyoon''s agency and they had been selected indeed.

    Miho could have lied to her but she chose not to do so. After all, she needed a minion for the contest who would help her win.

    But now, she was cursing her luck. It turned out that only two people received the message!

    Damn it! She cursed inwardly. Why did this fatty get an invitation?

    She eyed Sera, hiding her disdain for the girl. If she was not a useful spy, Miho would not have paid any attention to her. Annoying as she might be, Sera was handy in keeping an eye on Minyoon via Soobin but she had lost that connection so Miho wanted to get rid of her.

    "How long do you think we''ll have to wait here?" Sera asked her. "They''ve made us wait for hours."

    "I don''t know," Miho said in a cool tone. "The staff said they''lle soon."

    "Are you sure the emails were from Minyoon''s agency?"

    "Honey, this is Minyoon''s agency."

    Sera was not so sure but if Miho said it, the information must be right. After all, she was Minyoon''s biggest fan. She waited in the room where they were kept. The door opened and a staff member came in whom Sera recognized as Minyoon''s manager, Chanhyuk.

    "Hellodies!" he eximed. "Sorry to keep you waiting."

    He stood before them, beaming. Sera and Miho smiled at him.

    "What are we going to do?" Miho asked. "Is this going to be a contest?"

    "Yep," Chanhyuk said. He motioned them to follow him. Miho instantly went with him while Sera was apprehensive but followed them anyway. Chanhyuk led them to arge room which was empty except for a pair of paint guns and a conveyor belt.

    "Your task," Chanhyuk began. "Is to shoot the moving targets. You''ll stand on these sensorsбн"

    He pointed at a couple of sensors on the floor. "And your scores will be counted on that scoreboard."

    The roof opened and a scoreboard descended from the sky. There were no names written on them but simply yer one and yer two.

    "Whoever scores the highest, wins the game and date!" Chanhyuk said. "I''ll be off now. There are no cameras here because Minyoon trusts that his fans will be honest! I''lle back after thirty minutes. You will start as soon as the buzzer goes off."

    He nodded at them and left. Miho stepped on the sensor and picked up a gun. Sera was still skeptical but mimicked Miho''s movements.

    "Best of luck!" Sera wished Miho but thetter ignored her. She needed to win this contest in order to get her dream date with Minyoon. Sera''s smile faltered and she looked away, confused. The buzzer rang and the conveyor belt began to move.

    Miho aimed at a target and shot at it but missed. Sera shot down the target and was already shooting down a few more. She was a very good marksman. In fact, she was in the archery club where she could take down several such targets so it was easy for her.

    On the other hand, Miho was struggling a lot. The targets moved too quickly and she could not aim at them. She was getting more desperate. ncing at the scoreboard, she groaned. Sera already crossed 100 while she was at 20!

    Fuck, I''m gonna lose! She thought in dismay. In desperation, she tried to hit more targets but it was impossible. Refilling her gun, she shot several shots but was missing every single one of them. Beside her, Sera was hitting every target with ease and crossed 200.

    Finally, there was only five minutes left and Miho was desperate. There were no cameras in the roomбн

    "Switch with me!" Miho demanded. Sera paused and turned to her.

    "Huh? Why?" she frowned.

    "You know that I want to date Minyoon!" Miho imed. "Switch with me. You don''t even like Minyoon. You like Yoonmin, right? If I get to date Minyoon, I''ll make sure that Yoonmin will break up with Soobin and date you!"

    Sera was now defensive. She liked Yoonmin but she wanted to win this contest on her own terms. Besides, one date with Minyoon did not mean anything to her. She just wanted to meet Yoonmin under some pretense.

    "No," Sera replied. "I want to win this contest. I''m not gonna switch."

    Miho red at her. This fat minion was going to defy her orders?

    "Give me my spot!" she yelled, shocking Sera. Was this really the sweet and angelic Miho? Why was she shouting like this?

    "No! If you want the date, just win on your own!"

    Miho growled and stepped forward to push Sera as hard as she could. Sera toppled backwards,nding on her butt while Miho forcefully took her ce on the sensor.

    "This is my spot now!" she snapped. "Go to that spot and don''t shoot anything!"

    She expected Sera to obey but to her surprise, Sera got up and pushed her away. Before Miho could even react, Sera shot at her with the paintball gun and smeared paint all over her expensive Chanel dress.

    "My dress!" Miho cried, staring at therge paint stain on her dress. "My Chanel dress!"

    "Serves you right for being a bitch!" Sera sneered at her. "After all I did for you, you''re treating me this way? I won''t stand up for it!"

    "What the hell did you do for me?" Sera screamed at her. "You couldn''t even arrange a date between me and Minyoon! Your job was simple that day. Make sure that Minyoon was alone so that I could spend time with him at the coffee shop. But you couldn''t do that and Baekha ruined my ns!"

    She picked up her own gun and shot pain all over Sera.

    "Ugh!" Sera yelled as the paint covered her dress and skin but Miho was enraged. She kept on shooting at her as if she wanted to kill her!

    Sera kicked her foot, causing Miho to lose her bnce and fall.

    "What about you, huh?" Sera snarled. "You wanted revenge on Baekha so badly that you made me trick her into undressing her and steal her clothes!"

    She shot paint at Miho to ward her off. They were both smeared with paint now, their dresses ruined.

    "At least I didn''t betray a friend, you fucking fatty!" Miho cried out loud. She lunged forward and tackled Sera to the ground. Before Sera could react, Miho pped her hard.

    "You put that sticky goo in Soobin''s locker!" she revealed. "You wanted revenge on your ''friend'' for stealing your crush! You were so adamant on getting revenge that you forgot this was the same person who once defended you in front of the entire school! No one cared about you until Soobin came along. You were an unwanted outcast. That day, I only let you sit with us because of Soobin! I wanted her to join my gang but she refused."

    She hit Sera several times. Sera was too shocked to react. Miho was being friendly only to get to Soobin?

    Miho grabbed Sera''s cor and snarled, "I thought you''d be a mute minion but you''re the worst! A fat bitch who has no shame. I don''t want to see you anymore! That high score is mine! Stay away otherwise I''ll make your life in school a miserable one!"

    She was about to hit her more when someone grabbed her wrist from behind. Chanhyuk, who was watching the whole thing from a secret camera, quickly rushed to the scene to stop the crazy girls.

    To Miho''s shock, behind him were several cameramen.

    "W-what is the meaning of this?" she yelled. "You said there were no cameras!"

    "This is a prank program," Chanhyuk revealed. "In association with HTV''s ''Prank or Pawned'' program! Every week, two people are chosen to y pranks on. This time, Minyoon submitted your names because he wanted to see if you two had bullied his friends. And nowбн"

    He pointed at the cameras. "The entire world has seen your ugly side," he dered.

    Back in the studio, all the fans stared at the screen in shock. The confessions of the girls had enraged them. To think that they were trying to bully people in their school and also forcefully arranged a date with Minyoon!

    Minyoon was also disgusted by the two girls who had done so much harm to his friends. He did not think that Miho and Sera would be stupid enough to admit their deeds like this but Baekha read them well. She knew that these two would turn on each other during a distressing moment. The girl must have researched on their weaknesses and nned this move.

    "Now I owe her way too much," he muttered with a smile.

    Among the audience, Soobin was crying while Yoonmin consoled her. In her heart, Soobin knew that Sera did this but to hear her confession like thatбн

    "You were right," she said in a thick tone, choking back her tears. "She isn''t worth having as a friend!"

    Yoonmin shushed her and embraced his girlfriend as she broke down.

    Inside the vanity room, Jina and Hobin were also watching the program. While the actions of the girls were shocking, Jina merely frowned while Hobin was a little amused.

    "Teenagers nowadays are so weird!" she scowled. "What''s the point in doing this crappy stuff? And now Sera lost her dignity in front of the entire world! What the hell did she even gain from all this?"

    "At least she learnt not to bully others," Hobin remarked. "I hope."

    "No bully!" Miyoo eximed.

    "Do you even know what the word means?" he asked warily.

    "No!" the child replied, shaking her head. "Minmin best! Yoonie best! Sis best! Hobin silly!"

    Sheughed at her own joke while Hobin scowled at her. Jina alsoughed and patted his head.

    "I think I enjoy Miyoo bullying you," she winked.

    Hobin wrapped his hand around her and whispered into her ear, "And only I can bully you!"

 Chapter 229 - Baekhas Plan-Conclusion

    Backstage, the assistants were staring at the screen in shock. They were whispering at each other about the recent event and they were all aghast.

    "To think that these are teenagers!" One assistant remarked.

    "Teenagers nowadays are spoiled brats."

    "They really need disciplineбн"

    They were all muttering to themselves. A curly haired assistant watched the TV in a wary way, thinking that in Hell, that paintball would have been reced with spikes to their butts.

    "Tch! Should have let them beat the crap outta each other!" Magrod growled. "In Hell, these two bitches would have been fish food."

    He was still upying the body of the assistant but he wanted to find Miyoo and let go of this body soon. Unlike most demons, he was not particrly fond of possessing humans. They were dirty and way beneath his noble status.

    Magrod went from room to room, looking for the brat and hopefully, the Butterfly Priestess.

    "Tch!" he scowled at all the humans around him. "All of these people look the same to me! Where is the kid?"

    Suddenly, two figures caught his attention. They were Siwan and Jiwoon who were holding trays in their hands, chatting.

    "You have a new case?" Siwan was asking.

    "Yeah," Jiwoon sighed. "Some kids are spreading this game online. It''s really strange. Whichever kid is ying this game, they''re killing themselves. It''s going viral. Weird."

    "Kids nowadays are exposed to really disturbing things," Siwan said in a grim tone. "Whether it''s games orбн"

    He turned to the TV where the news channels were now covering the bullying incident with Dalton High School.

    "Or bullying," he finished with a sigh. "Seriously, what the hell is wrong with these kids? To think that Soobin was bullied by someone she thought of as a friend!"

    Jiwoon shook her head in disgust. "These kids need a lot of guidance. Neglect creates such problems. If only their parents had taken care of them."

    She recalled the way Mrs. Jung was more obsessed with her image than her kids. It really was concerning.

    "Let''s go," Siwan shrugged. "Jina and Hobin must be waiting. Also, Miyoo bes cranky whenever she''s not fed on time."

    "Ah yes!" Jiwoon chuckled. "Let''s go."

    They were still chatting with each other, unaware that Magrod was following them. He tailed them closely, making sure that they would not notice him. They entered a room and shut the door.

    "The kid and her sister must be in there," he muttered. He was about to go and knock when the door opened again and the Priestess came out. He quickly hid behind a pir, watching her. To his slight surprise, she was talking to herself.

    "You know the kids really need to be educated more," she was saying. "But I think I''m gonna teach my brothers a lesson too! They just made two girls a national joke!"

    Unbeknownst to Magrod, Hobin was with her but Magrod could not see him. Instead, he was wondering why the Priestess was talking to himself. Full fledged demons were usually able to see spirits. Was she talking to an invisible one?

    "Those girls made themselves a national joke," Hobin muttered. They were passing by arge pir when Jina paused and nced at it.

    "What happened?" Hobin asked. She was staring at the pir but there was no one in sight. Why did she get the feeling that they were being watched?

    On instinct, Jina went around the pir but did not find anyone. Strange, she thought. She could have sworn there was someone right behind the pirбн

    "Oi, Tinkerbell!" Hobin called her. "What happened? Is it a ghost?"

    "No...I thought I saw someone here," she said slowly. Or rather, sensed someone here, she told herself. Aloud she said, "Let''s go and deal with the twins."

    Hobin nodded and they walked away. Magrod had left the assistant''s body and crawled up on the ceiling''s venttor to hide from them. He quickly followed them, keeping enough distance so that the Priestess could not detect him. He must talk to her in private but why was she talking to herself?

    Jina and Hobin walked towards the backstage and watched Minyoon addressing the crowd after they had calmed down from the outrage.

    "I don''t want you all to criticize them!" he told his fans. "But rather, I want you all to learn from them and be better people!"

    The fans cheered hard for him, awed by his maism. They were drawn to him and wanted to support him however they could. That night''s incident was being debated online. Some people were appreciative while others criticized the way it was brought to light but that did not matter. All that Minyoon cared about was that the people were at least talking about it.

    "I''ll take my leave for tonight!" he waved at the screaming fans. "Be good and kind to people! Don''t let bullies hurt you!"

    "YES!"

    Minyoon gave them a flying kiss and walked off the stage where he ran into Yoonmin, Soobin, Hobin andбн

    "Sis!" he eximed. "You''re here!"

    Jina walked up to him and boxed his ear. Minyoon winced as his sister addressed him.

    "Why did you do this?" She scolded him. "Those two girls are now going to be social pariahs!"

    "But look at what they did to Soobin and Baekha!" he protested. "Not only was Baekha forced to walk shirtless all throughout the school but Soobin also had to cut off her hair!"

    Jina nced at Soobin, who looked very sad. She sighed and let her brother go. If there was someone who should be angry and hurt, it was Soobin.

    "Are you alright?" Jina asked her in a kind tone. The girl meekly nodded her head but was not looking at her. Jina sighed and hugged her. Soobin, feeling d to get a warm hug, almost broke down again.

    "Oi, don''t cry!" Hobin told her. "You should be d that those bullies got caught. Besides, Sera really didn''t deserve your kindness."

    "He''s right," Jina consoled her. "They bullied you and god knows how many others! I thought that Sera would learn a lesson after the Rachel incident but I guess some people don''t change."

    "Besides, Miho is a ss A bitch who''d do anything for poprity," Yoonmin added. Jina reproached her brother with a look but Soobin took a deep breath and let go of her.

    "I''ll be fine," she said in a shaky tone. "I wasn''t shocked to know that Sera did this to me. But hearing it from her mouth only made it worse. I guess she never cared about me. I shouldn''t care about her eitherбн"

    She frowned and turned to the twins. "How did you twoe up with this n?" she asked.

    "We didn''t," Yoonmin replied.

    "Baekha did!" Minyoon piped up. "Man, that girl is smart! She read these two idiots like an open book. It was all her n. I gotta admit, she''s smart."

    "Baekha?" Jina questioned them. She never met this Baekha directly but heard a lot about her from the others. Also, she was Jiwoon''s sister-inw. That girl nned this?

    "Yeah!" Minyoon sighed. "I invited her to the concert but she said she''s too busy tonight and told us to go ahead. Wish she was hereбн"

    "If you guys are done dilly dallying, you''re blocking my way!"

    All of them turned to find Baek standing there, looking a little annoyed and pale. Baekha had to take several medicines to keep her fever down but her body was still weak. Still, the Idol Baek had a show to carry and she could not let her fans down.

    Jina frowned at the boy and checked her from top to bottom. She had watched Baek''s videos before but always felt that there was a feminine vibe to him. And seeing him up close made her even more suspicious. Hobin was also raising an eyebrow.

    "Beaky!"

    Miyoo''s squeaky voice came from behind. Siwan and Jiwoon also arrived at the scene with Miyoo who was overly excited to see her idol. She was dying to jump into Baekha''s arms but thetter gave her a warning look.

    Even Siwan and Jiwoon were staring at ''Baek''. They were shocked to find Baekha dressed as a boy!

    Jiwoon was about to say something but Siwan stopped her. "Don''t," he muttered. "Talk to herter."

    Minyoon picked up his sister instead and red at Baek.

    "I see that you''re still a rude, immature brat," he said out loud. "I guess, some people really don''t change!"

    Er...Jina only shook her head and turned away to hide herughter while Hobin was amused. "This is interesting," he snickered. "He''s really dense, isn''t he?"

    "He isn''t the smartest of the lot," Jina sighed.

    Baekha ignored them and headed for the stage. Minyoon frowned upon seeing Baek staggering. He looked weak and pale as if he was sick for a long time.

    "Is he going to be okay?" Soobin asked.

    "I bet he''s just acting!" Minyoon scowled. Everyone looked at the duo in dismay.

    "Please tell me that you still didn''t figure it out!" Jina eximed to her brother.

    "Figure out what?" Minyoon frowned. His sister sighed and smacked his head.

    "You moron! That Baek is a girl!"

    "Huh?"

    "She is," Jiwoon confirmed. "That''s Baekha. Cho Baekha.. Sister of the previous Top Idol, Cho Sungki."

 Chapter 230 - A Meeting

    "Baek! Baek! Baek!"

    She was a little dazed when she walked up to the stage. The white spotlights shone directly above her, almost blinding her while the screams and cheers echoed in her ears. Her mind was muddled with strange thoughts.

    Baekha was swaying but steadied herself. This was not a time to fall sick. She must perform.

    But her body was too weak. She could not even muster the strength to stand. Her eyes slowly nced sideways towards her manager who was shing her a thumbs up. She took a deep breath and addressed the audience who were shouting for her.

    Swallowing down her difort, she began to sing.

    "When we were young

    You made many promises

    Never let go, never go far

    Our innocentughter broke the silent nights

    But where are you now?

    Why are you so coldбн"

    Backstage, Minyoon was staring at the idol on screen, not moving. He had been in a state of shock ever since he found out that Baek was Baekha. His mind was still reying what Jina and Jiwoon said.

    A tiny finger was poking his cheek. Miyoo was trying to get her brother''s attention but he was so shocked that he even forgot about her.

    "Hmph!" she pouted. Yoonmin was trying to hold in hisughter while Soobin was also dumbfounded but recovered quickly from her initial shock. The others were merely enjoying the show like silent spectators.

    Miyoo was still poking her brother for attention.

    "It''s no use, Miyoo," Yoonmin told her. "Minmin is now in his own world."

    "Minmin, moron," Miyoo remarked.

    "I still can''t believe that Baekha hid this!" Soobin eximed. "But why is she dressing up as a guy? I mean, she could have be an idol even as a girl!"

    "We''ll have to ask her that," Jiwoon sighed. "But I''m guessing she is hiding her identity from her parents. They''ll never let her be an idol. Only their precious son can be an idol."

    There was a bitterness to her tone which did not go unnoticed. Siwan was also observing the girl on the TV screen and shook his head in dismay. The Cho''s were really biased towards their son and it showed. Their daughter meant nothing to them simply because she was born a girl.

    Was family prestige really that important to them? What sort of fake prestige was this?

    "Minmin!" Miyoo yelled into her brother''s ear but the poor guy was still out of it. Jina and Hobin were nowughing.

    "Your brother really lost his marbles," Hobin mused.

    "He never had any in the first ce!" Jinaughed. "He still can''t believe that he didn''t figure out Baekha''s identity."

    Onstage, Baekha was still absorbed in her performance. She was now immersed in the song, trying not to think about her health. The fans were swaying to her voice, absorbed by the feelings in her song. They cheered for her as she sang for them in her deep voice, hypnotizing them.

    "Now you mean nothing to me!

    We used to be something

    But it''s all in the past nowбн"

    Siwan''s phone rang and he excused himself for a while.

    Jina was enjoying the song when something caught her eye. Miyoo also stopped poking her brother and turned her attention to the screen. Hobin felt Jina''s hand on his arm, gripping him. He was rmed by the scared expression on her face.

    "What is it?" he asked. The others were also staring at them now.

    "Sis?" Yoonmin called for her. "What happened?"

    Jina did not say anything but pointed at the screen. The others only saw Baekha in it but Miyoo knew what she was talking about.

    "Red!" she eximed. "Beaky. Red!"

    Red? Hobin frowned but Jina answered it for him. "There''s a red demon right next to Baekha!" she whispered. "And...and it''s doing something to her!"

    The performance ended and the fans erupted into loud cheers. Baekha smiled and waved at them but was suddenly grappled by a wave of dizziness. Her heart was palpitating and she felt her hands be mmy with sweat. The world around her was spinning. ck holes appeared in her vision.

    "Baek! Baek! Baek!" The fans kept on cheering but she was not listening. Her ears were only hearing a sharp static sound. The world around her was a blur and began to spin.

    In her trance, she saw a few figures approaching her. A strong pair of hands grabbed her and stopped her from falling on the ground but her mind cked out at that point.

    бн

    Minyoon rushed towards Baekha and grabbed her before she could fall. Behind him, Jina was looking for the demon and caught a glimpse of it, floating towards a venttor above the stage. The fans were rmed and panicked but the guards were calming them down.

    Jango also ran towards Baekha who was now unconscious in Minyoon''s arms.

    "Baek!" he called her.

    "Take him back to his room!" Hobin ordered. "Yoonmin, disperse the crowd! Soobin, there should be a first aid kit inside Minyoon''s room. Go and get it!"

    Soobin nodded and ran off towards Minyoon''s room. Jiwoon was calming down a very scared Miyoo who had also seen the demon on screen with Baekha.

    "Maggie!" she mumbled. "Maggie!"

    "Miyoo, it''s alright!" Jiwoon consoled her. "She''ll be fine."

    "Maggie!" Miyoo said. Maggie? Jiwoon frowned. Why was the girl repeating the same word?

    Jina was on the lookout for the demon. As they carried Baekha away, she kept on ncing back to make sure it was not around. There was no doubt that the demon was harming Baekha for some reason.

    Why was it haunting her? She wondered. If Sungki was after Jiwoon, then why was it harming Baekha? It made no sense to her.

    As the others carried Baekha away, Jina stayed back to investigate. Walking towards an isted area of the backstage. She stooped down to one of the venttors below and examined it. A strong scent of sulphur wasing out of it and she was sure that the demon was still in there, hiding.

    "How are we gonna catch this thing?" she snarled in annoyance. "Fucking demons! Why do they keep on haunting us?"

    "Hey! That''s rude."

    Jina suddenly felt another cold presence behind her. She froze as she slowly turned around to find a man in histe sixties, standing there. Even though he was a human being, she could tell that something was wrong with him. His eyes were out of focus and he seemed to be in a trance.

    This man was possessed.

    "That''s so rude!" the man imed. "Cursing us like that. Demons like me are elite and high ss! Don''t put me in the category of that idiot who''s haunting his sister and obsessed over a human. Puhleez! I''m a pure demon who''s in the nobility. I''ve got my pride, ya know!"

    Jina was staring at the strange demon,pletely speechless. Huh?

    Magrod had possessed another random body to find Jina and finally seeded in getting her alone. He released his temporary host andnded on the ground to face the Butterfly Priestess. Jina only stared at the strange three headed dog which was behaving like a diva.

    This thing was a demon?

    "I am Magrod," he introduced himself in a pompous manner. "A high level demon from the Vozakel ss. I havee from Hell to find you and the Prince so that I can help the two of you. As for myself. I like to bathe in water which is exactly 100 degrees and eat raw fish. I like sushi and loathe anything sweet except cookies, candies, choctes, macaroons, cake, rice porridge, puddingбн"

    He went on to name every sweet dish in existence but Jina only stared at him in disbelief.

    "...As for tea, I like ginger tea with a dash of lemon and exactly five spoonfuls of sugar in it," he nodded. "And-"

    "What the hell are you?" she whispered.

    "Magrod. Maggie for short but I hate that nickname. Your sister keeps on calling me that but it''s annoying-"

    "My sister? You know my sister?"

    "Yes, she''s been my ve for the past month," he boasted. "That brat listens to everything I say and-"

    Jina grabbed the tiny demon with one hand and picked him up, frowning.

    "Hey!" he protested. "Lemme down! Lemme down! I can do karate ya know!"

    He tried to hit her but was too small to evennd a kick. Jina was still staring at the thing, trying to figure out how it was a demon. Demons were usually cruel and maniptive but this thing did not give her any such vibe. In fact, it was small, harmless, furry and surprisingly soft.

    "How do you know Miyoo?" she demanded. "And what did you do to her?"

    She shook the tiny creature which scowled at her.

    "Nothing! That kid is the one that bullied me!" he finally admitted. "That brat drove me up the wall with her childishness and even bribed me with cookies! And then she tickles me by scratching my tummy."

    "That sounds about right," Jina said. "But wait a minute! The twins'' condo is protected with charms. How did you get in?"

    "Charms?" he scoffed. "Oh please! Those charms won''t work on us. They''ll only work on low level demons but we''re higher ss. Charms won''t do shit! You gotta step up the game, Priestess. If I wasn''t there to save the brat that night, she might have died!"

    That nightбн

    "You mean on the night the spirits attacked us?" she gasped. "You protected her?"

    "Duh! How else do you think those spirits were dealt with?"

    Jina was now confused but this creature seemed to know a lot about what was going on.

    "Tell me everything," she demanded. "Now."

    Magrod was now grim.

    "I will, Priestess," he promised. "But now, we have something else to worry about."

    Jina sighed. The tiny dog demon was right. There were other matters to take care of.

    "How are we going to get rid of this demon?" she asked.

    "Simple," Magrod shrugged.. "You gotta kill him."

 Chapter 231 - Obsession

    Hobin was checking Baekha''s pulse while the others were gathered around him. Minyoon was anxious and Soobin was sitting next to Baekha, almost praying for her safety. Jiwoon was standing at the back, ash faced and silent.

    Miyoo was asleep on another couch. She was restless after seeing the demon so Yoonmin put her to sleep.

    "This is really weird," Hobin muttered. "Her body is hot. Way hotter than average fever. Even her temperature reading shows it''s higher than usual."

    He turned to Jango. "What did she eat today?"

    "He...erбн"

    "We know Baek is a girl!" Yoonmin snapped. "Just tell the doctor the truth."

    "Well," Jango began. "She ate rice and seaweed soup, beef and curry. She eats well! We don''t starve our idols here."

    Hobin checked Baekha''s breathing. It was short and shallow, indicating that she was not able to breathe properly.

    "Soobin, touch her chest and tell me what you feel," Hobin ordered her. Soobin was taken aback. Touch her chest?

    "Uhбн"

    "Do you have to vite Baekha''s privacy?" Minyoon winced.

    "If you want to save her, someone needs to touch her chest and since Soobin is a girl, she can do it," Hobin said absentmindedly as he checked Baekha''s pulse.

    "O-Okay!"

    Soobin hesitated before touching Baekha''s chest. She frowned when she touched it and pressed the unconscious girl''s chest a little harder. To her surprise, there was something hard and coarse wrapped around Baekha''s chest.

    "There''s a cloth!" she informed Hobin. "Wrapped tightly against her chest. I can feel it!"

    The twins were looking away while Jiwoon stepped forward.

    "She must have used to topress her breasts," Hobin said in a nonchnt way. "Since she needed to hide her busts. First of all, Soobin and Jiwoon. Take that cloth and wig off her and dress her in loose clothes. Then we''ll take her to the hospital where she can be treated for the night. Where are her parents?"

    He added that to Jango.

    "They''re not going to help her," he said at once.

    "I''m not asking them for help. I''m asking where they are. Legally, I''ll have to inform them about her state."

    "They''re at home I guess."

    "What kind of sick parents are they?" Minyoon scowled at the manager. "How can they just neglect their only child?"

    "They don''t even know their kid is an idol!" Jango replied. "Baekha insisted on doing everything on her own. They ignore her and don''t care about their daughter."

    "Why?" Yoonmin frowned but it was Soobin who answered.

    "They love their son more," she said in a bitter tone. "For them, their son was the heir and future. The Cho family aren''t kind to girls, seeing them as a burden. Baekha told me that they''re not even interested in handing over her rightful inheritance. Her brother is dead so she''s the heir but they won''t give her anything."

    The twins were sickened by that sort of mindset. Why would any sane person have that old mindset in this day and time?

    Minyoon gazed at Baekha and recalled all the times she had outwitted the bullies on her own. He felt bad for being rude to her initially.

    "Also," Soobin went on. "Her brother was a top idol. Cho Sungki."

    "That''s why she wants to be a top idol!" Minyoon realized. "So that she can prove to her parents that she''s equally capable."

    "Does it matter?" Hobin asked. "They''ll still be shitty parents to her. Nevertheless, I''ll have to inform them."

    "Do we have to let them know?" Jiwoon asked. She was reluctant to face the Cho''s but seeing Baekha''s condition, even she knew that the parents have to be informed.

    "I''d suggest you return to the mansion with my brother," Hobin told her. "It''s best if you don''t get involved in this mess. Besides, the Cho''s might not evene to visit their daughter but we can''t discount the possibility that they won''t."

    Jiwoon was unwilling to leave Baekha in that state. After all, Baekha was one of the people who treated her kindly during her hellish time at the Cho mansion.

    "I''ll keep you updated," Yoonmin offered her. "But the crazy doctor is right. It''ll only add to her worries if you face the Cho''s. After all, she did a lot to protect you."

    Jiwoon took a deep breath and nodded. "You''re right," she mumbled. "I should go for now. But please, keep me informed. I don''t want Baekha to suffer anymore. Let us undress her first and then I''ll leave."

    She and Soobin got to work. The men waited outside while they changed Baekha''s clothes. The girl''s body was burning as if on fire. Jiwoon and Soobin were surprised that she was even standing in that state.

    "Sis, she must have suffered a lot," Soobin said, feeling worried. "This is crazy! Her fever really is strange."

    "Baekha is used to doing everything on her own," Jiwoon winced. They took off Baekha''s wig and the cloth around her chest before putting loose clothes on her. Baekha moaned a little and was slowlying to her senses.

    "Jisoo...sis?" she mumbled. Jiwoon touched her cheek and stroked it.

    "You''ll be fine, okay?" she said in a gentle tone. "Don''t worry about anything else and rest. You need it."

    Baekha''s mind was too muddled and she was not strong enough to argue. Her eyelids were heavy with sleep and she was unconscious again. After they were done dressing her, they summoned the men back inside.

    "Let''s take her to the hospital," Hobin said.

    "I''ll get going then," Jiwoon nodded. She patted Baekha''s forehead and left. Minyoon picked up Baekha again in his arms. She was surprisingly light. Was she underfed her whole life?

    "Quit blushing and take her to the car!" Hobin snapped at the idol when he was taking too long to act. "I know you have a crush on her but keep the feeling bottled up until she''s well."

    "Crush?" I would never-"

    "JUST GO!"

    Minyoon pouted and blushed. He carried her to the car outside. The others followed him to the car while Hobin stayed back to look for Jina. She must have gone to find the demon on her own and he could not leave her alone in that state. He went back to the stage which was now empty except for a few assistants and fans who were being dispersed.

    He sniffed the air. There was a faint scent of sulphur but it was hard to point where it wasing from.

    "Where are you, Tinkerbell?" he whispered.

    бн

    Jina followed the demon to an isted room and locked the door behind her.

    "Tell me," she demanded. "What''s going on? How is that demon, Sungki, affecting Baekha? And do humans in Hell turn into demons? And why can''t charms work on you?"

    Magrod jumped on a table and huffed out his chest in pride, feeling very important at that moment.

    "Listen up, Priestess!" he eximed like a teacher teaching a student. "First of all, humans turn into demons in Hell. Good or bad, if you''re a human in Hell, you''ll turn into a demon. It''s in our contracts. Now, you know that only those who make contracts end up in Hell regardless of their actions. Hence, sometimes good people also end up there. If they turn into demons, their demonic personalities are also good. Kind of like spirits but we''re just more powerful."

    "Once we turn into demons, we can choose new names or keep our old names if we can remember them," he went on. "Most of the souls forget their names but not Sungki. He is a special type of Kirstis."

    "What''s a Kirstis?"

    "I''m getting there!" Magrod said irritably. "Honestly, you humans have no patience."

    "You were a human too!" Jina frowned.

    "I was a special kind of human," he imed. "Exquisite and unique. In other words, I was more awesome than other humans and hence ended up as a noble ss demon!"

    Jina stared at him warily. Good or bad, he was definitely the most self-absorbed demon she had ever met. Which was strange because all the demons she had met so far were evil and cruel. To think there was aical demon was something hard to wrap her head around.

    "Anyways," he said. "Sungki is deriving energy from his sister. His obsession and natural tendency to resort to cruelty elerated the process for him. Sometimes, very rarely though, when the obsession of a human being transcends to Hell, they speed up the demonization process. Hence, Sungki was able to turn into a demon faster than others. It can take decades or even centuries for souls to turn into demons. And his idiot parents summoned him from Hell with the help of a shaman. I''m sure they don''t know they''ve sold their souls for it. Many shamans trick humans into giving away their souls."

    "Can''t we break the contract and send him back to Hell?" Jina asked.

    "Nope," Magrod said. "Those two idiots are doomed. Even if you exorcise Sungki, he won''t go to Hell until the deal isplete."

    "What deal?"

    "The deal to give the Cho''s an heir," he revealed. "Our demon friend is trying to have a child with a woman of his choosing so that the Cho''s can get an heir. And Sungki is obsessed with only one girl. After all, his obsession is the reason he turned into a demon this fast."

    Jina''s eyes widened in shock.

    "Jiwoon," she realized. "He''s still obsessed with Jiwoon!"

 Chapter 232 - An Alley

    *An Hour Ago*

    Siwan was heading towards the back door which led to a small alley behind the studio. Once he was outside, he picked up his phone.

    "Hello Doctor Kang?" It was the voice of one of his patients'' mother, Mrs. Song.

    "Hello Mrs. Song," he greeted. "How can I help?"

    "Doctor Song, my son''s gastric is acting up again. You told me to let you know if that happens. Is it normal for this to happen after surgery?"

    "Yes, it''smonбн"

    He was exining to her what to do when he froze and snapped his head around. For some reason, a sudden chill ran down his spine. The alley was deste and devoid of any souls. Yet, he had the feeling that he was being watched.

    Weird, he thought and returned to his call. "As I was sayingбн"

    Siwan kept on conversing with the woman for a while longer. He was so engrossed in his call that he did not notice that a fog was starting to appear. The mist crawled around his feet, making its way up until he was curtained in it. Siwan hung up the phone and shivered.

    It was getting colder which was strange since winter was still months away. Siwan frowned and scanned the area. Something moved in the distance which caught his eye but the fog was clouding his view.

    BANG!

    Siwan jumped in fright when the lid fell from a metal can.

    "Meow!" A ck cat emerged out of the shadows and purred. He let out a sigh.

    "Just a cat," he muttered and was about to head back inside when he heard someone calling out.

    "Excuse me!"

    Siwan turned around to find a woman standing there. His eyes lit up in recognition.

    "Aunt Ciara?" he frowned. What was she doing there?

    "Siwan!" she realized. "You''re Kang Siwan, right? Doyoung''s son?"

    "Yesбн"

    Siwan was wary of the woman. He was looking at her with suspicion. Was she there to harm Jiwoon? Did she find out something?

    "What are you doing here?" he asked. "That too at an alley like this?"

    "I was lost!" Ciara replied. "I came here to meet my daughter, Baeka. I mean...I know that she''s been posing as an idol and performing. She thought she could hide this from me but I know. I''m her mother after all. But I want to find her and talk sense to her. Did you see her?"

    Siwan was now rmed but he kept his cool. He must keep her away from Jiwoon at all costs. Jiwoon probably went searching for Baekha after thetter''s performance and they might be together.

    I''ll have to find them and take Jiwoon away, he decided.

    "I don''t know who she is," he lied tly. "I think you''re mistaken. No one named Baekha performed on stage tonight."

    "Oh," Ciara simply said. "Well then. I guess I was wrong. I''ll go back home then."

    She turned around and was walking away. Siwan was relieved that she was not snooping around too much.

    I''ll go and get Jiwoon, he thought. In case this woman returned.

    "AH!" he heard Ciara fall down and scream. He instantly rushed to help her.

    "Aunt, are you alright?" he asked, stooping down to check her injury. She was clutching her right foot, wincing in pain.

    "My heel broke!" she gasped. "It''s hurtingбн"

    "Let me take a look at it," Siwan offered and touched her foot. He frowned upon examining it. There was no injury on her foot.

    "Aunty are you sure that-"

    Suddenly, Ciara moved and sprayed something on him. A strong scent of wild poppies hit his nostrils, paralyzing his senses. Siwan cked out and fell on the ground, unconscious.

    A shadow came out of the fog, observing the doctor. Ciara slowly stood up, smoothening her clothes. She faced the shaman, Hongshik with wary eyes.

    "I did as you told me to," she stated curtly. "Are you sure that this concoction can help my son possess this guy''s body?"

    "It''s a strong potion made with poppies and peach mixture," the shaman stated. "It''ll keep his soul from waking up for a long time. He''s now in aatose state. Took me weeks to create this and I had to make it extra strong for this man."

    He was telling the truth. Siwan was mentally too strong for someone like Sungki to possess. The shaman had to take help from his brethren to create strong concoction and it took them weeks to make it. The harder the human vessel was to possess, the stronger the concoction they had to create.

    "But why does my son want him?" Ciara demanded. "I did everything you told me to. But this is getting too frustrating! I want answers-"

    She suddenly started to choke. The shaman stood there, watching her as she fell to the ground, gagging and wheezing. Her eyes were almost popping out of her pupils and she was ring at the shaman. He calmly stared back, still using his invisible powers to hurt her.

    "Let...me...goбн" she begged. "Iбн"

    The grip on her neck loosened and she coughed hard.

    "You got your answer," he said in a condescending tone. "Your son wants this man. You don''t need to know anything else."

    Ciara was still rubbing her neck as she stood up. She was told that her son found a vessel and she must procure it for him. To think that Sungki marked her friend Doyoung''s son...there was something wrong.

    "This potion will keep his soul asleep," Hongshik went on. "And allow your son''s demon to take over his body."

    The phrase did not go unnoticed by Ciara. Demon? What demon?

    But Hongshik was not listening. He was simply waiting.

    Anytime now, he thought.

    Meanwhile, Jina and Magrod were still inside, talking.

    "Yes," Magrod confirmed. "That bloody idiot is still obsessed with your friend. He''s a demon and his emotions are a thousand times stronger than that of a human."

    "How can we stop him?" She asked. "Can''t we exorcise him?"

    "That guy? Nah! You can''t use the usual methods on demons who are of Kirstis and higher level. It''s not easy to exorcise them. But the good part is that he''s trying to take her to Hell."

    "How is that a good part?"

    "You can''t just drag a soul to Hell!" Magrod snapped. "What do you think it is? A public bath? Nope. Only those humans who make a contract with a demon can go to Hell. Selling your soul is considered a sphemy of nature. Hence, Hell exists to punish such people. You sell your soul to the Devil for greed, you burn in it until you be the Devil itself. And then you repeat the cycle. Unlike the Afterlife and Purgatory where souls get a chance to redeem themselves before reincarnating, human souls in Hell are trapped in that neverending cycle. They don''t reincarnate nor can they leave. They''re just...existing."

    There was a bitterness in Magrod''s tone which puzzled Jina. What sort of thing had he done in the past to end up like this? She wondered.

    "Anyways," he went on. "As long as your friend isn''t signing a contract with a demon, she won''t be taken there. Demons of Kirstis level or higher can''t be exorcised. They need to be eliminated. And that is where youe in, Priestess."

    Jina winced. She did not even remember how she managed to kill the other demon. Could she do it again?

    "Tell me about the demons in Hell," she said.

    бн.

    Jiwoon was calling Siwan but his phone was switched off. Her heart was panicking. He never switched off his phone in case any patients called him or there was an emergency. She walked around, looking for him but he was not backstage. Jiwoon strode over to the back door and pushed past it to the alley.

    It was chilly outside and she shivered a little. Strange, she thought. Why is it so cold?

    "Doctor Kang!" she called out for him. Her breath was visible in the frosty mist. She looked for him but he was not there.

    BANG!

    Jiwoon spun around to see a ck cat scavenging for food in a nearby trash can. There was still no sign of Siwan which was worrying her. She called his phone again.

    To her surprise, his phone was ringing from somewhere nearby. Jiwoon followed the sound only to stumble upon his cell phone lying on the ground. Frowning, she picked it up. Why would he leave his phone behind?

    "Hey!"

    Startled, she turned to find Siwan running towards her. He shed a smile at her, looking apologetic.

    "Thank goodness you found the phone!" he eximed. "I was looking all over for it."

    Jiwoon was confused. His phone was switched off only moments ago and now it was on again even though he had lost it. She could not make out what was going on but her mind was a little alert.

    "But it was switched off only moments ago," she pointed out. "I''ve been trying to call you! IF it wasn''t with you, how did it turn itself back on?"

    "The phone is acting crazy," he sighed. "I need to get it checked."

    "Anywaysбн" Jiwoon began. "I need to go back to the mansion. The Cho''s might arrive and I don''t want to-"

    "I understand," he said with a smile. "Come on. I''ll drop you home."

    He ushered her to follow him to the car. Jiwoon hesitated but followed him. He led her to the car and got into the driver''s seat. To his surprise, Jiwoon stood outside as if thinking something.

    "What''s wrong?" he frowned. Jiwoon was staring at him but quickly shook off all thoughts from her head.

    "Nothing," she lied and got into the car. Siwan shrugged and started the engine before driving off. Jiwoon slowly took out her phone, hiding it from his view and texted someone and then put it back in her pocket.

    "What happened?" Siwan asked. "Why are you so quiet?"

    "Nothing. I''m only thinking about Baekha. She must be suffering a lot in that house."

    "That''s not really any of our business," he said. "We shouldn''t get involved in any of it. People get abused everyday. Big deal!"

    Jiwoon awkwardly nodded at his joke and looked ahead, saying nothing.

    бн

    Hobin was looking for Jina when his phone beeped. It was a message from Jiwoon.

    "There''s something wrong with your brother. He''s not acting his usual self."

    Hobin frowned as he read her text and scrolled down where she had added, "He always opens the car door for others. He didn''t do it for me tonight.. Something is not right."

 Chapter 233 - Escape

    Baekha slowly opened her eyes and was immediately met by a pair of tiny brown eyes looking at her. Miyoo bent over her, watching her intently.

    "Beaky!" she eximed. "Beaky sick?"

    She poked Baekha''s cheeks.

    "Don''t do that!" Baekha mumbled and slowly sat up. She was in the hospital''s VIP section. Soobin was asleep on a couch while the door was open. She was about to call Soobin when she heard footsteps approaching her way. Quicklyying back, she pretended to be asleep. Miyoo was about to say something but Baekha pulled her down and pulled the nket over them, hiding.

    "Shh!" She ordered the child. "Don''t talk!"

    Miyoo pouted but obeyed in silence. A pair of familiar voices were talking now.

    "Doctor Ohm just texted me," Yoonmin was saying. "He''s saying that Jiwoon sis is in danger!"

    "But didn''t she leave with Doctor Kang?" Minyoon asked.

    "That''s the thing. Doctor Kang is apparently acting strange and Jiwoon sis noticed it. She texted Ohm about it. I think there''s something wrongбн"

    "Yoonie, what ifбн" Minyoon began. "What if the demon possessed Doctor Kang?"

    "Huh?"

    "It''s possible!" Minyoon pointed out. "Those two idiots in the Cho family summoned their son but they don''t know their son is a demon, right? I mean, if they did, they wouldn''t have put their souls on the line for it. After all, the deal with a demon needs an exchange of their souls. But what if Siwan bro is the demon''s new vessel?"

    "Hmm," Yoonmin said. "You''re right. That''s a possibility. That demon has been killing those women anyway. And now that he has the woman he truly wants, he''d want to possess someone who''ll be near Jiwoon sis all the time. And Doctor Kang fits the bill."

    "What do we do?" Minyoon asked. "The old man isn''t here. We can''t just sit idle!"

    "We can''t leave Baekha alone either," Yoonmin pointed out. "I''ll see if I can reach gramps."

    Just then, someone''s phone rang. Yoonmin took out his phone and saw that it was Junho.

    "It''s the old man!" he informed Minyoon. Both of them walked out of the room to talk to their grandfather and inform him of what happened. As soon as they were gone, Baekha emerged from the nket.

    She was confused by what the twins had said. Demons? Possession? Did they know something which she did not?

    But she had little time to dwell on all that. Jiwoon was in danger. If Sungki was a demon and had taken her, then there was only one ce he would go to.

    "Beaky?" Miyoo asked in confusion but Baekha was not listening. She was getting off the bed and began to think of a way to escape. Yoonmin''s jacket wasid over Soobin. Careful not to make a noise, Baekha slowly took out his wallet from there.

    "Sorry other twin," she muttered under her breath as she took out a few dor bills from it for tax fare. "I''ll return this with interest!"

    She put the dors in her pocket and opened the window. Miyoo watched as Baekha climbed on a pipe and began to descend.

    A whileter, Minyoon returned.

    "Is she awake yet-" he was asking but froze midway. The bed was empty and Miyoo was staring at the window while Soobin slept on.

    "Where''s Baekha?" he demanded, feeling panicked.

    Miyoo wordlessly pointed at the open window. He rushed over to see that Baekha''s figure was running away towards the road.

    "Shit!" he cursed loudly. His curses woke Soobin up. She rubbed her eyes, feeling dazed.

    "What happened?" she asked sleepily.

    "Baekha ran away!"

    "WHAT?"

    It was pandemonium. By the time the hospital authorities were alerted, Baekha had already left the premises. She was caught on CCTV camera, hailing a cab. The twins were now at a loss while Soobin held a very worried Miyoo in her arms.

    "What are we going to do?" Soobin asked. "We don''t even know where she is!"

    "I can''t believe she''d be this stupid!" Yoonmin groaned. "Running away from the hospital?"

    They were in the VIP ward, wondering what to do. Minyoon was silent, trying to figure out where she had gone. Their sister''s phone was unreachable and Hobin was not picking up either. It was now up to them to find Baekha.

    "I must find her," he said. Even though they were not close, Baekha had helped them many times. At least he owed her something.

    "Where will you look for her?" Yoonmin snapped. "Her house? Would she return there?"

    "I''ll have to try!" Minyoon argued. "Even if she''s not there, I''ll have to try!"

    There was no other ce he could think of. They were still debating what to do when a tiny voice spoke up.

    "Maggie can help!"

    Everyone turned to face Miyoo who was blinking at the grown ups. "Maggie, beats demons!" she said.

    "Huh? Maggie?" Minyon frowned. "Is that her new imaginary friend?"

    "Noбн" Yoonmin said slowly. "Didn''t you just hear what she said. Maggie beats demons? Is she referring to the night she was also attacked by those spirits?"

    Minyoon frowned and recalled that night when both their sisters were attacked. While Jina was badly injured, Miyoo remained unscathed. Moreover, the charms in Miyoo''s room were also ripped off. Then how did she survive the attack?

    "What if this Maggie isn''t imaginary?" he pointed out.

    "Now that you mention it," Soobin spoke up. "Miyoo did mention this Maggie several times. She even said Maggie likes cookies!"

    They bent over to interrogate the child. She merely looked at all of them, feeling very important.

    "Miyoo," Yoonmin said in a stern tone. "Who is Maggie?"

    "Doggo!" she replied. "Three heads! Vozkill lord! Wants a Prince Charming."

    "Lord?"

    Yoonmin did not understand but Minyoon and Soobin did. Back when they were exorcising Duho, they were faced with a simr type of lord.

    "What was that demon calling himself back then, Soobin?" Minyoon asked.

    "Vortha...no! Vurthramis lord of Hell! And he was also looking for some Prince."

    "Humans turn to demons in Hell," Miyoo chanted. "Maggie, wants a Prince. Not Beauty and the Beast Prince."

    "In short," Yoonmin sighed. "Our sister has been petting a demon in our own house. And that demon can help us defeat the other demon."

    "We don''t have time for the demonology courses!" Minyoon snapped. "Yoonmin, go and find Jina sis. I''ll go and search for Baekha! Soobin, keep this one under check."

    He pointed at his little sister, worried that she might end up adding more demons to her minion army. Soobin nodded.

    "Understood!"

    The twins nodded and ran off to find the others.

    бн

    Jina was still talking to Magrod at the studio, unaware of everything else. The demon told her many things about Sungki and how the demon was going to force Jiwoon into signing a contract.

    "How can I kill him?" Jina asked. "There must be some kind of object the Cho''s have used to summon him. I was told that when I burned down the demon Beezan''s painting, he died."

    "That is the only way to kill a demon," Magrod replied. "The Cho''s must have used an object to summon Sungki. That object keeps him tied to the living world. Find that object and you''ll be able to kill him. But it must only be you, Priestess. No one else can kill a demon. Only you have that power."

    "Why me?" she demanded. "And why are you calling me a Priestess? I''m a detective!"

    "You really don''t know about your past?" Magrod asked in astonishment. Jina slowly shook her head.

    "No," she admitted. "I mean...I see some dreams but I don''t know what they mean! Do you know something?"

    Magrod was now at a loss. "If that''s the case, I will tell you about your past as the Butterfly Priestess," he said. "But now is not the time. Sungki is acting fast. That girl, Baekha, she''s already weak. It only means that Sungki now has a good amount of power which he can wield. And if that shaman is sessful in making the poppy potion, then the demon can get the vessel he''s eyeing."

    "Vessel? A human vessel? Who is it this time?"

    "That doctor your friend is living with," Magrod revealed. "Kang Siwan."

    Jina was stunned. That bloody demon was targeting Siwan?

    Before she could ask anything, her phone rang. To her surprise, there were over twenty missed calls from Hobin and Yoonmin. She called Yoonmin first.

    "Sis!" he eximed from the other end. "Where are you? I''ming to pick you up right now!"

    "I''m still at the studio," she replied. "What happened? Why are you panicking?"

    Yoonmin quickly told her about Baekha''s escape and how Miyoo ended up keeping a demon for a pet. Jina groaned and nced at her sister''s pet.

    "We need to find that demon named Maggie," Yoonmin went on. "And then stop Sungki-"

    "I already have Maggie here with me," she said warily. "It''s a long story. Get here fast."

    Magrod was annoyed.

    "My name is Magrod!" he protested. "Not Maggie!"

    "Too bad. The nickname is gonna be stuck with you forever," Jina muttered as she hung up the phone. She turned to the demon.

    "Let''s go," she said.. "Maggie."

 Chapter 234 - Partner (1)

    Jiwoon was on alert but managed to keep a poker face. She nced at ''Siwan'' who seemed to be oblivious to her difort. They drove on with her in silence but ''Siwan'' being awfully talkative.

    "How is Baek now?" he asked. "Is he in the hospital?"

    "Yes."

    "Which one?"

    "I don''t know," she lied. Her eyes were on the road, not looking at him. For some reason, her hands were getting mmy and her heart was beating fast in fear. It was the same feeling she felt whenever Sungki was near her. She gulped and fidgeted her fingers nervously. It was getting harder to hide her fears in that situation but she had to.

    "Where are you going?" she frowned when he took a right turn instead of left.

    "Oh, I have to check up on a patient first," he imed. "Can we stop by that ce first?"

    Jiwoon did not reply but watched as he drove towards his supposed patient''s house. Siwan would never take her elsewhere like this especially when he knew danger was lurking around her. She slowly nced at Siwan again.

    "Youбн" she began. "Are you really Doctor Kang Siwan?"

    She watched as his eyes darkened but he turned to her and replied, "Of course I am! Who else do you think I am-"

    "You''re not."

    It was the simple truth. This man was not Siwan at all. He might have the same face and body but the soul was different. Jiwoon knew that this man was someone else pretending to be Siwan.

    "What are you talking about?" heughed. "Look at me! I am Siwan."

    "Doctor Kang always opens the door for ady," she replied. "And he would never take me to a patient''s house. It goes against his vow as a doctor to mix his personal and professional life. So I''m asking you one more time. Who are you?"

    He stared nkly at her for a moment. To her shock, his lips were curving into a sinister, lopsided smile. The kind look was gone and now, Siwan''s handsome features were marred with a sadistic grin. His eyes were ring at her like a hunter marking its target.

    But instead of feeling scared, Jiwoon was defiant. She did not flinch at that re, knowing very well who this person really was in front of her. This was not Siwan but her ex-husband, Sungki. She did not need knowledge on demons to know this; the fear in her heart was enough. Even in death, he scared her.

    "It''s been a long time, Jisoo," he whispered.

    "I am not Jisoo anymore!" She gritted. "I am Kim Jiwoon. Detective Kim Jiwoon!"

    "We shall see."

    Jiwoon was about to attack when suddenly, a pair of hands grabbed her from behind. She tried to fight but her mouth and nose were covered with a strong drug which she identified as chloroform.

    "Mmph!" She groaned, trying to struggle hard but her sensespsed and she fell unconscious.

    "She really changed her name, huh?" Ciara asked in disgust. "I can''t believe this! She was in this town and we still couldn''t find her!"

    "She changed her name and even cut off her hair so that we don''t recognize her," Sungki murmured. He was staring at his wife''s unconscious body andmenting what she had done to herself. Her once long lushes were now cropped and her thin petite body was more muscr. She was no longer the innocent, pure girl he had fallen in love with.

    His Jisoo was now a slut who dressed like a man and was working with other men to be even more immoral. How could she do this to him? Was his love not enough? Now she was seeking love elsewhere?

    What does Siwan have that I don''t have? He thought with disdain.

    "She really is a slut!" Ciara cursed. "Destroying our family reputation like this! So what if that girl died? Isn''t it enough for her to be happy with our wealth?"

    "Jisoo needs to be taught a lesson," Sungki said in a grim tone. "Once I take her to Hell with me, I''ll make sure she''s disciplinedбн"

    Ciara frowned at her son. Hell? What was he talking about?

    "Where''s the shaman?" he asked.

    "He''ll join us at the mansion for the ceremony," she replied. "Today is your mating with her. Once it''s over, we''ll keep her chained to the basement and make sure she bes pregnant. It will be a son, right?"

    Sungki''s fingers gripped the wheel of the car. He was not keen on letting Jisoo''s love divert again. First, that bloody Yeonjoo tried to snatch it and this time, his parents were trying to take it away! A child was only going to make Jisoo''s love for him lessen.

    But the contract with these idiots was binding and he must keep it intact.

    "I will give you a son," he promised. "This body is quite useful. It''s fit and healthy. I''m sure Kang Siwan can put a son in her."

    Ciara was still notfortable with the idea of using Siwan''s body. After all, his mother was her closest friend and despite her disdain for Jisoo, she was not fully on board with using Siwan''s body for the deed.

    Then she stared at Jisoo and her hatred for the girl only increased. This girl was the reason her don had died and was living a cursed existence. Moreover, it was Siwan who had turned on them years ago and her earlier difort disappeared.

    "Let''s do this," she nodded.

    бн

    Hobin was driving towards Siwan''s mansion at full speed. He stopped in front of it and ran to the front entrance.

    DING! DING! DING!

    He repeatedly pressed the doorbell until a maid answered.

    "Young Master!" she gasped. "What happened?"

    Hobin did not reply but barged into the mansion, looking for Siwan.

    "Bro!" he called, going from room to room. "Siwan bro!"

    His heart was unsettled and in panic. When it came to Siwan, he could not keep his cool. A demon was probably possessing his brother and Hobin was furious. A sharp pain was panging his chest but he ignored it. His skin was perspiring and his breaths were short.

    It was obvious that the demon in him was restless and was trying toe out but Hobin would not let it. His brother needed him and thest thing he wanted was to deal with another demon.

    "Bro!" he cried. "Bro, where are you?"

    The maid was trying to tell him that Siwan was not home but Hobin wanted to be absolutely sure that his brother was not home. He was half hoping that Siwan woulde out of one of the rooms, perfectly fine. No demon possessing him, no strange actions. Nothing.

    Just his brother, normal and healthy. That was all he wanted to see.

    But there was no familiar figure emerging from the rooms of the mansion. His brother was not there and the house was ringing with theck of his presence.

    Hobin finally gave up and slowly walked towards the hallway. He stood in front of a mirror and nced at it. His dark eyes were slightly red. The demon was trying to coax him now.

    "Are you sure you don''t want me toe out?" the demon''s sly voice echoed in his head. "I can find him. Your brother."

    "No! I don''t want your help."

    "Hahahahah!" The demonughed. "Do you really think you can control me? No. You can''t control me. You couldn''t do it before, you can''t do it now. Just let me take over and I can defeat that demon!"

    "But you''ll take me to Hell," Hobin said in his mind. "I''m not leaving. This is my home. I belong here."

    The demon was silently fuming. "I won''t give up, Ohm Hobin," he vowed. "I will take you to Hell with me. Away from here!"

    Hobin shut out the demon with great difficulty. The more he was stressed, the easier it was for the demon toe out. He was not going to let that happen. Instead, he needed to be practical. Currently, his brother was possessed by another demon and Hobin needed to think like him.

    "Sungki is obsessed with Jisoo," he muttered. "So he''ll take her to a ce which signifies their rtionship."

    He did not have to think hard to figure out where Sungki had taken Jiwoon.

    "The Cho Mansion," he deduced.

    Miles away, Jina and Yoonmin were rushing towards the Cho mansion in thetter''s car. Jina stepped on the pedal, speeding past thenes.

    "Sis, are you sure that the demon will take Jiwoon sis to the Cho mansion?" he asked. "Isn''t it the most obvious ce?"

    "It is," she agreed. "But remember, Yoonmin. He''s a serial killer. Demon or not, all serial killers have a ce they hold special. And for someone like him, his home signifies something special. It''s the pce where he tortured Jiwoon."

    "Ahh," Yoonmin nodded. "Butбн"

    He nced behind him at the invisible guest sitting on the backseat. "Are you sure there''s a cookie monster sitting there?" he asked his sister. "Now that I think about it, is he responsible for the disappearance of the cookies mom made for us?"

    "Oi! I''m not a cookie monster!" Magrod growled at him. "And yes. Those were delicious cookies!"

    "He is," Jina confirmed. "I''ll tell mom toce them with peach powder next time."

    "Too bad," Magrod said with pride. "Peach powder doesn''t affect me. Bleh!"

    Jina scowled at the dog. But there was no time to dwell on his stupidity. Jiwoon was in danger.

    "Just be safe, partner," she muttered.

 Chapter 235 - Cho Mansion (1)

    The entire mansion was shrouded with darkness. Not a single person was on the premises that night because all the servants were sent away. Only Youngjoon remained in the mansion to prepare for the ceremony.

    He was in the living room which had been emptied for the ceremony. Arge bedy in the middle, decorated with rose petals. Fairy lights hung over it while the pillows were puffed up and scented. The bed looked as if it was adorned for a wedding night but there was one exception to thevish decoration.

    A pair of handcuffs was attached to the headrest.

    Youngjoos drew arge pentagon with a star and a cross engraved in it. The drawing wasrger, circling the bed. He was panting by the time he was done with the preparations. Once he was done, he looked at his work.

    "Very good, Mr. Cho."

    Youngjoon jumped and saw that the shaman had appeared out of nowhere. He scowled at the man but Hongshik did not care about Youngjoon''s difort at all. Instead, the shaman was staring at the drawing on the floor. It was the perfect time to carry out this session and bring the son of a demon to this world.

    "Remember," the shaman said. "We must keep on chanting the spell until the mating ceremony is over. If we break it any time during the ceremony, then it will fail and you will never get an heir!"

    "Are you sure that this will work?" Youngjoon asked.

    "It will."

    The shaman did not borate. He was tricking the two morons into doing this ceremony but little did they know that their time was limited in this world. Their contract clearly stated that it would beplete once a son was conceived. Which meant that as soon as the mating ceremony was over, the Cho''s would have their souls snatched from them and thrown into Hell.

    As for Sungki...he was going to be a challenge. The shaman wanted to send him back but the demon was adamant on taking Jisoo with him. It was going to be tricky because Jisoo seemed to be smarter than these two. If she was clever enough to hide her identity from the Cho''s then she was not going to fall for the demon''s trap.

    Which is why possessing Kang Siwan became a necessity.

    The shaman had been observing the duo for a while and deduced that they have a past connection. Unlike what Sungki imed, Hongshik knew that Siwan and Jiwoon were not together as a couple but rather shared a deeper level of understanding, perhaps even hidden feelings.

    And that was enough to keep Jisoo as their hostage.

    "Where are they?" he muttered.

    They heard a car pull up in front of the mansion. Within a few minutes, the front door opened and Sungki entered, carrying an unconscious Jisoo in his arms. Ciara followed them and theyid Jisoo on the bed. Sungki handcuffed her at once to the bed and backed off to stare at his once beautiful wife.

    "Look what she did to herself," he whispered in disgust. She was leaner than before and her dress up was like a man''s. Unlike his pure Jisoo who used to be feminine and perfect, as Jiwoon, she was too chic and masculine with her short hair.

    He touched her hair and cursed out loud.

    "This is all Siwan''s fault!" he growled. His eyes fell on a mirror which was ced next to the bed. The cursed face of Kang Siwan was reflecting there, making Sungki''s temper rise. He loathed this man for winning over his Jisoo. How long have they been together? Did they have sex? Was his Jisoo already cursed with Siwan''s seeds?

    "I HATE HIM!" he yelled. Before Ciara and Youngjoon could stop him, Sungki picked up a vase from the discarded furniture and threw it at the mirror, smashing it.

    The resulting sound woke Jiwoon up. She weakly stirred, her eyes slowly fluttering open. For a moment, she was confused about where she was. It took a few seconds for her vision to clear and for the first time in years, she was gripped by fear.

    Her eyes fell on the familiar living room, the same ce where she sat ten years ago as a naive teenager who signed away her freedom to a monster. She slowly looked to her side and nearly gasped.

    Sungki was possessing Siwan''s body. His back was face to her but she could feel his rage and anger, erupting likeva. Ciara and Youngjoon were trying to calm their son but he was in a manic mood. He stomped on the broken pieces of the mirror as if trying to destroy every bit of it.

    There was another man in red clothes but his eyes were also on the family so he did not notice that Jiwoon was awake.

    Jiwoon quickly closed her eyes, pretending to be asleep. Her mind was full of dread but she knew that fear was going to make her weak. She needed to keep her head clear and think. It was not only her life in danger but also Siwan''s. If Sungki was possessing Siwan, then she must help him. It was the least she could do for the man who helped her unconditionally.

    With her eyes closed, she was listening to the crazy family''s conversation.

    "Son, calm down!" Youngjoon begged. "You have to be rational. We already have Jisoo here! Why don''t we start the ceremony?"

    "I hate him!" Sungki roared. "Thisбн"

    He pointed at Siwan''s body as if ming Siwan for everything that happened.

    "Did you know that Kang Siwan was the one who tried to treat that bloody kid all those years ago?" Sungki whispered, his voice filled with malice. "He reported our activities and snatched Jisoo away! I bet she ran away with him that time. While we were suffering, she ran off with her lover!"

    "And now look at herбн"

    He pointed at her seemingly unconscious figure.

    "She''s dressing like a guy!" He spat. "Her hair is short and she works with men at...at...at a police station!"

    Ciara and Youngjoon froze. Police station?

    "Works at a police station?" Youngjoon demanded. "What do you mean? Jisoo is a cop?"

    "Yes!" Sungki roared. "A lowly cop! Can you imagine this?"

    "Wait!" Ciara eximed. "This is even moreplicated than we thought! If she''s a cop, then the police wille looking for her. A little digging into her past and they''ll know that we''re her enemies!"

    She turned to the shaman, her eyes filled with worry and dread. "We can''t use her!" Ciara reasoned. "If the cops look for her, our remaining reputation will be ruined and we can''t recover from it. She''ll throw us in jail for rape and abuse!"

    "All that doesn''t matter," the shaman said in a calm tone. "I can take care of it. The Brethren will help you. I can assure you that no one wille looking for her."

    "But-"

    "Do you want an heir or not?"

    Ciara and Youngjoon looked at each other. They wanted an heir but was it worth it to incur the wrath of the country''s police force?

    "We will take care of it," the shaman went on. "Besides, all you have to do is wait for the mating ceremony to be over. After that, Jisoo will be taken to an isted ce where she will give birth to your heir."

    Jiwoon''s skin crawled and she was disgusted by their thoughts. They were going to assault and rape her again?

    Her soul was shaken to the core. The familiar fear was gripping her again, snaking its way into her heart. It was trying to paralyze her and make her weak but she fought against it. For years, she had trained hard to ovee her trauma and emerge as a stronger person. She thought that if she ever faced her past again, she would be able to beat it.

    But now that her past was literally in front of her, she was feeling scared. Why? Why was she so weak? Why did they scare her so much?

    "I hate Siwan for ruining my Jisoo!" Sungki gritted. "Once I''m done with her, I''ll give this guy a slow death. I''ll pin all the murders on him and have him rot in jail where I''ll torture him everyday till he begs me to kill him off!"

    Jiwoon''s fingers clenched into a fist. In the midst of her fears, a new feeling was emerging as well: anger.

    "Jisoo has been tainted by Kang Siwan," he went on. "But now, I''ll fix it. She''ll be mine again."

    He motioned at the shaman who nodded.

    "Ciara, go stand on the right side of the bed," the shaman ordered. "Youngjoon, on the left."

    The couple hesitated but soon obeyed. They stood on both sides of the bed while the shaman stood at the head of the bed, right behind Jiwoon. Sungki was taking off his shoes and slowly unbuttoned his shirt. He was not in a rush. In fact, he was going to enjoy every moment of punishing Jisoo.

    "And now, we begin!" the shaman dered.

 Chapter 236 - Cho Mansion (2)

    Baekha stumbled out of the cab and nearly fell. She steadied herself, staggering all the way to the mansion.

    "AGH!" She yelped and fell on the pavement.

    "Baekha!"

    She gritted when she heard Minyoon''s voice from afar. He had just arrived at her mansion and found her lying in front of the gate. Running towards her, he helped her to stand up.

    "You need to go back to the hospital!" he eximed. "You''re not in a good state!"

    "Noбн" She tried to push him away but he gripped her hard, trying to reason with her.

    "Look, you''re ill! If you keep going like this, your health will only get worse."

    "Jisoo sis is in there!" She retorted. "I can''t leave her behind."

    "We don''t know if she is in there," Minyoon pointed out.

    "But she is," Baekha stated. "I know she is."

    She was now looking at him, realizing that he knew some things which she did not.

    "I overheard you at the hospital," Baekha revealed. She gripped his arms, demanding for answers.

    "What did you mean when you said that my parents summoned a demon? I thought they were summoning my brother''s spirit?"

    "You know about that?" he gasped.

    "Yes. Now tell me the truth!"

    Minyoon hesitated. He was not sure if he should tell her what her parents really summoned but seeing her determined face, he sighed.

    "Your parents summoned your brother," he confirmed. "But he''s not an ordinary spirit. He''s a demon from Hell."

    "What-"

    "Your brother was into ult and demonology, wasn''t he? Well, when he was alive, he sold his soul to a demon in exchange for fame and power. Which is why he became famous in such a short time. But after he killed himself, his soul went to Hell and turned into a demon there. When your parents summoned him, they probably didn''t know that he became a demon. As a demon, his obsession with Jiwoon sis only grew worse. In fact, he''s so obsessed that he went as far as to kill women who looked like her. You know the recent serial murder cases?"

    "I...I heard about them," she nodded.

    "Those weremitted by your brother," Minyoon said in a grim tone. "He was possessing someone''s body and killed those women."

    There was a long stretch of silence. Baekha was trying to wrap her head around whatever Minyoon said. It was ridiculous and yet, she could not argue against them. Her mind was reying the way the shaman had tried to choke her with invisible hands. Was he the real deal after all?

    "I know it''s a lot to take in," Minyoon said. "And there''s a lot more to this. But now you must return to the hospital-"

    His words were interrupted by a loud crash which came from inside the mansion. Both of them jumped in shock and turned to the mansion. A cold wind was passing by which made them shiver while a white mist began to form around the ce.

    "Something is not right," Minyoon muttered. Was the demon really inside that mansion?

    Baekha did not wait around. She grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the garden, circling around the mansion instead of going through the front door.

    "Baekha!" he hissed. "You need to return to the hospital!"

    "No!" she hissed back. "I need to know if Jisoo sis is in there and the only reason I''m taking you is because you know about this demon! How can I defeat him?"

    "You can''t," Minyoon replied. "But don''t worry. My sister ising. She can help!"

    "It''ll be toote by then."

    She dragged him towards the backdoor of the mansion which was attached to the attic. Taking out a key from a flower pot nearby, she unlocked the door.

    "You keep a key in the flowerpot?" Minyoon frowned.

    "The servants keep it there for me," she replied. "In case I need to steal food or water from the main house."

    "Steal? But you live here! This is your house."

    "I live in the outhouse," she shrugged as she entered the house. Minyoon wondered what kind of weird family she had. Which parents would let their only daughter sleep in the outhouse all by herself?

    But Baekha did not linger around to exin all that. She was quietly making her way to the living room with Minyoon in tow. They hid behind arge pir when a group of people came into view.

    Minyoon winced at the way the demon took over Siwan. The gentle doctor''s face was contorted into a disgusting scowl. His kind features were reced with a sadistic streak while his usually neat appearance was manic and crazed.

    What the hell did the demon do to him?

    "That''s the doctor!" Baekha whispered.

    "That''s your brother possessing the doctor," Minyoon growled in a low tone. "We must extract the demon from Doctor Kang."

    The shaman moved and Baekha nearly gasped. Jiwoon was tied to the bed, unconscious.

    "He''s going to rape here again!" she realized.

    The shaman moved to the foot of the bed, overlooking Jiwoon.

    "And now, we shall begin," he dered. "Remember, don''t break the chant. Otherwise, you won''t get a son!"

    A son?

    "That''s the reason your parents summoned a demon from Hell?" Minyoon scowled. "That''s so stupid!"

    "They''ve done stupider stuff before," she muttered.

    "But to sell your soul for this? Dumbest thing ever!"

    Baekha froze in shock. "Sold their soul?" she echoed.

    "Ohбн" Minyoon fidgeted, realizing that he did not tell her this part. "Well. To summon a demon, one has to sell their soul to that demon. Once the deal with the demon isplete, the contract must be fulfilled from both sides. So the demon will do whatever their summoner says but after the contract ispleted, he''ll take the souls of the summoner to Hell with him."

    Baekha waspletely shocked. Her parents sold their souls to a demon and would go to hell! She disliked them but not enough to see them end up in Hell and be demons.

    Sungki took off his shoes. His face was filled with anger and lust and he slowly climbed the bed and crawled up to the unconscious Jiwoon. His hand was creeping towards her shirt when he paused.

    "Those two are very noisy," he said. His parents and the shaman were confused when Sungki suddenly turned around and growled. He pointed at the pir and using his powers, forcefully pulled out the two intruders.

    "AGH!" Baekha and Minyoon yelled when they were thrown against the wall, pinned up in the air.

    "What the hell is happening?" she yelled. "Why are we stuck to the wall?"

    She tried to move but it was impossible. Her brother was ring at her with hatred, snarling at her.

    "I always knew you were a troublemaker," he said in a cold tone. "But to think you''lle between me and my Jisoo is uneptable."

    He wrapped his invisible hands around Baekha''s neck while Minyoon cursed at him.

    "She''s your sister, you dumb fuck!" he yelled. But that did not matter to Sungki. All he wanted was to kill the obstacle in his path.

    Minyoon desperately tried to free himself. He managed to take out some salt from his pocket and sprinkled it at the demon but to his shock, it had no effect.

    "It seems that you know a lot about demons," the shaman mused. "Interestingбн"

    But Sungki was not listening. Letting go of Baekha''s neck, he kept them pinned against the wall with his powers. There were far more important things to do.

    "Start the ritual!" he snapped. The shaman nodded. Ciara and Youngjoon were watching their daughter suffer but were indifferent to it all. They closed their eyes and followed the shaman''s instructions.

    "From the depths of Hell, I summon the true Prince," he chanted. "Bless this union and make your presence known to usбн"

    Ciara and Youngjoon were ufortable. Summon the Prince? What did that mean?

    But they began to chant. Jiwoon, who was pretending to be unconscious all this time, had enough. Sungki was slowly reaching for her shirt, repeating the cycle of violence she had endured for years.

    To Sungki''s shock, her eyes snapped open and she red at him with hatred.

    "You might try to break me, but I won''t let you!" she spat at him. "I''m not the weak little girl anymore!"

    Before Sungki could react, Jiwoon mustered all her energy and kicked him in the groin. He doubled in pain. Taking advantage of his helplessness, shended another kick on him, this time hitting him squarely on the face. He was thrown off the bed with great force.

    Sungki rolled over in pain and growled at her. How dare she hit him?

    Ciara was about to help her son but the shaman threw a re at her and shook his head. They must not break the chant. Baekha and Minyoon cheered for Jiwoon who was fighting against the monster on her own.

    "Sis, don''t give up!" Baekha yelled. She tried to free herself but the demon was not letting them go at all. But she could feel the grip had loosened. One more kick and they might be freed!

    "Looks like I''ll have to tame you again!" Sungki snarled and lunged at her. Jiwoon was ready to kick him again but Sungki froze midway.

    "AGHHHH!" he screamed and gripped his head as if he was having a massive migraine. His eyes were shing red and ck as if something was happening inside him. Sungki''s limbs moved on their own as he fought some kind of dilemma. His hands moved to his pocket and took out a key.

    "T-Takeбн" he stammered. Jiwoon''s eyes widened in shock as Sungki pushed a key into her hand. The shaman was also shocked. So shocked that he stopped chanting.

    "Siwan?" Jiwoon realized. He was fighting the demon!

 Chapter 237 - Cho Mansion (3)

    They watched in horror as Siwan was fighting off the demon, trying to regain control.

    "No!" He yelled, his voice mixed between his own and Sungki''s. The demon was so busy in his inner battle with Siwan''s soul that he let go of Baekha and Minyoon who fell on the ground with a thud. Minyoon quickly scrambled to his feet and ran towards the shaman. Before the shaman could do anything, Minyoon hit him on the head and knocked him out.

    Ciara tried to stop Jiwoon but thetter punched her hard, knocking her unconscious. She quickly unlocked herself while Youngjoon lunged forward to control Siwan. But Baekha was faster. She kicked the man away from the struggling Siwan, who was still fighting the demon.

    "Agh!" Youngjoon yelled.

    Jiwoon reached over to Siwan who was contorting on the floor.

    "Doctor Kang!" she called him. "Doctor Kang, you need to fight this!"

    She was horrified to see him in tremendous pain. Siwan was suffering from the possession but his soul was still alive somewhere in there, continuing to fight.

    "Ho...binбн" he managed to say. "Findбн"

    Even in that state, he knew that the only person who could help was his brother. Jiwoon turned to Minyoon who was also terrified of what was happening.

    "Call Doctor Ohm," she ordered. "And Jina too!"

    "They''re on their way here!" Minyoon eximed. He helped Jiwoon in holding down the struggling Siwan but he was too strong for them. They were having a hard time to hold him as he thrashed like a mad man.

    Behind them, Baekha was tying up the silly couple and the shaman together so that they would not be able to do anything.

    "That should take care of these three idiots," she muttered once she was done. "But what do we do about the Doctor?"

    "Nothing is going to work on this demon!" Minyoon said at once. "Charms, salt and peach powder are useless against it."

    Jiwoon was now thinking fast. Even three people could not hold Siwan down because Sungki was trying to regain control of his body. Siwan was giving a good fight but for how long?

    "Go...away...awayбн"

    Was it Siwan speaking or Sungki? It was hard to tell.

    "Stop moving!" Minyoon yelled as he pinned Siwan''s hands. Baekha was also struggling to hold him down and she was not sure how long they could control him. She had never encountered someone so strong and determined. Was this man really possessed by a demon?

    Suddenly, the front door was broken down and a group of people entered. They looked around to find Jina, Yoonmin and a funny looking shaman chortling inside the mansion, seemingly shocked.

    Jina and Yoonmin instantly jumped to help them.

    "What took you so long?" Minyoon yelled at his twin.

    "The stupid shaman took too long to get ready!" Yoonmin growled. They had to stop by at Bomi''s house to bring him along. The old man had taken a long time to bring his necessary equipment, wasting a lot of time.

    "Exorcisms need to be perfect!" Bomi snapped.

    "Shut up and get rid of the bloody demon!" Jina shouted at him. She was also struggling to help the others in trying to put Siwan down. The demon was too strong and powerful, suppressing Siwan''s soul.

    Beside her, Magrod was also shocked and somewhat impressed.

    "Boy, I can''t believe a human has this much willpower to fight a demon!" he gasped. "I''ve heard of it but to see it like thisбн"

    No wonder Sungki had a hard time possessing this body, he realized. The willpower in this man is just too damn strong!

    "Stop ogling and start helping!" Jina shrieked at the dog demon. "Find the object!"

    "Hey! That tone isn''t gonna help!"

    "JUST GO!"

    Meanwhile, Bomi began to chant. They knew the exorcism might not work but they could weaken the demon long enough for Magrod to find the object which tied him to the living world. Jina had told Bomi all about the demon and the shaman was astonished to hear of such a peculiar creature. But there was little time to dwell on that.

    As soon as Bomi started the spell, a sharp pain shot into Magrod''s chest but he ignored itl. He turned around to try and find the object which was precious to Sungki and was tying him to the living world. While Bomi was chanting the ritual, the furry little demon prowled around the house, trying to sense the object.

    "Ugh!" he scowled. "The spell is interfering with my senses. Oh well."

    His nose was on high alert, sniffing for anything that smelled like sulphur but there was nothing inside the house which gave off such a strong scent.

    "Where is it?" he muttered as he searched Sungki''s old room. Nothing in particr was smelling like Sulphur which was odd. Did those two hide it somewhere away from the house?

    He hurried back downstairs to find that the demon was overwhelming the others. Bomi''s spell made Sungki more reactive and he was throwing away his captors one by one, grabbing on to Jiwoon only. She kneed him in the stomach but his grip on her was too strong.

    "Let her go!" Jina snarled and punched the demon on the nose, knocking him backwards but the demon only growled at her and used his powers to throw her backwards. She was pinned to the wall, unable to move. ring at Bomi, he knocked the shaman out and then turned to his wife.

    Jiwoon tried to punch him again but Sungki was now in full control of Siwan''s body. He grabbed her wrist and twisted it.

    "AGHHHH!" She yelled in pain. Magrod rushed forward along with the twins but all of them were thrown off and pinned along with their sister.

    "Can''t you do something?" Jina shouted at the dog demon.

    "Even my powers aren''t working here!" Magrod snarled. "The shaman''s spell is causing all our powers to go out of control. If I try anything, it might end up hurting everyone!"

    Baekha crawled towards her brother. Her foot was broken in the fight and she was still too weak but she held on to everyst bit of her willpower.

    "Let her go!" She screamed at her brother but Sungki''s invisible hands held her by the throat, lifting her up and throwing her against the wall. Baekha was knocked unconscious.

    Jiwoon was still fighting off Sungki but the demon was too strong for her alone. He was eyeing her with lust and anger. Grabbing her hair again, he pulled it hard.

    "You can''t escape me dear wifey!" he sneered. "Not even in death!"

    Jiwoon spat at him. This man did not need to be a demon to turn into a monster. He already was one. But now, he had gone out of control and possessed that one person who meant a lot to her.

    "Doctor Kang, snap out of it!" she tried to urge. Jiwoon did not know if it was going to work but if Siwan can fight off the demon from within, maybe Sungki could be defeated.

    "He can''t hear you anymore!" Sungki gloated. "I put him back to sleep! Soon, I''ll kill him. Unlessбн"

    He leered at her with his red eyes, beaming in an evil way.

    "Unless you trade your soul for it!"

    Jina''s eyes widened in horror when she heard that. She was struggling to be freed but it was nearly impossible.

    "So that''s his n!" she realized.

    "Yes," Magrod said in a bitter tone. "He wants to make her trade her soul in exchange for Siwan''s life!"

    Jiwoon was also shocked. Trade her soul?

    "Didn''t he try to save your daughter?" Sungki baited her. "Can you see this man in pain? The man who supported you and stood by you without any questions? Can you watch him die a painful death?"

    He knew that he hit her sore spot. Siwan was an important person in her life and she was not going to let him suffer in the hands of Sungki. Jiwoon''s heart was in a dilemma, faced with a difficult choice. She looked straight into the demon''s eyes but no...those were not Sungki''s eyes.

    Those were Siwan''s eyes. He was still there somewhere, fighting for her. Siwan was using all his willpower to keep himself alive and cast the demon out but he was losing. He would lose his life if she did not give in to the demon''s will.

    Am I still that weak? She thought in dismay. All the years she spent in training herself to be stronger and smarter, were those for nothing?

    She was still gazing at Siwan''s handsome face. The same man who had helped her when no one would. Sungki was right. She could not let Siwan die a painful death.

    "You''re in love with him, aren''t you?" Sungki snarled. "This man...I know you love him!"

    "This is not how anyone should have their love confessions," Yoonmin muttered. Their limbs were also pinned to the wall, making it impossible to even move.

    "Jiwoon, don''t do it!" Jina eximed. "He''s not gonna let Siwan go even if you do this!"

    "Think about it, wife!" Sungki snarled at Jiwoon. "I''ll give the doctor back his body if you agree to go to Hell with me. As soon as the body is let go, you''lle to Hell."

    To everyone''s horror, something was appearing out of thin air. It was a paper which looked like a document.

    "The contract!" Magrod gasped. "No! Don''t sign it!"

    Jiwoon was torn. She nkly stared at the paper, feeling helpless.

    "Choose," Sungki said. "Siwan''s life or death?"

    "I...Iбн" Jiwoon stammered in dismay. Siwan''s life or his death?

    Sungki felt victorious. Everything was going his way. He was finally going to be with his wife!

    "Oi."

    Startled, Sungki turned around to meet an overwhelming aura which nearly threw him off guard. Hobin stood there looking cold and furious.

    "GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY BROTHER''S BODY!" he yelled and punched Sungki hard in the face.

 Chapter 238 - Cho Mansion (4)

    *A While Ago*

    Hobin sped towards the Cho mansion. Jina texted him that they were heading to the Cho mansion to try and find Siwan and Jiwoon. He broke all the traffic rules but Hobin did not care.

    "AGH!" he yelled as the demon inside him began to struggle for control. He was panting and sweating as he tried to keep his urges under control. The demon snarled inside him and he could hear it getting more impatient.

    "Just let me take over!" the demon snarled.

    "No!"

    Hobin stepped hard on the pedal, driving through the iing cars, almost colliding with a few but he did not care. His brother was in danger.

    Finally, he pulled up in front of the Cho mansion. He jumped out of the car and ran towards the house at full speed.

    "AGHHHH!" he cried and doubled over in pain in front of the mansion. A strong wave of energy hit him. He struggled with his vision and his mind was phasing in and out of consciousness. Several images were shing in front of him.

    "Daesungбн"

    A soft voice called out to him but he could not pinpoint where it wasing from. It was like a whisper, pulling him.

    Suddenly, Hobin found himself in a dark room. White fog was covering the area, clouding his vision. He tried to wave off the fog but it was getting thicker and thicker by the second.

    "What the hell?" he muttered.

    "Daesungбн"

    He froze. It was a familiar voice calling out to him. He knew who it was but her voice was lower than usual and almost desperate. Hobin slowly turned around to meet her face to face.

    Jina...no. She was not Jina. They had the same appearance and were the same height. But Hobin knew who it was. The demon in him was also surprised. He was thrashing inside Hobin''s heart, trying toe out. But Hobin controlled him, not letting him out.

    "Daesung," the girl called him.

    "You...you''re the woman from my dreams," Hobin stated. The girl did not reply but was walking slowly towards him. Her full form came into view and Hobin was shocked.

    Her dress was stained red and blood was gushing out of her stomach. The girl was in immense pain but she had a wide smile on her face as she came nearer. She was staggering in agony, using up all her willpower to approach Hobin. It was as if her life depended on it and he was the only person who could save her.

    Seeing her scared Hobin. He knew that she was not Jina. It was obvious that she was someone else and only had the same face as her. But that was the problem. They had the same face.

    His mind was now in a daze and he fell into a trance. The girl''s image was reced with that of Jina''s, stabbed and critically hurt. He was torturing himself with the memory of Jina''s dire state after the attackst month and Hobin was gripped by a fear he had never felt before. No matter how much he tried to tell himself that this was not Jina, he could not help picturing her like that. His mind yed sadistic games on him while the demon inside him was gloating.

    "She''ll end up like this if you don''t let me out," the demon sneered. "Do you want that?"

    No. He did not want that. But he was not going to let a demon run his life.

    The girl finally reached him, her lips curved into a small smile. She slowly held up her hand and touched his cheek. Her gentle smile made his heart melt and he could not look away.

    Why? Why was she controlling him like this?

    "Meet me at the point where the sun never sets," she whispered.

    It was as if Hobin was no longer in control of his body but it was not the demon who was in charge. He did not know what made him do what he did next but he affectionately poked her forehead.

    The scenery around them changed and they were now standing in the middle of a temple. It waspletely destroyed with debris falling around them. Everything around them was burning to ashes but they were not scared. Instead, they looked into each other''s eyes, letting their love guide them.

    He looked down and realized that there was a sword stabbing the girl''s stomach. She was holding it with her hands, panting heavily as she tried to take it out. But he stopped her.

    "Let...me...dieбн" she moaned. "I won''t...liveбн"

    "I know," he whispered. He was not going to stop her. She was dying and nothing in the world could bring her back. If that was the case, he was not going to try and save her.

    He circled around the injured girl, his grip on her arm. The girl was about to copse but he hugged her from behind. Hisrge hands were on hers, holding the long sword. It was so long, that it could probably stab two people at once.

    "You can die," he whispered into her ears. Her eyes slowly widened upon hearing his words. What did he mean by that?

    "But only with me," he finished. Before the girl could stop him, he pushed the sword further into her until it pierced through her body and stabbed him. The girl cried but the pain did not bother her. She looked down at her hands, the very hands he used to kill himself.

    He coughed out blood, staining her dress even further. If this was pain for humans, it was an agonizing death for a demon like him as well.

    So this is what death looks like, he thought.

    "Noбн" The girl tried to push him away but it was toote. He was going to die by her hands and that was final. She wanted him to live even if it was without her. But he chose to die with her.

    He plunged the sword deeper into them, ensuring that they would die together. If she was going to die, then he would go with her. No matter where she went, he would follow. This was their fate and no one could change it. He would not let it change.

    She cried out in agony when he pulled the sword out of their bodies, letting their blood stain the walls of the burning temple. Both of them copsed on the ground, near death.

    The girl used herst ounce of willpower to turn to him. She crawled towards her beloved, slowly reaching out to hold his hand. Both of them were pale and dying but the physical pain was nothingpared to the torture their hearts were going through.

    "Why?" she wept. "Why did you do this?"

    He shed a small smile at her. His bloody hand wiped off a tear from her beautiful face and stroked her cheek. The nights they spent together, the promises they made. Everything wasing back to him and even in that state, he was happy. He was with her and dying with her. That was all that mattered.

    "I promised you," he whispered. "That I will protect you."

    The girl was crying hard, still holding on to his hand. Was this really their fate? Were they destined to die like this?

    "I did not want to kill you!" she cried.

    "I know. But I want to die with you."

    They held onto each other in their dying breaths, not letting go. The world was aze with the mes of the curse which gued the country but they no longer cared. It was a cruel fate for them but they were together and happy.

    "If I get a second chance to liveбн" he breathed. "I will fall in love with you all over againбн"

    He was gazing at her with his scarlet eyes but she was no longer listening. Her beautiful green eyes were closed and she was still as a rock. Her body no longer moved and her voice would never call him again.

    She was gone.

    A single drop of tear rolled down his face as he watched her. His own vision was blurring and starting to dim. A cold wind swept by in the middle of the fiery temple, whisking away his soul.

    So this is death, he thought onest time as darkness engulfed him and everything went silent. Forever.

    бн

    "Ow ow ow!" Hobin winced as he controlled himself. He had cked out for a few minutes.

    What the hell happened? He wondered. There was a burning temple and he was with Jina''s lookalike. But they were dying. He stabbed himself with the sword which was killing Jina''s doppelganger.

    Why didn''t he kill himself with another sword? Hobin frowned. Unless...unless he could not kill himself and he was using Jina''s lookalike to kill himself alongside her?

    Hobin recalled that Jina was able to kill a demon but had no idea how she did that. That only meant that in their previous life, Jina had the same powers and so did he.

    This was not a vision nor was this a premonition. It was a memory.

    The sound of someone screaming broke his reverie and he finally remembered why he was there.

    "Bro!" he yelled and entered the mansion. The pain in his heart would not go away but he endured it.

    As soon as he entered the house, he saw Siwan attacking Jiwoon.

    Hobin''s temper red at the sight of his beloved brother being possessed by that bastard. Siwan would never hurt someone deliberately and Hobin''s blood boiled upon the thought of Sungki making his brother suffer like that.

    "OI!"

    Sungki froze and turned around to face Hobin.

    "GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY BROTHER''S BODY!" He roared and punched the demon hard on the face.

 Chapter 239 - Cho Mansion (5)

    The demon was knocked backwards by the punch. He staggered and snarled at Hobin who was under a hallow like light. Sungki peered his eyes and red at Hobin with hatred but the overwhelming powers from thetter scared him.

    There was something about Hobin which was too much to bear. His breath was shallow and short while his heart was in immense pain. Sungki''s body was flowing with power but it was nothingpared to the energy Hobin was emitting.

    From his pinned position, Magrod''s eyes widened in shock. He gaped at the new entrant and he could not believe his luck at all. Hobin''s aura had amplified in the ceremony Bomi was trying to conduct and he was overpowering whatever barrier or protection which was put around him.

    "What''s that?" Magrod yelled at Jina.

    "That''s Hobin!" she yelled back. "Siwan''s brother and my boyfriend!"

    "No no no!" Magrod said impatiently. "I mean WHAT is he? He''s not human! I know he''s not but I never saw him around!"

    "Huh? He''s always hovering around me! But why are we talking about that now?"

    Around her? How? Magrod was sure he never saw Hobin around her. Unlessбн

    His mind went back to the times when he caught the family members talking to someone invisible. Magrod assumed humans were just crazy in that way but now it made sense. They were talking to this man!

    "He looks exactly like the Prince," he muttered. "But why couldn''t I see him?"

    Jina was struggling to be freed while the others were doing the same. Meanwhile, Hobin was hitting the demon with all his strength. He stood between Sungki and Jiwoon, not letting the demon reach her.

    "Doctor Ohm, your brother is still in there!" Jiwoon eximed. "He''s struggling toe out!"

    "I know," Hobin gritted. The demon was giving a good fight but Siwan was trying to take over. They were in an internal battle which was evident to Hobin. He pinned the demon to the ground, overpowering the monster.

    In his anger, Hobin did not realize that red sparks were erupting from his palms which made the demon squeal.

    "What the hell are you?" he growled in pain. His wrists were twisted to his back while Hobin kept him tackled to the ground. Jiwoon aided him to keep Sungki under control. The power of the demon on the others broke and everyone was released from their invisible binds.

    Minyoon ran towards the unconscious Baekha while Jina and the others rushed to help Hobin.

    "Prince, you must find the object!" Magrod yelled. Hobin was momentarily distracted by the silhouette of a small creature but he could not see him properly.

    Suddenly, something around his neck was burning and he almost let go of Sungki but Jina pressed her hands on his, not letting go.

    "Hobin, the spell is affecting you!" she screamed.

    "Sis, we can''t keep this demon captive for long!" Yoonmin shouted as he tried to keep Sungki under control. The demon was too strong for them, even stronger than the one they faced earlier at Duho''s house.

    Magrod noticed Hobin''s pain. Something silver gleamed from Hobin''s neck and a star shaped locket came to view.

    "Son of a bitch!" he cursed. "That''s the thing which made you invisible to me?"

    WIthout much thought, Magrod used his tail to wrench the locket off of Hobin''s neck and threw it aside.

    At once, Hobin''s difort vanished and his heartbeat was normal again. The pain vanished and he blinked in shock. To add to his confusion, a furry little creature was watching him with concern.

    A three headed dog? Was he dreaming?

    He looked down and almost yelled in fright. The demon...he was not holding his brother''s body but a reddish man who looked a lot like Cho Sungki. Sungki was strong but Hobin''s strength was even greater than his.

    Suddenly, Sungki''s memories rushed into his head and he saw it all. He witnessed the atrocities Sungkimitted on his wife and how he cheated on her with several women. To his shock, he also witnessed the murders Sungkimitted. The fear those women felt was apparent in those memories. Their screams were echoing in his ears.

    "Please let me go!" one of the women was begging him. "I have a child! I''m not Jisoo!"

    But did it matter to the demon? Sungki''s coldughter resonated in the memories, horrifying Hobin.

    "Priestess, we must find the object which is tying the demon to the living world!" Magrod told Jina. "We can''t hold him for long!"

    He was more worried for Hobin who was being tortured by the memories of the demon. Unlike other demons who could only see the memories of the bodies they possess, demon princes could see the memories of anyone they touched. For a half human like Hobin, the memories would eventually get overwhelming and might even drive him insane if he was not trained.

    "What object?" Jiwoon demanded, trying to keep Sungki down.

    "It must be something this guy used a lot when he was alive!" Magrod yelled. "Something which was precious to him and he wouldn''t part from it! Could be anywhere. I didn''t sense it in his room!"

    "It could be anywhere!" Jina groaned.

    "We have to find it!" Hobin added. "It has to be something which he''s fond of. Something he couldn''t live without! Just like how that painting was important to Beezan! It kept him tied here."

    But Jiwoon was thinking hard and she realized what it was.

    "I know where it is!" she imed. I might be wrong but I''m sure it''s there!"

    "Jina, go with her!" Hobin ordered. She did not need to be told twice.

    "I''ming as well!" Magrod piped up. Jina scrambled to her feet to follow Jiwoon while Hobin and Yoonmin tried their best to keep Sungki in check.

    In one corner, Minyoon was bent over Baekha, trying to wake her up. She slowly stirred her eyes open and found him in front of her.

    "Are you alright?" Minyoon demanded.

    "I''m fine!" she groaned. Her head was aching and she was weak but it was not the time to think about that.

    "We need to help them!" she eximed and they staggered to help Hobin and Yoonmin.

    "This thing just won''t give up!" Yoonmin yelled.

    "Where''s sis?" Minyoon asked.

    "She has gone to find the object which is tying him here and destroy it!"

    While they kept Sungki under control, Jina was with Jiwoon and Magrod in the garden. Jiwoon was running around the mansion, looking for something.

    "What are we looking for?" Jina asked.

    "Hyacinths!" Jiwoon revealed. "Blue Hyacinths! Sungki loved them and was attached to his hyacinths'' bed. It was here somewhere. I know that the Cho''s would not destroy their son''s favorite thing!"

    "That exins why there were hyacinths at the murder scenes!" Jina realized.

    "Yes," Jiwoon said in a bitter tone. "I hate those things."

    Magrod was sniffing the ground. There was a strong scent of sulphuring from somewhere and he followed the trail.

    "Priestess, is that it?" he asked, pointing at a bed of hyacinths.

    "Jiwoon are those the flowers Sungki owned?" Jina asked her partner.

    "That''s the one!"

    Magrod hurried towards and sniffed the flowers. Jina and Jiwoon reached the bed of flowers. The scent of sulphur was evident there and Jina instantly felt a strong hellish aura around it. Thanks to her recent encounters with demons, she had been able to distinguish between the objects which were tied to a demon.

    "This is it," Magrod told her. "This is his weak point. You must destroy it, Priestess! Only you can do it. If anyone else tries, the flowers won''t burn. They hold the energy from hell and only someone who has the ability of a Seer and Transporter can kill a demon."

    "We need a lighter!" Jina said.

    "Here!" Jiwoon said. She threw a lighter at Jina. Thetter was surprised that Jiwoon carried something like this.

    "It''s for safety," Jiwoon shrugged when she noticed Jina staring at her. "In case Sungki tried to harm me. Which he did."

    Jina shook her head and lit the lighter and took a deep breath.

    Inside, Hobin was starting to get weaker. The sparks from his hands were dimming and the demon was gaining powers again. Sungki knew that Hobin was weak and unstable because his power levels fluctuated a lot.

    "You can''t keep me captive!" he hissed. "I''ll kill you and your precious brother as well. How dare he take my Jisoo away? He stole her from me!"

    "Shut it!" Baekha snarled and hit him on the head. "You know very well that Doctor Kang treated her with more respect than you ever did! You even threw Yeonjoo in the fire! You im to love Jiwoon sis but you''re just a pathetic loser who''s crying over a toy. Nothing else!"

    "And can I add that your songs are just terrible?" Minyoon taunted him. "I heard them and yuck! Terrible music."

    "Those songs won''t make a single cent," Yoonmin agreed. "You''re really useless without a demon. In life, you made a deal with one. In death, you became one. How pathetic."

    "Hell really needs a proper HR system," Hobin sneered at the demon. They were all trying to taunt and jeer at the demon because they knew he was obsessed with himself. Sungki was always regarded as the one who could do it all. Hearing such degrading stuff about himself was starting to irk him.

    The air around them was growing colder. Sungki''s temper was increasing, their words hitting his sore point. But they did not stop.

    "I sold more than five million copies of my debut album!" Minyoon went on. "How many did you sell? A mere five hundred thousand?"

    "SHUT UP!" Sungki roared and threw all of them back. Everyone fell backwards on the ground, groaning in pain. The demon loomed over them, floating in the air.

    "I''ll kill all of you!" he swore. "I''ll-"

    Suddenly, he stopped talking and was choking. His throat constricted while a burning sensation gripped his heart. Something was pulling at him and suddenly, he was wrenched off of Siwan''s body.

    Siwan was falling to the ground but Hobin leapt forward to break the fall with his own body.

    "Ugh!" he winced when Siwan fell on him. Yoonmin and Baekha also helped him,ying an unconscious Siwan on the ground.

    "Is he okay?" Baekha asked. "What happened to the demon?"

    But Hobin did not reply. He was watching the reddish figure which was floating above them, squirming in pain.

    Sungki''s red figure was in agony and a fire was starting to engulf him. He was invisible to everyone except Hobin who was watching him in shock.

    Outside, Jinapletely burnt down the hyacinth bed, not leaving a single flower out. Even the roots of the flowers were burnt off. She heard a faint scream and turned around.

    A red smoke flew out of the house and evaporated in thin air, leaving behind a strong stench of sulphur.

    "Is he gone?" Jiwoon whispered.

    Jina nodded. "Yes," she replied. "He''s gone.. Forever."

 Chapter 240 - Cho Mansion-Conclusion

    "Bro!"

    Hobin crawls towards Siwan''s still body, shaking him. He checks for a pulse and heartbeat. To his relief, Siwan was still breathing but he had taken a heavy beating from all of them. Blood was flowing out of his nose and the exorcism must have taken a heavy toll on his body.

    The image of Duho''s state after the exorcism shed through Hobin''s mind and he was scared. What if Siwan also turned insane?

    "Is he alright?" Baekha whispered.

    "Doctor Kang took a heavy toll," Yoonmin muttered.

    "He also used up his willpower to fight that thing!" Minyoon said bitterly. "It was amazing!"

    Jina and Jiwoon also rushed back into the house with Magrod in tow. He instantly touched Siwan''s head, his hand projecting a red light into him.

    "What are you doing?" Hobin asked the demon. Beside him, Baekha was startled. Who was he talking to?

    "I''m injecting him with an antidote which will help stabilize his mind," Magrod murmured. "If demons can turn a possessed person crazy, they can also heal them."

    Jina was also surprised as Magrod fixed Siwan. His physical injuries were not healed but at least Magrod could stop the guy from going insane.

    To their relief, Siwan was slowly waking up. His eyes fluttered open and he was scanning his surroundings. Then his gaze fell on Jiwoon''s ashen face.

    "Are you okay?" he whispered in a weak tone.

    "I''m fine but what about you?" she asked, feeling very concerned. Her heart was wrenching at his pain. He was so badly hurt that she was afraid he might be permanently affected. She did not mean to hurt him that bad but Sungki was just too powerful for them to deal with.

    "You really know how to kick!" he joked.

    "Bro, we''re gonna take you to the hospital, okay?" Hobin consoled him. "You''ll be okay!"

    He hoisted Siwan on his shoulder while Yoonmin helped him. The others scrambled to their feet, gently aiding Siwan. Minyoon and Baekha carried an unconscious Bomi. Baekha was still confused but she decided to trust these people for now.

    "I''ll go and check on my parents and that shaman!" she said. She turned around to address them but to her shock, they were gone.

    "Where are they?" she eximed. "I tied them up here!"

    Jina and Jiwoon were alert. They were about to take out their guns when Jiwoon noticed that her pocket was empty.

    "My gun is gone!" she realized. "They must have taken it when I was unconscious!"

    "What?"

    Jina took out her gun and aimed it ahead, looking out for anyone who might attack them. Sure enough, two figures appeared out of the shadows. She pointed at Ciara and Youngjoon but did not shoot. They might be scum but they were still civilians whom she could not shoot down.

    "Mrs. Cho, put the gun down," she calmly said. Ciara was pointing the gun at Jiwoon, her expression full of hatred and loathing for the girl who snatached away her son once again.

    "I''ll kill her!" she shrieked. "She took away my Sungki! She killed him!"

    "You were given a chance to redeem yourself!" Youngjoon said in disgust. "You could have borne him a son and the Cho family an heir. You always ruin everything! I wish my father hadn''t forced us to ept you as our daughter-inw. Sungki would have been alive and we would have had an heir from a worthy girl!"

    "Your son was a monster," Jiwoon stated. "He abused me and killed several women everyday. Yet, you don''t want to admit your fault! Are you really that blind?"

    She pointed at Baekha and added, "Your heir is here! She''s worthy to take over your business and empire. You know that Baekha is way more capable and honest than Sungki ever was! How could you ignore her?"

    "They''re not worth it, sis," Baekha sneered. "They sold their souls to a bloody demon and they don''t even know it!"

    Ciara pointed the gun at her daughter. She was snarling at Baekha, her hatred for her own daughter very evident. How dare this girl got to live while her son was dead? She lost her own son not once but twice and yet, Baekha was alive and thriving.

    "I''ll kill you with my own hands," she whispered.

    "Are you even her mother?" Minyoon questioned her. "How could you even point that thing at her? Your son was the one who tried to kill you! If he had seeded, he''d have dragged you to Hell. Morons!"

    "We don''t believe you!" Youngjoon imed. "Our son loves us. He wouldn''t harm his parents-"

    "Your son killed many women simply because they look like Jiwoon sis," Yoonmin pointed out.

    "He was a monster who would have eventually taken you to Hell and given you a fate far worse than death," Hobin gritted. "Look at my brother! Look what he can do. Did that shaman tell you anything? Didn''t he make you sign a contract? Don''t you know what''s written in there?"

    The couple were now scared. They did sign a contract but that was to summon their son. The contents of the contract was unknown to them and they just wanted their son to return. That was all.

    "If Sungki had seeded, your souls would have been dragged to Hell and punished there," Hobin revealed. "If you don''t believe me, then tell that shaman to show you the contract! Why didn''t he show it to you?"

    "You''re lying!" Ciara imed. "He told us that we''ll get an heir."

    "There''s always an exchange involved," Jina stated. "If you make a deal with a demon, you''re selling your soul. As a business owner, you should know. Nothing is for free. Not even a demon."

    "You-"

    Ciara was about to pull the trigger and shoot when a loud gunshot interrupted her. A bullet pierced her arm and she staggered backwards in pain.

    "Ciara!" Youngjoon yelled. The others looked around to find that Dahoon and Woohee had arrived to rescue them.

    "Finally!" Jina eximed. "I was worried you''d never arrive on time!"

    After burning off the hyacinths, she had called her team for help. She quickly told them that Jiwoon was kidnapped and they might need backup to rescue her. Dahoon and Woohee answered her call for help, finally arriving.

    "They knocked out Jiwoon and tried to harm her!" Jina pointed at the Cho''s. "They even took her gun!"

    "Son of a bitch!" Woohee gasped when she saw Siwan''s state. "How did he get hurt?"

    "That''s another story," Jiwoon said. "He was trying to help and got injured. But these two kidnapped me."

    "Kidnapping isn''t the only thing they did," Dahoon said. "They are also involved in the serial murders."

    "Huh?"

    Everyone frowned at them. Dahoon loomed over the couple who were in pain and anguish.

    "The hyacinths found at the murder sites were billed under Cho Youngjoon''s name," Dahoon revealed. "His credit card was used to purchase them. Also, we questioned his secretary. He confessed that Cho Youngjoon was carrying out investigations on these women for a long time."

    "His wife was also involved," Woohee added. "She spied on these women as well. Her car was spotted in several ces they were at. They might have used Yooseok to carry out their sadistic killings."

    "We did no such thing!" Ciara imed. "We-"

    "Your fingerprints were also found on the flower bouquets," Dahoon added. "Your and your husband''s."

    Jina and Jiwoon looked at each other in shock. The Cho''s were dumber than they had thought but love for their son had blinded them.

    Cops had arrived and arrested the couple while Siwan, Baekha, Bomi and Jiwoon were sent to the hospital to be treated for their injuries. While Baekha and Jiwoon were fine, Siwan was being treated in the ICU.

    Hobin and the twins went with the paramedic while Jina and Magrod stayed behind to take care of the mess. Magrod removed all traces of sulphur from the mansion while Jina aligned her testimony with Jiwoon''s to make sure the Cho''s seemed like they were working on their own. The couple tried to im it was their son who killed the girls but no one would believe their words.

    "It was Sungki!" Ciara shouted in jail. "He did it! He killed them!"

    They were at the precinct where the couple were put under remand. The reporters had already caught wind of the story and published the news. They were being dubbed as the Fred and Rose of the country. Their stocks plummeted as investors pulled out and within hours, the reputation of the Cho''s were in tatters.

    Jina sighed and turned to Taejoon. "See Chief? I told you they''re crazy," she said.

    "It seems so," Taejoon grumbled. "What were they thinking? Kidnapping a cop?"

    "Jiwoon will testify once she''s released from the hospital," Jina said. "I''ll go and check up on her."

    Taejoon nodded and she left the precinct after giving her testimony. Once outside, she turned to Magrod who was still tailing her.

    "What''ll happen to those two?" Magrod asked curiously.

    "They''ll go to jail and spend a long time in there," Jina shrugged. "But I am curious about one thing. The demon is dead. So the contract they signed is void, right?"

    "The demon is dead but the contract stays," Magrod said in a grim tone. "It says that once an heir is conceived, they''ll be sent to Hell. If not by Sungki, then by Baekha. Once she conceives a child in her future, these two will be shipped off to Hell. No first ss treatment there."

    Jina shook her head.

    "Humans are stupid," she said out loud.

    "That I''ll agree with," Magrod nodded.

 Chapter 241 - [Bonus ]: Uneasy Heart

    Siwan slightly groaned when he felt something poking him on the head. He slowly opened his eyes to find himself staring into a pair of tiny chocte brown eyes.

    Miyoo was bent over his head, staring at him.

    "Wanwan wakey!" she said.

    "Miyoo?" Siwan frowned and sat up. His nose hurt and so did his arm but otherwise he felt fine. To his surprise, Hobin was next to him with his headid on the bedside desk. Siwan smiled upon seeing his younger brother sleep like a child, lost in his own world. He stroked his brother''s head. It felt as if they were kids again when Hobin used to fall asleep like this while studying and Siwan carried him to bed on his back.

    "Hobin, sleepy," Miyoo told him.

    "Yeah," Siwan smiled. Hobin frowned and woke up, rubbing his eyes.

    "You''re awake!" he yawned. "How are you feeling now?"

    "I''m good," Siwan said. "What about you? Are you alright?"

    "I''m good bro. But you''ve been out for three days!"

    "That doesn''t matter."

    He was more concerned for Hobin than for himself. Even though he was not sure what happened, Siwan knew that something had taken over him that night. He could even recall some of the incidents but he wanted answers.

    "What really happened that night, Hobin?" he asked in a clear tone. "I know that I was being possessed by something. I''m not dumb."

    He was not angry nor was he disappointed. Instead, he just wanted to know the truth and Hobin knew that he could no longer hide the truth from him. Jina and he had already decided that they will tell the truth to Siwan about her powers and why the demon attacked him.

    "WellбнIt''s a lot to take in so bear with me," Hobin began. He told Siwan the truth about Jina''s powers and also how Sungki became a demon in hell. Siwan did not interrupt but his frown deepened with every word. A lot of it did not make sense but some of the pieces fell into ce. He also recalled the night at the Infinite Room where he saw Hobin''s other self, a demonic figure which was adamant on taking over Hobin.

    Once Hobin was done exining, there was a long silence between them. Miyoo looked from one brother to the other, as if waiting for something to happen.

    "This...demon," Siwan said. "Is it gone?"

    "Yes."

    "And the one inside you? Is it gone?"

    Hobin sighed. "No," he replied. "I don''t know how to get rid of it."

    "What happened to that other guy?" Siwan realized. "The shaman?"

    "We don''t know," Hobin admitted. "He ran away before any of us could find him. The CCTV cameras that night were also turned off so we couldn''t find him on camera. It was like he vanished."

    They had looked at every part of the street but the shaman was nowhere to be found. Even Magrod could not locate him. Siwan was now worried.

    "I don''t trust these shamans," he finally said. "Whether it''s the Cho''s one or the one the Hwang''s are cosy with. I don''t trust them."

    "Why not?"

    "It''s just...I feel that it''s weird," Siwan admitted. "That guy, Bomi. You said that he''s been handling demons for years, right? Yet, he didn''t know that demons were once human souls! How is that possible? If he''s been exorcising them, why didn''t he know this? Whereas you''ve been handling demons only for a few days and you found out quickly."

    "Maybe no one thought about it like that," he pointed out. "Even Jina didn''t know and she''s been dealing with paranormal creatures for years."

    "No," Siwan said, shaking his head. "I still don''t buy it. Something is wrong."

    Hobin did not question his brother. At this point, anything was possible so he did not rule out the possibility that Bomi might be hiding things from them.

    There was a knock on the door and they looked up to see Jiwoon standing at the door.

    "Uhбн"

    She was awkward and fidgeting so Hobin took it as a cue to leave.

    "I''ll take the kid to the cafe," he said aloud. "Otherwise she''ll throw a tantrum."

    "Miyoo is not hungry," Miyoo said. "Miyoo wants Wanwan."

    "She can stay-" Siwan said but Hobin threw a stern gaze at the kid and picked her up. Miyoo pouted and stuck out her tongue at him but Hobin pressed a penny into her hand.

    "Take this and shut up!" he muttered. But Miyoo shook her head.

    "Miyoo wants dor!" she demanded. She had recently learnt that dors are higher in value than pennies so she upgraded her demands. Hobin scowled and pressed a dor in her palm before whisking her away from there, leaving Jiwoon and Siwan alone.

    "Are you admitted here as well?" Siwan frowned, noticing that she wore a hospital gown.

    "Yeah," she sighed. "Turns out, I suffered a concussion during the fight. Anywaysбн"

    She sat next to him, looking worried. His face was bruised and his arm was also in a sling but otherwise, he looked alright. The doctors kept him sedated for a while but his body was weakened by the possession. They asked how he sustained the injuries but Hobin somehow managed their suspicions.

    "Are you alright?" Both of them asked at once. They blinked in surprise.

    "You''re the one who''s badly hurt and you''re worrying about me?" she asked.

    "You had to face the demon of your ex-husband," he shrugged. "I thought you were in the worst state."

    She looked down. "I''m okay. But I''m more concerned for you. If it wasn''t for me, you wouldn''t have been possessed like this. I...I''m sorry for creating such chaos."

    Siwan patted her head with his free hand. "It wasn''t your fault," he assured her. "It was only Cho Sungki''s fault and he''s paying for it. Alright?"

    "How much do you remember about that night?"

    Jiwoon slowly looked up at him, trying to analyze his thoughts. Despite the horrendous events, there was one part she hoped that Siwan would not remember.

    "Not much," he said. "I just remember that I cked out after my encounter with Mrs. Cho."

    Jiwoon was a little relieved. He did not recall the part where Sungki had exposed her feelings for Siwan. She was aware that he was in love with Jina and she did not want to create any other inconvenient situation for him.

    "I''ll let you rest," she said. "I need to check up on Baekha as well. She''s fine but still weak."

    "Okay," Siwan nodded. "I''ll see youter."

    He watched her leave and once she was gone, he sighed.

    "Should I have mentioned that I remember everything about that night?" he wondered out loud. But knowing Jiwoon, she would only retreat back into her shell if he revealed that he knew about her feelings for him.

    I guess I shouldn''tplicate things any further, he decided. But his heart was uneasy at that thought.

    Why it was so, he did not know.

 Chapter 242 - The Demons Of Hell

    "So you''re saying that a demon has been living in my own house and I didn''t even know?" Junho roared. "THAT TOO RENT FREE?"

    "Rx old man!" Jina eximed. "He''s harmless!"

    "Hey! I''m a Vozakel Lord!" Magrod imed. "I''m an elite ss demon who''s very dangerous. Mothers talk about me in fairy tales to calm down their kids!"

    "Look-"

    "What the hell is the mutt saying?" Junho demanded. "Is he going to pay rent for the days he stayed here?"

    "He-"

    "Tell the old man that I got hold of his secret stash of money! I''ll take it with me."

    "You-"

    "What the hell is the demon saying? Is he going to return the cookies he ate? Did he eat my chocte chip cookie?"

    "I-"

    "Yes, I did and they were delicious! Do we have any?"

    "STOP IT YOU ROTTEN OLD MEN!" Jina shouted over the silly argument. "No, he''s not paying rent. Yes, he ate your cookies. And he has a hold of your secret stash of cash!"

    "I''m exorcising this mutt right away!" Junho growled.

    "Who the hell are you calling a mutt?" Magrod argued. "I''m a Vozakel Lord who is a noble ss demon! I can turn into a veryrge dog and kick asses!"

    "What the hell is the dog saying now?" Junho snarled. This was the most bizarre argument Jina had ever witnessed. Her grandfather returned from the trip and found out about the events of the past few days. He was not bothered about Jiwoon''s kidnapping nor about Siwan''s hospitalization. Instead, he was solely focused on the fact that Miyoo brought a demon home and that the demon was living rent free.

    Magrod, on the other hand, believes that he had protected Miyoo on various asions and had no reason to pay rent under the logic that he was "noble and cute".

    What a weird logic, she thought in dismay.

    "Old man, the demon protected Miyoo that night," Jina interpreted. "Maggie, no you can''t take other people''s cookies without permission."

    "Maggie?" Junho snickered. "What kind of name is that?"

    "It''s Magrod!" Magrod growled.

    "Anyways!" Jina said loudly. "We need a lot of answers and Maggie-"

    "Magrod!"

    "Maggie will answer them," Jina said, ignoring the demon. Magrod was annoyed but huffed his chest, feeling very important. Junho only scowled. He was not a fan of taking help from a demon but if the creature managed to win over Miyoo, then he could notin. Junho did not want to admit it but Miyoo had a knack for sensing people and if she gave someone a nickname, it meant the person was harmless.

    "Fine!" Junho conceded. "Jina, you interpret whatever the demon is saying."

    "I have a name, ya old geezer!" Magrod muttered. "Anywaysбн"

    He hopped forward onto a board which Jina had brought for him to write on as he had requested. Jina took a seat next to her grandfather, interpreting everything the demon was saying.

    "Hell is not the usual ce where souls are rehabilitated," he began. "It''s the only ce a human being walks willingly into but cannot escape. The ce where they are punished by demons for eternity. It''s part of the deal. You give up your soul, it no longer belongs to you but to the demons who dwell in Hell. Hence, there is no escape from it. Unlike Afterlife or Purgatory where the person is still in control of his soul, Hell doesn''t work like that. The human soul in there is punished and then the process of demonization begins. Every soul eventually bes a demon."

    "That doesn''t mean that all the demons are like Sungki. Remember, some good souls end up there as well for various reasons. Some demons are actually not that bad. Like me! I''m in an elite ss so I''m on a different level. An exquisite being who is gracing your family with dignity and nobility and-"

    "Go back to exining Hell!" Jina snapped at him.

    "Oh yes," Magrod realized. "Hell. Anyways. It can take hundreds of years for a soul to turn into a demon but in rare cases, it can take only a few years. An example would be Cho Sungki. He became a demon surprisingly fast but then again, he was quite obsessed with his wife. The emotional levels of a soul can also affect the process. In short, the crazier you are, the faster you be a demon and even go higher."

    "There are six types of demons who live in Hell," he continued. "The C-ss as I call it are the newly formed demons. They''re like foot soldiers who are trained to deal with contracts. You see, these contracts ensure our existence. There aren''t millions of contracts but we get a decent amount thanks to many idiots like the Cho''s. If a spell is a generic one, these foot soldiers go to make the deals. Once the deal is fulfilled, they collect the soul ande back."

    Junho, who was listening to Jina''s interpretation all this time, frowned in understanding. "That exins why a lot of the demons are easier to get rid of while others are hard," he remarked.

    "Bingo!" Magrod nodded, writing on the board. "The lower the status, the easier it is to get rid of them. But the higher you go, the harder it is to exorcise a demon. Look at me. I''m a Vozakel Lord, almost impossible to exorcise."

    "Nobility my ass," Junho muttered. "A cookie is enough to snuff you out!"

    "Correction," Magrod said. "It has to be a chocte chip cookie. Now, back to business. There are five types of noble ss demons. Once a C-ss foot soldier is promoted, he bes a Vusthramis or a Knight level demon."

    "Just like the one from the painting!" Jina gasped.

    "Yes," Magrod nodded. "That guy was a Vurthramis. These demons think they are very elite but they''re not. Just a bunch of sissies who carry out our orders. Meh! Vurthramis nowadays are such morons. They have zero respect for authority! I had to hit one with an iron hot rod fifty thousand times to make him obedient."

    "Moving on!" he eximed, ignoring the horrific look on Jina and Junho''s faces. "The next ss is the Kirstis, the one where Sungki belonged. While a Vurthramis is slightly affected by the usual charms, salt and exorcism, Kirstis are not like that. Charms, salt and exorcism won''t affect them. At least not easily. You''ll have to lock up a Kirstis in a room full of specially made charms for exactly seven days and carry out the exorcism in installments at midnight every night. But it''s risky and can kill the person being possessed. Your friend is lucky that I was around. Otherwise, he''d have gone mad!"

    Jina was highly disturbed by the things Magrod was saying. She shuddered at the thought of Siwan suffering that much. Thankfully, a disaster was averted.

    "The third ss is rather unique," Magrod stated. "They''re the Aken ss. Unlike the others, Akens don''t possess living human beings. Summoning them requires more energy and also, a dead body."

    "What?" Jina gasped.

    "What is it?" Junho frowned.

    "The third noble ss of demons are Akens and they need a dead body to be summoned!"

    "Yikes!"

    Magrod nodded, pleased at the effect he was having on the humans. "They''re not easy to summon," he added. "The dead body has to be intact and not dead for more than 24 hours. Once the body is prepped, the demon will enter it and use it until the body starts to deteriorate. The duration of a contract with an Aken is considerably short given that once the body deteriorates, the demon will leave and take the soul of the contract signee with him."

    "The fourth ss is...moi!" Magrod smirked. "This is where the demons achieve freedom. You see, unlike other demons, we can travel freely between the living world and Hell. We go around manipting people to sign contracts."

    "What?" Junho roared. "Don''t you dare make Miyoo sign a contract with you!"

    "I would never!" Magrod snapped. "That kid? In Hell? She''ll end up in the Ruler''s Throne herself if she''s sent there! Do you have any idea how much she tormented me in the past month?"

    "What''s he saying now?" Junho frowned.

    "He''s saying that he doesn''t have the heart to make Miyoo sign a contract," Jina stated.

    "Oi, don''t twist my words! I''m thinking of the other demons here. Imagine your sister chasing them with her stories of Alpacas! It''ll drive us out of business!"

    Jina simply shook her head. This peculiar demon was attached to her sister and refused to admit it. How her sister tamed a demon was beyond normal humanprehension.

    "Anyways," Magrod continued. "Vozakel ss demons are usually more covert. I might look like a dog but it doesn''t mean all of us look like this. In fact, Vozakel lords look like any normal human being. They can live among the humans for thousands of years and still send souls to Hell. They''re kinda like those male leads in fantasy dramas who live on earth for years without growing old."

    Jina interpreted all of it to Junho who nodded but then frowned.

    "But how can we distinguish them?" he asked. "What if they create problems here?"

    "The task of a demon is simple," Magrod said. "Give out contracts, fulfill them and bring the soul to Hell. We''re not allowed to do anything else. We are allowed to possess people only if it means toplete our contracts. Some demons fulfill contracts without any possession required. Some have to possess. But there are rogue demons who possess people without any reason simply because they want to or they have their own selfish reasons."

    "We faced a demon many years ago who was possessing people without making contracts," Junho stated. "Wasn''t that illegal?"

    "It was but I guess he wasn''t caught," Magrod sighed. "It has been like that for a while. Many demons have escaped Hell and are creating a ruckus here. There was once a time they were punished but now it''s no longer possible."

    "Why not?" Jina asked.

    "Because, the Jazrads are gone," he revealed. "And that brings us to our fifth and the highest ss."

 Chapter 243 - The Demons Of Hell (2)

    "Jazrads?" Jina echoed. Magrod grimly nodded.

    "They are the rulers," he revealed. "And there are only three Jazrads in existence."

    He held up his paw to count. "The first one is the Emperor himself," he stated. "No one knows his name because he''s the only nameless demon in existence. He has been the ruler in Hell for thousands, no, millions of years. It''s his job to keep an eye on the demons and make sure they don''t go astray."

    "He has a son," Magrod went on. "A pure bred demon who was born from within the fires of Hell. That son was not born from another woman nor a demon but rather through a ceremony. I don''t know the details but it''s said that the Emperor went on a hundred year meditation to perform the ritual. Finally, the first fully formed demon sprang out of Hellfire. He''s the only one who is not a human soul but a demon from the start. Seeing his son, the Emperor decided to train his son so that he could one day take over Hell."

    "Why is he training someone else to take his ce?" Jina asked. "He''s not gonna die, right? Then why did he do that?"

    "Because," Magrod said in a dramatic tone. "The Emperor fell for a woman. A human woman."

    "Huh?"

    There was a long silence after his words. Jina slowly interpreted Magrod''s words to her grandfather who was also confused. The Emperor fell in love with a woman?

    "But that''s a taboo," Magrod stated. "Demons aren''t allowed to fall in love with humans. You see, humans are temporary unlike demons who live on for eternity. We don''t die but simply live on and on. But the Emperor fell for a woman. It was during one of his many travels to Earth where he found this girl. He was intrigued and tailed her for days. Soon, they fell in love but that was catastrophic for them."

    "The townspeople in those days were very superstitious. They noticed the girl was acting strange, talking to herself and was missing during the night. So they went to the local shaman who discovered the truth via rituals. The shaman rallied the townsfolk against her and she was burnt at stake. In his rage, the Emperor destroyed the entire vige and took his beloved''s charred body with him. Using all his powers, he put a special charm on her."

    "What charm?" Jina whispered.

    "A charm which will cause her to reincarnate every hundred years," Magrod revealed. "But thates at a huge cost. You see, nothing is free in a deal with demons. It is kind of a deal the Emperor made with the Reapers. His beloved will reincarnate but she will not live beyond the age of thirty five. Something will always happen and she''ll die. Sometimes, she might die sooner. But won''t live beyond that age."

    "So the Emperor produced a fully formed demon son and left Hell," he said in a sad tone. "He keeps on waiting on Earth for his lover to reincarnate again."

    "Where is he now?" Junho demanded after Jina told him everything.

    "We don''t know," Magrod sighed. "But things are even moreplicated than before."

    His tone was now even more serious. "Five hundred years ago, when the Emperor''s lover was reincarnated again, he traveled to thend where she dwelled. She was the Princess of this nation at that time and her brother was an ambitious Prince. The brother was looking to usurp the crown from their uncle and to do that, he invoked the highest spell. Which means, he summoned a Jazrad lord, aka our Emperor."

    "In that ritual, the Emperor offered him the usual contract but also a condition," Magrod added. "A night with his sister. The greedy Prince agreed."

    "The Princess was distraught but the Emperor was not going to harm her. Rather, he knew that upon seeing him, she would remember her past. And she did. The moment they saw each other that night, her memories came back to her and she realized it was her long lost love. That night, they finally consummated their rtionship."

    "Nine monthster, the Princess gave birth to a boy in secret," Magrod said. "And the new King, her brother, was scared. The baby was a half demon who would one day bring cmity to thend ording to the royal shaman."

    "That shaman was actually possessed by the Emperor''s other son. He was afraid that the new prince would take his throne in Hell and banish him. The new prince was already the much loved son of the Emperor and it threatened the position of the demon prince. So he possessed the royal shaman and made up a false prophecy that the new born baby will destroy the kingdom. They were urged to kill him, but the Princess protected her son. In the process, she was killed and the Emperor lost his lover again. In his fury, he cursed thend."

    Magrod''s face darkened as he quoted his master''s words.

    "When the moon will turn red and the blood of the moon fall on Earth,

    The gates of all worlds open and a baby will be born.

    A human who will see everything, go everywhere and break the barriers between the worlds.

    Her eyes and hair will be the shade of fine mahogany, her beauty breathtaking

    She will be the Butterfly Priestess, the one who will kill the creatures of the dark.

    But once she is united with her true mate, the half demon and half human,

    They will bring upon a cmity which will close the Gates of Hell forever

    In life if they are separated then in death, they will be reunited.

    And once they are reunited, they will unleash the punishment on all creatures of the dark.

    The Priestess will ariseбн"

    Priestess...Does that mean, I''m the Priestess? Jina wondered in shock.

    "The Emperor took the baby and hid him in the forest before going off to face his other son. But thetter was ready. He trapped his father in aplicated web from which only a Jazrad can free him. The Emperor was stuck in that web for a long time."

    "Meanwhile, the supernatural creatures of the forest raised the new Prince. Spirits, loyal demons, guardian angels. All of them rallied behind him and named their new lord, Wang Daesung. He grew up in a tower in the forest. Time went by and he was made aware about the prophecy. He knew that his true soulmate was going to be from that vige. No one knew about the curse except for the old King but the Demon Emperor had killed him during the chaos and his son sat on the throne. He had no idea about the curse so Daseung took advantage of that."

    "Daesung threatened the new Emperor that if he did not give him a wife by the time Daesung turned twenty five, he would destroy the kingdom. In his fear, the new King made a deal with Daesung that he will hand over the most beautiful girl in thend once she turns of age."

    "The King then sent his soldiers to look for such a girl and they found one. She was a thirteen year old girl who was living in a temple where she was kept locked in a room. The priests had her locked up for some unknown reason but her unique looks made her perfect for the Demon Prince. With long almond shaded hair and same colored eyes, she was a unique beauty who would charm anyone. But her beauty was not the reason she was hidden away. That girl was special because-"

    "She could see ghosts and go to Purgatory," Jina whispered. Magrod nodded.

    "Yes," he replied. "She was assigned to be the bride of the Demon Prince once she turned of age. So as soon as she turned eighteen, she was married off to the Prince."

    "What happens after that?" she demanded. "What happened to them?"

    "A sad ending," Magrod said in a sad tone. "Eventually, they fell in love with each other but the King was now lusting after the Priestess and her powers. He wanted the great beauty and he summoned the other Prince. He wanted the Priestess for himself and to make her fall in love with him. The Hell Prince knew about the prophecy and wanted to do everything to stop it froming true because he was not going to let them close the Gates of Hell."

    "So the Hell Prince had his brother locked up and kidnapped the Priestess. But if there is one thing demons can''t do, it is to change the free will of a person. We can''t make a person fall in love with someone against their will. No matter how much the Hell Prince tried, he could not fulfill his end of the bargain. The Priestess refused to fall in love with the King."

    "The King was about to harm her but in her fury, the Priestess opened the portal of Purgatory and killed him," Magrod revealed. "She tried to kill the Hell Prince but he stabbed her with a sword. Meanwhile, I freed Daesung and we went to save her but it was toote. Daesung was distraught and the demon in him was also shattered by the Priestess'' state. I don''t know what happened afterwards because the Hell Prince trapped me in Hell and I was unable to break out of his spell until very recently. All I know is that Daesung and his wife died in that event."

    He dramatically paused before adding, "And now starts the second part of the prophecy."

    "What is that?" Jina whispered.

    "In life if they are separated then in death they will be reunited," Magrod quoted. "They died and are now reunited. You and that doctor, Ohm Hobin.. The two of you are the reincarnations of Prince Daesung and his wife, Chun Ailee."

 Chapter 244 - The Demons Of Hell (3)

    There was a long silence following his revtion. Jina had interpreted everything to her grandfather who was grim and serious. He was not shocked by the story but rather concerned.

    "What are we going to do?" Jina finally asked in a thick tone. It was all too much for her to take but she kept herself cool.

    "There are still some things which aren''t clear," he muttered. "Ask the demon what else do we need to know. Where is the other Prince? And is Hobin''s father the Emperor as well? I mean, if he''s a half human who reincarnated, surely his father must have been a demon! Doesn''t that mean the Emperor had escaped?"

    "The cursests for five hundred years only," Magrod replied. "Since Doctor Ohm is nearly twenty five, I''m assuming the Emperor had escaped before me. Then, he must have met up with his beloved wife and gave birth to Doctor Ohm."

    "But that doesn''t exin where he is now," Jina pointed out.

    "That''s what I want to know," Magrod said in a serious tone. "I''m sure the Emperor is somewhere out there. Maybe the cult got to him."

    "Cult?"

    "Yep. A crazy cult exists. It worships the firstborn son of the Emperor and wants to bring him back. I don''t know what exactly happened but after the curse he put on me broke, I heard from the other loyal demons that the Hell Prince was in an infinite curse. No one knew how that curse worked but somehow, he was put into a deep sleep which is impossible to wake up from. Now, his followers are trying to wake him up."

    Jina scowled. Great, she thought. As if spirits were not bothersome enough!

    "But why weren''t you able to see Hobin all this time?" she asked, recalling that Magrod had mentioned he could not see Hobin whenever he was with her.

    "Well-"

    DING!

    The doorbell rang and Jina rushed to answer it. Hobin had arrived after with Miyoo after she texted him to meet her at the twins'' condo.

    "Gramps!" Miyoo eximed and rushed towards her grandfather, jumping on hisp. She then turned to Magrod and said, "Maggie!"

    "Who the hell are you calling Maggie?" he snapped, a nerve twitching on his head. "Magrod. It''s MAGROD!"

    "Maggie!"

    Magrod let out a growl and grumbled. Meanwhile, Jina was talking to Hobin. She filled him in with what Magrod had told her. His expression darkened upon hearing what happened to his parents for centuries but he did not say anything, keeping his thoughts hidden. Something inside him was stirring but he kept it under control.

    This was not the time to let the demon in him win.

    "That''s not the whole story," he gritted. "There''s more. Maybe Magrod doesn''t know it but I can tell."

    "How?" Jina frowned.

    But he did not reply right away. Instead, he walked towards Magrod who was still arguing with Miyoo while Junho was in a deep thought.

    After the locket was ripped off, Hobin could finally see Magrod. He had an inkling his locket had something to do with this but after Siwan''s hospitalization, he could not talk to the demon properly. But now he finally got his chance.

    "What do you know about that locket?" he demanded.

    "That locket belongs to the Emperor himself," Magrod stated. "It had a powerful spell on it which acted as your guardian all this time. If the Hell Prince''s demonckeys chased you, they would not have been able to see you. In fact, it made you invisible to demons."

    "But the demons were able to see me during exorcisms," Hobin pointed out.

    "That''s because the power of the locket weakened during exorcisms. The spells enhanced your powers and reduced the locket''s enabling demons to see you in those moments only. Exorcisms might not work on us but the spells still affect all demon races and ss. In your case, your demon side tries to rise whenever an exorcism takes ce."

    "That exins why you fainted during the first exorcisms," Jina realized.

    "And this...Wang Daesung," Hobin went on. "Is that the demon''s name? The one which lives inside me?"

    "No," Magrod frowned. "I don''t know his name either. Daesung rarely turned to his demon. In fact, he was able to harness its powers without turning into one. He could use his demon''s abilities to the full extent and had it under control. It tried a lot to take over but he was able to keep it at bay while using its powers for himself."

    "How?"

    "Well, I''m assuming he learnt it quickly because he was living with supernatural creatures who were able to teach him," Magrod shrugged. "There were other demons and loyal friends of the Emperor who aided him."

    "How can I do it?"

    Jina and Junho looked at him in surprise but Hobin was determined. The demon was getting stronger everyday, trying to take over his body. He was not going to let that happen at all. Magrod studied him for a while.

    "You...you have some abilities, right?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

    "I can read people''s memories," Hobin revealed. "When I touch them."

    "All the time?"

    "Initially, yes. But my therapist helped me control them-"

    "Bullshit!" Magrod scoffed. "A mere human can''t help you control any of your powers. Don''t you think it''s weird that a human was able to help you control your powers? A human who has no idea about demons and Hell? Nah. I think he''s a demon too. A loyalist. Otherwise he wouldn''t have helped you."

    Hobin was surprised by that conclusion but quickly realized the dog demon might not be off the mark.

    "Where is your psychiatrist now?" Jina asked. "Abroad?"

    "I don''t know," Hobin muttered. "After ourst session, he just vanished. His name was Doctor Richard Alexander. He was one of the top psychiatrists in the UK."

    "We can try and track him down," Jina suggested. "He''ll be able to give us more information."

    "Someone bloody tell me what the demon is talking about!" Junho snapped. "What information?"

    "Oh! I forgot!"

    Jina summed up the rest of Magrod''s words. Junho nodded, understanding most of the puzzle now.

    "Now that we have a pet demon helping us, we might be able to work out the rest," he said. Hearing him, made Magrod yell.

    "WHO THE HELL ARE YOU CALLING A PET DEMON?"

    "Maggie!" Miyoo replied cheerfully. "Pet! Pet!"

    "I AM NOT A PET!" Magrod imed. "I am the elite, Vozakel-"

    "I think bro knows where Doctor Alex is," Hobin nodded, ignoring the demon''s outburst. "It''s as Maggie said, he might be able to give us a lot of answers."

    "It''s Magrod!"

    "We''ll wait till he''s better," Jina sighed. "I don''t think Siwan should take too much stress now. Tille then Maggie can stay here-"

    "MAGROD! ARE YOU GUYS DOING THIS ON PURPOSE NOW?"

    "Tell this Maggie he''s gotta pay rent!" Junho demanded. "I''m pretty sure Hell pays their demons a lotta money. And no contract signing. If he tries to make Miyoo sign a contract, I''ll chuck him into a different kind of Hell!"

    "Huh? Do you think I''m a masochist?" Magrod eximed. "Let that demon into Hell? Never!"

    "Maggie called Miyoo demon!" Miyoo pointed out.

    "Huh? Who the hell are you calling a demon?" Junho growled.

    "You and that spawn of evil right there!"

    "Maggie called Miyoo evil!" Miyoo replied, adding fuel to the fire.

    "WHAT? I''LL MAKE YOU PAY HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS PER DAY IN RENT!"

    "Oi! That''s abuse ya know! I''ll call the cops on ya, old man!"

    "Shouldn''t we stop this madness?" Jina muttered but Hobin was now amused.

    "Nope," he said. "This is actually quite fun."

    Junho might not be able to see Magrod but he knew what the demon was saying thanks to his evil little genius of a granddaughter. Miyooically twisted their words, making the duo bicker even more. Jina watched in dismay while Hobin contained hisughter with great difficulty.

    But somewhere inside him, he could feel the demon was getting more restless. It was watching him, waiting toe out.

    "I''m still waiting, Ohm Hobin," he whispered into Hobin''s mind. "And I''lle out soon. That is my promise."

    Dream on, Hobin thought and pushed the demon away, focusing on the crazy conversation instead.

    бн

    In the far end of the city, stood arge bungalow. It was located in an isted area where people rarely visited or stopped by. The bungalow had a magnificent green yard which was almost shining under the bright sun. Its ss windows are ck tinted and the house was shaped like a triangle in a perfectly symmetrical angle.

    A thin man was approaching the front gate. He stood in front of it, waiting for the camera to identify his face. A scanner scanned his face and a click sound was heard.

    "Shaman Hongshik," it stated. "Please enter."

    Hongshik was wearing thick clothes with a red shawl wrapped around his body. It was a hot summer day but the heat did not bother him.

    Slowly shuffling forward, he entered the bungalow. Stepping through therge mahogany door, he found himself in a living room with sleek marble floors and avish setting.

    He barely had the time to admire his surroundings when a cold voice spoke up.

    "Speak."

 Chapter 245 - Demons Of Hell-Conclusion

    Hongshik turned around to find a woman in her fifties. She had smooth greyish brown hair with fine cheekbones and beady eyes which were observing him. Her clothes were designer made, indicating her noble status. Tall and proud, she felt a little disdain for the shabby man in front of her.

    He did not dare to meet her eyes. She had warned him not to go ahead with the ritual to help Sungki but he did anyway. Now she was going to gloat.

    "The ritual-"

    "Failed," she finished for him. "Obviously. I can tell by your expression."

    Hongshik looked as if someone had pped him but he kept his cool. All was not lost.

    "But it was now aplete bust," he stated. "I have news. The half demon Prince is back."

    The woman raised her eyebrow. The half demon Prince reincarnated? Now she was highly interested.

    "Tell me more," she demanded. "What else do you know?"

    "It''s not just him," Hongshik revealed. "His wife is also back. Chun Ailee."

    She was silent for a long time as she tried to absorb the information. This was not good at all. If both Wang Daesung and Chun Ailee were reincarnated, then the prophecy might be fulfilled soon.

    "We have to stop them!" she said at once. "Otherwise, our ns will fail. I have already released another one of the demons to carry out our work but if that demon is caught, we''ll not be able to establish the links!"

    "I have already established one with the help of Sungki," Hongshik smirked. "While the Cho''s obsessed over an heir, their demon son has already cast a spell on his room. The same ce where he died and opened a Gate."

    "At least you''re notpletely ipetent," the woman said tly. Her tone was soft and calm but had more impact. Hongshik was offended but he had no power to say anything to her. If he did, she would curse him into oblivion without a second nce. The woman was not an ordinary human being but a Vozakel lord in human form.

    "I shall inform myrades about this," she went on. "If the second Prince and his wife are truly back then they must be dealt with. Our next n is crucial. We must establish this link otherwise it will be impossible to carry out the n to revive our true Lord."

    She paused before adding, "Is he the same baby we tried to hunt down twenty five years ago?"

    "I don''t know but it could be."

    "Hmmбн"

    If he was, then it would make sense why they could not track him down all this time. He must have had some sort of protection provided to him by the Emperor. She had no doubt in her mind that this reincarnated form of Wang Daesung was also half human.

    Then she froze before her lip broke into a slow grin.

    "Half human, huh?" She slightly sneered. "Looks like our work has been made even easier."

    "What do you mean?"

    "You shall see," she said in a cryptic tone. "I will inform the others. We will start executing the next phase of our n. You can leave now."

    The shaman did not leave but stayed in his ce. "What about me?" he demanded. "Is my contract canceled?"

    "Finish the ritual first," she said in a wary tone. "Then I''ll think about it."

    "But-"

    He was about to argue but she threw him a threatening re. "You asked for the ability to see the supernatural!" She hissed, her eyes turningrger and sharper until they resembled those of a snake''s. The shaman cowered and slowly backed off, gulping in fear.

    "It was in your contract which we have fulfilled," she went on in her hoarse voice. "And we are giving you the chance to break out of it simply because you''re useful to us! Now you want to protest? Against us?"

    "Noбн" Hongshik said, feeling scared and ashamed. He knew that dealing with demons needed cautiousness and careful wit but there was little time for him. The thirty year timeline was about to end and he was desperate to live. Seeing how many people were dragged to Hell in his own pursuit to live, he had no intention of going there himself.

    "I will do better!" he squeaked. "And help you destroy the duo-"

    "Destroy?" the woman echoed, raising an eyebrow. "On the contrary, we want the half-human Prince. He''s valuable to us and so is his little lover. After all, we need both of them for our ritual to work. You focus on establishing the links. Let me worry about keeping them from fulfilling the prophecy."

    Her eyes were turning scarlet with excitement. Hongshik was afraid that she was going to hurt him but she turned away, ignoring the pathetic man. He slowly backed off, running for his life.

    Once outside the bungalow, he let out a sigh of relief. The brethren might have weed him but there were some costs. Demons ruled over them and their order was simple: resurrect the True Prince of Hell.

    "Which rotten curse is this?" he growled. The Firstborn Prince was trapped in an infinite curse which put him under a deep sleep. It happened sometime during his fight with Wang Daesung but no one knew how the half-human was able to do it. The curse was impossible to invoke even by a demon.

    Only the Emperor himself could have given the half-human this power.

    "Damn that Emperor!" he cursed. "Putting his own true blood son under this spell! Is he crazy?"

    Why he favored his half-human son over his true born demon son was beyond the shaman''sprehension. But that did not matter. He simply wanted his soul back.

    "What is this crazy demon doing now?" he wondered as he reflected back on the Vozakel demon''s ns.

    She was not an ordinary demon but rather part of the nobility. For centuries, they had been rallying after the Firstborn Prince, fighting for his cause. They wanted him toe back and rule Hell instead of the lovesick Emperor who was still chasing a mere human woman. These demons had given up all humane thoughts and nature, epting their demonic sides. They did not care about anything except for the power they were enjoying under the Firstborn Prince''s rule and were threatened by Hobin''s existence.

    "I wonder what they''re going to do now," he muttered.

    бн

    The room was shrouded withplete darkness except for the light from aptop screen. In front of it, sat a boy who was barely eighteen. He stared at theptop, waiting for the clock to strike exactly midnight. His eyes were on the wall clock, counting down the seconds.

    There was no one else in the house other than him. His parents were at a party and his sister was at her boyfriend''s house. It was the perfect night for him to try out the ritual. There was a rumor circting around his school that there was a website which went active at midnight. The website was magical. If it was essed by someone who is alone in a dark room without anyone else in the house, then a beautiful girl was going to emerge from it and take his virginity.

    One of his friends had lost his virginity to that girl and bragged about it. At first the boy did not believe it but his friend made a video and showed him how to do the ritual. To the boy''s shock, a beautiful girl did appear and the scene was followed by an intimate sex session which was a major turn on for the boy.

    Thus, he decided to try it.

    He impatiently waited for the clock to strike 12 AM.

    5...4...3...2...1...

    DING! DING!

    The clock struck midnight and the boy instantly pressed the refresh button. For a few seconds, nothing happened. The boy was frustrated at theck of activity. His friend must have lied to him about this stupid website.

    "Fuck it!" he growled. "I''ll kill that bastard-"

    Suddenly, the screen came to life. He frowned as a series ofplex codes appeared on it. Was hisptop broken?

    The codes stopped and an instruction was shown. Type 6.

    The boy did as he was told and another site popped up. A warning was written on it.

    "This is an exclusive contract between Party A and Party B," he read out loud. "Party A is defined as the human who wants a service while Party B is the service provider. Under this contract, Party A can state one wish he or she wants Party B to carry out and thetter is binded by contract toplete it. The wish stated has a time duration which will be agreed upon by Party A and the conditions areбн"

    The boy frowned as he read theplicated rules until the very end when one line stated, "Upon thepletion of this contract, Party B will haveplete control of Party A''s soul which will be taken to Hell after the time haspsed."

    Hell? The boy frowned. It sounded like a big joke.

    At the end, was a signature box and two lines. One asked for the wish and the other the duration of the contract. The boy snorted.

    "What the hell is this?" he scoffed. "Sounds like a joke!"

    But then he thought about it. I should try it out, he thought.

    He wrote down his wish to lose his virginity to a beautiful woman and then paused for the duration.

    "Pft! I''ll give 24 hours," he muttered. As if my soul will be really taken to hell! He thought.

    As soon as he put in the conditions and his digital signature, the screen went nk.

    "What the hell!" he cursed. "I knew it! It''s a bloody prank!"

    He cursed out loud whe a shadow on the screen caught his attention. His eyes widened in shock and he turned around to find the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

    Her long blonde hair reached till her waist while her pearly skin was almost glowing. She was naked with plump breasts and a curvy figure which made the boy lose his mind. Her green eyes were shy and demure as if embarrassed by the attention the boy was giving her.

    "Who are you?" he gasped.

    "You wanted me, master," she whispered in a seductive tone. The boy could not believe it. It was true! He was going to lose his virginity to this exquisite woman!

    Then he frowned and remembered the other part of the contract. Was his soul going to be sent to Hell?

    Before he could ask, the woman stepped closer and began to unbutton his shirt.

    "What are you-" he stammered but her luscious lips caught him in a fierce kiss. The boy pushed out all thoughts, concentrating on his desires.

    If this was hell, he was ready to enter it.

 Chapter 246 - Moving Out

    Baekha was in her ward, feeling anxious. She was going to be discharged that day and even though she could go back to the mansion to live if she wanted to, she was reluctant. The deeds of her parents were viral and there were several reporters at her ce. The creditors heard about the state of her parents and they swooped in to mortgage all their properties. In fact, her mansion would be sold off in a few days so Baekha was going to be homeless anyway.

    As for her idol career, she would have to put it on hold. Jango had informed her that the management found out she was a girl thanks to the fainting spell she suffered from. One of the bosses found out through a staff member and they thought it was too risky to work with her. If the fans discovered this, they would feel hurt and betrayed. So they decided to hold her wages and terminate her contract because as per it, she was not supposed to have any scandal otherwise she mustpensate.

    If this broke out, it was going to be a huge scandal.

    She sat on the bed, sadly contemting her future. Her parents had stripped her off her dignity and now her dreams.

    There was a knock on the door and she turned around to find Jiwoon standing there.

    "How are you doing now?" she asked Baekha.

    "I''m fine," the girl said in a small voice. "I''ll be discharged today."

    Jiwoon sat next to Baekha, looking worried.

    "I heard about the auction," Jiwoon said. "It came on the TV."

    Baekha nodded and sighed. "They really screwed everyone over. To take so much debt and for what? The fortune they prided on is gone along with their souls."

    It took her a while toe to terms with all this but she was starting to believe some of it. It wasplicated but not impossible.

    "Where will you go?" Jiwoon asked. "Do you have any rtives? Will they take you in?"

    "I...I called all of them but they said that they can''t take me in," Baekha sighed. "Apparently, my family name is too tainted and will ruin their reputation."

    Jiwoon was not surprised. Every one of the Cho rtives were like that and she was aware of it. She studied Baekha carefully. Even though Baekha''s whole world was crumbling, she was notmenting nor sympathetic to her own situation. Rather, she was being as rational as possible.

    "Stay with me," Jiwoon suggested. "I''m still the widow of your brother. So I can be your legal guardian."

    Baekha looked at her with surprise. "I can''t-" she was about to say but Jiwoon cut through her.

    "You can''t refuse," she said tly. "My ce might not be a mansion but it''s enough for the two of us. And as for your studies, don''t worry about it either. I have some money saved up which will cover up your high school expenses."

    "Sisбн"

    Baekha was overwhelmed and she hugged Jiwoon tightly. Tears stung her eyes for the first time in years, truly happy that there was someone who looked out for her. Jiwoon smiled and hugged her back.

    "The nightmare is over," she assured Baekha. "Don''t worry about all that now and just focus on your studies, okay?"

    Baekha nodded in happiness. Their nightmare was truly over.

    бн.

    "You''re moving out?" Siwan could not help asking. His arm was still in a sling but his injuries were treated and he was back home. Hobin and Jiwoon were there as well to help him settle in while Soobin was at school. It was at that moment, Jiwoon chose to tell him that she was moving back to her apartment.

    "Why?" he asked. "You can stay here as long as you want. We''ve got plenty of rooms here."

    Hobin, who was observing his brother, frowned. Siwan looked calm but his voice was a little sad. He slightly grinned and was witnessing the exchange between them.

    "I overstayed my wee," Jiwoon replied. "Now that Sungki is gone, I can go back to my apartment. Besides, Baekha also needs a stable ce to live. I need to think about her."

    Siwan wanted to argue and make her stay. For some reason, he did not want her to go. What if some other danger haunted her?

    "Y-Yeah but it''s a dangerous world out there!" he imed. "So many things can happen. What if another demones? Or criminals? Isn''t it risky?"

    "Bro, in case you forgot, Detective Kim managed to kick you hard when she was handcuffed," Hobin stated, his tone hinting amusement. "And she''s a cop. I think she''ll be fine against criminals"

    Jiwoon nodded. "We''ll be fine," she reassured him. "I''ve already packed up my things and I''ll move out today."

    Siwan did not show his disappointment on his face but merely nodded. If she wanted to leave then he could not stop her but his heart was unsettled. The mansion felt homely with her around and the past month, he was actually looking forward toing back home after work.

    But with her gone, it would feel empty again.

    His sadness did not go unnoticed by Hobin. Thetter shook his head but did not say anything, opting to let Siwan figure out things on his own for now. His brother was smart and would know what to do eventually.

    "I''ll drop you off, Detective," Hobin offered. "I have to go to the precinct anyway."

    "Thank you, Doctor Ohm," Jiwoon said in a grateful tone. She hesitantly nced at Siwan who looked gloomy. Her heart was also troubled by the thought of leaving but it was for the best.

    The demon had already exposed her feelings to the others and she did not want Siwan to find out. He loved someone else while Jiwoon was content with simply harboring unrequited feelings for him. The history between them was too deep and she was thankful to him. She did not know when those feelings turned to admiration and eventually, love.

    But she knew she had no chance with him. He needed a person who was untainted and came without that much baggage. Jiwoon was broken inside and she doubted she was worthy of him.

    "Are you sure you don''t want to say?" Siwan asked again. "Baekha can live here as well!"

    Jiwoon smiled and shook her head. "You already have too much on your te," she said. "Besides, I don''t think your mother will approve of us living here like this. People in the neighborhood are already gossiping. It''ll affect your reputation."

    "Mom wouldn''t mind," Hobin chipped in. "She''ll be happy to have more people in this dreary house. Butбн"

    He turned to his brother and added, "Bro, weren''t you thinking of getting an apartment in the city? I remember that you wanted to rent one near the hospital so that you can crash in between shifts. I heard that the apartment next to Detective Kim is empty now. Just take that one!"

    Siwan gaped at his brother while Jiwoon was embarrassed. "I-I''ll think about it," Siwan muttered.

    "Anyways," Jiwoon said. "I should get going! Byeбн"

    She smiled at Siwan and headed out of the house. Siwan watched her leave with a heavy heart and his mood dampened. Hobin sighed and shook his head in amusement.

    Love really makes people blind at times, he realized.

    He patted his brother''s shoulder, but Siwan hardly noticed. His gaze was still on the door through which Jiwoon had just left.

    бн

    Hobin dropped Jiwoon off at her apartment and drove to the precinct. It was Jina''s first day at work after her injury and he wanted to wee her. He bought her a wee back gift.

    Parking his car in front of the police station, he got out of his car only to see that Jina was emerging from it with the rest of her team. All of them looked tense as they got into their car. Hobin quickly joined them, getting into the seat beside Jina.

    "What happened?" he asked.

    "There''s been a murder in B-Street," she sighed. "A teenager was found dead in his room."

    Hobin sighed and shook his head. "Wee back to work, Tinkerbell," he said.

    They drove towards the crime scene. A lot of people had gathered outside the apartment but the police kept them at bay while the CSI swooped the area for clues. The boy''s distraught parents were giving their statement to the cops while Jina, Hobin, Dahoon, Woohee and Jaebum headed for the bedroom.

    One rookied officer approached them to give the details.

    "How did he die?" Jina asked. "Any idea?"

    "He was fine this morning," the rookie officer reported. "It was the usual. He woke up in the morning, had breakfast, went to school and returned home. After that, he locked himself in his room."

    "Is that a usual thing?" Hobin asked.

    "It''s apparently normal. He always stayed in his room locked up. His parents never thought it was strange. But when his sister went to his room for some work, she found him dead."

    "Is it a suicide?" Jina frowned.

    "Well...that''s the strange part," the rookie officer winced. "It''s not a suicide."

    He led them to the bedroom. As soon as they entered it, a ghastly scene met their eyes. Jina grimaced while Hobin shook his head in dismay.

    "People are disgusting," he muttered.

 Chapter 247 - Hollowed Cries (1)

    Blood was still dripping on the floor, creating a red puddle underneath a chair which was ced next to a desk. The whole room was neat almost to an obsessive extent. Not even a speck of dust was on any furniture. Every spot was cleaned rigorously and the white walls were almost shining.

    It was spotless. Except for one ce.

    On the chair, sat a boy of around fifteen. Staining the neat desk was his own blood. His books were soaked with red blood while the wall behind him was also stained. The boy was seated in a peculiar position. His feet were pulled behind him on the chair looking as if he was on his knees when he died. His throat was shed with a long and sharp kitchen knife while a look of pure horror was etched on his face. His mouth was wide open and he was staring at hisptop screen.

    The knifey on the ground next to the chair.

    For a moment, Jina did not move as a million thoughts entered her mind. Her gaze was on the boy who died and suddenly, she was scared.

    "Tinkerbell!" Hobin nudged her. She was startled and nodded. Clearing her throat, she approached the corpse.

    "Is this a suicide?" Jina asked in a shaky tone. She put on her gloves and was examining the boy. The wound was fresh and still oozing blood. She was silent as she watched the blood drip slowly from his neck and she looked away. Her heart was troubled at the sight of him

    Meanwhile, Hobin was checking the door for forced entry but there was none. He went into the bathroom but everything was kept in its proper ce.

    "OCD?" he wondered. He shut the door and returned to the crime scene where Dahoon was now checking theptop.

    "Nothing fishy here," he dered. "The guy has a squeaky clean search history!"

    "But why did he kill himself?" Woohee winced. The sight of the body was making her ufortable because the boy was really young and reminded her of her teenage cousin. It was hard to fathom that a person so young would take his life.

    "How was his rtionship with his parents?" Hobin asked the rookie officer.

    "The parents said that he was studious and quite a good kid," the officer replied. "They can''t believe that their son died like this."

    "Who found the body?" Jina asked.

    "The sister did. She''s outside talking to the cops now."

    Jina and Hobin went outside to check on the sister. She was also in her mid teens and had the same dark hair as her brother. In fact, they looked almost like twins except for a few differences.

    "Eli, right?" Jina asked. Kim Eli was distraught but Hobin noted that she looked scared which made him slightly frown.

    "Y-Yes!" she stammered, fidgeting her fingers. "I''m Eli. Yisub''s twin."

    "Are you alright?" Hobin asked her pointedly.

    "No," she sniffed. "My brother just died!"

    Jina was also surprised by Hobin''s question but did not think too much into it for the moment. She turned to Eli and patted her head.

    "Can you tell us what happened?" she asked in a kind tone. "Why did your brother kill himself?"

    "I...I don''t know," Eli replied in a thick voice. "He was always the perfect one! Best in everything. His grades were high and he was good at sports. Everyone in the family loved him and he was good to me as well. I don''t know why he will killбн"

    Eli choked up her tears, unable to control them. "I was going to call him for dinner," she whispered. "And I saw...I sawбн"

    She burst into tears and Jina consoled her. Hobin also felt sad for the girl who just lost her brother. He turned to the parents and slowly approached them.

    Mr. and Mrs. Kim were quietly crying in a corner. Mrs. Kim seemed to have lost all sense of time and ce, crying in her husband''s arms. Hobin did not want to ask them questions but he had to. He picked out a few tissues from the tissue box and handed it to Mrs. Kim.

    "Please ept my condolences," he said gently. "I''m sorry for your loss, Mrs. Kim."

    She looked up and epted the tissue, wiping her eyes with it.

    "My boy!" she wept. "My poor son! I...I can''t believe that he would do something like this!"

    "He was a good boy," Mr. Kim added, barely controlling his own emotions. His eyes were stung with tears but he had to be strong for his wife and daughter.

    "He never had any problems," he went on as he recalled his son. "A little obsessed with cleanliness but very protective. He loved all of us and neverined. We were always worried because heбн"

    Mr. Kim trailed off, trying to fight back tears. ""Because he was mildly autistic," Mr. Kim revealed. "He suffered from a mild case of Asperger''s Syndrome. Ever since he was a child, he was unusually sharp and brilliant. He rarelymunicated with people and worked in a set routine."

    "Some kids tried to bully him but the school authorities always kept an eye on him," Mrs. Kim sniffed. "Over time, with the help of therapy, he managed to open up. He was functioning normally and was even very popr. Only his obsessive need to stay in a routine and clean things remained. That is it."

    That exins the state of the room, Hobin realized.

    "Did he go to regr therapy?" he asked.

    "Yes! He went there regrly. It became part of his routine. Even if we didn''t go, he would go one his own. But everything was timely for him. Not a minutete!"

    Hobin scanned the living room. Even in that ce, everything was kept in an orderly manner. It was not visible to most people but to a psychiatrist like him, the setting was obvious.

    Everything from the furniture to the photo frame were kept in a set of strict rules as if by one person. The coffee table was exactly three steps away from the couch. An ottoman was ced three steps left of the table. The photo frames on the table were angled at exactly 180 degrees and the paintings on the walls were one inch apart from each other.

    Nothing was out of ce as if in a series of rules.

    "You put all of these in a precise manner?" Hobin asked them, indicating their possessions. Mrs. Kim nodded.

    "For Yisub''s well being," she added. "If anything was out of ce, he would be restless. He became anxious and neurotic. When he was young, he even harmed himself when something was out of routine but it lessened over the years."

    "Yisub is prone to hurting himself?" Hobin frowned.

    "But he didn''t do it for years!" Mr. Kim exined. "I...I don''t believe he will kill himself. We made sure to keep him happy and healthy! I personally taught him not to hurt himself and he learnt eventually. Yisub was smart!"

    "I know," Hobin nodded. "I can tell. I''m a psychiatrist myself. What about your daughter, Eli? Is she also suffering from autism?"

    "Eli is perfectly normal," Mrs. Kim stated. "She''s also a smart kid. Both the twins are perfect in almost everything. They never gave us any...any grievance. But now...my sonбн"

    She wept harder, unable to take the pain anymore. Her husband hugged her and turned to Hobin.

    "Doctor, this is a hard time for us," he said in an apologetic tone. "I-I don''t think that we can talk right nowбн"

    "That''s alright," Hobin assured him. "I''m sorry for your loss. I truly am."

    Mr. Kim nodded at him gratefully and Hobin left the couple alone. The CSI was done investigating the crime scene and they were packing the corpse in a body bag. Mrs. Kim let out a wail and wanted to go and grab her son''s body but Mr. Kim held her back with great difficulty. Her cries were echoing the once happy house, making even the tough policemen around them pity the couple.

    "MY SON!" Mrs. Kim yelled. "DON''T TAKE HIM! HE''LL BE SCARED WITHOUT US!"

    "Honeyбн" Mr. Kim tried to assure his wife but he, too, was crying. Eli hugged her parents, crying hard.

    "Dad...Yisubбн" she sobbed. Jina was sad and also disturbed by the grieving family. Hobin noticed that she excused herself and left the apartment. He followed her.

    "What happened?" he asked her once they were out of earshot. To his surprise, she was shaking as if she was scared.

    "Tinkerbellбн"

    Jina took a few deep breaths to calm herself and collect her thoughts. "I''m sorry," she mumbled. "Lately, I''ve been a little jittery. Especially after the whole issue with the serial killing demon and what Magrod told me. I...I guess this suicide made me anxious as well."

    Hobin silently hugged her, letting her feel safe with him. Jina rxed in his arms and was grateful for his warmth. He kissed her forehead.

    "When I saw that boy, I couldn''t help thinking," she whispered, almost teary. "What if it was Minyoon? Or Yoonmin? I mean...he was the same age as them!"

    "You really think that those two will kill themselves?" Hobin asked. "You''re talking about a couple of money lovers who have faced ghosts and demons with ease. They won''t do something like this!"

    "Yeahбн"

    Jina did not know what came over her buttely, these thoughts would gue her mind. They watched as the CSI carried the body out while Mrs. Kim''s cries were being heard by everyone in the vicinity.

    They did not know whether it was the aftermath of their encounters with demons or was it the deceased boy''s death, but there was no denying that everyday brought a new shock.

    "But what really saddens me the most," Jina said. "Is not only this boy''s death."

    Hobin nced at her and frowned but she was not looking at him. She turned to her side and stared at a pale figure with dark eyes and hair, looking exactly like the boy who had just died. His ghost was also watching the cops carrying his body away.

    "It is 8 PM," he said in a hollow tone. "Dinner time.. Mom makes chicken stew every Wednesday. Why didn''t she make any today?"

 Chapter 248 - Hollowed Cries (2)

    "Wheeeeeee!" Miyoo squealed as she sped up her new bicycle. She was happily riding it in the garden while her grandfather chased her. He was huffing, unable to keep up with her energy.

    "Miyoo, don''t go out of the gates!" he yelled but Miyoo was already riding towards the open gate. She was about to pass it but the cycle stopped midway.

    "Eh?" She pouted when the cycle magically drove backwards and she was back in the garden. Miyoo looked around to find a toy Alpaca standing on its legs, looking angry at her. Her lips lit up in a smile and sheughed at the toy.

    Magrod was annoyed at the kid forughing at his misery. He pointed his soft cotton finger at her.

    "Oi you!" he hissed. "This is all your fault! Don''t you go disobeying my orders after turning me into this!"

    Ever since the Hwang''s found out about him, it was decided that they needed a better way tomunicate with the demon. Jina was always busy and Miyoo was toozy to interpret so the twins devised a n to have Magrod possess something so that he could talk directly to them. Using a human being was out of the question and animals were too smart to be possessed.

    That was when Miyoo pointed at her Alpaca doll. Despite Magrod''s protests, Jina stuffed him in it and he became their pet Alpaca.

    "Bleh!" Miyoo stuck out her tongue. Behind her, Junho came running.

    "Aish!" he groaned. "This girl is too unruly. When I was young, I always obeyed my elders!"

    "Old man, control your granddaughter!" Magrod said at once. "She''s too evil!"

    "Who the hell are you calling an old man you five thousand year old demon?" Junho growled at the toy demon.

    "You, of course!"

    "Ehhh? You''re living in my house and you''re calling me old? Where''s my monthly rent?"

    "Rent?" Magrod growled. "I''m babysitting that sadistic kid for free! Why should I pay rent?"

    "No rent, no stay!"

    "Huh? Is this how you talk to the noble and elite demon who saved your granddaughter?"

    The two were bickering loudly while Miyoo onlyughed hard at them. It was a summer evening and the Hwang''s were living their daily lives as usual. The twins were on a patio near the garden. Soobin sat next to Yoonmin, watching over Miyoo and her two old men who were arguing unnecessarily.

    "I can''t believe that I''m seeing a toy Alpaca arguing with an old man!" she remarked at the bizarre scene.

    "I can''t believe that the demon still doesn''t pay rent," Yoonmin murmured.

    "I think it''s fun!" Minyoon chirped. "The old man found a friend and Miyoo has someone to look over her."

    He turned to Soobin and asked, "Isn''t Baekha going to join us?"

    "She said she''sing," Soobin said. "It took a lot of persuasion."

    Just then, a figure appeared at the gate. Baekha was awkward and embarrassed at the thought of meeting the Hwang''s like this. She never went to a random gathering before and it was her first time meeting them outside of school like this. Soobin waved at her and motioned her toe over.

    "Beaky!" Miyoo eximed and cycled towards her.

    "Uhhhбн" Baekha was still wary of kids but Miyoo strangely seemed to like her for some reason. Miyoo got off the cycle and reached out her hands.

    "You want me to carry you?" Baekha frowned. Miyoo nodded so Baekha picked the girl up in herp. The child held her tightly while Junho and Magrod argued in the background. Baekha was still trying to get ustomed to the craziness at the Hwang household. When Soobin mentioned about a demon possessing the Alpaca doll she bought for Miyoo, Baekha was shocked. Seeing the scene was even crazier.

    "That thing...is a demon?" she asked Soobin when she reached them.

    "Yup!" Soobin sighed. "Apparently he is."

    "He''s a freeloader," Yoonmin stated. "But he has his uses."

    "Beaky, sit here!" Minyoon offered, scooting over to make space for her. He beamed at her brightly, his ears perked up. Baekha blinked and quickly moved to sit on the opposite end beside Soobin. Minyoon''s face fell at that but he quickly recovered himself.

    "You moved in with Jiwoon sis?" he asked her.

    "Yeah. I moved in today," she mumbled. Miyoo was still in her arms, looking from her to her older brother who was behaving like a puppy. She picked up a piece of donut from the table in front of her and peered at the duo with suspicion.

    Yoonmin also seemed to notice his twin''s reactions and nudged Soobin. He motioned her to follow him.

    "Where are you guys going?" Baekha asked, panicking at the thought of being alone with Minyoon.

    "To grab some chips and pizza," Yoonmin shrugged.

    "We''ll be back," Soobin assured her and followed her boyfriend, leaving Baekha alone with Minyoon. He immediately slid over to her side and smiled. For once, Baekha was d that Miyoo was with them and she kept a firm grasp on the kid.

    "How are you feeling now?" he asked. "Will you return to the music industry?"

    "Uh...I''m not sure," she mumbled. "My agency knows that I''m a girl and that I lied. They terminated my contract."

    "So? Juste work for us! You and I can be a duo!"

    Baekha frowned at him. "Duo?" she echoed.

    "Yeah! You can sing, I can sing. Both of us are good with music and we''re good dancers. We''ll make a killerbo."

    "I don''t think I want to return to the music industry," she admitted. "Now that I don''t have anything left to prove to my parents, I don''t feel like being an idol anymore."

    "Don''t be an idol for them," Minyoon advised. "Be one for yourself! I''ve seen you on stage and I can tell that you love being an idol. Who cares what your dumb parents think? They sold their souls to a demon for fuck''s sake! Their opinions don''t matter at all."

    But Baekha shook her head and sighed. "I might return someday," she mused. "But not now. I want to enjoy my life more. I missed out on so many things when I was at that mansion. Now that I''m back with Jisoo sis and finally have stability, I want to see if I can do new things. I want to be a normal person. It''s bad enough that Jisoo sis is using up her savings to send me to Dalton and I''m grateful for it. So I should do my duty towards her and help her as much as possible."

    "What are you going to do?"

    Baekha was subconsciously stroking Miyoo''s hair, thinking.

    "I''ll start doing frence software development," she finally said. "I''m good with technology. I had to learn in order to work and pay off my agency training fees. I can just continue that. Also, I can ghost write songs for other idols. It''s good money."

    She shed a rare smile at him which made Minyoon blush hard. Her grey eyes were twinkling at him and he was momentarily mesmerized by them.

    Miyoo shook her head in dismay. She did not understand why adults did not express their feelings. It was obvious her brother liked Beaky. Even a kid like her knew it but Minyoon was only staring at Baekha like a puppy chasing its master.

    Baekha did not seem to notice his silly expression but was lost in her own line of thought.

    Magrod and Junho were still arguing when Jina and Hobin barged in through the front gate. They stopped arguing at once and turned to the couple.

    "Who''s that?" Magrod asked, pointing at the ghost next to Jina. "A dead kid?"

    "Can''t you be more discreet about it?" Jina asked warily. The boy, Yisub, merely blinked at the talking Alpaca.

    "A ghost?" Junho frowned at the seemingly empty spot next to Jina. "Why is a ghost here?"

    "He died today," Hobin exined. "He...he killed himself."

    He went on to narrate the crime which took ce and how Yisub''s throat was found shed. The police were assuming that he killed himself because of some underlying issue. Upon hearing the story, Yisub instantly reacted.

    "AHHHHHHHH!" he yelled in frustration. Jina was taken aback by his reaction. Even Miyoo heard the screams and sprang out of Baekha''sp to run towards them.

    "What the-" Baekha and Minyoon muttered, following the child. Miyoo stopped in front of Yisub, studying him curiously. Yisub was yelling for apparently no reason but there was a look of frustration and anger on him.

    "No kill!" he yelled. "No kill!"

    "What happened?" Hobin asked Jina. "Is he saying something?"

    Since Hobin did not harness most of his abilities as a half-demon, he was still unable to see anything else other than demons. But even they were merely in shadow forms. ording to Magrod, he would be able to see supernatural creatures only in his demon form, something Hobin refused to activate.

    "He''s angry," Jina frowned. The boy was still screaming "No kill!"

    This made Jina suspicious.

    "You did not kill yourself?" she deduced.

    "Kill?" Baekha gasped.

    "We''ll exin to youter," Minyoon muttered.

    Yisub stopped screaming and turned to Jina. He nodded.

    "No kill," he murmured. "No Kill. Killed. Killed."

    Jina''s eyes widened, finally understanding what he was saying.

    "He said he didn''t kill himself," she revealed. "He was killed!"

 Chapter 249 - [Bonus ] Hollowed Cries (3)

    Miyoo was staring at Yisub who stared back at her. She was seated on Minyoon''sp while the rest of the family were wondering what to do with Yisub. The boy refused to go because he had something he wanted to do.

    They were all in the living room, discussing the next course of action.

    "Yisub," Jina began. "What is yourst wish?"

    "Eli," he murmured. "Eli''s...boyfriend."

    "What about her?" she asked.

    "Bad."

    "Her boyfriend is bad?" Jina frowned. "What did he do?"

    Yisub was a little slow to respond but otherwise coherent. His new state as a ghost was unsettling him but Jina was starting to calm him down and get him ustomed to his life. He was agitated because it was snack time but he could not eat anything directly.

    "At...Lance''s party. With another girl. I saw him."

    Jina was perplexed. "Didn''t you tell your sister?" she asked him.

    "I did. She didn''t listen."

    Jina turned to the others and interpreted his wish. Junho sighed at the boy.

    "But that still doesn''t exin how he died," he pointed out. "Who killed him? The boyfriend? Or the sister?"

    "The parents were home that time," Hobin replied. "If she had killed Yisub, they''d have seen."

    "Not Eli," Yisub replied. "Eli didn''t kill."

    "Who did?" Jina asked. "Who killed you?"

    "Shadow," Yisub muttered. "Laptop. Shadow came. Made me cut my throat."

    "He''s saying a shadow came out of hisptop and killed him," Jina frowned.

    "Is it a ghost?" Hobin asked. "Or a demon?"

    "Demon?" Magrod pondered. "Well, did he sign any contract with any demon?"

    Yisub shook his head. "No sign," he stated. "I don''t sign."

    "He said that he didn''t," Jina replied. ""That''s weird. Then why will a demon kill him? And if a demon killed him after a contract was fulfilled, then he''d have gone to Hell, right?"

    "Yep," Magrod said. "His ass would have been swooped to Hell alright. But I don''t think he signed a contract."

    "What if someone else signed the contract?" Hobin pointed out. Everyone turned to look at him.

    "All this time, we''ve been assuming only the contract maker goes to Hell," he reasoned. "But what about the content of the contract? It is possible for the contract maker to demand to kill someone else, right? Then the demon will simply kill them and fulfill the contract. Once the time period has psed, the contract maker will go to Hell. That''s possible, right?"

    He turned to Magrod who nodded. "Possible," Magrod said. "Definitely possible. As I said. The contract allows everything except changing a human''s will."

    "We''ll have to find the contract maker then," Junho said. "Once that''s done, we''ll be able to send off Yisub''s spirit."

    Jina felt bad for the boy who was trying to protect his sister. Who could have done this to him? The sister''s boyfriend?

    "Where is her boyfriend?" she asked him.

    "Dalton," Yisub revealed. "Yeon Myungsoo."

    "Yeon Myungsooбн" Jina trailed off

    "Yeon Myungsoo?" Yoonmin frowned. "That guy?"

    "You know him?" Hobin asked.

    "I do! He was one of the pests who was trying to date Soobin when she was single. I had to chase him away from her!"

    "I heard he''s dating some girl from a public school," Soobin said. "But he keeps on flirting with other girls."

    "How the hell did he make a contract?" Minyoon wondered.

    "How is a contract signed?" Baekha asked curiously. "My parents had to do some kind of spell. I don''t know the details but the shaman did it. How?"

    "It''s not so simple," Magrod replied. "There''s an object used to create the spell. In your brother''s case, it was the hyacinths. Using that, the spell was cast and he was summoned. It doesn''t always have to be something close to the demon''s human counterpart. Could be anything. Once the spell is cast, anyone can sign the contract."

    "We''ll keep an eye on Eli for now," Jina promised Yisub. "But you have to understand that if she wants that guy, there''s nothing you can do."

    Yisub looked sad at those words. He wanted to protect his sister from that bad boy but she was not going to listen to him at all. A soft hand patted his cheek.

    "Yiyi, don''t cry," Miyoo mumbled.

    "Are we babysitting another ghost?" Yoonmin asked.

    "Well, he is mildly autistic," Hobin stated. "He needs somewhere to stay and can be safe."

    Hearing that Junho and the twins looked at each other. They might love money but they were not heartless enough to let an autistic person stay out in the streets even if they were a ghost.

    "Ugh! My heart is too soft!" Junho growled. "He can stay."

    As if sensing the old man''s generosity, Yisub stood up and bowed in respect.

    "I...I will not...give you any worries!" he said in an awkward but sincere way. "Mr. Hwang!"

    "He''s paying you respect," Jina told her grandfather. "Even bowed to you."

    "Ehh...okay."

    Junho was a little touched by the ghost''s polite gesture and smiled at him. Even Magrod was impressed by the boy.

    "Seems like some humans know politeness after all!" he imed. "Boy, call me Lord Magrod."

    "L-Lord Magrod."

    "Stop teaching him weird stuff!" Baekha snapped at Magrod.

    "Yeah, you''re Maggie!" Soobin snickered.

    "Maggie!" Miyoo eximed.

    "Huh? Who the hell are you calling Maggie? MAGROD!"

    Yisub watched in confusion as the weird family began to argue for no reason but he sensed that they were all very close. Jina kept on ncing at her twin brothers, wanting to talk to them.

    "Minyoon and Yoonmin," she called them. "I need to talk to you two."

    The twins shrugged and followed her to the balcony. Once outside, she turned to them. Her serious expression startled them.

    "I want you two to promise me one thing," she said.

    "What is it, sis?" Minyoon asked. "Did we do something?"

    "I got a driver''s license now!" Yoonmin imed. "I''m not driving illegally anymore!"

    "No, not thatбн"

    She took a deep breath and said, "When I saw Yisub''s...dead body today, I was scared. I know you two would never think of harming yourselves but whenever I see a young person die like that, I panic and imagine the two of you in that state. It''s silly, I know. But the fears won''t go away. Just promise me that you won''t think of doing something like that!"

    "Huh?"

    The twins stared at her in dismay.

    "I wanna die on arge bed, surrounded by at least thirty grandkids!" Minyoon eximed. "I have a n of having ten kids with my future wife! And I''ll make music all my life to earn a lot of money. I have no intention to harm myself. I''ll make a castle for my wife where we''ll live in peace and have babies. Lot''s of them! All daughters!"

    "What a silly dream," Yoonmin yawned. "I''ll be earning at least ten billion a month so that I can take my wife and travel all over the world with her. I''ll have exactly eleven kids, enough to make a Football team and make them y Football for different countries. That way, they''ll bring me money. As for Soobin, I''ll make a hospital for her so that she can treat patients there. If I see any of her admirers, I''ll make sure they pay double the charge! My future is too packed. No time to think of killing myself."

    They tried to lighten up the mood but in reality, they were reassuring their sister that they would not do anything which would hurt their loved ones. Especially not their sister.

    Jina burst into tears and pulled them both into arge hug.

    "Ow!" the twins yelled when their heads bumped together in the hug but Jina''s sobs made them sigh.

    "Sis, you can be a crybaby at times," Yoonmin said.

    "Yeah, it ruins my tough image!" Minyoonined. "We''re Hwang''s. We don''t cry!"

    "We make others cry."

    "Shut it!" Jinaughed in between her tears. "I just want to hug my baby brothers."

    "We''re not babies!" They protested but hugged their sister.

    "Make sure to call mom and dad today!" She ordered them. "And tell them that you guys love them!"

    "Who wants to love that money loving geezer?" Minyoon joked. "He onlyins that we don''t make as much money as him!"

    "And he keeps on bugging me for financial reports to make sure that I can take care of Soobin when we get married after ten years," Yoonmin scowled. "Annoying!"

    Jinaughed and hugged them tighter.

    "I love you guys so much," she sniffed.

    "I love myself too," Minyoon nodded.

    "I love my profit reports more," Yoonmin said.

    Their attempts at jokes earned them a well deserved boxing of ears by their sister.

    "Ow ow ow ow!" the twins yelled. "We love you too! We swear!"

 Chapter 250 - Hollowed Cries (4)

    Jiwoon had entered the police station after moving in her furniture at her home. She noticed that their team was unusually quiet.

    "What happened?" She asked them. "Are you guys alright?"

    "We''re a little depressed," Woohee replied. Jiwoon nced at Dahoon and Jaebum who were also very disturbed by an issue.

    "An autistic teenager killed himself," Dahoon said. "Today at the Capital. We saw his body and it was in bad shape."

    "Man, I can''t forget the way his mother was crying," Jaebum murmured in a thick tone. "She was distraught."

    Jiwoon''s heart was also agitated upon hearing that. She sat on her chair, feeling gloomy.

    "Is there any reason he did that?" she asked them.

    "We don''t know," Woohee said. "There was no suicide note."

    Even though deaths were a regr urrence in their jobs, the death of a child was still the hardest thing to witness. Moreover, the child was autistic which only made it more tragic.

    "I brought hisptop back," Dahoon said. "Maybe it''ll have a clue."

    "Did you check his browser history?" Jiwoon asked. "What was thest webpage he visited?"

    "I''m trying to refresh it," Dahoon muttered as he clicked on the refresh button repeatedly. "But it''s not working."

    The webpage only showed an error message. "Which site is this?" Woohee asked.

    "Blue fish?" Jaebum said, reading the name of the website. "Bluefish? That''s the website?"

    "What the hell is that? Was he buying fish online?" Woohee asked. Jiwoon was frowning a little. Blue fish...why did it sound familiar?

    "Where''s our boss?" She asked.

    "She went home after sending the body to the morgue," Woohee said. "Her shift ended for the day."

    Jiwoon nodded and returned to her desk, deep in worry. Why did that blue fish phrase sound so familiar? She racked her brain but there was no answer. She tried to enter the website from her ownptop but to no avail. The webpage only showed an error.

    "I''ll have to tryter," she muttered. It was silly but she could not shake off the feeling that she heard this webpage''s name before. But where?

    бн

    Jina was quiet all throughout the ride. Hobin kept on ncing at her, worried that she might be feeling sick. She was upset over the death of the child and also scared. No matter how much she tried to hide it, her feelings were too obvious.

    "Don''t worry," he reassured her. "We''ll find his murderer."

    "I know," she said. "It''s just that he was so young and didn''t deserve this. I''m sorry, I can''t shake off the fear."

    "I know," Hobin sighed. "Deaths of children hit the hardest."

    He pulled up in front of their apartment building and turned to her. She smiled slightly at him, d for his presence. Her heart was at ease with him around and she needed his warm presence. Hobin patted her head.

    "I like it when my Tinkerbell smiles a lot," he winked. Jina pouted like Maggie did whenever someone called them by ridiculous nicknames.

    They got out of the car and slowly headed for their apartments. Hobin was about to enter his house when Jina spoke up.

    "Can I stay with you for a while longer?" she asked in a small tone. "I don''t feel like being alone tonight."

    "Sure," he said, opening the door for her. Jina was d that he did not send her away. She was nning to stay only for a while, letting her fears assuage. Sitting on the bed sheid her head on the headrest.

    "Want some coffee?" he offered.

    "Yes please!"

    Hobin nodded and within a few minutes, two steaming hot cups of coffee were put on the table in front of her. Jina took her cup in her hands and took a sip. She felt a little more rxed now. Hobin sat next to her,zily drinking his own coffee.

    "I wonder who would go to the lengths of killing that boy," she murmured. "He was so young and innocent."

    "Many people turn into heartless monsters," Hobin said. "Remember the Cho''s? They summoned a demon from Hell all for what? An heir they didn''t even get. Look at their state now."

    She nodded and took another sip. "Thanks," she said. "For being with me. I really needed to gather my feelings for this particr case. I guess, it''s because the boy reminded me of my brothers and this stupid fear for their lives entered my head. What if they do something like this one day?"

    "Lemm guess, they said that they are too busy earning money to even think of something like that," Hobin stated.

    "More like they''re more busy nning a long life with their girlfriends," Jina chuckled. "I''m d. They know what they want to do and are not unapologetic about it. Those two can survive anything, I guess."

    "You didn''t know?"

    Jina snickered. Hobin was right. Her twin brothers were indeed a rare species who loved to live their lives to the full in their own crazy way. Hobin ruffled her hair.

    "Don''t worry Tinkerbell," he winked. "If those two try to do anything like harming themselves, I''ll be there to straighten their heads out. After all, I''m a Psychiatrist."

    "Tch! Showoff!" she muttered. "And enough with the nickname! Why do you always keep calling me Tinkerbell? Is it the height? I''m short but very feisty! I can take down any guy I want!"

    "Heh?" Hobinughed. "I know that!"

    How many times had he seen her chase criminals and ghosts to tackle them down with her brute strength? He lost count.

    "I call you Tinkerbell because you look like one," he teased "Cute and kinda sexy."

    "Kinda?" Jina questioned him. "Kinda sexy? I''m very sexy! You were staring at me like a lovelorn pet when I wore that green dress to the party a few months ago!"

    "You did look like a real life Tinkerbell that time," Hobin agreed, putting down his cup. "Green suits you. Tinkerbell!"

    Before Jina could react, he suddenly leaned over and kissed her. Jina was taken aback when his lips touched hers. She closed her eyes, giggling as their lips moved together slowly. His tongue was brushing against hers, tracking her while her lips gently nibbled his. The musky scent oozed out of him and she was engulfed by it, her sensespletely numb. He groaned when her kiss turned a little bolder and he cupped her face with his hands, pulling her even closerбн

    The coffee spilled on Jina''s shirt and she yelped, pulling back from the kiss.

    "Oh!" She was flustered whether by the kiss or by the coffee spill, she did not know. Her face was red while Hobin was silent.

    "I-I''ll go back home," she muttered. Her heart was disappointed by the interruption and she was hoping that their kiss would go on, maybe turn a little more than that. But fate always seemed to y a cruel twist whenever they were together.

    Hobin was quiet when she walked past him towards the door. She was almost about to leave when he spoke up.

    "You know, you can just take a bath here," he said. "Wear my shirt for now. You can just change into your clothester when you head back home."

    Jina was slightly confused. "I live just down that hall!" she frowned. "I can just go back home now and change. Why should I wear your shirt?"

    Hobin sighed. His Tinkerbell was smart in many ways but when it came to romance, she was really naive. Jina watched as he stood up and approached her. He was unbuttoning the first few buttons of the white shirt he was wearing which made her gulp. There was something really alluring the way he was walking towards her, with his messy auburn hair andrge frame.

    He was standing close to her and leaned down, their faces only inches apart. Jina blushed, her cheeks as red as tomatoes when his musky scent hit her nostrils again. Hobin slightly grinned at the effect he had on her.

    "What ifбн" he began. "You stay here and don''t wear anything tonight? That''ll solve the problem, right?"

    Hic!

    Jina hupped, feeling nervous. Stay all night? Not wearing anything?

    She lowered her head, blushing hard. Stay over with him? Her heart was fluttering at the thought and she waspletely dazed. Hobin smirked and stroked her cheek. She was so shy that he felt as if he was cornering a prey.

    This is fun, he thought. He leaned in closer and whispered, "Warning. I won''t let you sleep all night."

    Hic!

    Jina hupped again at his words. Strangely, she did not mind his seduction as long as it was only for her.

    "I...Iбн" she stammered.

    "Think about it, Tinkerbell," he whispered. He winked and looked straight into her eyes. Jina was blushing hard, her heart almost exploding.

    "I...I...I need to use the bathroom!" she squeaked and pushed him away before running into the bathroom. Hobin grinned, his own heart very eager for the night. She shut the door but her cute expressions were too much to handle for him.

    "I guess she needs her space," he sighed. As soon as he said those words, the door flung open and a shy voice came from behind it.

    "Umm...You can join me if you want," she said in a small voice. "It...it saves the water bill to bathe together!"

    Hobin was taken aback at her words but it made sense.. He smiled and entered the bathroom to join her.

 Chapter 251 - Seduced By The Demon**

    Jina did not know what came over her when she made that bold statement but the words were already out of her mouth. She was blushing hard when Hobin locked the door and turned towards her, his dark eyes filled with longing. Her heart was pounding against her chest, blood humming in her ears. The atmosphere was suddenly overwhelming and she was fidgeting like a shy bunny.

    Hobin grinned and reached out his hand to put a strand of her long hair behind her ear. Jina was still red in the face when his fingers slightly brushed against her skin, lovingly stroking it.

    "Why are you looking away?" he whispered, not moving his eyes off her.

    "I''m...shy," she admitted. "Also, I''m very nervous."

    "Nervous?" he chuckled. "You? I thought you weren''t scared of anything."

    "I am scared of you," she mumbled, pouting a little. "Because you''re always teasing me!"

    "How?"

    He leaned forward, gently kissing her jaw. Jina inhaled sharply, feeling his light kisses against her skin. Her senses were mellowed by his kisses and she was too dazed to think of anything else. She slowly backed against the wall, a fierce fire of yearning burning in her body. Hobin was totally focused on her, breathing in her sweet apple scent as he tasted her essence with his tongue, trailing his kisses down to her earlobe.

    Jina wrapped her hands around him, her fingers tangling his auburn hair. Her body was highly sensitive and when he licked her earlobe, she gasped in slight pleasure. His lips kept on attacking her there, finding a soft spot which made her moans even louder.

    Hobin''s fingers were moving over her slender curves, reaching for her shirt. He flicked open the buttons in a slow and sensual motion, wickedly brushing her soft skin as he did so.

    Jina was lost in the sensation of his bold caresses and vaguely registered that he took off her shirt. But his lips were making her too frenzied and she was lost in the sensation. Hobin''s tongue ran over her wless skin, his husky voice whispering to her.

    "Do you want me to continue?" he murmured, nibbling her neck.

    "Ah!" she moaned. "Yes!"

    He took bold possession of her and was buried in her neck, leaving hickeys all over it. She felt his hands explore her bare skin, sending ticklish sensations down her body. She reached for his shirt and unbuttoned it, letting it fall off. They were standing topless in the bathroom, lost in a frenzied ecstasy.

    There was a tearing sound and Jina''s bra was yanked off. She barely had time to breathe or even register that she waspletely bare in front of him when Hobin swooped down and attacked her plump breast with his mouth.

    "Oh my godбн" she mewled when he flicked her nipple with his tongue, pulling it gently. He had waited for so long to im his Tinkerbell and now his pent up feelings were bursting out. His movements were rougher and more demanding, sending Jina into an unknown realm of pleasure. He sucked on her breast, ravaging it in his delight. She was moaning uncontrobly, heaving her chest forward to let him taste it more.

    Hobin was tasting her as if he had been starving for days, filling every part of her skin with his marks. He was taking in her supple skin while his hand kneaded her other breast.

    Jina was now moving with him, her body synchronized with his movements. She arched her back, feeling his lips and hands which were feeling every inch of her body. His skillful fingers were fondling her breasts, finding the soft spots which made her cry out in ecstasy.

    "Jinaбн" he whispered her name as he sucked on her other breast. He was tainting her with his love bites, reeling in the delight of finally being with the love of his life.

    Everything that happened and they went through was exploding in that one single moment. The many lifetimes of pain and suffering they went through was nothingpared to this bliss. He wanted to be one with her, possess her and never let her go. This woman was the only one who could make him lose control like this and he was lost in her, pleasuring her in every way he could. His entire life was devoted to her and her only. Whether in the previous birth, this birth or the next, he was only going to love her.

    Jina was moaning loudly. His raging lust was pulling her towards him, drowning her in it. She felt ripples of pleasure run through her veins and she was no longer shy. What was there to be shy about? This raw desire for each other...it felt so right.

    She was gasping and panting as he savored her breasts, beguiling them with his hickeys. Her porcin skin was full of his love bites, showing his im on her body and heart. Jina''s hands slipped to her pants and while he kept on pleasuring her, she slipped off her pants and panties.

    Hobin, realizing that she was naked, stopped his actions and stared at her in awe. Jina blushed hard as she stood there,pletely nude while his eyes drank in her beauty. In his eyes, she was like a fairy who hade to Earth only for him.

    Her skin was shining under the light, glistening with sweat while her once wless skin was showing off his wicked bites.

    "Why are you looking at me like that?" She whispered in a husky tone. Unlike her usually bold demeanor, she let her guard down around him and was now a sultry vixen who was enticing him.

    "I might have to hide you," he sighed. "I knew you were sexy but now I''ve realized that you''re drop dead gorgeous!"

    He grinned at her beetroot face and Jina slightly pouted at his shamelessness. But Hobin did not care. He swooped her into a fierce kiss, smashing their lips together. They were panting and sweating in their lustful heat while their mouths moved against each other, fighting for dominance. His fingers were rubbing up and down her thigh, sending shivers of ecstasy down her spine. Jina, still kissing him, parted her legs to give him more ess to her most private parts. Hobin attacked her lips mercilessly, his sinewy hands still stroking the silken length of her legs. Jina was impatient and groaned against his lips as she waited for him to do something more but he was teasing her.

    His fingers were massaging her thighs, moving close to her clit but he deliberately did not touch her there. He kept on stroking her legs, making her frustrated down there. But Jina could not protest because his lips were iming hers in a passionate rage, not letting go.

    "Mmmmmpfh!" she moaned loudly when he suddenly stroked her clit. It was for a brief moment but she was shocked by the jolt of pleasure she felt.

    Then he stroked her clit again. And again. And again.

    His silky fingers were rubbing her in slow and light brushes, letting her clit feel their touch.

    "Ahh...Hobin...Iбн" Jina whispered incoherently when his fingers caressed her clit, this time faster and rougher. She was panting with him, his naughty fingers working wonders on her honeypot. Hobin was feeling her, pinching and massaging her clit. She was soft and ticklish down there and he teased her further by quickening his pace.

    Jina, in her stupor, grabbed his pants and unbuttoned them. Hobin paused for a moment to take off his pants and underwear. Jina''s eyes widened in wonder as she took in hispletely naked body.

    He stood there, looking like the Greek god Adonis. Amidst her lustful state, she was gawking at his hard muscles and taut abs which he had been hiding behind those clothes. But she was even more shocked at his member which sprung out of his pants. He was well endowed down there to the point that she could see the veins on his long and thick shaft.

    She blushed even harder at seeing it but inwardly anticipated what was going to happen next. As if reading her mind, Hobin stepped towards her again and this time, carried her in his arms. Jina was too wobbly to walk anyways so she let him carry her to the shower space.

    Once they were encased within the shower chamber, Hobin grinned at her.

    "What are you thinking about?" he asked her, his seductive voice ringing in her ears like a devil trapping its prey.

    "I''m thinking how I want you to make wild love to me all night long," she whispered back. Hobin was surprised by her dirty talk. Before he could reply, she slightly pulled him down and began tounch her own attack on his skin. Her soft lips moved down his neck, now tainting him with her love bites while her hands ran down his sturdy body, touching it to her heart''s content.

    Hobin wrapped her in his arms, enjoying her sweet attack on him.. He slowly turned on the shower and let the water fall on them while they drenched in their lustful stupor.

 Chapter 252 - Seduced By The Demon**

    Her soft lips traveled down his neck. She was too short to reach his jawline so he grabbed her waist and hoisted her up, wrapping her legs around his torso. Jina took a sharp breath when she felt his rod poking her, making her blush. She leaned over to nibble along his jawline, leaving little bites alone his taut skin.

    Hobin held her close, feeling her body against his. The water had drenched both of them while steam flew all around the small shower encasing, fogging the ss. He felt her lips trailing all over his jaw and neck, her fierce yearning making his groan. The desire in them was inextinguishable and he was buried in her neck, licking her soft spot. His rod was almost at her entrance, only poking her to incite low moans from her.

    They were wet in the shower but the water could not cool off the hot desires ignited in them. Hobin pushed her against the wall and let her down to cage her between his strong arms. Jina''s chocte eyes were looking at him with a longing but he was teasing her again.

    "Let mether you," he said in a husky voice.

    Jina did not say anything but slowly nodded. He grabbed a shower gel and squeezed some of it on his palms. Rubbing them together, he turned her around. Jina felt hisrge frame looming behind her and she was blushing when his warm breath touched her wet skin.

    He parted her hair to the side and pecked the back of her neck. Jina felt his fingers gentlythering her back, moving slowly and sensually on her skin. She groaned, her eyes closed as she felt his magical fingers on her body. He felt her rx under his touch and he slowly rubbed soap on her skin which was now beguiled with his love bites and marks.

    Smirking, he slid his fingers to her front, almost hugging her from the back.

    "Ahhбн" she moaned when his fingers began to rub slow circles on her breasts. His hands cupped each of her buns, kneading them with utmost care. He felt her tender breasts which were enticing him to ravage her more. Jina leaned against him for support as he squeezed her breasts, making her nipples perky. She was lost in his slow torture, enjoying every of his sinful moves. Her fingers ran along his thigh to his waist. She moved her hand until she found the length of his member.

    "Do whatever you want, Tinkerbell," he whispered in her ear. "I don''t mind being tainted by you."

    Jina grinned and craned her neck. She met his lips in a slow kiss, sparking their fervor even more. While he yed with her buns, her hand was stroking his rod. Her touches were making him harder and his erection rose higher. Jina smirked against his lips, caressing his balls with her fingers while he felt her softness with his hands. They were tasting each other, feeling their most private parts while the heat of their passion unfurled.

    Her movements on his rod were not faster and smoother. She fondled his balls, making him groan and deepened their kiss even more. His lips assaulted hers, almost devouring them while her hand was jerking him. Hobin''s orgasm was at its max and soon, Jina felt him shudder. Her fingers were filled with the onught of his raw desire and she paused their kiss for a moment to wink at him.

    "Oh you''re a naughty one," he whispered. Jina only grinned but he was also ready to attack her until she screamed out his name loud with ecstasy.

    He turned off the shower. For a few moments, they were just panting and staring at each other as if challenging the other one to make the first move. Hobin opened the door and grabbed a couple of towels. He used one to dry Jina''s wet hair. Their desires were still intact but Hobin held himself back from savoring her on the spot. It was their first time and he wanted to give her a pleasant experience in the bedroom, not in a small bathroom.

    Jina let him rub her skin, not saying a word but rather anticipating what was going toe next. She was simply enjoying his tenderness, her eyes observing him. When he was done, she took the towel from his hands.

    "Let me," she whispered. Hobin did not protest but smiled and let her rub his hair dry. Jina stood close to him, deliberately pressing her chest against his to make him feel her softness. Hobin was amused by her seduction which was clearly working but he let her have her fun. She gently rubbed his neck, trailing down to his abs. Jina pressed on them through the towel, feeling them to her heart''s desire. Her eyes darted to his erection which was now evenrger, standing proud.

    She slowly bent to dry up *that* area but her desires hadpletely engulfed her and seeing his manhood desire her was making butterflies flutter in her stomach. Hobin did not stop her but simply waited for what she was going to do.

    Without much thought, Jina slowly took it in her mouth.

    "I didn''t know Tinkerbell was that bold!" he groaned in pleasure.

    She winked at him as if to say that he had seen nothing and started to taste him. Her mouth moved down with each stroke, trying to take his whole length into her but it was nearly impossible without gagging. Hobin held the back of her head and gently thrust into her mouth, feeling her warm lips around his rod. The raw lust oveing them was culminating into something more than simple desire and they were letting their feelings run wild.

    Jina increased her movements, bobbing her head up and down to taste every bit of him. Her fingers were ying with his hardened balls again while his cries of ecstasy were sheer music. She licked his shaft with her tongue moving to his balls to taste them while Hobin let out a slew of curses.

    "Fuck, Tinkerbell you''ll be the end of me!" he growled.

    "I know," she giggled and kept on attacking his rod with her mouth. He was shaking in desire and wanted to bend her over to fuck her raw on the spot but his little midget was pleasuring him in ways he never thought was possible. Jina licked and stroked him, forcing his pent up desire to explode again. She was close to making him explode when he suddenly swooped down and threw her over his shoulder.

    "Hey!" she weakly protested as he led her to the bedroom.

    "What?"

    "I wasn''t done!"

    "You''ll get plenty of it once I''m done with you," he said in his seductive tone which made Jina blush even harder.

    He threw her on the bed. She slowly backed off, looking directly at him as if challenging him toe to her. Hobin stood there, watching his hungry lioness. There was something immensely exotic about seeing Jina lying naked on his bed. Her doe-like eyes were full of longing and lust while her skin shone like pearls. The red marks on her body were showing off that she was his and he was hers. Her parted legs were exposing herdy parts, soft and pink. He was going to im her and let her im him without any interruptions that night.

    "What are you looking at?" she asked in her husky tone.

    "Just looking at my Tinkerbell and how I''m going to fuck her all night long," he winked.

    "Then what''s stopping you?"

    Those words broke his restraints and he instantly swooped in between her thighs. Jina plopped against the pillow, feeling his lips kissing and licking her thighs. She giggled when he touched a ticklish spot on her thigh, stroking it. His fingers moved to her clit and she let out a loud moan when he began to rub it.

    "Ah...faster!" she begged. She was already sore from their earlier forey and she needed him inside her but he knew that she was still not ready. Hobin trailed his kisses down her thigh while his fingers rubbed her clit, pinching it. Jina hissed in pleasure, feeling his touches on herdy parts. He was teasing her hole, slightly entering his finger and rubbing it to make her moan. The little jolts of pleasure were hitting her hard and she parted her legs more.

    Hobin moved his lips to her clit and licked it. Jina thrashed on the bed, her fingers clutching the bed sheet. She was panting hard and slightly raised her head to find Hobin lost in her feminine portal. The sight of him in between her legs only enhanced her lust and she was absorbed in the heat. He was tasting her sweet essence, plucking his kisses on her core. He blew into her hole, sending her into a renewed frenzy.

    Jina''s hips moved against his mouth, her body now sweaty because of the passionate heat she was feeling. His soft tongue caressed her and when it entered her hole, she cried out his name in ecstasy.

    "Hobinбн" she moaned. She was crying out his name which only made his movements bolder. Her scent was tormenting him and he savored her. Her muscles were shuddering under his licks and he knew that she was close. Still licking her insides, he inserted his finger into her.

    "More!" she panted and nearly fainted in pleasure when heunched his double attack on her.

    Her whole body was on fire as he yed with her clit, squeezing out all her juices. It was as if stars exploded in front of her and she arched her back in delight when she orgasmed. Hobin licked up her juices, kissing her down there before moving up.

    He hovered above her, pinning her underneath him. Jina wrapped her arms around his neck, silently begging him to make love to her.

    "Ready Tinkerbell?" he winked.

    "Yes! Just enter already!"

    He chuckled at her boldness and swooped her into a fiery kiss while he positioned his member in between her thighs. Jina felt him poking her hole, slowly entering her.

    "Ah!" she cried in pain when hepletely entered her.

 Chapter 253 - Seduced By The Demon (3)**

    "Ah!" she cried in pain when hepletely entered her.

    "You okay?" Hobin asked. Jina took a few deep breaths, trying to adjust to him.

    "I-I think so!" she squeaked. She knew it hurt but did not expect that much pain? Hobin kissed along her neck to distract her, sending jolts of small pleasure down her spine.

    "Wrap your legs around my waist," he advised in a gentle tone. Jina nodded and obeyed him.

    "Now rx," he assured her, still kissing along her neck. Slowly, he began to move against her, thrusting in and out. Jina felt a little bit of more pain but it was soon reced with another surge of pleasure as his movement picked up. She let out low, sultry mewls which ignited and engorged him. Hobin felt her warm walls squeezing around him, greedily sucking in his length as he sped up his movements.

    "Ahhh...ahhhбн" Jina groaned. Her eyes were alight with desire, their naked bodies molted together in that intimate position. He could feel her softness underneath him which incited his deepest desires. Her every moan made him want to possess every bit of her and keep making love to her all night long.

    Jina was lost in the narcotic power of his love. His luscious lips were attacking all parts of her skin while he entangled her in a web of lust and love. She matched his rhythm, feeling him hit her erotic spot as he rammed into her. Her body was taking him in, letting him prate deeper and deeper. They were wet with sweat and pleasure, their passionate tide overtaking all sense of reasoning.

    Hobin groaned and whispered into her ears.

    "Tinkerbell, you''re going to be the death of me," he murmured against her ear, licking her earlobe while his rod kept on ramming into her.

    "Why...Ahh?" she gasped when he repeatedly hit her g-spot.

    "Because you''re just too darn sexy and that makes me want to fuck you at every chance I can get."

    Jina giggled at his dirty talk, her already red face bing even redder. Who knew the demon could say things like that?

    In response, shended a fiery kiss on him. He felt her luscious lips attack his, smashing them together. They were fighting to take over the kiss while tasting each other''s essences, not letting go at all. He moved in and out of her, their hips moving in unison. She was entangled with his body, pulling him in deeper. Their bodies were on fire as they prolonged their pleasure.

    He rained kisses down her skin, driving their hips together. Pinning her wrists to her side, he kept on attacking her sweet spots,unching multiple attacks of pleasure in her body. Jina moaned incoherently, overwhelmed by the lust he ignited in her.

    Hobin picked up his rhythm, ramming hard into her while she silently begged for more. For Jina, this was pleasure she had never imagined. Or maybe it felt even better because she was in love with him.

    Their eyes met as they felt their insides reaching their climaxes. She blushed at his intense gaze but did not look away. Her whole body and heart epted him as if it was the only natural thing to do. He was iming every bit of her in a way she had never thought anyone could but it was not a bad feeling.

    Hobin was looking at his little midget who did not know the power she had over him. He loved everything about her. Her strong will, her charisma, her wit. This woman had taken control of all his senses and will but she did not even know it. He leaned over and softly kissed her, nuzzling her jaw. Jina wanted to touch him but her strong hands had trapped hers while she was on a slow ride of delight.

    Their hormones percted, the room echoing with their moans. His erection bumped into her, taking her on a lustful bliss. She quivered under him, feeling the warmth flowing out of her. Jina arched her back, letting out a loud moan as her walls squeezed him tighter, climaxing hard.

    Hobin did not stop but kept on pounding into her until his rod shook inside her and soon, he too came. Jina felt his hot desire flow into her womb and they were gasping together in ragged, shallow breaths. Thankfully, Jina was on birth control pills which she had started to take ever since they started dating.

    "Are you alright?" he asked her. Jina pecked him on the lips in response.

    "I''m fine," she whispered. "That was...intense."

    She blushed as she said that. Her heart was beating wildly and she was on an adrenaline rush. Her body was sated in a way it had never been and it was all thanks to this man.

    Hobin gently pulled out of her and held her in his arms. He did not attempt to make love to her again but simply hugged her tight, asionally kissing her neck. Theyy like that, holding each other and cuddling. Hobin pulled a nket on their naked bodies and turned on the heater.

    Jina purred in his arms, rxed and calm.

    "What are you thinking about?" she asked softly when she noticed that he looked a little lost.

    "I''m thinking what Doctor Alex will say once we find him," he admitted. Even though Hobin tried not to think about it too much, he could not help but wonder if the psychiatrist knew something about him that others did not.

    Jina kissed his chest and said, "I''m sure it''ll be fine. We''ll find him and also make him answer our questions."

    "But, that thing inside me is bing restless," he murmured. "And out of control."

    Even though Maggie had told him that controlling a demon was possible, he did not specify how Wang Daesung had harnessed his demon energy without giving in to the demon. Maggie did not know it himself but had mentioned that only a human who was part demon like Hobin could do it. Possessed humans were not able to control demons because their minds and bodies were too weak to do so.

    Jina plopped herself on her arm. Holding his cheek, she made him face her.

    "We''ll keep that demon at bay, alright?" She assured him. "He can''t take over you as long as we''re together. I can feel it."

    She was right. If there was one thing the demon could not do, was hurt Jina because Hobin knew that he was also in love with her. Or more specifically, Chun Ailee.

    He gazed at her beautiful face and smiled at her. Stroking her cheek, he could not help but think of the sheer amount of miracles they had gone through. Jina had no idea that they were bound together through multiple births, their story transcending time and logic.

    "Hey Tinkerbell," he softly murmured. "If someone like Sungki could retain his obsession after death, is it possible for someone to defy death for love?"

    "What do you mean?" she slightly frowned.

    "Nothing," he smiled and kissed her forehead. Jina was confused but too tired to think of anything else. She settled in his arms, feeling very sleepy.

    "Sleep well, Tinkerbell," he whispered into her ear, kissing her cheek.

    "You too, Doctor Demon," she murmured sleepily. Hobin stroked her head as she fell asleep, drifting into blissful oblivion. He watched over her as she slept peacefully in his arms.

    Should I tell her about my connection to Shinho? He wondered. Or will it be too much?

    He held her close, hearing her slow, shallow breaths. Watching her in peace only made his heart flutter with happiness but he knew that the happiness was not going tost once all the mysteries of their past unraveled themselves.

    Then he shook off those thoughts. We''ll deal with them when the time arrives, he decided. Clutching her close, he also fell asleep thinking of nothing else other than the woman in his arms.

    бн.

    Somewhere in the city, a boy was sitting in front of theptop. Twenty four hours had passed since he lost his virginity to that gorgeous girl and he was craving her again. He was restless and impatient as he counted the seconds to midnight. The webpage was open in front of him but showed an error. Last night, it was active exactly at midnight.

    "Come on!" he muttered impatiently. His parents were downstairs, sleeping. But that did not matter. He could take the girl in the bathroom and bang her there. The thought of her silky and soft body made him ache.

    A cold wind swept by but he did not care about it. He wanted the girl. It was only seconds to midnight. Three...two...oneбн

    Ding! Ding!

    The clock struck twelve and he instantly pressed the refresh button.

    "Come on," he muttered. "Come on!"

    The web page was loading when suddenly, his screen went nk. The boy was aghast.

    "Stupid shit!" he cursed as he pressed buttons but to no avail. "What the fu-"

    He froze mid-sentence. Something was appearing on the screen. He stared as a new picture came on it and he froze.

    "W-w-w-what the fuck?" he stammered in fear.

    Inside the screen was a shot of his own room, showing him in front of theptop with a confused and scared expression. But that was not all. Behind him, was the silhouette of a girl in a white dress. She had long dark hair with a reddish hue around her.

    Someone was behind him! She was standing there but he did not dare to look back. He was suddenly gripped with a sense of fear as if looking at her was going to be deadly.

    What nonsense? He thought to himself. It must be the girl fromst night!

    But she was naked that time. Why is she clothed now?

    Gulping hard, he slowly looked around and faced her. For a moment, he froze in shock.

    "AHHHHHHHHHHH!"

 Chapter 254 - A Corridor

    The corridor was engulfed in a deathly silence which chilled his spine. There was no one in sight but the quiet world was unsettling him more than itsck of people. He took a sharp breath, his foggy breath visible in the deste corridor which was haunting him. Taking one step, he tried to find a source of sound. Any sound.

    "Hello?" he called out.

    His voice did not echo but stayed in one ce as if trapped. He looked around but was not sure what he was supposed to look for. There was not a soul in sight but the strange world was overwhelming him. He continued to walk along the corridor but it seemed to be endless. There was nothing ahead but a pitch ck darkness which was inviting him to its midst.

    "Urr...ehhh...urбн"

    Startled, he turned around and was shocked to see a strange creature crawling on the floor. It was like a spider but to his horror, the limbs were made of human hands. The creature had thousands of eyes which were sewed shut and a mouth which made the croaking noise. It did not face him but slowly dragged itself across the floor as if in immense pain. He knew that the creature did not feel the pain because it was a Mindless. They did not feel pain.

    He continued down the path, following the creature. Even if it was a hideous sight, the creature was the only thing in sight and he was d to have at least something in that deafening world which was making noises.

    "Looks like you''re trapped in here forever, huh?" he muttered.

    The creature did not pay heed to him but kept on crawling. They were now in another corridor which had several doors on each side which looked like apartmentplexes. He slightly frowned.

    Why did this ce look familiar?

    "Urrrбн" the creature croaked. It had stopped and seemed to have sensed something. He also paused in his steps as he felt the atmosphere thicken with a cold fog which was slowly creeping up on them. A white mist was curtaining their view and a dark figure was slowly appearing in front of him.

    He did not move nor did he react but his heart was gripped by a dread. Time had stopped at that moment while the world around him had gone even quieter.

    The figure was moving towards him. It watched him carefully, as if gloating of its existence. He did not know why he was scared but his heart knew who it was.

    "Watch your back, brother," the figure chortled. It could not reach him nor touch him but it could scare him. Even in that state, it knew that it held power over him.

    "Who are you?" he asked in a hoarse tone.

    "You know who I am but you''ll never be able to find me," it said. "But I will find you. I know your weakness, Ohm Hobin and I''ming for it."

    The cold voice should have made his spine chill but his fingers clenched into a fist and the fear was ebbing under the threat the mysterious being gave him.

    "Don''t you dare hurt her!" he gritted. "I''ll-"

    Suddenly, the figure disappeared and the whole world was thrust intoplete darkness. The creature and the shadow had vanished. The ground under him slipped and he felt himself falling into an abyss.

    "AHHHHHH!" he screamed as he fell but no one could hear him. He tried to hold on to something but there was nothing to hold. Instead, he was thrust into the darkness, engulfed in its dangerous arms.

    бн

    Hobin woke up with a start. For a moment, he was blinded again and he felt as if he was back in that strange world but to his relief, it was daytime. The sun was shining brightly outside, its rays entering his apartment through the open window. He slowly sat up and tried to recall his dream but hepletely forgot what he saw. The only thing he recalled was total silence.

    "What the hell?" he muttered but shrugged off the thought. Hobin looked at the mirror beside the bed and realized that he waspletely naked. The events ofst night rushed back into his mind and he shed a dorky smile.

    He turned to his side to find Jina but she was not there. The smell of fresh waffles hit him and he could hear coffee brewing in the kitchen. Putting on a shirt and a pair of pants, he went to the kitchen.

    Jina was there, preparing breakfast while humming to herself. She was wearing the white shirt he was wearingst night and happily flipped the waffles. Her face lit into a bright smile when he hugged her from the back, holding her close.

    "Smells good," he murmured, kissing her neck.

    "Waffles are my specialty," she giggled.

    "I was talking about you."

    He kissed her blushing cheek, enjoying its rosy tint. Jina yfully hit his palm to drive him away from her. Hobin smirked and helped her to put the waffles on a couple of tes before serving them on the table. Jina was about to sit on a chair next to him but he pulled her close, making her sit on hisp instead.

    "What are you doing?" sheughed.

    "Having breakfast of course!" he said, feigning innocence.

    He held her close with his left hand and cut a piece of waffle. Picking it up with a fork, he held it in front of her. Jina, still blushing, ate it. She repeated his action, holding the waffle on a fork to feed him. He asionally stole kisses from her while they finished their breakfast in that manner.

    "And now for dessert," he murmured against her back, gently kissing her shoulder.

    "You just had waffles!"

    "Not thatбн"

    Jina giggled when she felt his naughty finger gently stroking her thighs. Her skin was already full of red marks thanks to him but he was not done with her yet. He wanted to hold her closer and keep on loving her all day long. She shuddered in his arms as his fingers slid between her legs. Hobin smirked when he felt her moist flesh underneath.

    "Commando?" He teased her.

    "I couldn''t find my panties!" She replied. He grinned and kissed her neck while she purred when his fingers began to massage her clit. Jin parted her legs even more leaning against his chest while he fondled her down there. Her breathing was shallow and ragged. She turned to her side, facing him. Their eyes were full of longing again.

    She kissed him, letting their lips slowly explore each other while he inserted one finger in her. Jina moaned against his lips as he thrusted his finger deep into her, rubbing her walls. His thumb was still rubbing her clit when he inserted another finger inside her. She gasped in pleasure, her walls squeezing around his fingers and she parted her legs even more.

    Hobin sped up his pace, thrusting his fingers in and out of her in rapid manner. His thumb rubbed her vigorously, making her shake in delight under his touch. He could feel her flesh getting wetter and he sped up.

    Jina was almost bouncing and moaning as his fingers tormented her. She grasped his arm which held her, feeling his touches. He was kissing her neck, leaving more hickeys on it. She mewled as her climax peaked again. His fingers moved faster until she arched her back and let her juices explode.

    "Ahhhбн" she gasped. If his arm was not holding her, she would have fallen off the chair but he kept her steady. Hobin pecked her plump lips several times to make her feel rxed. Jina was too weak and wobbly to walk so he carried her in his arms. She hid her face in his chest as heid her down on the bed.

    "Are you alright? Are you in pain?" he asked her. She lowered her head and slowly shook it.

    "No, just a little sore," she admitted. Hobin patted her head. He found it cute whenever she blushed like that. Who could have thought that this blushing bunny was a tough detective?

    "I''ll run a bath for you," he said. She watched as he went to the bathroom to fill up the tub. Hobin filled the tub, checking the temperature until it was perfect. He came out to find that Jina was on the phone. Her earlier bliss was now reced with a serious expression.

    "Got it Jiwoon," she was saying. "Where''s the ce?"

    Jiwoon was saying something from the other end and Jina nodded. "We''ll be right there," she said.

    "What is it?" Hobin frowned.

    "There''s been another death," Jina replied in a serious tone. "In Street H. A teenager killed himself. He was found dead in front of hisptop by his mother."

    "Another one?" Hobin frowned. They were now truly worried. Was this kid also the victim of a contract? But who could have signed it? And why?

    "We don''t have time to spare," Jina said.. "Let''s get going."

 Chapter 255 - Blue Fish (1)

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    The students were chattering loudly in groups during recess. Most of them were out on the football field, some lounging at the bleachers while others on the field. It was a bright and sunny day so most of the students were buzzed with activity of some sorts. At one corner, sat four people.

    The other students could only admire the four from afar. Yoonmin''s expression was wary and cold as usual but the girls were whispering amongst themselves as they stared at the Icy Hwang. Next to him was his twin, Minyoon, who looked exactly the same as his brother but had a bright smile on his face with a warm aura. Seeing the twins was like seeing day and night. One was as sunny as the sun while the other one was as dark as night. Yet, both of them had their charms.

    "The twins are so hot!" one girl remarked. "Just look at them!"

    "They''re Hwang twins. Their entire family is something," another student said. "They''re good looking, smart and rich. It''s like they were created with a different mould!"

    "No one can be that perfect!" another student moaned. "And look at their girlfriends. They''re hot too! Are they rich?"

    They were now pointing at Baekha and Soobin who were talking to the twins. Yoonmin had his arm around Soobin as she chatted about Chemistry ss while Minyoon was trying to chat with Baekha who was scoffing for some reason.

    "Soobin isn''t rich but she''s smart," one student said. "Baekha was rich but her family went under and she''s penniless now. I don''t know why the money loving twins are their friends but I guess love is blind!"

    They were all snickering but there was no denying the group consisted of some of the most beautiful people in the school. There was a nickname given to them which was V4 or Visual 4 due to their looks.

    Yoonmin was getting irritated by the looks they were getting as if they were caged animals.

    "Ugh! If they wanna stare at us that much, they should pay up!" he scowled.

    "Don''t be such a prude, little brother!" Minyoon chirped. "They love us! I''m telling ya! You should have be an idol. With that icy look and-"

    He trailed off under his twin''s icy re. Soobin snickered, which momentarily distracted Yoonmin from his annoyance.

    "He''s fine not being an idol," she said. "Then I get to keep him all to myself!"

    Sheid her head on his shoulder. They were sitting on the field, far from everyone else. Even though others were staring at them with envy, she did not care because people had nothing better to do in life.

    "Get a room!" Baekha snapped at them. "Seeing you guys being lovey dovey makes me want to barf!"

    "You want to be lovey dovey with me, Beaky?" Minyoon teased her. "That way, you don''t have to pay attention to them."

    Baekha, who was drinking juice from a bottle, nearly choked. Soobin rushed over to p her back as she coughed and wheezed.

    "Lovey dovey?" Baekha shrieked. "With you? Never!"

    Minyoon pouted. He was only joking but Yoonmin could feel his twin was really disappointed. He observed Minyoon with interest but did not say anything. Soobin simply looked from the angry Baekha to thepletely oblivious Minyoon.

    "Oh well!" he sighed. "I''d still take you over those two idiots over there."

    He pointed at Miho and Sera who were sulking at two different corners of the field. Sera was standing near the bleachers alone. She kept her head down and was avoiding everyone. Miho, on the other hand, was roaming around trying to join a new clique. Both the girls were ostracized after the revtion at Minyoon''s concert.

    When they got out of the room and were taken back home, the girls found out that their inboxes were swarmed with thousands of hate messages. Sera''s father lost a big project because of her activities while Miho''s family faced humiliation as well. They had to put out a public apology in front of the media to Minyoon and his friends for the bullying incident.

    At school, the students treated them coldly. They did not attack any of them but excluded them from all gatherings. Miho''s clique abandoned her after learning her true nature while Sera was an outcast again. No one talked to them unless it was necessary but that was it. Even teachers did not pay much heed to them.

    Soobin stared at Sere, feeling very sad. Yoonmin noticed her expression and raised an eyebrow.

    "Please tell me you are not thinking of befriending her again!" he groaned.

    "I''m not," she admitted. "I just feel really bad for her. I know what she did was wrong. Still, the way people are cold to her isn''t right. It''s not like everyone in this school is a saint."

    She was being honest. Soobin felt bad for Sera''s state but she had no intention of bing her friend again. Even an affable person like her had a limit of tolerance and Sera had crossed it. After everything Soobin did for her, it was not fair that Sera would y such a cruel joke on her. She subconsciously touched her short hair as if remembering Sera''s deeds.

    "Stop feeling bad," Baekha advised. "They''ve dug their own grave. Let them deal with their problems."

    "She''s right," Minyoon agreed. "We''ve got our own lives to deal with. I personally believe dealing with ghosts and demons should be more of a priority than anything else!"

    "Speaking of demonsбн" Yoonmin began.

    He silently indicated towards the field''s entrance where a tall, blonde boy stood with his arms around a petite girl. It was Yeon Myungsoo, the football team''s captain and the star yer. He was wearing his jersey while the girl who was with him wore the uniform of another school. She looked a little off but her boyfriend seemed to be enjoying himself while talking to his friends.

    "Is that Yeon Myungsoo?" Baekha asked. "The dumb guy who is the boyfriend of Yisub''s dumb sister?"

    "Can''t you be a little considerate with your words?" Soobin asked warily.

    "Okay," Baekha shrugged. "This scumbag is the boyfriend of that hussy who''s Yisub''s sister."

    Soobin sighed. There really was no filter on Baekha''s mouth especially when she was cursing at people. Minyoon smiled at her, giving Baekha a look of a lovesick puppy.

    "You''re so cool!" he said cheerfully. "I hope my dream girl can also curse like you!"

    "Huh?" she scowled at him. "Dream girl? What the hell?"

    "I have a girl I like," he admitted shyly. Soobin gasped while Yoonmin frowned at his brother. What was this plot twist?

    "I saw her at the fairst month!" Minyoon revealed. "She was sitting on a rock, ying a flute. It was such a beautiful song. I wish I could see her but she was wearing a fox mask so I don''t know who she isбн"

    Baekha, who was taking another sip from her juice bottle, choked again. She coughed hard and Soobin pped her back. Yoonmin''s eyes flickered in realization and he wanted to facepalm himself.

    "Are you okay, Beaky?" Minyoon asked, feeling concerned.

    "I''m fine!" Baekha eximed, feeling flustered. "I gotta go!"

    She quickly picked up her bag and ran off, leaving in a hurry. Minyoon and Soobin were confused while Yoonmin took out a book and hid himself behind it, suppressing the urge to hit his silly older brother with it.

    Baekha ran all the way to the girl''s washroom and locked herself in a stall. Her face was blushing hard and her heart was racing like a horse.

    Dream girl? I am his dream girl? She was bewildered. How? Why? When?

    "Ugh!" she eximed. "No no no! He''s...uh...he''s tooбн"

    She wanted a reason to dislike him but it was impossible. Hwang Minyoon was not like the arrogant and snobbish idol she had thought but rather a nice guy. How can anyone hate him?

    "Tch! I won''t like him!" she told herself. "I should go for a strong guy. Someone who can fight back. He''s too soft."

    But then....why is my heart pounding like this? She wondered.

 Chapter 256 - [Bonus ] Blue Fish (2)

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    The crime scene was swarming with cops who were securing the area. A couple were in the living room of the tiny apartment, crying while their daughter was in shock. Jina and Hobin entered the apartment, heading straight towards the bedroom where the body was kept.

    Kyuhyun was there and so were the rest of the members of Jina''s team. Jiwoon was talking to the cops while Jaebum, Dahoon, Chanmi and Woohee were collecting evidence. Woohee was checking the bed while Chanmi checked the discardedundry.

    The body was ced in front of theptop just like how it was with Yisub''s body. His throat was cut off and there was a look of pure terror on his face. Blood pooled around the body but it had dried. The boy must have been dead for hours.

    Before Jina could ask what happened to the boy, Kyuhyun started his analysis.

    "The boy''s name is Lee Minjoong and he died at midnight sharp," he stated in a monotone. "Cause of death is due the deep cut in his jugr vein, causing heavy bleeding and blood loss. The w used to cut his throat-"

    "w?" Hobin interrupted. "Not a knife?"

    "A w was used to sh his throat, the cut being exactly five inch deep," Kyuhyun went on. "He died instantly."

    Jina was checking theptop which had recorded hisst activity at 12 am but no other activity afterwards.

    "No one saw anything?" She asked.

    "The sister said that she heard noisesing from his room but when she checked on him, he was alive," Jiwoon reported. "It was around 11:55 PM and he told her to go away. He was alone then."

    Jina stooped down to check the body. To her surprise, there was something stuck on Minjoong''s shirt.

    "It''s hair," Kyuhyun said. "A woman''s hair."

    "He was with a woman?" Hobin frowned. He put on his gloves and picked up the hair. It was a strand of ck hair and he studied it with interest.

    "But you said there was no one else in the room," he told Jiwoon. "Did he go out yesterday?"

    "His parents said that he came back home and changed into these clothes," Jiwoon recounted. "Then he ate dinner and went to sleep."

    "Maybe the hair belongs to his mother or sister," Jina suggested. "We''ll have it tested."

    She took the hair from Hobin''s hand and ced it in a stic bag. Hobin let the cops investigate the scene while he went outside to talk to the family. Taking off his gloves, he approached the parents and held out his hand to them.

    "I''m Doctor Ohm Hobin," he said. "Special Consultant to the National Police."

    Minjoong''s parents looked at him, their eyespletely red and wet with tears. The father, Mr. Lee shook his hand. Instantly, Hobin delved into his memories to see if anyone had arrived that night but to his disappointment, there was nothing special in those memories. All he saw were images of a normal family. Minjoong seemed to be a typical moody teenager who was about to apply for colleges and other than petty fights, there was nothing else in those memories.

    "I''m Lee Yeon," Mr. Lee said. "And this is my wife, Hyekyo."

    Mrs. Lee nodded at Hobin but sniffed.

    "I''m sorry for your loss," Hobin said, extending his hand to her. She sniffed and shook his hand. Hobin checked her memories as well but there was nothing useful in them. The sister was also with them and Hobin shook her hand as well. Still, there was nothing. After her brother drove her away from his room, she had gone to sleep and no other event urred.

    "Who found him?" he asked.

    "I did," Mrs. Lee replied in a thick tone. "I went in there to call him for breakfast and...andбн"

    She shuddered at the thought of her son''s dead body and began to sob hard. Mr. Lee and their daughter were consoling her. Hobin slowly got up and left the family alone. It seemed that they really did not know what happened to their son.

    The police finished their work and after sweeping the area for all evidence, they sealed off the room. Jina and her team returned to the precinct to follow up on the cases.

    "What did we find out so far?" She asked them in the briefing room. "We go two kids who have seeminglymitted suicide. And what else?"

    "Thest site they visited is Blue Fish," Dahoon stated. He was in possession of both theptops and went through the browsing history. "But there is something very interesting here."

    He turned Minjoong''sptop around for the others to see. "Look at this," he said, pointing at the browser history. "Minjoong visited this same site at 12 am yesterday. And he died at 12 am today. He visited this site only two times whereas Yisub did not visit it. Rather, it popped up and he happened to click the site."

    Jiwoon frowned. This siteбн

    Suddenly, something clicked in her mind.

    "Do we know what this site is about?" Jina asked.

    "I''ve been trying to refresh it but no luck," Dahoon replied. "It''s not working. I even tried a VPN."

    "That''s weird," Jina muttered but Jiwoon spoke up.

    "Boss, remember the case I was talking about two months ago?" she asked. "The one uptown where a boy was found dead in his room? He killed himself and was found by his mother but he was hanging by the fan."

    "The case about Yeon Hajoon?" Jina recalled. "He was going through a lot of depression, right? His girlfriend left him and went abroad."

    "Yes," Jiwoon nodded. "Thest site he visited on his phone was this one. Blue Fish."

    Hobin leaned over with interest. "Blue Fish?" he echoed. "This site might be involved with their deaths."

    He stood up and picked up a marker to write on the ss board.

    "There were numerous cases like this in the past," he said to the team. "Where a certain app creates a psychological disturbance in the minds of the vulnerable teens. They are designed in a way to make the users do a series of dares. At first, the dares are harmless but once a yer advances in those dares, they start to receive very deadly ones. Sometimes, the game developers end up stealing user information and in the final stage, they make the yers kill each other."

    "Of course!" Jina realized. "That exins why these kids killed themselves in front of theptop or phones!"

    "They''ve been made to do a dare," Jiwoon nodded in understanding. "Either way, they were coaxed into killing themselves. Can we track down the IP address?"

    "I''ll try but most of these sites use the dark web," Dahoon replied. "It''s very hard to track them down."

    Hobin and Jina nced at each other. If a demon was involved and lurking in the web, it would be nearly impossible to catch it. But summoning any demon meant there was a person behind the ritual and they must track that person down.

    "Try," Jina ordered. "We''ll have to catch them before anyone else is hurt. Dismissed."

    Everyone nodded and left. Only Jiwoon and Hobin remained behind to talk to Jina.

    "Do you guys think a demon is involved in this?" Jiwoon asked. Jina had already told her about Yisub''s condition and how the ghost told them that he did not kill himself but could not recall the details of his death either.

    "We do," Hobin confirmed. "But this demon is different. He''s preying on these teenagers and using their weaknesses as an advantage."

    "If the websites are logged into at 12 am, then does that mean the site activates only at midnight?" Jina wondered.

    "Let''s find out," Hobin said.

 Chapter 257 - Blue Fish (3)

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    Baekha was in the living room, typing away several codes on herptop. Her recent frencing work had taken off and she found herself swamped with requests from manypanies to build their anti-hacking software. Even Yoonmin gave her a job to build their system and surprisingly, he was paying her a lot for it. With steady ie, she was able to save up a lot of money in her bank.

    The apartment she shared with Jiwoon was situated in a modest residential area. It was not far from the police station and the residents were mostly busy bees who mostly stayed to themselves. Jiwoon and Baekha lived on the fourth floor.

    Even though the ce was small, it was still homely. It had two bedrooms and a kitchen which was attached to the living room. They shared a bathroom but Jiwoon took baths at night while Baekha showered in the morning so their routines were not an issue. Moreover, Baekha was able tomute using the subway so it all worked out well for her.

    The servants of the Cho mansion were dismissed and most of them went back to their hometowns. Baekha made sure that every one of them got their monthly sry and even some bonuses which were enough tost them a few months. She was especially sad to bid farewell to Chauffeur Dokyung but there was nothing else to do. He was sad too but d that Baekha finally had a stable home.

    She was slurping on ramen and working on her project when the front door opened and Jiwoon walked in.

    "How was your day?" Jiwoon asked her. "Did you finish all your schoolwork?"

    "Did them during my free period," Baekha groaned. "Otherwise, Soobin would have nagged me a lot. That girl is really weird about school work. She never let''s me ck off!"

    "Good, that''ll help improve your grades," Jiwoon smiled. She was d that a loner like Baekha was finally making friends. Soobin seemed to have taken her under her wing, making sure that Baehka stayed out of trouble.

    "Want dinner?" she asked as she tied up her hair and headed to the kitchen.

    "I''m full," Baekha said. "Already on my second bowl of ramen."

    "You gotta eat healthy stuff!" Jiwoon said sharply.

    "Yes yes," Baekha said absentmindedly. Jiwoon was about to make some sd and sticky rice when the doorbell rang. She went to answer the door.

    To her surprise, it was Siwan!

    "Hey!" Siwan greeted her. He was holding a basket full of food and was smiling brightly at her. Jiwoon was taken aback.

    "Who is it?" Baekha asked, appearing behind Jiwoon. "Eh? Doctor Kang? What are you doing here?"

    "Oh, I moved in next door!" Siwan replied. "I heard that the apartment next to yours was empty so I rented it. You see, I needed a ce to crash in at times whenever I am on sporadic breaks from the hospital. Sometimes, I''m on hospital duty for days so I was looking for a ce near the work. It''s easier tomute during those times."

    "You''re moving in here?" Jiwoon echoed.

    "Not permanently. I''ll be going back to the main mansion when I have a long weekend."

    "What about Soobin? Won''t she be lonely at the mansion?" Jiwoon frowned.

    "The servants are there to look after her," Siwan shrugged.

    There was an awkward silence following his remark. Jiwoon was not sure how to react to this while Siwan was thinking of what to say. Baekha, on the other hand, looked from the doctor to her sister and suppressed a smile.

    "Where is Soobin now?" She asked. "I think I''ll go and study with her. Is she at the mansion?"

    "Uhh...yes," Siwan replied.

    "Great!" Baekha eximed. "I think I''m gonna go there and study with her. After all, we have some testsing up. You don''t mind, do you sis?"

    "Uhhбн" Jiwoon was unsure. She did not want Baekha to leave but thetter pped her hands together and said, "Great! I''ll be off then!"

    Without a word, Baekha grabbed the keys to Jiwoon''s car and ran off, leaving the duo alone. Jiwoon was stunned while Siwan was quite awkward. He was not sure why he rented the apartment next to Jiwoon''s but he was admittedly worried about her. What if she was in danger from the remaining members of the Cho family? Or what if another demon came to attack her?

    He did not know why he was thinking that way. There was no reason for him to be so worried for her but he could not help it. Jiwoon was also confused. How was she going to deal with this? She knew that Siwan liked Jina and she was content being a bystander despite her own feelings for him.

    Siwan was trying to gauge her silence which he mistook for reluctance.

    "Uhh...If you don''t want me to stay here, I can leave," he offered.

    "What? No!" Jiwoon quickly said. "I''m d that you''re going to live next door. I really am."

    "Then, I''m assuming that you''re going to wee me as your new neighbor?" he asked. Jiwoon did not understand what he meant but soon realized that he was indicating the fact that she was making him stand outside.

    "Oh! Please,e in."

    She stepped aside to let him enter the house. Siwan smiled and entered the tiny apartment. It was smaller than his living room in the mansion but somehow, it felt homelier. The walls were a soft blue color. The furniture was minimal and adorned with a variety of shades. From the nkets to the pillows, Jiwoon chose them with care and kept them in a neat, orderly manner. It was warm inside. There were no pictures anywhere but a small shrine was ced in a corner with the picture of a chubby baby.

    "Do you want dinner?" Jiwoon offered.

    "Actually, I made some," Siwan said. He took out a couple of frozensagna from the basket.

    "You just gotta warm them up," he said.

    "Okay."

    Jiwoon took thesagna boxes from him and went back into the kitchen. Siwan looked around her house, admiring her taste. Everything was in perfect order and cleaned well without even a speck of dust.

    She was a neat person. It was not surprising but a new fact he learned about her.

    He walked towards the shrine which had baby Yeonjoo''s picture. It must have been clicked a few hours after she was born. The child was slightly smiling and looked healthy in that snap. It must be one of the few pictures of the baby Jiwoon possessed because Yeonjoo died only weekster.

    Siwan''s heart was gripped by guilt and pain at the memory of the child who had lost her life that night. If only he could have saved herбн

    "Um, dinner''s ready." Jiwoon''s voice broke him out of his reverie and he nodded at her. She led him to a small table where she had served the hotsagna on a couple of tes.

    "Did you make this yourself?" Jiwoon asked him. "It smells good."

    "I made extra and kept them in the fridge," he replied. "Since I was free tonight, I thought I''d stop by and we can have dinner together."

    Jiwoon lowered her head and slightly blushed at his words but did not say anything. Siwan was unaware of her expression and took a bite from thesagna.

    "Did Baekha settle in properly?" he inquired.

    "Yes, she did," Jiwoon replied. "She''s also doing well in school. I think she''ll be okay. I just want her to graduate and go to a good college. Now that she''s not an idol, I told her to concentrate on her studies. And Soobin has been a great help too,"

    "I''m d," Siwan said. "Did you...did you hear from her parents? Are they still in remand?"

    "They''ll be moved to jail next week. The court already gave their verdict and they''ve been pronounced guilty. They haven''t enquired about Baekha at all but I heard that they''re being unruly in jail. Ciara refuses to eat jail food while Youngjoon gets into a fight with other inmates."

    "Is that normal?"

    "It is for those who go to jail for the first time," Jiwoon exined. "Once the first few days pass by, they''ll shut up and learn to deal with their new life."

    "What about you? Are you adjusting to your independent life?"

    Jiwoon blinked at him. Siwan took another bite from thesagna.

    "What do youбн" she began.

    "I want to know if the girl who came to me for help that night has moved on at all," he rified. "Or is she still suffering from nightmares?"

    Jiwoon gripped her fork but she was not angry. On the contrary, she was surprised that he was able to read her so easily.

    "I try not to think about them," she mumbled. Siwan hesitated before inching his chair closer to her. He reached out to pat her palm. She did not flinch under his touch but looked at him with her innocent cat-like eyes.

    "They''re gone, Detective Kim," he assured her. "So don''t worry about them anymore."

    "I want to forget them," she admitted. "But if I do, I''ll also have to forget Yeonjoo. After all, she was their flesh and blood."

    "She was your flesh and blood," he corrected. "They were her murderers. Nothing more. You don''t have to be scared of them. They should be the ones scared to face you."

    Jiwoon shed him a small smile. His touch was warm and soothing. Siwan was momentarily dazed. He had seen her smile before but this time, it was genuine and sweet. She had a charm which was rare to find. His heart was beating fast and for a moment he thought that she looked really pretty when she smiled.

    "I forgot my-"

    Baekha stumbled into the kitchen to look for her wallet, startling the two of them. Jiwoon quickly moved her hand away from his and was embarrassed while Siwan cleared his throat.

    "Is everything alright?" Baekha frowned.

    "We''re fine!" Jiwoon imed.

    "I-I should go!" Siwan said. He stood up and darted out of the door. Baekha only stared at him while Jiwoon was red in the face.

    What the hell just happened? Baekha wondered.

    Outside, Siwan was standing in the corridor. His heart was beating wildly against his chest and he was quite flustered. What just happened? He had no idea. Why was he so nervous around Jiwoon?

    "I''m just worried," he muttered. "That''s it!"

    Calming himself down, he went back to his apartment.. But there was a small smile on his lips as he nced back at Jiwoon''s house, wondering when he could meet her again.

 Chapter 258 - Blue Fish (4)

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    ...

    "Oi, stop touching that!" Magrod scolded Miyoo. "And stop fretting old man! She''s fine!"

    Magrod added thest part to Junho who was fussing over Miyoo. Miyoo had her first teeth pulled out that day and she was rubbing the side of her cheek.

    "Hurts!" Miyoo scowled. She was in a lot of pain and to her dismay, she could not eat candies. Junho was also sad to see her in pain and was pouting.

    "My granddaughter is in pain," he mumbled. "And the stupid dentist charged five dors more! That''s insane!"

    "It''s just five dors and he had to charge it because this idiot also has a cavity in her teeth!" Magrod snapped. "How many candies did you eat?"

    Miyoo was counting on her fingers, deep in thought. Magrod facepalmed himself.

    "Nevermind!" he snapped. "I hope you''ve learnt a lesson and that you won''t eat candies anymore!"

    "Miyoo wants candies!" she demanded.

    Magrod could only sigh. Junho turned to his granddaughter and added, "Miyoo, if you put the teeth under your pillow tonight, the tooth fairy wille and give you a penny!"

    Miyoo shook her head. "Dor," she simply said.

    Ever since she learned a dor is more valuable than a penny, she has been insisting for a dor. Junho''s poor wallet had been ripped apart because Miyoo somehow managed to extort dors from him thanks to her puppy dog-like eyes which she used to full advantage.

    "Fine! She''ll leave a dor!"

    "Yaiii!" Miyoo cheered and ran off to y with Yisub who was in a corner. Magrod could only sigh and watched the kid trying to talk to Yisub. Thetter was slow to respond but Miyoo pulled him along with her to y with her dolls.

    "Don''t get too close to the railing!" Junho eximed when Miyoo pulled Yisub to the balcony.

    "Rx old man," Magrod said, slumping against a pillow. "She''ll be fine."

    He picked up a book on demons and began to read it. Lately, he had been helping Junho to figure out the mysteries of demons and Hell.

    "Tch! This information is wrong," he muttered. "We don''t make people eat insects and stuff when we possess them! Some demons do it because they like to eat insects. Personally, I prefer cookies."

    "That''s coz you''re an idiot!" Junho snapped. "If I was a demon, I''d be more focused on earning money and bing rich."

    "Old man, aren''t you already rich? How much more money do you want? Greed is a deadly sin!"

    "Says the lord of all deadly sins."

    Magrod stuck out his tongue at the old man and went back to the book. Junho was also going through the things Magrod had highlighted for him, carefully reassessing his previous data.

    "When my son and daughter-inw faced a demon, we had to trap it in Purgatory where a reaper shed it down," Junho recalled. "It didn''t die but became a Mindless."

    "That''s because demons are still the souls of humans," Magrod said, turning a page. "Reapers can''t sense anything unless they''re directly in front of it. It must have felt the demon''s presence because of its underlying human soul and killed it."

    "Can a reaper take down any ss of demon?" Junho asked. "Or is there a differentiation?"

    "Nope, they can turn any demon into a Mindless," Magrod said. "But doing that is very risky. Your son and daughter-inw could have ended up bing a Mindless themselves. But they managed to escape. They were damn lucky if I might add."

    "The only sure way to get rid of a human without killing the human is to use the Butterfly Priestess," he went on. "And make her destroy the object which binds the demon to this world."

    "Why do you address Jina as the Butterfly Priestess?" Junho asked. "What''s the significance?"

    Magrod closed the book and sat up, feeling very self-important.

    "Butterflies are the only creatures which can travel to all dimensions," he exined. "They''re like the travelers who have ess to all worlds, going from one to the next without any barriers. You''ll see them hovering around bright flowers but you''ll also see them in Purgatory and Hell, floating in the air. They''re really unique and lead the souls from one ce to the other. That''s how the Butterfly Priestess works as well. She was the sole traveler between these worlds, guiding the souls on their way to different dimensions. This is one of the reasons the Second Prince was interested in her. They said that the most beautiful woman in thend was the one who led everyone to their ultimate fates: death."

    "And why is she able to kill demons?"

    "It''s an ability the Emperor of Hell himself bestowed on her. All her powers came from him."

    "But that still doesn''t exin how our families ended up getting her powers," Junho muttered. He nced at Miyoo who was now making Yisub build a dollhouse for her.

    "That is a mystery we''re yet to uncover," Magrod sighed. "Ugh, I miss my tail! This Alpaca toy only has a cotton tushy!"

    He wasining about his current body which had no tail. But possessing a toy was better than taking over a human who would not be able to take the burden of the possession.

    "Why don''t you act like other demons?" Junho wondered out loud.

    He had been curious about Magrod who was unlike any demon he had ever encountered. Despite being a high ss Vozakel lord, Magrod did not possess people unless it was necessary and that too for a very short while. Moreover, he did not hand out contracts like the other demons did.

    "Huh? What the hell are you talking about?" Magrod frowned. "Why should I, the great Vozakel lord, act like other normal demons? I got a standard too, ya know!"

    Hezilyy on his fluffy paws and added, "It''s no fun. I find humans dirty! They can''t bathe in hundred degree water. That''s insane!"

    But his beady eyes were full of an inexplicable emotion which did not go amiss from Junho. Magrod was thinking about something as if he recalled a memory he had deep buried within his mind.

    "What is it?" Junho demanded. "Say it."

    Magrod sighed. "Summoning a Vozakel lord is not easy," he muttered. "It takes a lot of human sacrifice to summon one and when I was brought to earth, many people were killed."

    "There were a few kids who were part of the sacrifice," he revealed. "Children were easy to target and kill so the people who summoned me had killed a few kids to summon me. I was a rowdy demon who simply wanted to fulfill contracts and nothing else."

    "But a few of the children became spirits. They were roaming around the mountains where I was living, looking for food. I caught them sneaking around and tried to scare them. They were frightened but one of them, Moona, kept on returning. She was intrigued by the fearsome demon and continued to return even after I tried to scare her away. But she was really young, probably four or five years old when she died. Her mind was stuck in that child-like state and she did not know what fear was."

    "So she returned to the mountains and kept on annoying me until I had to take her and her friends under my wing!" Magrod imed. "I found myself babysitting those kids. It was a pain! They whined all day long and yed in my cave, driving me up the wall."

    "Ah, so you have a soft corner for kids," Junho realized.

    "No!" Magrod snapped. "They''re annoying and irritating. Look at what your granddaughter did to me! I''m now an Alpaca doll. People are gonnaugh at me!"

    "Anyways," Magrod went on. "Since the kids were dead spirits and had no ce to go, I kept them with me. I chased humans away who traveled there. What if someone tried to harm those kids? Even if they were ghosts, there were some humans who would capture spirits of deceased people in order to fulfill their own evil agenda. It''s not umon. You saw what happened to your granddaughters. The elder one ambushed and the younger one almost attacked. That was the doing of humans."

    "What?" Junho hissed in anger. "Humans did that?"

    Magrod nodded, looking very grim. "That was the doing of the cult which worships the First Prince. I''m sure of it. Only they can assemble such arge gathering of souls. It''s not impossible but it needs a powerful spell. I can tell that it was the Prince''s Brethren which did that."

    "Why? Why would they do such things?"

    "Isn''t it obvious, old man? They''d do it for power! Controlling a spirit means you can make it do anything. The ghost can even kill under your orders! Think about the ways a person can harness those powers."

    Junho was now deep in worry. To think that there was an entire group of people doing this. He knew that cults existed but something like this was not an ordinary cult. It was definitely more powerful than he could ever imagine.

    "What are they going to do?" he demanded.

    "Obviously they want to wake up the First Prince," Magrod replied. "But we still don''t know where he is. If we can find out, we''ll be able to kill him and end his reign of terror for once and for all."

    Junho furrowed his brows. "Where is he?" he muttered.

    "Only his daddy can tell," Magrod stated. "If we can find the Emperor, we''ll know where his son is."

    There was a long stretch of silence as they thought hard. Where could the Emperor be?

    "Gwamps!"

    Miyoo poked her grandfather. Junho and Magrod turned to find that her mouth was bleeding and she was holding another tooth in her palm.

    "STOP TAKING OUT YOUR OWN TEETH!" They yelled in unison, making Miyoo hup.

    "UwU."

 Chapter 259 - Blue Fish (5)

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    ...

    Jina knocked on the door and waited for someone to open it. She was at Yisub''s house to question the sister about her boyfriend. Even though she loathed disturbing the grieving family, she had no choice.

    The door opened and Mrs. Kim''s distraught face appeared. She had been crying all night and it showed. Her eyes were red and puffy while herplexion was pale.

    "Detective," she greeted in a small tone. "Pleasee inбн"

    She stepped aside to let Jina enter. "How are you doing, Mrs. Kim?" Jina asked as they walked towards a couch.

    "I''mбн" Mrs. Kim hesitated. She motioned Jina to sit down next to her.

    "I''m not okay," she admitted tearfully. "I have this aching pain in my heart. My son...I don''t believe in spirits but sometimes I feel as if he''s nearby, calling for me. Last night, I thought I heard him saying that he wants chicken stew. He loved chicken stew."

    She broke off and sniffed. Jina patted her palm, sympathetic to the woman''s pain. Yisub had been visiting his parents almost everyday, silently watching them suffer. She did not have the heart to tell the poor boy not toe. He simply wanted to watch over his family in his own way.

    "I''m really sorry for your loss," Jina said. "I can''t imagine the pain you''re going throughбн"

    "No one should go through this pain," Mrs. Kim whispered. "It''s the worst thing in the world. I never thought that I''ll face it. I wouldn''t even want my worst enemy to go through this."

    Mrs. Kim broke downpletely. Her son was dead and she had no idea what to do with this pain. Jina waited for a while as the woman cried her heart out.

    "I''m s-sorry," Mrs. Kim stammered. "I know you''re here to question us but I honestly don''t know anything. I tried to figure out why he killed himself, I really did-"

    "Mrs. Kim, we think that there''s a possibility your son was murdered," Jina stated.

    There was a long stretch of silence as Mrs. Kim tried to process what Jina had said. Murder? Her son?

    She gripped Jina''s arms. "Murder?" She demanded. "How? Who would murder my son?"

    "I don''t know," Jina said. "But we think it''s a possibility. Can I please talk to your daughter?"

    "My d-daughter?" Mrs. Kim was now in denial. "My daughter is innocent!"

    "I''m not saying shemitted a crime!" Jina said at once. "I want to ask her about her boyfriend. I had visited Yisub''s school and found out that he got into an altercation with her boyfriend at a party."

    "Eli has a boyfriend?" Mrs. Kim frowned. At once her nostrils red up and anger sparked in her eyes. She was about to shout to call her daughter but Jina held her back.

    "Please don''t be angry at her," she advised. "This isn''t the right time. She also lost her brother. Let it slide for now."

    Mrs. Kim was torn. She wanted to scold her daughter for her careless actions but at the same time, the thought of Yisub was preventing her from doing anything else. Mrs. Kim nodded and sighed.

    "Eli!" she called. "Come downstairs!"

    Eli scrambled out of her room to find her mother with the detective. She instantly became nervous and fidgeted her fingers.

    "W-What is it?" she asked.

    "The detective wants to talk to you," Mrs. Kim said. "Sit."

    Jina noticed that Eli was acting strange. The girl sat on a couch opposite to them, her eyes full of fear. She did not dare to look at her mother and Jina, keeping her eyes on the floor.

    "Eli," Jina began in a kind tone. "I need to ask you some questions about your brother''s death."

    "Am I in trouble?" She asked at once. "Are you going to arrest me?"

    "No! No one is going to arrest you. Don''t worry. I simply want to know about the fight your brother got into with your boyfriend."

    Eli was now scared and nced at her mother whose stony expression suggested that she found out Eli''s secret. For months, Eli had hidden the fact she was seeing a guy because her parents would disapprove of an underage rtionship. She was scared that they would find out but to find out like this was even worse.

    "Eli, the detective asked you a question," Mrs. Kim said in a stern tone. Eli was shaking with fear and took a deep breath.

    "A few days ago, there was a party in my boyfriend''s house," she revealed. Turning to her mother, she added, "Remember when I said that I was going to stay overnight at my friend Mamie''s house? I was actually at my boyfriend Myungsoo''s house. I-I stayed the night with him after the party."

    "YOU WHA-"

    "Mrs. Kim please don''t say anything," Jina advised. "Trust me, it''ll turn worse if you react."

    Mrs. Kim swallowed down her anger and looked away from her daughter out of anger. Eli was scared and crying as she went on.

    "Yisub followed me there and discovered what was going on," she whispered. "He wanted to take me back home but I refused. I was sick and tired of everything! Yisub was the one my parents doted on the most while I was thrown aside. They fussed over him! If he got an A, everyone celebrated because he was autistic but hard working. No one cared if I got an A or if I won numerous medals. I''m the side kid! No one cares about me!"

    "That''s not true!" Mrs. Kim insisted. "I love you as much as I love Yisub! Both of you mean so much-"

    "Then why did he get all the attention?" Eli snapped. "I wanted a PS5 but when you bought one, I had to share it with him? Why? Why do I have to share? I wanted my own PS5 and not to share it with him! Everything I own, I had to share with him because he was a retard!"

    "Eli!"

    "Why are you shouting? Does the truth hurt? He got what he wanted whereas I had to beg for months. Last month, I wanted to go on a study trip to Germany. You know that I''ve been working hard for it. Only the top 3 students were allowed to go and you promised that I''ll be able to go if I got selected! But what did you do? You spent a shit load of money on Yisub''s piano sses which he had to drop out of because it turns out he is scared of the sounds! The money which was supposed to be used for my trip to Germany was wasted on him!"

    She was now spouting her anger on her mother. The suppressed feelings of resentment were flowing out freely in front of Jina who was simply observing the situation. Eli''s nervousness had transformed into anger and she was being more honest in this state.

    "You know very well that we had to pay for your grandmother''s surgery and were in a financial crunch," Mrs. Kim stated, trying to keep herself calm. "We told you that you can go on the trip next year. Your father already took out a loan for it."

    "It''s not good enough!" Eli yelled. "I want to go this year! Why do I have to wait? Even when he''s not here, he still controls my life!"

    "Eli-"

    "Mrs. Kim, please let me handle this," Jina suggested. Eli was fuming at them. No one understood her pain. She wanted to be free as well. Was that too much to ask?

    "Is it alright if you leave me alone with her for a while?" Jina whispered. "I''ll try to talk sense into her. Don''t worry, you can listen in on us from the next room."

    Mrs. Kim nodded and quietly left the room to hide in the kitchen. Jina then turned to the sobbing teenager.

    "Eli," Jina began. "Hereбн"

    She picked up a tissue and handed it to her. Eli mumbled a ''thanks'' and took it, dabbing her eyes with it.

    "You know, I have three siblings," Jina went on. "Two twin brothers and a sister. I have to take care of them almost all the time. My parents also neglect me at times when ites to their well being."

    It was a tant lie but she had to make Eli sympathize with her in order to gain the girl''s trust.

    "When the twins were born, everyone doted on them," she went on. "They were the apple of everyone''s eyes because they were sons. The heirs to the family business. I was nothing! Just a girlбн"

    Sorry mom and dad, she winced inwardly. And twinnies!

    "Really?" Eli asked in shock. "But...but you''re a cop! They should be proud of you!"

    "When I entered the academy, my parents were hugely disappointed," Jina sighed, feigning sadness. "My father cut me off while my mother made a fuss and began to cry at the thought of having a ''cop daughter''. You see, her social circle is fearful of cops. Her reputation was in tatters."

    Jina was an expert in acting by now. Thanks to Hobin, she learnt a few psychological tricks to manipte people into revealing their secrets. It was efficient when trying to interrogate potential criminals and witnesses.

    Mom will be so proud of my skills, she thought.

    "But their twin boys are everything to them," she said out loud. "The light of their eyes. They got whatever they wanted while I was rotting away in the academy, ignored and alone."

    In reality, her father used to threaten the academy instructors whenever they prevented him and Jina''s mother from contacting her during weekdays. The poor instructors had earned the wrath of the great Hwang Minho because he was not allowed to call his daughter every hour to know how she was doing. It was only when Jina scolded her dad for his overprotective nature when Minho finally relented and agreed to calling only once a day.

    "Really?" Eli gaped. "That''s terrible!"

    No, my father and brotherspete over who can earn the most money amongst them and buy Miyoo an alpaca farm, Jina added in her thoughts.

    "I sometimes wish my brothers were never born," she lied through her teeth. I hate this, she winced inwardly. I swear I''ll cook dinner for the twins for a week after this!

    "Me too," Eli admitted. "But if you''re that sad, then why don''t you try ying the Blue Fish game?"

    Bingo! Jina thought triumphantly.

 Chapter 260 - Blue Fish (6)

    "The Blue Fish game?" Jina asked. "What is it?"

    Eli looked around as if to make sure her mother was not around and lowered her voice.

    "It''s the rage now!" she hissed. "Almost every teenager is ying it. The game is not easily essible but once someone esses it, you can put in any wish you want. Once you''re done, your wish wille true."

    "Put in any wish I want?" Jina echoed. Eli nodded.

    "I used to think it''s a rumor," she said. "But I don''t think it''s a rumor anymore."

    Jina stiffened. Did this dumb girl write her wish in this game?

    "My friend, Lara, wrote a wish in it and it came true," Eli imed. "We were at her house one night and she told me."

    "What was her wish?"

    "She wished that the most popr boy in our ss would sleep with her," Eli revealed. "It''s a nearly impossible thought!"

    "Why so?"

    "The most popr boy in our ss is Jonah Cho," Eli exined as if it was obvious just by his name. "He''s not just handsome but rich and quite frankly, out of Laura''s reach. You see, she''s not good looking at all and she has several moles on her face. Jonah slept with some of the most beautiful girls in the school. He never even looked at Laura but one day, he suddenly confessed he slept with her. It was insane! The whole school went crazy but Jonah ims he had no idea how it happened. He was at a friend''s party and suddenly, Laura came in front of him. Next thing he knew, they were kissing and ended up in bed together."

    "When I asked Laura how she did it, she confessed to me about the Blue Fish. I didn''t believe her at first but Laura invited me over to her ce that night. So at midnight, she showed me the site and I was stunned. It really was true!"

    Site? Jina wondered. "What was on that site?" She asked.

    "A sort of contract," Eli shrugged. "It said that our wish woulde true but it also had this weird thing about the ending time of the contract. We had to put it in. As a joke, Laura entered three thousand years into her contract. But after seeing how her wish came true, she is nervous about this part. I wanted to sign a contract too but at that moment, my mom called and told me toe back home."

    "Did you return to the site again?"

    "No. I didn''t get the time with all this craziness."

    Jina was now in deep thought. She doubted Eli had entered the site but they still needed to be sure. However, she also felt that Eli was still hiding something. If Jina probed too much, Eli might alert the real culprit and they would lose a lead. She would have to coerce the girl some other way.

    "But you can use the app to teach your brothers a lesson," Eli suggested. "If Laura can snag the most popr guy at school, surely it''ll help you as well."

    "I''ll pass on it," Jina winced. "I guess, I should go back to the precinct. But Eli, I''d advise you not to go to that site again."

    "Why not?" Eli frowned. "I have-"

    "Trust me, it''s not going to help you at all," Jina emphasized. "If a site is asking you to make a wish in exchange for a time limit, there''s something wrong with it. Nothing is free in this world."

    Eli did not seem to have understood the importance of her words but the girl shrugged. Jina was sure that this girl was going to visit the site at the first chance she could get so she made a mental note to have Magrod prowl this area around midnight until the case was solved.

    She stood up and left the house. Once outside, she sent a text to Hobin asking to meet up. He replied that he was at Kyuhyun''sb.

    Time to go, she thought.

    бн

    Hobin was in Kyuhyun''sb, waiting for the entric pathologist to finish his examination of the bodies. Kyuhyun was a little too involved with these deaths and had taken a while to conduct an autopsy as if he was taking great care of the corpses. Hobin suspected it was because Kyuhyun was also autistic like Yisub and somewhere in his heart, the pathologist felt a connection with the boy.

    He waited patiently until Kyuhyun wheeled out Yisub''s body while his assistant brought out Minjoong''s. Both the corpses were kept side by side, the autopsy finallyplete. Kyuhyun had also stitched their throats back, a deep scar on their neckspletely visible.

    "Patient name, Kim Yisub," Kyuhyun parroted. "Sex is male. Date of death, 16 May 2XXX. Time of death 12 AM. Found in his bedroom by his mother with his throat shed at exactly five centimeter deep. Cause of death is blood loss due to severe injury to the jugr vein. Weapon used is a talon simr to an eagle-"

    "Kyuhyun-" Hobin began but the pathologist ignored him and continued to narrate his findings.

    "Second patient''s name is Lee Minjoong," he went on. "Sex is male. Date of death 17 May 2XXX. Time of death 12 AM. FOund in his bedroom by his mother with his throat shed at exactly five centimeter-"

    "Kyuhyun calm down," Hobin said but Kyuhyun was gripped by a strange paranoia.

    "Cause of death is blood loss due to severe injury-"

    "Doctor Kyuhyun, get a grip-"

    "Weapon used is a talon simr to an eagle-"

    Hobin sighed and did not bother to stop him, knowing fully well that Kyuhyun was going to get even more agitated if he was forced to calm down. Instead, he let Kyuhyun repeat his analysis over and over again until thetter became tired.

    "Talon simr to an eagle," Kyuhyun murmured.

    "I know," Hobin said once Kyuhyun was tired and slowed down. "Let me take you out of here."

    Kyuhyun was shaking and it took Hobin a long time to calm him down. He could not help feeling sorry for the pathologist who was clearly traumatized.

    "Five centimeters," Kyuhyun kept on murmuring. "Fiveбн"

    "I know buddy," Hobin said. He nced at the bodies, feeling a surge of anger at the murderer.

    "I know," he whispered.

 Chapter 261 - Blue Fish (7)

    He held Kyuhyun by the arm and slowly led him towards the inner office, away from the corpses. Putting Kyuhyun on a chair, Hobin took out his torch and stethoscope from his briefcase to check on Kyuhyun.

    "Look into the torch," he said calmly. He lit the light into Kyuhyun''s eyes. Kyuhyun winced but Hobin checked his pupils. He then put his stethoscope on and checked Kyuhyun''s heart beats.

    "Do you suffer from anxiety attacks?" he asked. Kyuhyun nodded slightly.

    "You do realize I''ll have to report this to the Commissioner, right?" Hobin sighed. "Byw, I''ll have to report to him if a team member exhibits any sort of mental decline."

    Kyuhyun did not reply but was in his own world. He was thinking of Yisub who died such a horrible death. After spending long hours of nonstop autopsy on Yisub''s body, Kyuhyun was severely affected because he felt he had lost a kindred spirit. But it was hard for him to express it.

    "You should go home and rest," Hobin advised. "I''ll prescribe you a mild sleeping pill. You need to sleep well. Make sure you take them for the next three nights. Only one after dinner."

    "Five centimeters deep cut," Kyuhyun repeated. "Jugr veinбн"

    "I know," Hobin said, snapping his briefcase shut. "We''ll take over from here."

    Just then Jina entered the inner office. "What''s going on?" she asked them. "Why is Kyuhyun so pale?"

    "Nothing," Hobin lied. "He didn''t sleep for a few nights so I told him to go home and rest. He''ll be fine after some sleep."

    Kyuhyun slowly stood up. Like a robot, he took off his coat and hung it on a wall. Jina and Hobin watched as he meticulously washed his hands with soap, wiped his hands and then arranged his desk in such a way that everything was put in exactly the same ce as he wanted. He was doing these tasks as if in a routine which he had not broken for years.

    He slowly shuffled out of his office, not looking back at them.

    "What was that?" Jina wondered out loud.

    "He''s traumatized," Hobin stated. "Seeing the corpse of a boy who is a lot like him has traumatized him. He feels as if he had lost a friend."

    "But they didn''t even know each other," Jina pointed out. "And Kyuhyun has been doing this work for years-"

    "Both of them suffer from Autism," Hobin exined. "For a person like Kyuhyun, Yisub was a kindred spirit. They share simr pain and woes. Seeing Yisub in that state had triggered Kyuhyun''s anxiety and he reacted badly to it. You can say that it''s his way of grieving."

    Jina''s heart went out to Kyuhyun after hearing that. No wonder the doctor was acting stranger than usual. They did not speak as they went outside to collect the reports. On their way out, they nced at the bodies onest time.

    "They''ll be buried tomorrow," Jina muttered. "I can''t help thinking how bad Yisub is going to feel once he sees his body being buried. He goes to his house everyday to see his parents but they can''t see him. And his sister is just the dumbest girl I have ever metбн"

    She quickly recapped what Eli told her. Hobin was not surprised that Eli had the urge to do something as foolish as this. What he was intrigued with, however, was herplete apathy to her brother''s death and how she was scared after they found the body. It was not a normal reaction for any sister to her sibling''s death.

    "I don''t think she''s the culprit," he said thoughtfully. "But I think she knows something about the death of her brother."

    "What do you mean? Did you talk to her?"

    "No. I didn''t get the chance to do so. But her reaction to the death of her brother gave it all away. Minjoong''s sister was distraught at her brother''s murder but Eli was scared as if she knew a secret. Definitely a warning sign."

    "She only told me about the Blue Fish," Jina sighed.

    "But it is strange that she believed her friend Laura after the girl slept with the most popr guy," Hobin shrugged. "Maybe this Laura did enter the site and did something to make the boy sleep with her. But is it enough to convince someone that she used demon magic to aplish her task? Nah. I didn''t believe any of the supernatural stuff until I saw in the memories how that kid Minki possessed the woman back at the orphanage. If I hadn''t seen his memories, I''d have never believed it."

    "I know," she agreed. "But we''ll have to take it slow with Eli."

    "Or," Hobin smirked. "I can speed up the process by reading her memories."

    Jina sighed. Even though Hobin''s method was an illegal method to extract information she had no choice.

    "Fine," she said. "But only in front of me."

    Hobin''s eyes twinkled and before Jina could react, he leaned over to steal a kiss from her. She blushed hard, fully aware that the receptionist behind them had spotted their kiss.

    "What are you doing?" she hissed, feeling shy at the PDA.

    "I felt I haven''t kissed you today," he winked. "So I kissed you now."

    "You did way more than kissing this morning," she murmured, moping at the fresh hickeys on her neck. Thanks to him, she had to wear thick turtleneck shirts even in this sunny weather.

    "Why? You want more now? Where do you want to do it then?" he asked, feigning innocence. "The car? Or the washroom? Or-"

    "Nowhere!"

    So shameless! She moaned inwardly. But she smiled and wrapped her hands around his arm.

    "I want lunch!" she insisted. "I''m starving. And you''re paying this time."

    "Fine but it''ll be ramen only."

    "How mean! At least treat your girlfriend to an expensive steak! Or a romantic meal."

    "I would if your miserly grandfather had paid me for the therapy sessions I conduct with your sister," Hobin grumbled.

    "Yeah...you can never make him pay for that," Jina nodded. "We always believe that helping family should be for free."

    "Says the family who''s extracting free babysitting services from a demon," he muttered.. They yfully bickered all the way to the car, walking hand in hand.

 Chapter 262 - Blue Fish (8)

    Miyoo was pouting in a corner. Her gum hurt thanks to the broken teeth and the tooth fairy did not even arrive. Instead, she caught her grandfather trying to sneak in a dor under her pillow when she was pretending to sleep.

    "I''m sorry, Miyoo!" Junho apologized for the hundredth time. "Tooth fairies don''t exist!"

    "Pffft!"

    Her grandfather sighed. They were sitting on the floor. Junho was on his knees, trying to appease his granddaughter. Miyoo was disappointed that the tooth fairy turned out to be fake. What else was fake? Santa us? Was he also her grandfather in disguise?

    "Tch!" Magrod scowled. "You can''t even pacify a girl! Howme."

    "It''s all your fault anyway!" Junho snapped. "Who told you to feed her the idea of pretending to be asleep?"

    "I wanted to see the tooth fairy too, ya know!" Magrod snapped back. "What if she had cookies?"

    Yisub, who was sitting on the floor with Miyoo, was simply poking the floor. He was uninterested in their banter and was wondering how many dust particles were on the ground.

    "Cookies? Why would a tooth fairy have cookies?"

    "If she has money, surely she can buy cookies!"

    The two oldies were engaged in their banter until Miyoo eximed, "Meanies!"

    That made them stop. Junho turned to Miyoo and sighed. "Look dear," he began. "Not every myth is true. Things like tooth fairy don''t exist."

    "Santa us?" Miyoo asked, her eyesrge and hopeful as if she wanted Santa to be real.

    "Erбн" Junho was perplexed when his granddaughter looked at him like that. Her puppy dog eyes were preventing him from bursting her bubble that Santa was real.

    "Santa us? What''s that? Does he bring cookies too?" Magrod asked.

    "Santa brings gifts," Yisub said slowly. "And happiness."

    "Santa is the best!" Miyoo imed. "Miyoo likes Santa!"

    Junho was now in a fix. How was he going to exin to her that Santa does not exist? To top it all, the demon was making things worse.

    "Ooooh, Santa brings gifts?" Magrod asked. He was now pumped up, wondering if Santa would bring him cookies. "Where is this Santa? I wanna make him bring me the finest cookies!"

    "Hees on Christmas," Yisub stated. "On a sledge. He wears red clothes and has a white beard."

    "Why on Christmas? Why not on other days?" Magrod frowned. "Oi, old man! Where can we find Santa at this time?"

    "Huh? Who the hell are you calling an old man you five thousand year old demon?" Junho growled. "I was quite the catch when I was young. My Tinder-"

    "No one cares about your Tinder profile!" Magrod snapped. "Where is Santa?"

    "Miyoo wants Santa!"

    "Santa brings gifts!" Yisub added to the banter, making Junho want to tear his hair out. How did the conversation take such a drastic turn?

    "STOP!" He yelled. "Christmans is months away! Santa wille then. Stop making a fuss!"

    The three of them shut up and were pouting. Magrodmented for his cookie while Yisub wanted gifts and Miyoo wanted to see Santa. They would have to wait for months for all these?

    Junho was sighing loudly when the doorbell rang. "That must be Soobin," he said. "Thank god!"

    He opened the door to find Soobin and to his surprise, Baekha.

    "I brought Baekha along today," Soobin said. "She stopped by the restaurant and I suggested that she can apany me to babysit Miyoo. I hope that''s okay!"

    "Sure!" Junho eximed. He was already fond of this cool chick who managed to handle his family''s entricities. Baekha slightly bowed at him unsure of how to greet an elderly person but Junho seemed to be very weing towards her.

    "The twins will bete," he said. "And I''ll be off on an assignment till midnight. You guys can order dinner tonight. I already left some cash for you."

    "Really?" Soobin asked. "Are you sure, Mr. Hwang? I can cook!"

    "Think of it as a treat from this old man!" Junho winked."Don''t tell the twins though. They alwaysin why I don''t buy dinner for them."

    Soobin and Baekha snickered. They waved goodbye to Junho who set off for his work.

    "This family is weird," Baekha muttered. Miyoo came running towards them, jumping into Soobin''s arms.

    "They''re warm and friendly!" Soobin said. "In a weird way but they''re still amazing!"

    "That''s what makes them weird," Baekha replied with a small smile. Miyoo was reaching out her palm to touch Baekha''s cheek. Baekha was now morefortable around Miyoo, even giving her a slight poke on the head.

    They spent a rtively quiet evening, ordering pizza ("What is this cheesy stuff? Where are my cookies? I''m a Vozakel lord ya know!" Magrod imed) and ying games. Finally around 10 PM, Miyoo drifted off to sleep.

    "Poof!" Magrod said. He waspletely full and was watching his favorite drama on TV while the girls put away the te. Yisub had gone on his routine visit to his family so it was just the three of them.

    "Hey Baekha, did you hear that strange rumor at schooltely?" Soobin asked.

    "What rumor?"

    "The one about the game?"

    Baekha frowned, trying to recall any such rumor. Then it hit her.

    "You mean about that Fish?" she asked. "Blue Fish?"

    "Yes!" Soobin nodded. "I overheard a couple of students talking about it. Such a weird game."

    Magrod overheard them and was now interested in the conversation. He jumped from the couch and prowled towards the dinner table.

    "Game?" he asked. "What game?"

    "It''s an inte game and an app," Soobin exined. "Apparently at midnight, you can log into this website and you''ll be able to y the game. If youplete the game and its conditions, your wishes wille true. I found it kinda strange. How can a game fulfill wishes?"

    Baekha was now in deep thought. "This is strange," she agreed. "No game can do that. If it did, then people would be ying it all the time. Butбн"

    She trailed off as she tried toe up with a rationale. "But if it''s on the dark web, then the issue may be more serious than it seems."

    "Dark web?" Magrod frowned. "What''s that? A cookie?"

    "Dark web is what you call an alternate inte," Baekha said. "Kind of like...the other side of the inte. The websites we usually visit are part of the clean web. It''s vast and even dangerous at times if used wrongly but otherwise safe in general. By safe I mean that you can control the content you want to see. Your data is tracked and using that information, you''re being shown things which go through a rigorous filtering process. In a way, your mind is being tricked into believing that whatever you''re seeing on the clean web is all that the inte has to offer."

    "Eh?" Soobin and Magrod were confused. Baekha sighed. It was going to be a long night for her.

    бн

    Junho pulled up in front of a house in the sub-urban area. He was miles away from home, on a quiet street. Everyone was asleep and there was not a soul in sight. All the other houses were shrouded in darkness except for one which was still lit.

    He made his way to the porch and knocked on the door. An elderly woman in her sixties opened the door. She looked nervous and scared but upon seeing him, she was relieved.

    "Thank goodness Mr. Hwang!" she eximed. "I''m so d you''re here. I was starting to get worried!"

    "My apologies for beingte, Mrs. Jun," he said. "I was caught up trying to appease my granddaughter. You know how children can be!"

    Mrs. Jun stepped aside to let him in. Immediately, Junho was hit by a strong odor of rotten eggs. His EMF meter was beeping loudly in his pocket and he took it out to see that the indicator was pointing at red.

    "The demon," he began. "Is it strong?"

    "It''s very dangerous!" Mrs. Jun howled. "That thing won''t leave her alone at all! I tried everything but to no avail. It only makes her suffer more."

    She was sobbing hard, thinking of her poor granddaughter, Seohyun. For the past week, she had been acting strange. Her once cheerful and lively granddaughter lost her zeal and began to withdraw herself. At first, Mrs. Jun thought she was upset that her boyfriend cheated on her.

    But soon, Seohyun began to disy erratic behavior. She was cutting herself and even chopped off her beautiful hair in a shoddy manner. Soon, she was skipping meals and grew thin almost overnight. Mrs. Jun took her to a psychiatrist but he could not deduce what was wrong with her. Seohyun continued to be wild and to Mrs. Jun''s shock, she once shed her wrist.

    What shocked Mrs. Jun even further was that after shing her wrists, Seohyun ran around the houseughing like a mad person without feeling any pain!

    "Please save her!" Mrs. Jun begged. Junho patted her shoulder.

    "I will," he promised. "Take me to her."

    Mrs. Jun nodded and motioned him to follow her. She led him to a room in the corner and opened the door.

    The stench of rotten eggs was so strong that it would make a normal person throw up. A figurey on the bed, tied to the bedposts. It stirred and snapped its neck in his direction.

    Ding!

    Mrs. Jun jumped in shock. "Who could that be?" she wondered out loud.

    "My new assistant," Junho said calmly. "Please let him in."

    Mrs. Jun nodded and went to open the door. Junho stood there scrolling on his phone, not talking to the entity which was possessing the girl. After a few seconds, footsteps approached his way.

    "Are you sure you want to do this?" Junho asked coolly, not looking up.

    Siwan''s face was crunched up in disgust and worry.

    "I do," he replied.. "Let''s get this over with."

 Chapter 263 - Blue Fish (9)

    *A Few Days Ago*

    Junho was studying Siwan with an intense gaze. Thetter had called him up that morning and requested to meet in secret so Junho invited him to his house after midnight when everyone was asleep.

    They were sitting in the lounge on the ground floor. Siwan was a little nervous in front of Jina''s grandfather but kept his cool.

    "Why are you here, Kang Siwan?" Junho calmly asked him.

    "I...I have a request to make."

    Siwan fidgeted in his seat, unsure of how to make this request. Ever since he was discharged from the hospital, he had been debating his decision. It was a silly idea and at first,ughable to him. But after the encounter with a demon, he was sure that the idea was no longer a joke. It was now a grim reality.

    "What''s the request?" Junho frowned. Siwan took a deep breath and faced the old man.

    "Teach me how to exorcise demons," Siwan finally said.

    They stared at each other for a while. Junho was not surprised that Siwan made such a request but he was not so sure that the doctor could go through with his decision. After all, Siwan was not whollyfortable around the matter of demons and ghosts. Bomi disliked Siwant because of hisck of faith while Siwan seemed to harbor simr ill feelings towards the shaman. Junho understood Siwan''s dilemma but was not keen on taking up this request. It was too risky to allow an inexperienced person to help him on dangerous missions.

    "It''s not an easy task," Junho pointed out. "An exorcism is not something to be taken lightly. The possessed person acts crazy and suffers immense pain. It is not a pretty sight and a doctor like you might not be able to stand it."

    "I know," Siwan admitted. "I might not be able to see a person suffer like that but I have to learn. I...I have a reason why I want to do this."

    Junho did not interrupt him but let the young doctor continue.

    "When that Sungki possessed me, I was half conscious," he admitted. "I remember what happened that night and I saw the horrors the demon had unleashed on everyone."

    The old man leaned forward, frowning but interested. Siwan remembered everything? It was not unusual for a possessed person to have moments of rity when a ghost or demon controls them but very rarely people remembered their ordeal. Siwan''s case was now very interesting.

    "I was trying to fight back," Siwan went on. "I tried to control the demon and stop him but I was constantly failing to do so. Which is why I want to learn how to exorcise demons so that I can be prepared."

    "But there''s another reason as well, isn''t there?" Junho questioned him. Siwan stiffly nodded.

    "I also want to see if the demon inside Hobin can be removed," he finally admitted. "I know my brother is suffering a lot and I want to help him. If the demon can be removed, then I want to be the one to do it. I know there has to be a way!"

    Junho sighed and thought for a while. He was not sure of Siwan''s capabilities but he knew that the brothers shared an unbreakable bond. Siwan would do anything for Hobin and vice versa, which fueled their desires to protect each other.

    "Please, Mr. Hwang," Siwan begged. "Can you please let me assist you?"

    "Fine," Junho conceded. "But I must warn you, it''s not going to be an easy journey. Are you sure you''ll be able to handle seeing those people in pain?"

    Siwan gulped. He was not sure he could handle that but he had to take a shot. There was no other way to help the people around him.

    "Yes," he said. "I...I can."

    Junho saw the hesitation in his eyes but did not refuse him. "Then I will teach you how to exorcise demons," he said, extending his hand. Siwan slowly shook the old man''s hand, hoping that he would not regret his decision.

    бн

    *In the Present*

    Siwan stared at the girl...no, creature on the bed. It was a revolting sight indeed.

    The girl''s hair had been plucked in several ces, leaving bald patches all over her head. Her eyes were ring at them, her red pupils indicating that she had now slept for days. She scratched her face and body in so many ces that several of her wounds were bleeding. The girl was in her mid teens but she looked as if she had aged rapidly in days.

    She growled at them like an animal, snarling under her breath.

    "Look what happened to my poor granddaughter!" Mrs. Jun sobbed. "Look what that thing did to him!"

    Junho was staring back at the demon who was trying to set free but the binds stopped her. Siwan, on the other hand, frowned a little.

    "How do you know she has been possessed?" he questioned the old woman. "Did you have her checked by a doctor? She might be suffering from dementia or something else as well."

    "I did," the old woman imed. "But none of the doctors could help me!"

    Mrs. Jun was desperate to save her granddaughter. Siwan turned to Junho, his mind full of questions.

    "Mr. Hwang, how do you differentiate between a mentally disturbed person and a possessed person?" he asked. "They act almost the same, right?"

    "There''s a simple test," Junho said calmly. "If you have doubts, carry out a sulphur test."

    "Sulphur test?"

    Junho nodded. "All demons smell like sulphur. The stronger the scent of sulphur in the air, the more chances that a demon is nearby."

    He put his bag down and took out a small box which had several strips of paper in it. Siwan instantly recognized the hydrogen peroxide strips. Junho took one paper out and held it in front of the girl. She grinned and looked at the old man.

    "Ya think that ya can get rid of me?" She hissed. "I''m too powerful for ya, old man! Motherfucker! I''ll never let this girl go...her soul is mine to take! I''ll take her with me-"

    She let out a slew of curses which shocked Siwan. The girl was saying crude words which he did not even hear in his entire life. Her grandmother was sobbing behind him.

    "She was a good kid!" she insisted. "I never heard her curse even once and nowбн"

    The old woman broke into fresh tears, unable to stand the torture of the demon who was making their lives a living hell. Junho sprayed some liquid on the strip and waited. Within a few seconds, the paper turned brown.

    "Sulphur," Siwan muttered. "And it''s strong too!"

    "This is the first step," Junho said. "The second test isбн"

    He took out a salt bottle. "Is this going to work?" Siwan asked. "It didn''t work on me when I was possessed."

    "It''s a method of guessing which level this demon belongs to," Junho replied. "If there is any demon, that is."

    He sprinkled salt on the girl who screamed. Blisters formed on her skin which hissed uponing to contact with the salt.

    "AHHHH! STOP THAT YOU BASTARD-" She yelled. "STOP!"

    "This one is a low level demon," Junho concluded. "Probably lower than a Vurthramis ss demon."

    Siwna nodded. Junho had already taught him about the different sses of demons and the things which affect them. He watched as Junho took control of the process. The demon was hissing and ring at the old man with spite.

    "You think that I''m an ordinary demon?" the girl snarled. "Vurthramis? Don''t make meugh! Just because they''re higher in rank doesn''t mean we''re any less! We are-"

    "C-ss," Junho yawned. "Big deal! It just means you''re a foot soldier and nothing else. Even the other demons look down on you lot."

    "FUCKER!" the demon cursed at him. "YOU FUCKING HUMAN-"

    "You were a human too once," Junho taunted her. "Tell me, were you as pathetic and low level as you are now? I mean, all demons were desperate humans who sold their souls and damned themselves to Hell. Were you this stupid when you were alive?"

    Siwan noticed that the demon''s nostrils were ring and it was bing angrier by the second but Junho kept on taunting it. If he had not seen Hobin use this tactic on difficult patients, Siwan would have thought the old man was mad and heartless. But it was a necessary tactic to make someone talk.

    What bothered Siwan were the self-inflicted wounds on the girl''s body. The demon was thrashing and hurting itself, ultimately affecting the poor girl''s body as well. Her wounds were opening again, bleeding through the cuts. The ropes tying her cut deep into her wrist, causing blood to ooze out.

    "I bet you were even more pathetic as a human!" Junho gritted. "You can''t even be a Vurthramis lord! You''re trying to move up the levels-"

    "YOU SON OF A BITCH!" The demon yelled.

    "-but you failed because you''re useless!" Junho said loudly, ring at the demon. "You''re a useless and pathetic loser who can never reach high. You couldn''t rise high in life nor can you rise high in death. How dumb are you?"

    "YOU THINK YOU CAN DEFEAT ME?" The demon shrieked. "I AM THEBUS! THE MOST LOYAL SOLDIER OF THE TRUE PRINCE! I-"

    "Just gave your name away," Junho pointed out in a calm manner. The demon was suddenly scared and mortified at the shocking turn of events.

    "And now," Junho said, turning to Siwan.. "We start the exorcism."

 Chapter 264 - Blue Fish (10)

    The girl was thrashing on the bed, snarling like an animal. Siwan had never seen anything like this. Her whole skin was starting to ke off and her eyes were glowing red. She was growling and suddenly, their eyes met. An evil smirk formed on her lips.

    "Whatcha lookin'' at, pretty boy?" she taunted him. "Are you a pedo? Do you wanna fuck this little girl? Come on! I''ll let you have her. Just let me go!"

    A strange warmth surrounded him and Siwan was momentarily frozen by the overwhelming aura. The demon was shing the image of the possessed girl.

    "Siwanбн" Junho began. He was worried that Siwan was going to be ensnared in a trick because the doctor was awfully still.

    "Come on, pretty boy!" the demon egged him. "Come and get herбн"

    Siwan was not sure what to feel or think. The warmth feltforting but he could not shake off the thought that something was wrong. His mind was in bliss when suddenly, the demon showed him the image of the possessed girl lying naked in a bath. Siwan was disgusted by it and tried to think of something else. The first thing that popped in front of him was Hobin as a child, crying.

    That snapped him out of his reverie.

    "What happened?" he asked stupidly.

    "You were in a trance caused by this demon," Junho said. The demon was roaring like a mad person.

    "YOU FUCKING-" She let out a series of curse words which made Mrs. Jun cry.

    "Mrs. Jun, I''m afraid you''ll have to go outside and wait," Junho told her. "You won''t be able to see this."

    "Butбн" She began but Junho shook his head.

    "We must exorcise her," he emphasized. "If you''re here, the demon will act again and try to make your heart melt. That''ll only cause more pain to your granddaughter."

    Mrs. Jun debated with herself, but finally nodded. She quietly exited the room, leaving her granddaughter with the two men.

    "Are you sure she''s possessed?" Siwan asked again.

    "Didn''t she just put you under a trance?" Junho pointed out. "You really don''t wanna believe all this, huh?"

    Siwan did not reply. It was not like he did not want to believe in the existence of demons. Rather, he was afraid that his brother would be taken over by one and he would not be able to stop it.

    "Brace yourself, kid," Junho muttered. He took out a box of salt and began to pour it around the bed, trapping the demon inside it. The salt was infused with glue so that the air could not blow it away.. Siwan watched as the demon kept on snarling at them, feeling scared. He tried to keep a straight face but it was hard to do so. As a doctor, he could not see the pain of the girl but what he saw was something almost hard to believe.

    "You think you can stop us?" the demon barked. "We are absolute beings! We are much better as demons than we were as humans! You think you''re so great? But it''s you humans who use us for your own needs! Do you think that this girl will survive if I leave? No no no! She''ll be attacked again. I''ll make sure the deal isplete!"

    "Deal?" Siwan echoed.

    "This girl was tricked into signing a contract," Junho stated. "She found some kind of a game in the attic which had a set of rules. Those rules stated that if she signed the paper, her wishes woulde true. The naive girl signed it without any thought."

    "It''s just like a horror movie," Siwan remarked.

    "Only worse," Junho sighed. He took out a book and began to recite from it.

    "Oh you who has lost his way, leave this girl and begone to Hell where you belong!" he chanted.

    The air around them was starting to swirl, gaining momentum. Siwan remembered how during his own possession, the whole room had gone cold as if they were in the middle of an icynd. The temperature was dropping rapidly and he was shivering hard. Junho kept on chanting the spell while the girl screamed in agony.

    "AHHHHHHHH!" She yelled and thrashed on the bed. Her limbs were squirming and she twisted her waist in a manner which was not possible for a normal human. Blood was gushing out of her cuts while the wind was blowing so hard that things were being thrown all over the room.

    "She''s gonna die!" Siwan yelled at Junho but thetter shook his head, still chanting the spell. Siwan was in a dilemma to help the girl but Junho held him back.

    "Oh you who have lost his way, leave this girl and go to Hell where you belong!" he yelled. "BEGONE!"

    "You motherfucker!" The demon yelled. "I''ll kill you! I''ll kill you-"

    The wind threw the book away from Junho''s hand but he had the spell memorized. Siwan was at a loss, wondering what to do. He hated to stay still while someone was hurtбн

    His eyes fell on the book and he quickly grabbed it. Flipping to the page where the chant was, he began to repeat with Junho. Thetter was surprised but did not stop him.

    "Oh you who have lost his way, leave this girl and go to Hell where you belong!" They chanted together. The demon cursed at them, a pile of ck goo starting to burst out of her mouth. Some of it almost hit Siwan but he ducked, not breaking the spell while Junho''s face was sttered by the ck goo. He still did not budge and kept on reciting.

    "FUUUUUUUCK!" The demon yelled. Her body arched upwards and she opened her mouth.

    A stream of ck butterflies came flying out of her, flying out of the window at a rapid pace. Siwan watched in shock as the tiny girl vomited out thousands of butterflies. His eyes widened and he could believe what he was seeing.

    Finally, the girl''s face contorted and she fell back on the bed, unconscious. Junho stopped chanting and was looking grim. Siwan instantly went over to the girl and checked her pulse.

    "She''s alive," he dered. "But she needs to go to the hospital."

    Junho let out a sigh of relief. "We''ll take her there," he said. "If the cops ask about her wounds, can you handle it?"

    Siwan nodded. He did not want to lie to the cops about her injuries but there was no other choice. Who would believe that she was tied up because of a demon?

    They quickly untied her and within minutes, took her to the hospital. Mrs. Jun followed them and they rushed the girl into emergency care where Siwan treated her for hours. It was nearly four o''clock in the morning by the time he was done.

    Mrs. Jun came running once he came out of the ICU.

    "How is she?" she asked.

    "She''s fine," Siwan assured her. "Her injuries were serious but treatable."

    Junho, who was standing nearby, was also relieved to hear that. He was afraid that this girl would also die but thankfully, she survived the ordeal. It was all he wanted.

    Mrs. Jun went inside to check on her granddaughter while Siwan slumped on a bench. Junho sat next to him.

    "You came a long way from the spoiled brat who used to bully my granddaughter," Junho remarked.

    "Yeah, well I guess I would rather be a selfish goody two shoes than be a monster like my father was," Siwan muttered. He ran his fingers through his hair.

    "Do you...do you do this a lot?" he asked.

    "Yes."

    "Why?"

    Siwan was curious. What made this man leave behind his wealth and take up such a horrific job?

    "Why are you trying to learn how to repel demons?" Junho asked him.

    "I want to protect my brother from the demon that''s haunting him," Siwan stated. "I don''t want him to go through what I went through with Sungki."

    "And I failed to protect my wife from the demon that possessed her," Junho revealed. "I saw her die in front of my own eyes and I pray everyday that no one else has to go through this."

    Siwan was surprised by the revtion. He knew that Hwang Junho''s wife had died in a horrific way and for years, many people believed that Junho had killed his wife. Siwan also knew that Junho had stayed away from his family for years after running away from the scene where his wife died. It was only after the statute of limitation expired did Junho reappear and reconciled with his family.

    "Is that why you used to stay away from your family?" he asked. "To hunt down that demon?"

    Junho nodded. "I found him and got rid of him for once and for all," he said. "But it still didn''t give me any closure so I decided to protect whoever I can from the same fate."

    He patted Siwan''s back in a paternal manner. Siwan was slightly touched by the gesture, having missed the much needed paternal figure in life.

    "You can protect your brother," Junho affirmed. "If you''re determined, then I know you''ll not make the mistakes I made. But I gotta tell you. This isn''t an easy job. The girl we saved today was lucky. The others might not be so lucky and their deaths will weigh in on your conscience. Can you really do it?"

    Can I? Siwan questioned himself. Can I do it?

    He searched for the answer but no longer knew what was right or wrong.

    бн

    Jiwoon was awake at that time. She woke up in the middle of the night and could not sleep so she was watching a movie on herptop. Baekha stayed back at Soobin''s house that night citing that she had some work.

    DING!

    The doorbell rang, surprising Jiwoon. "Who could that be?" she wondered out loud.

    She turned off the movie and went to answer the door. To her surprise, it was Siwan. He looked tired and lost, his eyes sapped of all energy leaving behind a hollow look.

    "I didn''t know where else to go at this time," he said. "And I don''t want to be alone. Can I crash on the couch?"

    Jiwoon did not reply but stepped aside to let him in. Siwan did not say anything either but headed over to the couch and slumped on it. He was instantly asleep.

    She slowly approached him and bent down. His expression was troubled and...sad.

    What''s going on? Jiwoon thought. Her heart was uneasy seeing him like this and she wanted to touch him. She wished she could tell him that everything was going to be alright but could not bring herself to do so.

    "I''m sorryбн" Siwan was talking in his sleep. Jiwoon froze, unsure of whether to leave or not.

    I should leave, she decided. It was not right to listen to someone''s private thoughts.

    She stood up and turned away when she heard him murmur.

    "I''m sorry Shinhoбн"

    He was remembering his deceased brother. Jiwoon nced back at him. After hearing that, she could no longer leave.

    Bending over again, she held his hand and patted it.

    "I hope you don''t think of past regrets anymore," she gently whispers. His fingers curl around her palm as if seeking assurance. She blushes but does not move.

    Instead, she lets him hold her as he falls into a troubled sleep.

 Chapter 265 - Blue Fish (11)

    Hobin was worried. He had been trying to call his brother for the past hour but his phone had been switched off.

    "What''s wrong?" Jina asked, looking up from the case files. They were at her house, going over the Blue Fish cases.

    "I''ve been trying to call my brother," he admitted. "But I can''t seem to reach him."

    He tried to call Siwan again but to no avail.

    "He might be performing a surgery," Jina suggested. Hobin sighed and nodded. He plopped on a chair next to her and looked at the case files.

    "How is this demon doing it?" he muttered. "Is it using an app? Or an inte site?"

    "These kids died exactly at midnight," Jina stated. "This means the demon works at that time. But I''ve asked around and no one seems to know about this game. Even the parents are clueless about this game. None of the boys ever used it. In Yisub''s case, his activities are monitored by his parents. They would have known if he was visiting any such site."

    They were now grim, both of them thinking hard. Magrod had surveyed the area for them and even he could not find a single clue. It was like the demonpletely vanished without a trace.

    "Tomorrow is Yisub''s funeral, right?" Hobin finally asked. Jina nodded, unable to say anything else.

    "We should go," he said. "And attend the wake as well. Maybe we''ll find a clue."

    "Alright," Jina agreed. "But we can''t ask the parents anything during this time. They''re grieving and I don''t wanna add to their worries."

    They stared at the case files and groaned. The demon was getting on their nerves and they wished there was some way to find that thing. Hobin picked up his phone to call Siwan again.

    "Why isn''t bro answering the phone?" he scowled. Siwan never ignored his calls.

    "Did you try calling Soobin?" Jina suggested.

    "Yeah but she''s at your brother''s pce with Baekha," he replied. "And the maid at Kang mansion said brother isn''t home. It''s weird. I know it''s his day off today. Where can he be?"

    Jina was now puzzled. Why was Siwan ignoring their calls?

    "We''ll talk to him in the morning," she said. "Maybe he''s in an emergency surgery."

    "Maybeбн"

    Hobin nced at his phone, hoping that Siwan would call. He was worried about his brother because he had been acting a little strangetely. It was as if Siwan was hiding secrets from him.

    I just hope he''s okay, he prayed.

    бн

    "What is this?" Soobin gasped. Magrod was also surprised by the thing he was seeing while Baekha seemed to be unfazed. They were sitting in front of Baekha''sptop, watching her type in a few codes. Instantly, a browser opened but it was not the usual browser they used. Instead, it had a different interface and seemed to be directing them to strange websites which Soobin had never even heard of before.

    The webpage was simr to a social media site but instead of people sharing their everyday life, it contained videos and posts which were highly disturbing. Soobin almost threw up at the gruesome sight. One of the pictures had a person cutting off the skin from a dead deer and instead of keeping it hidden,the video was ying on loop. Several peoplemented there, cheering for the man who was cutting up the deer. Blood oozed out of the poor creature, spilling on the floor.

    "Baekha, what the hell is this?" she eximed, looking away.

    "This is only a glimpse of the dark web," Baekha stated. "This is nothing. There are way worse videos."

    "This is like hell but online," Magrod shrugged. "Human souls are pretty much treated like this there. Sometimes several of them areid in a series and then we take out a mincer to-"

    "STOP IT!" Soobin yelled. "This is sick! How can people do this? Don''t the cops get a hold of these videos?"

    "The guy who posted this is a cop," Baekha revealed. She turned off the video and turned to her.

    "The dark web is unfiltered," she exined. "Everything on it is public, without any restrictions. These videos aren''t uploaded on the regr sites we visit. On the dark web, people can unleash their deepest and the most sadistic desires. That''s what makes it very dangerous. You''ll find everything there. Gruesome videos, hackers, criminals and even hire hitmen to kill someone."

    Soobin'' grimaced while Magrod frowned. "The more I hear about it, the more it seems like Hell itself," he stated.

    "Precisely," Baekha nodded. "Only difference is, people are aware of the things they can do on the dark web. All they need is a website or a forum name. Government secrets, conspiracy theories. Whatever you want, you''ll find it here. Of course, you can use it in a good way at times. Police use the dark web to gather information on criminals and crimes. Sometimes, hackers use the dark web to prevent a cyber crime. It depends on how you use it."

    "The game, Blue Fish, must be a part of the dark web," she went on. "Whoever created it, is on it. I''m sure of it. Otherwise such a dangerous game is not usually allowed on the clean web."

    "But how are people essing it?" Soobin asked. "Through this browser?"

    "Nah. There are millions of dark web browsers," Baekha said. "I''m sure they''re either stumbling upon it by ident or there''s a way to ess it through the clean wbe as well. Not difficult if you use a VPN."

    "I doubt a good kid like Yisub would happen to enter the site," Magrod said thoughtfully. "If a demon is involved like the Priestess had mentioned, then that demon was summoned and is hiding in this dark web. It''s the perfect ce for him to hide."

    "If that''s the case, it''ll be nearly impossible to find him!" Soobin pointed out. "The inte, whether dark or clean, is vast. It''s like finding a needle in a haystack."

    "But the game is starting to spread fast," Baekha said. "I''m sure if I ask around, the culprit will be caught."

    "Plus, all demons need an object to tie them to the living world," Magrod pointed out. "He or she was definitely summoned. If we can find the object and let the Priestess kill the demon, we''ll be able to stop the game from spreading."

    They sat in silence, thinking hard.

    "How are we going to do it?" Baekha asked but Soobin was unsure.

    "Shouldn''t we tell the cops?" she suggested. "Jina sis should know."

    "Tell you what, I''ll ask around and gather information," Baekha said. "And then we''ll take our findings to her. That''ll help her more. If we can find the name of the person who made the deal, she can track him or her down and arrest them."

    "What if the demon hunts us down?" Soobin asked, feeling scared. She was not in the mood to face another demon.

    "Just don''t sign anything and you''ll be fine," Magrod assured her. "But Beaky is right. We should find the summoner first. Then we can think of informing the Priestess."

    Soobin was not so sure but she nodded.

    "Okay," she agreed. "Let''s find the summoner and then tell Jina sis about this!"

    Baekha flexed her fingers. "Let''s start this mission then!" she eximed.

    "Aye!"

 Chapter 266 - Blue Fish (12)

    Siwan stirred in his sleep. The first ray of sunshine hit his eyes and he slowly woke up. His head felt a little heavy because he drank a littlest night after the surgery.

    Last nightбн

    The memories of the possessed girl were starting to return and he felt a heavy burden on his heart. She was safe but how many more people would have to die because of demons? And what if Hobin became one too?

    Siwan looked around only to realize that he was not in his mansion nor in his new apartment. Instead, he was in Jiwoon''s apartment!

    "What the?" he muttered in surprise. He slowly got up only to realize that someone was holding his hand. Jiwoon was fast asleep next to the couch, holding his hand. Siwan was a little taken aback but smiled at the thought that she did not leave his side at a time when he felt vulnerable.

    Slowly moving his hand away, he was about to get off the couch when Jiwoon began to wake up.

    "I''m sorry!" he quickly said. "I thought you were asleep and-"

    "It''s okay," she mumbled sleepily. "Are you feeling alright?"

    Siwan sighed. She was the one who half slept on the floor and was still asking if he was alright?

    "I''m fine, Detective," he assured her. "I''m sorry for intruding like this. I was not in my right mind and-"

    "You didn''t leave Yeonjoo alone in herst moments," Jiwoon pointed out. "So I couldn''t leave you alone when you needed a friend."

    Siwan was unsure of what to say to her logic. The girl always felt indebted to him whereas he should be grateful to her for being so wise. If it was not for her, he would not have been able to ept his selfish side and heal.

    "What happened, Doctor Kang?" Jiwoon gently asked. "You were a little upsetst night. Is everything alright?"

    Siwan sighed and ran a hand through his hair. She sat next to him, waiting for an answer.

    "I''ll tell you but only if you promise that you won''t tell this to anyone else," he pleaded. "Please."

    Jiwoon was now a little worried. "What happened?" she asked. "I won''t tell anyone."

    He took a deep breath and faced her.

    "I''m learning how to exorcise demons," he revealed. "From Jina''s grandfather."

    There was a long stretch of silence following his confession. Jiwoon blinked in surprise, confused by his decision.

    "Why?" She asked. "What''s wrong? Is there another demon trying to harm you?"

    "Not reallyбн" Siwan said. "It''s moreplicated than that. I want to protect my brother from a demon."

    Jiwoon was confused but did not speak. "There''s a demon which is...let''s just say it''s tormenting Hobin," he said. "And I feel that he''ll be in danger someday. All these years, we didn''t know what it was but now we do. It''s a demon and I''ve seen it."

    "You saw it?" Jiwoon echoed.

    "Hwang Junho took me to a shaman who showed us the demon which is haunting Hobin," he said. "And I want to get rid of it so that my brother isn''t harmed. For that, I need to learn how to exorcise a demon. So please, don''t tell this to anyone. Also, don''t let Hobin touch you. Not even a slight brush."

    "Touch?" she frowned. What did that mean?

    "Just promise me that you won''t let him touch you and you won''t tell anyone else about this," he insisted. "Please!"

    He was giving her an intense stare which made Jiwoon worried. She could not refuse his request, not when he was looking at her like that. Her heart was pounding fast and she slightly blushed.

    "Okay," she agreed. "But if you''re in any sort of danger, I''ll have to tell this to someone. Deal?"

    "Fine," Siwan agreed, holding her hand. "Deal. Until then, don''t tell anyone."

    Jiwoon looked down at their intertwined hands and blushed harder. Siwan seemed to have noticed that he was holding her hand and quickly moved it away, thinking that she was embarrassed by his gesture. Unbeknownst to him, she feltforted by his touch.

    GRRRROWWWWWL!

    Jiwoon''s eyes widened when her stomach let out a loud rumble. She tried to straighten up and hide her embarrassment but Siwan heard her stomach growling in hunger.

    "I can make breakfast," he offered. "It''s the least I could do for you."

    "No!" she eximed. "That''s okay. I have to go to work-"

    "Then let''s grab something to eat in front of the cafe downstairs," he offered. "It''s my treat! Think of it as a date between friends."

    He smiled warmly at her, shing his boyish charm which made her heart beat even faster. Jiwoon hid her face, hoping that he did not notice her red face but he caught a glimpse of it.

    "Are you feeling ill?" he asked, his voice filled with concern. "Let me take a look at it."

    Siwan touched her forehead which did not help Jiwoon''s overwhelming feelings. She was as still as a statue as his warm fingers checked her temperature.

    "You seem to be fine," he said. "Are you feeling ill at all?"

    "I''m fine," she mumbled. "It''s just the weather, I guess."

    Siwan was confused. He watched as she got up and headed into her room.

    "Are we still up for breakfast?" he asked. Jiwoon paused and nodded, not daring to look at him as if she was afraid he would find out about her feelings if he saw her eyes. She quickly went back into her room and shut the door behind her. Slumping against the door, she held her chest to try and slow down her poor heart which beats crazily for him.

    "He likes someone else," she told herself. "I really shouldn''t think of him like this."

    That''s right, she thought sadly. He deserves someone way better. Not someone like me.

    Outside, Siwan was a little troubled. Did he offend her with the friendly date?

    He was not sure but being near Jiwoonforted him a lot. Her presence was calming and he found himself yearning to be near her. Was he intruding too much in her life?

    "I should be more careful," he told himself.

 Chapter 267 - Blue Fish (13)

    Yisub''s house was full of mourners who had stopped by to give his parents their condolences. Jina and Hobin entered the living room to see that his parents were standing in a corner right next to Yisub''s photo. They were bowing to guests, epting their messages offort. Elie stood a little farther away, not talking to anyone. Her face is sullen and she was quiet.

    They slowly approached the Kim''s.

    Hobin reached out his hand to shake theirs. "I''m sorry for your loss," he said with a bow. Mr. Kim nodded, shaking his hand. Hobin then extended his hand to Mrs. Kim who also shook it without a word.

    ncing at Jina, he slowly shook his head. There memories revealed nothing about Yisub''s murder. Jina cleared her throat.

    "We''re still investigating his death," she told them. "We believe that we''ll find the culprit soon."

    "Culprit?" Mrs. Kim echoed. "D-d-does that mean my son didn''tбн"

    "I will exin everything to you after the funeral," Jina promised her. The Kim''s looked troubled but nodded. Meanwhile, Hobin walked towards Eli who stiffened.

    "I''m sorry for your loss," he said. "Losing a twin brother must be hard."

    "Uhh...who are you?" She asked him. "I know you''re with the police but you don''t seem like a cop."

    "I''m a psychiatrist and also a profiler for the cops," he stated. "Doctor Ohm Hobin."

    "Oh," Eli said. "Right."

    "Are you alright? You seem more confused than sad," he said outright. She did not refute him but rather nodded.

    "It...it is," Eli admitted. She was looking down at her fingers. Yisub may have been autistic and even annoying but deep down, she loved him. The loss of her brother did not hit her yet for some reason and she was waiting for the grief to take over.

    Hobin noticed her hesitation.

    "Are you alright?" he asked her.

    "I amбн" she said. "It''s just that the grief hasn''t set it. I don''t know why but sometimes I feel like he''s around me. Crazy thought, right?"

    Hobin raised an eyebrow. "Do you want to talk about it?" he offered. "I might be working for the cops but if you want, I won''t disclose anything to them without your parents'' approval. I''m bound byw not to disclose the information of minors anyway."

    Eli was conflicted. She wanted to talk to someone for a long time but her parents were so devastated by Yisub''s loss that they did not pay any attention to her.

    "Not here," she said. "At the balcony."

    She led him away from the crowd and towards a balcony to speak in private. Turning towards him, she took a deep breath.

    "It''s hard to exin," she began. "But ever since we were young, Yisub and I had this connection. Kind of like, whenever he feels sad or hurt, I feel it too. I don''t know why but I do. It was the same for him. He feels it whenever I''m hurt. Lately, this feeling has been worse. I mean, I know my brother is dead but I feel as if he''s nearby. Sometimes, there''s this sadness in my heart and even though I want to think it''s over his loss, I don''t think that''s the case. It''s like...it''s like I am feeling what he''s feeling!"

    Eli was not sure how that was happening. Yisub was dead and yet, she felt he was around. Hobin was now very interested.

    "On the night he died," he said. "Didn''t you feel anything when he died? Why didn''t you check up on him?"

    Eli bit her lip and gulped. "I didn''t feel anything that night!" she eximed. "I don''t know why!"

    But it was toote. Hobin had already noticed her hesitation and she was not going to answer any more of his questions. Eli was walking away when Hobin intentionally touched her arm.

    Within a second, her memories came rushing into his head and he was transported into her mind.

    бн

    The whole house is shrouded in darkness and silence as the inhabitants slept on without a care. A door opens and a young girl tiptoes out of one of the rooms. She nces around her to make sure that no one is around. Her parents are sleeping in their bedroom while her twin brother is in his room. The lights in his room are still on but she knows that he is listening to music and will not hear anything.

    She slowly walks towards the main door. In her hands is a purse with the house keys. She is wearing a short dress which barely covers her thighs and her hair is let loose. The dress is too scanty and her parents will kill her if they see her like that but she does not care at all.

    After all, she needs her freedom but they are so controlling. It irritates her that they care so little about her freedom but lets their son roam freely simply because he is a little retard.

    "Stupid Yisub!" she groans under her breath. Making sure that no one is watching her, she quickly slips out of the front door and makes her way to the elevator. The building has no camera installed so she is safe.

    "Where have you been?" A blonde boy asks once he spots her. She just reached the parking lot and found her boyfriend Myungsoo standing there for her. He is the most popr boy at Dalton after the Hwang twins and the captain of the football team. His messy hair is brushed back and he is wearing a ck denim jacket which is highlighting his sexy physique.

    "I''m sorry babe!" She says and kisses him. "You know my parents! And my stupid brother is always getting on my nerves. I had to sneak out."

    Myungsoo scowls upon hearing about that retard of a brother she has. A few nights ago, Yisub had beaten him up badly and Myungsoo was furious. Eli is afraid that Myungsoo will create a scene but he motions her to hop into his car.

    "Don''t worry about Yisub," she says once she buckles up her seat belt. "He''s an idiot. He''ll get around. I can handle him."

    "You don''t have to," Myungsoo ims. "I can handle him on my own."

    His eyes flicker to the clock on his car. Eli frowns but shrugs it off. As long as her brother stays away from her and her boyfriend, she does not care about anything else. All she wants is a little bit of freedom.

    "After today, your brother will not be a bother," he adds. Now Eli frowns.

    "What does that mean?" she asks but he does not reply and revs up the engine. As soon as the engine starts, the clock strikes 12.

    "Agh!" Eli gasps, holding her neck. Myungsoo, who is driving the car, nces at her.

    "What happened?" he demands. Eli is not sure but she is sure that a sharp pain has cut through her neck like a knife. It was brief but the pain was so sharp that she could almost feel a cold de touching her throat. A feeling of pure fear and angst rises in her chest and she nces backwards. She is gasping for breath and her palms are bing sweaty.

    "I...Iбн" she stammers. Yisub! Her heart screams at her. Something happened to Yisub!

    "I should go back!" she says at once. "I think that-"

    "What the hell is the matter with you?" Myungsoo scolds her. "This is supposed to be our first night together! Are you really going to ruin it?"

    His angry expression makes her squirm. She is not so sure about the feeling she had but she was never wrong about it. Whenever she felt something like this, it meant Yisub was in trouble. What if he is hurt? Or worse?

    "I should have never dated you!" Myungsoo snarls. "If you go back, then consider our rtionship is over!"

    "What?" Eli exims. "No! I don''t wanna break up. I just want to be with you! I just thought-"

    "Make your choice, Eli," he demands. "Me or this silly fear of yours. I won''t be patient any longer."

    Eli gulps. She looks at his angry face and resolves her heart.

    "Let''s go to your ce," she finally says. That''s right, she tells herself. It''s nothing. Just a random feeling. That''s it.

    With her unsettled heart, she goes with Myungsoo. This is her moment of freedom and she cannot let anyone snatch it away.

    бн

    Hobin was not interested in seeing a minor''s X-rated memories so he stopped right there. Eli is ring at him so he lets go of her arm.

    "I''m sorry," he apologized. "If you want to talk to someone, you can contact me anytime you want. Here''s my card."

    He handed her his card. She nodded and left him there. For the rest of the funeral, Hobin did not attempt to talk to her nor did he tell Jina about what happened. She kept on ncing at him but he shook his head. He was sure that Eli was looking at him with suspicion. She had already given too much away but her statement was crucial.

    It was amazing to him how the human mind worked. The more he studied it, the more intrigued he was.

    To think that twins feel connections like this, he thought. He vaguely wondered if the Hwang twins also experienced this.

    They would make a fascinating pair of guinea pigs to study.

 Chapter 268 - Blue Fish (14)

    Siwan pulled up in front of the police station. Jiwoon was too shy to look at him and was fumbling about how to thank him for his generosity. Siwan, on the other hand, was a little worried that he may have overstepped his boundariesst night after he barged into her house uninvited.

    "Here you go," he said.

    "Uhhбн" Jiwoon began. "Thanks for the treat."

    She shed him a small smile which he returned.

    "I''m sorry again," he said. "I shouldn''t have barged into your house unexpectedlyst night."

    "That''s okay! I''m kinda d you came. It shows that you...you think of me as a friend."

    Siwan blinked and then let out an amusedughter. Jiwoon was confused. Did she say anything wrong?

    "Of course I think of you as a friend!" he eximed. "A really good friend. Why else would I tell you such a big secret? I didn''t even tell that to my brother!"

    Jiwoon blushed harder. What is wrong with me? She wondered. I''m not usually like this.

    It was true. She was mostly quiet and cold to others but around Siwan, her mask slipped and she felt very giddy. His warm and genuine smile made her day better and she wanted to see more of it. But she would never admit it out loud.

    Siwan got out of the car and opened the door for her. Jiwoon thanked him again.

    "Will you be returning to the hospital now?" She asked him.

    "Yeah," he sighed. "I have to. Even though I performed a long surgeryst night."

    Siwanmented his fate. He wanted to go home and sleep but for a doctor, patients came first. Jiwoon snickered.

    "Go to work," she slightly teased. "I know you''re at your happiest when you work."

    "True," he nodded. "See you tonight."

    "Oh? You''re not going back to the mansion?"

    "I can''t," he replied. "I have duty tomorrow. Besides, Soobin texted me. She''s going to sleepover at your ce tonight because she needs to do her school work with Baekha."

    "Ahбн"

    Jiwoon was inwardly happy that Siwan was going to stay in their building that night. Then she frowned and looked around.

    "What happened?" Siwan asked.

    "I thoughtбн I just had the feeling that someone is watching us," she murmured. Her eyes peered and she saw a couple of figures behind a pir.

    "I''ll catch up with youter," she said.

    "Are you sure you don''t want me to check?" Siwan asked, hesitant to leave her behind like that.

    "I''ll be fine," she assured him. "You''ll bete for work."

    Siwan nodded and got into his car. Jiwoon waved at him as he drove off and then turned towards the troublemakers who were hiding behind the pir.

    "Come out of there!" She ordered them. Slowly, Woohee, Chanmi and Jaebum came out of the pir, shamefaced. They were awkward and fidgeted as if they were caught red handed whilemitting a crime. Jiwoon crossed her arms on her chest, tapping her foot impatiently.

    "What are you doing?" She demanded.

    "We...erбн" Woohee fumbled. How were they going to exin that they were watching their usually cold and aloof superior bing coy near a guy?

    "We were appreciating the weather!" Jaebum imed. "Right Chanmi?"

    "Yes!" Chanmi lied. "The weather is so nice! Right, second boss?"

    Jiwoon frowned at them but did not say anything. She sighed and went inside towards her workstation. The trio stared at her in shock.

    "Do you think there''s something going on between Detective Kim and that doctor?" Jaebum hissed. "It''s so weird!"

    "I think it''s kinda cute," Woohee snickered. "She was blushing!"

    "Do you think the doctor likes her?" Chanmi asked. "He did go to save her that night from her inws and got hurt!"

    "Wasn''t he talking about meeting her tonight?" Jaebum pointed out. "Are they dating?"

    They crept back inside and peeked at Jiwoon who was busy with her work. There was a slight smile on her face which was rare. The trio werepletely shocked.

    "I wonder if they''re really dating," Woohee moaned.

    "I bet they''re just friends," Jaebum said outright. "Detective Kim isn''t the type to date!"

    "I think they are," Chanmi nodded. "Or on the verge of dating."

    "Let''s make a bet!" Woohee dered. "That these two will start to date soon."

    "I bet 50 dors that they''re gonna date!" Chanmi said at once.

    "I bet 100 that they''re not dating and won''t date," Jaebum chipped in.

    "I bet 100 as well," Woohee said. "That they are or will date."

    Jiwoon, who overheard them, only sighed. These guys really have no other work, she thought in dismay.

    She returned to her work and was reading the case files on the Blue Fish crimes. Turning to herptop, she tried to enter the website again but to no avail. She flipped the pages to re-read the information.

    After deducing that the site activates at midnight, Jina, Jiwoon and Hobin decided not to visit the site because they were still not sure how it worked. What if the site copied their signatures and tricked them into a contract. Hence, they decided to track down someone who actually signed a contract.

    "How are we going to find someone like that?" She wondered. Jiwoon thought hard. She opened her social media site and typed in the phrase ''Blue Fish''.

    To her shock, her ount was blocked within seconds.

    "What the hell?" she muttered. Jiwoon pressed the refresh button and tried to enter her ount but she waspletely blocked. Frowning, she searched for the game online but there were no search results. It was as if the game waspletely blocked. Any news or information was totally banned on the web which was suspicious.

    I better tell this to boss, she decided.

    бн

    Jina and Hobin were outside Dalton Academy. Hobin had advised her to talk to Eli''s boyfriend but he did not divulge the exact reason. He simply stated that Yisub and Myungsoo had fought days before Yisub''s death as per Eli''s previous testimony so they should check out the lead.

    "Did you see something in Eli''s memories?" She asked.

    "I did but I can''t tell you," he winced. "Otherwise, I''ll be viting the rights of a minor. I can, however, direct you to the right path."

    She nodded. The principal had already been informed about the case and Myungsoo''s parents were also informed. Jina and Hobin entered the principal''s office where Myungsoo''s father, Yeon Byeol, was sitting along with Myungsoo.

    "What is the meaning of this?" Byeol demanded from the duo. "Why is my son being interrogated? That boy killed himself, didn''t he?"

    "We are merely going to ask him a few questions," Jina stated, shing her badge. "He''s not being arrested. He just needs to answer us properly, that''s all."

    "You can''t question him!" Byeol imed. "He''s a minor!"

    "You can stay here and watch," Hobin suggested. "He can stay silent but he''s the most suspicious one here. After all, he had a fight with Yisub a few days back. It won''t be surprising if he did manage to kill Yisub-"

    "HOW DARE YOU?" Byeol threatened. "He didn''t kill anyone!"

    "Let your son answer our questions and we''ll know for sure," Jina calmly retorted.

    The Principal stood up to calm down the angry father.

    "Mr. Yeon please be reasonable," the Principal said. "This is police procedure! You cannot interfere."

    Byeol scowled at them and sat down. Myungsoo was quite arrogant. He leaned back on his chair and scoffed as Jina sat opposite to him.

    "You are Yeon Myungsoo, right?" She asked. "Tell us about what happened that night. The night when you fought with Yisub."

    "That retard came out of nowhere and began to attack me!" Myungsoo imed. "Everyone saw it. He was the one who started it."

    "Why?" Hobin asked. "What did you do?"

    "Me? I''m innocent! I was just talking to a girl when he punched me. And then he was screaming that I betrayed his sister. Like, his sister and I aren''t even exclusive! She just wanted to sleep with me and she got what she wanted. I got what I wanted. In fact, we weren''t serious. I was dating a few other girls."

    He spoke as if it was the most natural thing to do. Hobin fought the urge to roll his eyes at the kid''s stupidity. Jina wanted to berate the boy for his attitude but this was not the right time nor ce.

    "Anyways," he went on. "The retard went crazy and beat me up. I was supposed to be with his sister that night but it soured my mood so I didn''t sleep with her that night. She slept on the couch. But she was with me the night her brother died."

    Jina was surprised and nced at Hobin. So this is what he found out from her memories, she deduced.

    "She wasn''t that sad when her brother was found dead the next day," Myungsoo imed. "In fact, she used toin about her brother all the time! It''s embarrassing. The twins are really weird. That night in the car, she screamed andined that her brother was in danger even though he was nowhere around. I got pissed and told her that she either stop her madness or we have fun that night. That''s all."

    Jina shook her head while Hobin was wary.

    "Is there anything else you need to know?" Byeol spat at them. "We have to go."

    "One more question," Jina said. She leaned forward and asked, "What do you know about the Blue Fish site?"

    Myungsoo was quiet for a few seconds.

    "Nothing," he finally said. "I''ve never heard of it. Can we go now?"

    Jina and Hobin instantly noticed the change in his expression as if he was scared. The boy knew something about the game but was hiding it.

    Byeol stood up and said, "Come son. Let''s go."

    Myungsoo followed his father out, feeling relieved. The Principal went with them to guide them to the parking lot.

    "He''s hiding something," Jina concluded. "And is he telling the truth? Was Eli really with him that night?"

    "She was," Hobin confirmed. "And his im about what she said is also true. She felt her brother''s death."

    "Huh? How''s that possible?"

    "I''ll tell youter. Let''s go."

    Outside, Byeol wasforting his son. "I''ll sue those cops!" he imed. "How dare they question you?"

    "Whatever," Myungsoo muttered and walked towards the car. His father was following him but he did not care. Instead, he nced at his wrist.

    A symbol of a star encased in a pentagon with a cross on it was etched on his skin. Myungsoo gulped at the symbol, unsure of how to get rid of it.

    He wrote it all as a joke but to think it came trueбн

    No! He told himself. The retard killed himself. There''s no way I made a deal with a demon! That''s impossible.

    Assuring himself, he climbed into the car and threw aside all other thoughts.. He had a date that night with a cheerleader.

 Chapter 269 - Blue Fish (15)

    The music was booming through the speakers in the pub. Arge crowd had gathered that night because of a football game which was going to start. The bartender was busy serving orders to the customers who were either drinking or chatting with each other.

    "Vodka!" One boy ordered. "Make it strong."

    The bartender narrowed his eyes in suspicion at the boy and his group of friends. He looked like he was in his teens with dirty blonde hair and a youthful face. The boy was wearing a football jersey and was probably fresh out of practice.

    "ID," the bartender said. "We don''t serve drinks to minors."

    The boy sighed and took out an ID. "Will this do?" he smirked.

    Pursing his lips, the bartender took a look at the ID. He frowned but there was nothing he could see wrong with it. The ID looked authentic and no matter how hard he tried, he could not refute the ims.

    "Now, give me vodka," the boy ordered. "For five."

    The bartender handed him back the ID and prepared a few sses of vodka for the boy. He grabbed the tray and went over to his friends.

    "How the hell do you do it, Youngoo?" One of the boys asked in awe. "The guy looked as if he was feeling suspicious!"

    "My dad got me this fake ID long ago," Youngoo shrugged. "It''s not that hard when your parents are involved in this!"

    All of them drank their drinks and kept on chatting. A few momentster another boy entered the pub. He looked a little worried and scanned the busy pub until he found Youngoo.

    "Youngoo!"

    He turned around to find Myungsoo approaching them. "Myungsoo!" Youngoo eximed and hugged his best friend. "What''s up?"

    "We need to talk!" Myungsoo said. "Now."

    Youngoo frowned and followed him to a more secluded part of the pub. Myungsoo looked worried and tense.

    "We need to break the contract," he said at once. "The one we made with the Blue Fish."

    "Huh? What contract?" Youngoo frowned.

    "You know which one!" Myungsoo snapped. "The midnight website?"

    "That? That''s just a joke, Myungsoo! Don''t tell me you actually believe that thing?"

    Youngooughed at his friend''s naivety. A few nights ago, someone had told them about the midnight website named the Blue Fish which supposedly fulfilled everyone''s wishes. Out of curiosity, the duo had checked it out. It was right after the night when Myungsoo was beaten up by Yisub for cheating on his sister.

    They were not really serious about it. After all, how can a website fulfill their wishes, right?

    To their surprise, a website like that really existed. Out of anger, Myungsoo wished that Yisub was dead while Youngoo wished to have sex with a beautiful girl every night. While Myungsoo put in 3,000 years as the timepse, Youngoo wrote 20 nights.

    "Yisub died, Youngoo," Myungsoo pointed out.

    "It was a coincidence!" Youngoo imed. "Look, his death has nothing to do with you or the stupid contract! He killed himself! Look at me. I wished for sex with a beautiful girl. Am I getting any?"

    Myungsoo frowned but realized he had a point. If Youngoo''s wish did note true then it must mean Yisub''s death was a coincidence. Then howe the weird tattoo appeared on his skin and not on Youngoo''s?

    "You''re right," he muttered. "I must be going crazy."

    "Rx," Youngoo assured him. "Go to the table and drink some vodka! You''ll be fine."

    Myungsoo nodded and they were heading for the table when Youngoo''s attention was caught by someone. He smirked and told Myungsoo, "I''ll be back in a while."

    Winking at his friend, he made his way to the dance floor where a woman in her early twenties was eyeing him. She wore a red coat with dark plum lipstick. Her hair reached till her waist and she had a seductive aura which was enchanting Youngoo.

    "Hey babe," he whispered. "Ready for some fun?"

    "I am," she smiled. Youngoo could not believe his luck. Ever since he made the wish, he had been sleeping with a beautiful woman every night. A different one came to him each night and the only way to tell them apart was by their red coat. This one was a bombshell with a petite figure and curves at all the right ces. He could not wait to screw her until she screamed his name out so loudly that the people in the pub could hear them.

    He led her to an empty washroom near the counter. The rest of the pub was busy watching the game and cheering so they did not notice the teenager walking into the washroom with the woman. It was nearly midnight and the pub was buzzing with loud cheers as they watched the game. Once inside, Youngoo turned to the woman who had immediately stripped off her coat.

    He gasped in awe. She was already naked, her skin almost glowing. He stared at her bare skin which was wless and her perfect hourss shaped body which was alluring him to fuck her. His erection was growing in his pants.

    The woman reached out her hand and whispered, "Come to me."

    He followed her to a stall and as soon as it was closed, pounced on her. For several minutes, her loud moans echoed the whole washroom and the sounds of skin pping was heard. The people outside were going ''Ooooh!'' or ''Aaahh!'' as they watched the game, unaware of what was going on inside the toilet. The clock was striking down to midnight with only a few seconds to go.

    Five...four...three...two...oneбн

    Inside the toilet stall, Youngoo vaguely heard the clock strike midnight but he did not care. He was enjoying this woman''s body. She was so easy to satisfy because she came three times and was begging for more. He was also enjoying himself so much that he did not notice that her moans had stopped.

    "What happened dear?" he gasped as he pounded into her. "Aren''t you having fun? Wanna switch situations and sit on myp?"

    Her look of ecstasy had turned stoic and cold. "You can''t even make mee," she said in a robotic voice.

    Youngoo, whose pants were down as he banged her, froze when a strong smell of sulphur engulfed his nostrils. The woman''s body had turned cold and she was now freezing as if she was a corpse.

    "What the hell?" he yelled as he was thrown backwards against the wall, his erection on full disy. The woman stared at it with pity.

    "How small," she whispered. Youngoo''s eyes widened in shock as her beautiful face contorted into a ck monster. Her teeth were growing sharper while her hair was growing longer until it reached past her feet. The beautiful nails were turning into talons and ck veins were forming under her skin.

    "WHAT THE HELL?" Youngoo screamed. "Who are you? What do you want?"

    "Your time is up, dear," the demon dered in a rough, almost manly voice. "Time to pay up."

    Before Youngoo could react, the demon shed his throat with her talon. Blood gushed out of his neck and he gurgled as the warm crimson liquid dripped on the ground. The demon touched his head and sucked out his soul. It was in the shape of a tiny ball of light which was glowing like a pearl.

    "Time to goбн to Hell," she whispered and vanished in thin air.

    After a while, Myungsoo entered the washroom to look for Youngoo.

    "Youngoo?" he called as he searched in each stall. "Where are you? Young-"

    He froze in shock when he entered the third stall. Lying there on themode was a half naked Youngoo with his throat shed like a pig for ughter.

    бн.

    Jina and her team arrived on the spot as soon as they got the news. CSI had arrived already and were collecting the evidence. The crowd was gathering around the washroom, staring curiously at the scene and whispering to themselves.

    "GET OUT OF HERE!" Jina yelled at them. "DO YOU THINK THIS IS A FUCKING CIRCUS? IF I SEE ANYONE WITHOUT A BADGE LOITERING HERE, I''LL PUT YOU IN JAIL FOR THE NIGHT!"

    The people murmured at her and were pissed that the detective was chasing them away but Jina did not care about their opinions. She ordered the policemen to drive the crowd away from the crime scene.

    "Go away!" Jaebum ordered them as he helped the officers disperse the crowd. "This isn''t a TV drama!"

    The crowd was annoyed but the police and guards were shooing them away from the scene. Many of them were muttering under their breaths, annoyed but there was no other choice.

    Jina shook her head in dismay as she went into the washroom to investigate. Hobin was busy with patients so he had to skip on this one but Jina was going to fill him inter. She made her way towards the corpse of the fifteen year old boy named Jang Youngoo.

    Jiwoon and Woohee were collecting evidence when they saw Jina approaching.

    "What''s the story?" she asked. "How did he die?"

    "Same as Yisub and Minjoong," Jiwoon replied. "A self-inflicted talon wound."

    "Anything caught on the CCTV cameras?"

    "No," Woohee answered. "Dahoon is checking them but the victim was shown to have entered the toilet alone."

    "Who discovered the body?"

    "Wellбн" Jiwoon pointed at a scared looking teenager. Jina groaned, immediately recognizing him.

    "Yeon Myungsoo," she sighed.

    This is going to be fun, she thought sarcastically.

 Chapter 270 - Blue Fish (16)-Conclusion

    Jina walked up to Myungsoo to confront him. He stood there, not looking her in the eye. The boy was scared that she was going to make him spill his secrets and that was exactly what Jina nned to do.

    "You have two options," she said out loud. "Either tell me the truth or I will have to take you to jail."

    "You can''t!" Myungsoo pointed out. "I am a minor and there is no way you can arrest me without a guardian-"

    "You were caught with a fake ID and ordered a drink from the bar," Jina stated. "I can take you in for underage drinking and clubbing. I don''t need a guardian present to arrest you and once you''re in jail, I can dy the bail if I show the CCTV camera footage to the court. I''m guessing you''ll be in for a few weeks or at least six months in juvie."

    Myungsoo gulped in fear and was sweating hard. Jina stepped forward and added, "If you want to be spared of the humiliation, I''d suggest you start talking. Why are the people around you dying the exact same way? Yisub was killed in this method and now your friend Youngoo has been murdered in a simr fashion. If the forensics check the bodies, I am sure that they will find a connection."

    She watched him with a stern gaze. He was sweating and nervously fumbling before breaking into tears.

    "It''s the game!" He confessed. "The Blue Fish game did this!"

    "Blue Fish?" Jina asked. "So you know about the game? Why did you lie?"

    "I-I was scared! I didn''t know it was going to turn out to be true. I swear, I thought it was a hoax and nothing more!"

    Jina quickly caught on to his phrase.

    "You thought?" She echoed. "What do you mean? What did you do?"

    Myungsoo was quiet, his lips trembling as if he was ashamed of something. He was struggling with a secret in his heart which he did not dare to tell anyone. Jina was now rmed.

    "What did you do, Myungsoo?" She demanded.

    "I...I heard about the Blue Fish game from someone in the onlinemunity," he confessed. "I y games all the time and came across this yer called SJS66. He used to y this game called War of the Leagues online. It''s a multiyer game. I was ranting to the yers in my server about how Yisub beat me up and I wanted to strangle him with my own hands! I wasn''t serious but SJS66 told me about the Blue Fish site. He told me that at midnight, exactly at midnight, this site opens up and if we write our names in it, one of our wishes wille true."

    "And? What did you do next?"

    "I thought it was a joke but I was curious. So that night, I logged into the site at midnight and found a webpage. There was a contract in it which asked me for my name and signature. I put in my name and signed it digitally. Suddenly, the lights went off and someone appeared in my room."

    "Who was it?" Jina demanded. Her heart was racing and she was scared. Was it a demon? How the hell was it reaching out to these people?

    "A woman," Myungsoo whispered. "A dark haired woman. She was very beautiful and wore a red coat. That woman offered me a wish. At first I thought she was an intruder and I was about to call someone but she silenced me with a snap! I was really scared and she asked me again what I wished for. In panic, I told her that I want Yisub dead! I don''t know why I said that but it was the first thing that came to my head. After a few days, I picked up Eli from her house at midnight. I was simply nning to sleep with her and dump her to take revenge on that retard! But the next day, news came that he...heбн"

    Jina wanted to p sense into the idiot. How could someone just sign on things without a thought?

    "In the contract, was there a timeline?" she asked, trying to keep her tone steady.

    "Yes. There was a timeline and I put 3000 years as a joke."

    Jina raised an eyebrow. Does that mean his soul will be taken to Hell after 3000 years? She wondered.

    "You will have to give this statement to the cops," she went on. "One of the officers will record it. Also, give us the list of people who yed the game. Do you have details on the yer...SJS66?"

    "No," Myungsoo admitted. "I don''t have any information on him. It''s an online game. We don''t know each other."

    Jina was now in deep thought. Why was this SJS66 spreading information on the site? Was he a victim as well?

    She called a police officer to make Myungsoo record his statement before making her way towards Jiwoon.

    "The forensic expert said Youngoo also died in the same way," Jiwoon informed her. "And there''s another thing."

    She held up Youngoo''s phone and showed her thest webpage on it.

    "Blue Fish," Jina muttered. "But how is this demon moving around? I can''t smell any sulphur? Do you?"

    "No," Jiwoon replied. "Maybe we''ll find something in his house? We''ll have to inform his parents anyway."

    Jina groaned. It was the part of her job which she loathed the most: informing the families of the victims.

    "You do it," she begged. "I don''t wanna see the sad faces of the family. I already came from one funeral!"

    "I don''t want to either," Jiwoon winced. "It is depressing."

    "Rock paper scissors?" Jina offered. Her partner nodded and they began to y.

    "Rock paper scissors!"

    Jina shed scissors while Jiwoon shed rock. "I win!" Jiwoon said, feeling relieved. "You gotta go, boss."

    "Ugh!" Jina scowled. "Howe you always win?"

    "You always y scissors."

    Damn it! Jina cursed herself.

    Reluctantly, she stood up and made her way to her car. Her old car waspletely annihted in the ident so her father sent her a brand new Audi from abroad. Even though Jina tried to protest, her dad insisted that she keep it because he was worried for her wellbeing. Moreover, he also had it thoroughly improved so that if another rotten spirit tried to kill her, it would automatically brake itself.

    Sighing to herself, she revved up the engine and sped off. Herees the worst part, she winced.

    бн

    As she expected, Youngoo''s mother was devastated. His father had passed away many years ago and she was raising her son on her own. She was always busy at work so she could not monitor his activities properly.

    "Please keep yourself strong," Jina said gently. "It''s going to get harder from here on."

    "My son!" Youngoo''s mother, Yona, cried. "My only son...I...Iбн"

    She broke downpletely and hugged her sister, Nina. Thetter was also sobbing, consoling her sister. Jina was helpless as she watched the poor mother whose entire world had crashed and now, she had nothing left.

    Jina''s phone vibrated. It was a text from Dahoon.

    "Boss, I sent you the online information of the game Myungsoo is ying to your email," he wrote. Jina tried to ess her email but her phone was not connected to the inte.

    "Excuse me, Miss Nina," Jina began. "If you don''t mind, can I use the wifi here? I need to check an email on the case. It might give us a clue."

    Nina wiped her eyes and nodded. "Y-Youngoo''s bedroom has the wifi router. You can turn it on and connect to it. The password is a9iafg."

    Jina thanked her and left the women alone to grieve. She walked into Youngoo''s room and turned on the wifi.

    Instantly, the foul stench of sulphur hit her nostrils and she almost gagged. She stared at the wifi in shock.

    "The wifiwork!" She realized. "The fucking demon is traveling through the inte!"

 Chapter 271 - War Of The Leagues (1)

    "Baekha, are you sure this is safe?" Soobin asked hesitantly.

    "Don''t worry," Baekha assured her as she typed on herptop. "Myputer is safe. It''s protected by a super strong software so no one on the dark web can track it down. But I need to know more about this Blue Fish."

    They were in Baekha''s room. Soobin was staying overnight to help Baekha with their secret mission to track down the makers of Blue Fish. They were in the darkness, watching the screen intently.

    "What is this site?" Soobin frowned.

    "This is a forum which many of the dark web users frequently visit," Baekha replied. "It''s not much but if I y my cards right, I might be able to find someone who knows about the Blue Fish."

    She clicked on a button and a new microsite appeared. It was like a chatbox where thousands of people were online. Baekha scrolled through the forum discussions until she clicked on one named ''Explicit Stuff''.

    "Please don''t tell me there will be more...more of that sick stuff!" Soobin moaned.

    "It can''t be helped. This is the dark web. You''re bound to run into these things."

    A new tab opened which had a dark red interface which reminded Soobin of dry blood. Several disgusting images were popping up on the chat box which made Soobin look away. Baekha waspletely unfazed as if she was a pro.

    "Let''s seeбн" she murmured. "Aha! Found him."

    She clicked on a username called ''Gill_98'' and opened a chat box.

    "He''s online," she muttered and typed a greeting into the box.

    "Hi Gale," she wrote. They waited for a reply. He replied within seconds.

    "Hey James!" He wrote back. "Wassup buddy?"

    "James?" Soobin echoed.

    "I pretend to be a guy online," Baekha sighed as she wrote. "I''m cool. Need some info. Do u know anythin'' bout a site called ''Blue Fish''?"

    There was a few seconds of silence before Gale replied. "The site SJS is talking about? Not much. I just know this dude called SJS66 is talking about this site. I never checked it out but it''s probably somewhere here."

    "Here?"

    "Yeah. He says it appears on the clean for a minute at midnight but he can give anyone ess to it if they ask for it."

    "Have you ever visited it?"

    "No but I think there''s a gaming server where a few guys visited it. One of the guys was talking about gettin'' beaten up by a retarded kid and made a wish on the Blue Fish site."

    Baekha and Soobin looked at each other in shock. Yisub!

    "The guy apparently made a wish and the retarded kid died the next day," Gale went on.

    Baekha was now alert and typed, "Gale, how can I track down this SJS66? I''m in major trouble! Some creditors are after me and I need to get rid of them. Can this guy really help?"

    "Who knows? You can find him active on the War of Leagues game. But it ain''t easy to y the game. You''ll need five yers and not many people wanna y it. Even by the dark web''s standard, it''s a hard game to y."

    "Five yers? Where are we gonna get five people?" Soobin groaned.

    "That''s okay," Baekha said. "You and I make two yers. That alpaca demon makes three. We need two moreбн"

    "Oh no," Soobin said. "Please don''t tell me you want the Hwang twins?"

    "Do you know anyone else who can help?" Baekha sighed. "Yoonmin is pretty good with strategy and Minyoon might be useful in...something! We''ll figure it out."

    "So when do we y this?" Soobin asked.

    "Tomorrow. But first, we need to tell Jiwoon sis and Detective Hwang about this. It might give them time to track down SJS66."

    Soobin nodded. The girls flexed their fingers, ready to take down the site for once and for all.

    бн

    Jiwoon and Hobin were at Youngoo''s house where Jina had called them. Hobin carried out a sulphur test and confirmed the presence of the chemical around the wifi router.

    "The sulphur must have been activated after the router was turned on," Hobin muttered. "This exins how the demon is targeting the kids and why we can''t hunt it down."

    "But the inte is a vast area!" Jiwoon pointed out. "The site is untrackable and if the demon is hiding in the inte, it''ll be impossible to find it."

    "Not necessarily," Jina said thoughtfully. "Every site has a domain and the domain is handled by someone. I''m guessing the demon needs a servant like Sungki needed his parents and the shaman. This servant is the one doing the dirty work by spreading the news of the site and handling the server. Once that server is traced and shut down, we might be able to stop the demon."

    "There are millions of servers out there and most are not traceable," Jiwoon reasoned. "How are we going to find it?"

    They were in deep thought. Jiwoon was right. Even if they find the site, how were they going to track down the domain maker? Dahoon tried to track it at midnight but the site''s security was too high and he could not prate it at all. The case was turning out to be a dead end from all sides.

    "The only way to summon the demon is to sign a contract," Jina finally said.

    "Can''t we use the shaman...Bomi?" Hobin suggested. "Can he summon the demon?"

    "It''s too dangerous," Jina said. "You saw what Sungki was. What if this is a high level demon? And if summoned, we might not be able to get rid of it. I''ll need to destroy the object the demon is tied to in order to kill it."

    Jiwoon was about to say something when her phone rang up.

    "Baekha," she muttered and answered the phone. She stepped aside to talk to Baekha, leaving Jina and Hobin alone.

    "My grandfather tried to trace the demon but he needs more time toe up with a concrete way of exorcising the high level demons," Jina said. "Magrod said higher level demons aren''t easy to exorcise but it''s not impossible. It only takes a lot of time and energy."

    "This demon isn''t like the ones we have encountered," Hobin murmured. "It...it has a code. A strange moral code."

    "Moral code?" Jina echoed. Hobin nodded.

    "Unlike Sungki and the other demons we have encountered, this demon is sticking to its job," he said. "Kind of like it is simply doing what it''s been told to do. The basic function of a demon is to get as many contracts as possible which means in its eyes, it is doing its job. Give out contracts and once fulfilled, take the soul. Simple. It''s not possessing anyone nor is it taking any detour. Almost as if...as if it''s programmed like that. In other words, it''s like a robot doing its job and every robot has a controller."

    "You mean to say that someone else is controlling it?" Jina frowned.

    "Exactly!"

    Jiwoon rushed back into the room.

    "Baekha just told me something," she informed them. "She said she can find Blue Fish''s domain owner!"

 Chapter 272 - War Of The Leagues (2)

    Baekha was a little nervous. She and Soobin had summoned the twins, Junho, Jina, Hobin and Jiwoon to the apartment. They could not leave Miyoo behind either so she settled on Minyoon''sp while Magrod was sitting on Junho''s head.

    "Oi, get off my head!" Junho scolded the demon.

    "I don''t want to! An elite demon like me should sit on the highest peak."

    "Why you-"

    "If you push me off, I''ll tell everyone about how you got rejected by the old woman across the street!"

    "Rejected!" Miyoo eximed.

    "Is that even news?" Yoonmin asked warily.

    "Yeah it''s a regr urrence now," Minyoon added. "Look at me! All the girls are crazy for me. My fanclub is full of girls!"

    "Yes!" Soobin eximed, her eyes twinkling as her inner fangirl came to the fore. "Minmin''s fanclub members are increasing by the day! All the girls are so happy to be here. They love him!"

    A nerve twitched on Yoonmin''s head. "Really?" He asked in a mockingly sweet tone. "Seems like I''ll have to make him work twice as hard to squeeze out all the pennies from those little girls!"

    "Oye! Don''t let your jealousy get in the way of our brotherhood! It''s not my fault your girlfriend is my fan-"

    Jina hit both the twins on the head, feeling annoyed.

    "Take your siblings'' rivalry elsewhere!" She yelled at them. "This is serious! We need to track down a demon!"

    "No, this is fun," Hobin said as he took notes on the twins'' behavior. "Continue with the banter. While you''re at it, Jina, can you hit Minyoon again so that I can assess the reaction in Yoonmin as well?"

    "What the hell?" Yoonmin frowned. "Are you using us as guinea pigs for an experiment?"

    "Yes."

    "How dare you use my grandsons as an experiment?" Junho growled. "Don''t you know that it''s against thew? Isn''t that right, Yoonmin?"

    "I''m Minyoon," Minyoon muttered. "We dyed our hair in different shades and you still can''t tell us apart? My hair is blue now!"

    "And I look like a cool thug," Yoonmin pointed out.

    "A very cute thug!" Soobin giggled.

    "Can we hurry up with this meeting?" Magrodined. "It''s time for my drama! The female lead is gonna expose her mother-inw today!"

    "Miyoo wants BTS!" Miyoo chimed in. "Spring Day!"

    Baekha waspletely dumbfounded. Jiwoon was wary but amused while Hobin took notes on the unusual family. He noted that the twinspleted each other''s sentences a lot as if they knew what the other was about to say.

    Jina, on the other hand, had enough.

    "SHUT IT!" She yelled at them. "Can we please focus? There are lives in danger!"

    "Oh yeah, Ipletely forgot about that," Junho muttered. "So tell us! What do we have to do?"

    Baekha cleared her throat. She scanned them, feeling nervous but kept herselfposed.

    "I think there''s a way to find the main domain of Blue Fish and the server it was created on," she began. "But it''ll take me eighteen hours. I''ll need eighteen hours to finish tracking that guy. There''s a guy on the dark web known as SJS66 who has been going around spreading information about the Blue Fish site and if we find him, we might find the guy who created the site."

    "He might be the creator himself," Hobin said. "SJS66...it''s the same guy who was ying a game with Youngoo, right?"

    "War of Leagues," Jina nodded.

    "If he''s the one who made the server, then he must have summoned the demon here," Jiwoon theorized. "Or he knows who did."

    "Exactly," Baekha nodded. "Soobin and I had been snooping on the dark web-"

    "You what?" Jiwoon and Yoonmin eximed.

    "That''s dangerous!" Jina frowned.

    "Don''t worry," Baekha quickly said. "I know how to protect myself on the dark web. I swear! I''ve been working on it for a long time so I know how to handle it. The thing is, War of Leagues is a game on the dark web and I need five people on my team to y it. Hence, I''ll need Maggie-"

    "It''s Magrod!" Magrod eximed. "Get my name right! I''m a Vozakel Lord-"

    "Soobin," Baekha went on, ignoring him. "Because she has experience in handling websites and she knows how to track down people using a few codes."

    "It''ll be no problem!" Soobin replied. "I handed in many haters of Minmin over to the police."

    "Yoonmin for his strategic mind," Baekha stated.

    "I do have a knack for that," Yoonmin nodded. "Does he have money? Can I rob him?"

    "And Minyoon because he can learn how to y games faster than most people," Baekha concluded.

    "I am a champion gamer among all idols!" Minyoon quipped. "I won the Idols'' League after all!"

    "But why can''t we use a policeman?" Jina questioned. "Dahoon, maybe."

    "He can help us in tracking the server while we y the game," Baekha said. "But we''ll need to find that guy inside the game itself. There are millions of yers in it. Once we find SJS66, we''ll be able to use Officer Dahoon to track him down."

    "And once we get a hold of him, you and the rest of the team can arrest him!" Soobin concluded. "We''ll keep him distracted here."

    Junho was in deep thought.

    "But we can''t leave you guys unguarded," he said but Magrod hopped off his head and stood on a table, feeling very self-important.

    "I can take care of these guys," he imed. "If that demon arrives, I can just p it away with my tail. I''ll be able to warn them if any contract is being offered. It''s easy for an elite ss demon like myself. You see I am apletely higher breed which you humans cannot evenprehend-"

    "It''s settled then," Hobin said loudly. "Maggie will protect the kids."

    "Not you too, Prince!" Magrod cried.

    Everyone murmured in eptance except Jina. She did not want the teenagers to put themselves in danger. The twins seemed to have noticed her hesitation and quickly stood up to pacify their sister.

    "Sis, think of it like this," Yoonmin said, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. "We''re kicking the ass of a demon who''s messing up our sister''s life."

    "Yeah!" Minyoon imed, wrapping her shoulder from the other side. "Forget about us being minors! We''re not doing anything illegal. It''s just a game where we''re gonna beat up that piece of shit who''s harming you!"

    "Shit shit!" Miyoo chirped which made Junho hit Minyoon on the head.

    "Oi! Mind yournguage, Yoonmin!"

    "I''m Minyoon!"

    "Fine!" Jina agreed. "But if anything goes wrong, you guys better stop the game!"

    "Have we ever broken our vows?" Minyoon asked, feeling indignant.

    "Yes," everyone stated. The twins scowled but did not say anything. Baekha cleared her throat.

    "So let usmence Mission Kickingбн"

    She nced at Miyoo and said, "Mission Kicking Alpacas!"

    "Aye!" Everyone agreed. Only Miyoo was confused.

    Why were they kicking Alpacas? Did they not like Alpacas? Why? Alpacas were cute!

    Miyoo will never understand adults.

 Chapter 273 - War Of The Leagues (3)

    "So this is the website," Jina muttered. It was 12 AM and they had entered the Blue Fish website which would be active for one minute. They were using Baekha''sptop which was tracking the IP address of the site. She inputted some codes and was scanning through the millions of IP addresses which popped up.

    "No good," she said. "This website is blocking all my attempts to hack it. I won''t be able to track it like this."

    "We''ll have to start the game then," Yoonmin said. "There''s no other way."

    "I''ll try to track the demon with Bomi," Junho said. "He''s starting a seance right now at his ce."

    "We''ll stay here and look after the kids," Jina told him. Jiwoon and Hobin nodded.

    "Alright," Junho said, picking up his coat. "I''ll let you know if anything happens."

    He nodded at them and left the house. Miyoo was asleep on a couch, sucking on her thumb. Since they had no idea what sort of demon was at loose, it was best to keep the child nearby so that supernatural creatures could not attack her again. She was kept in a salt and peach circle as extra protection.

    Meanwhile, the five yers took their positions. Thanks to Yoonmin''s connections, they managed to get their hands on a few free gamingptops which were going to allow them to y for long hours on the dark web.

    "Woah!" Soobin squealed as she checked out her newptop. "How did you get your hands on these?"

    "I know a few people who owe me favors," Yoonmin smirked.

    "More like you ckmailed them into doing your bidding," Minyoon muttered.

    "He''s still more useful than you," Baekha remarked.

    "I''m still the most useful out of the lot," Magrod imed.

    "Stop it, kids!" Hobin snapped. "Just y the game!"

    Jina only sighed. She was about to sit when her phone rang.

    "Hello?" She greeted the caller. Hobin frowned when he saw her face turning pale.

    "What?" She eximed. "Another one? Alright, we''reing."

    She turned to Hobin and Jiwoon. "There''s been another Blue Fish murder," she revealed. "It''s not far from here."

    "This game is bing dangerous day by day," Jiwoon groaned.

    "The longer the demon stays free, the more lives are in danger," Hobin said. "We should go."

    "But the kidsбн"

    Jina did not want to leave the teenagers alone but Yoonmin stood up to reassure his sister.

    "We''ll be fine," he told her. "That demon can''t hurt us. You should go and handle your case."

    "Yeah!" Minyoon nodded. "You know very well that we won''t sign any dumb contract unless there''s money involved!"

    "But-"

    "Priestess, don''t underestimate me!" Maggie bragged. "I may look cute and small but I can take down a thousand demons at once. There was an instance when I kicked the ass of twenty Akens-"

    "They''ll be fine," Hobin said loudly. "We need to go and check the crime scene. It won''t take long. Besides, to y the game, they need to be inplete silence."

    Jina bit her lip but finally nodded. "Okay," she conceded. "But don''t you dare ignore my calls. Look after Miyoo!"

    "We will!" Soobin assured her. "She''s safe with us."

    Jina nodded before leaving with Jiwoon and Hobin.

    "Alright!" Baekha eximed. "Now that the adults are gone, it''s time to y!"

    Theptops were connected to arge screen which showed them the game''s progress. Baekha navigated the cursor and opened a forum which was solely for the game called War of the Leagues.

    "The game isn''t that simple," Baekha began. "It may seem like a normal war and strategy game but it''s not. Remember that these yers are not ordinary gamers. They''re hackers and possibly criminals too. Don''t share anything unnecessary with them. Also, don''t go around asking them where SJS66 is. If you do, SJS66 might be alerted."

    "Then how are we going to find him?" Soobin asked.

    "We''ll be in one team," Baekha stated. "You see these different groups here? These are called leagues. All the yers have their own league and they stick to it. We''re all soldiers here who will be fighting for our own leagues and acquiringnds. The morends we acquire, the more our level will increase. Now, the problem with this game is that everyone in the same level is pitted against each other. Which means as level one yers, we''ll be interacting with the basic level yers for now. I''ve talked to Gale and he told me that SJS66 is on level seventy. Hence, we''ll have to reach that level first."

    "Seventy?" Minyoon echoed. "That''s gonna take hours!"

    "Honey, this is the dark web," Baekha groaned. "We don''t y by the rules here. To reach level 7- faster, we''ll be cheating a lot. I''ll give you guys some cheat codes to use during fights so that your health stays intact."

    "But what are we fighting against?" Soobin asked.

    "It''s obvious, isn''t it?" Yoonmin pointed out. "The other yers. They''ll be attacking ournds or defending their ownnds. We''ll have to change strategies with each step."

    "Ugh!" Maggie scowled. "This is confusing! Why can''t I just pummel them with my fists?"

    "Coz they''re online not offline, you idiot alpaca-dog!" Baekha snapped. "And you can''t pummel anyone with those cotton stuffed fists!"

    "Hey! I was forced to possess this stuffed animal."

    "Can we just start?" Yoonmin scowled. Baekha made a face at Maggie before taking her position. The screen shed the five yers along with a choice of clothes and weapons.

    "I chose avatars for all of you based on your skills," she said. "Soobin is the tracker. Yoonmin is the Captain of the squad. Minyoon is the spy and I''m the General. These avatars can''t be changed at all. Remember, don''t get killed. Keep the status of your health high otherwise we''ll have to start from scratch."

    "Hey, what am I supposed to be?" Maggie frowned.

    "The Guard Dog."

    A long silence followed that remark. The twins and Soobin were trying not tough while Maggie waspletely shocked for a few seconds beforeбн

    "WHO THE HELL MADE ME THE FAMILY PET? I''M AN ELITE DEMON, YA KNOW!"

    Behind them, Miyoo mumbled in her sleep. "BTSбн" she murmured before rolling over to fall asleep again, blissfully unaware of the angry demon who was throwing a hissy fit.

    "And now, let the game begin!" Baekha dered and clicked the start button.

 Chapter 274 - War Of The Leagues (4)

    Jina and her team entered the crime scene which was a little outside the city. Hobin followed them as they climbed a small hill on foot because the road was too bumpy for a car. It was not a long walk but the hill was steep so they had to be careful.

    The crime took ce in a small cabin on top of the hill which was owned by a family. Swarms of policemen had arrived after a tracker had called them and to everyone''s surprise, the victim died the same way as the other victims of the Blue Fish website. The wooden cabin came to view as they reached the top of the steep hill.

    "This is it," Jina said. "The crime scene."

    "I''m shocked that the demon got an inte signal here," Jiwoon muttered as she checked her phone. There was no signal on her cell phone.

    "The demon probably managed to sneak in when the victim received even a faintwork," Hobin muttered back. They weregging behind the others, talking to themselves.

    An uniformed officer came rushing out of the cabin to shoo them away, thinking that they were civilians. Jina shed her badge and he instantly understood that they were the team sent by the nearest precinct.

    "Good evening Detective!" he greeted. "My men and the CSI team have already inspected the scene. I will brief you on it."

    "Who''s the victim?" Jina asked.

    "A young man by the name of Kim Hwangjoon," he replied. "He was twenty eight years old and a single father to a six year old girl. They hade up here for a small vacation and were fishing in theke nearby. The family was supposed to set up a campfire here when suddenly, the lights went out. When the lights came back on, the father had killed himself and the kid came out to cry for help. But she fell from the hill and injured herself. A passing tracker found her and she managed to point at the cabin where her fathery dead."

    "A kid?" Jiwoon frowned. "Where is she now?"

    "She''s at the hospital," the police officer replied. "National Hospital."

    Jiwoon turned to Jina. "Boss, I''ll go and check up on her," she requested. "She might be able to give us more details on what really happened and if it really was the demon who attacked them."

    "Yes," Jina nodded. "We''ll check his browser history."

    Jiwoon nodded and quickly ran off to drive towards the hospital. Hobin and Jina entered the cabin to find the man lying on the floor with his throat shed. There was arge pool of blood around his corpse which was the same as their previous victims. Dahoo, Woohee and Jaebum were already there, examining the dead body. Jina stooped down and picked up the man''s cell phone. She checked the browser history.

    "His phone shows he had visited the Blue Fish site," she confirmed.

    "And there''s a hair here," Dahoon stated, holding up a clear stic bag with a single long hair in it. "But the father-daughter duo were alone here and the girl has short hair. How did this haire here?"

    "A girlfriend?" Woohee suggested.

    "I doubt it," Jaebum said, scrolling through his own phone. "I''m looking through this guy''s social media and he has no girlfriend. In fact, he''s been divorced for around a month. Look at his status."

    Jina opened the social media app on Hwangjoon''s phone and realized that Jaebum was right. The victim had been divorced for over a month and had the sole custody of his child. It was odd because usually the mother had full custody in such a case. His status implied that he was raising the child single handedly.

    "We''ll question his ex-wife," Jina said. "Take the corpse to the forensic team. We might be able to get a match on the DNA this time."

    Thest time they found a strand of hair on Yisub''s body, there was no DNA match for it. Jina doubted they would find anything because the demon was not possessing anyone as per their knowledge. What bothered her was the fact how that demon was having sexual intercourse with some of the victims. Humans could not see nor touch demons unless they were Seers.

    She motioned Hobin to follow her to the side where no one could hear them.

    "It''s really strange," she said in a hushed tone to Hobin. "That some of the victims had sex with that demon. Minjoong and Youngoo''s autopsies state that they had sex but how? How was it possible?"

    Hobin thought for a while. "Maybeбн" he began. "Maybe the demon isn''t possessing a person but rather creating an avatar."

    "Huh? What is that supposed to mean?"

    "This demon is ying on the fantasy of the online world," he said. "You know how in games we create avatars? Especially online games where people live in anonymity behind fake identities? The demon lives on the inte, right? Maybe the summoner of the demon made an avatar online and transferred the demon to that avatar. The demon is simply projecting the hologram of a girl and is using its powers to give the avatar a physical state. That way, the demon is ying on the fantasy of the victims and having sex with them."

    "Once the clock struck midnight," he went on. "The site was activated and the avatar came out to kill the man. It might be due to the fact that someone gave the demon a contract to kill Hwangjoon."

    "But why did the demon appear before midnight in front of Youngjoon and Minjoong?" Jina frowned.

    "It''s simple," Hobin replied. "Their contracts stated they want to have sex with a beautiful girl. The girl just happened to be an avatar possessed by the demon."

    "If only we can find the avatar makerбн" Jina trailed off.

    "I just hope the teen gang can find him," Hobin sighed. "And that kid...that kid might have seen the demon. If the demon was in an avatar, chances are that she saw it."

    "Or not," Jina muttered. "Remember, the CCTV cameras couldn''t catch it even in the avatar form."

    "It''s like a subus," Hobin nodded. "Using its sexuality to lure in victims or to fulfill contracts."

    "But where is it now and how do we stop it?"

    There was a long silence as they pondered on what to do next. Where the hell was that demon?

 Chapter 275 - War Of The Leagues (5)

    Somewhere in the city, a posh BMW was racing through the roads. The chauffeur of the sleek car was driving at full speed. He was nervously ncing at the mirror, worried about the cold aura which was emitting from his employer.

    Sitting at the back seat was a man of immense grace and quiet dignity. His dark blonde hair was neatly brushed back and he was staring outside the window. A look of cold fury mixed with sadness was reflected on his handsome face. He was quiet but the air he gave off was dangerous and wild.

    The man had just heard a rather disturbing news and he was now torn between seeking revenge and carrying out his duties.

    "Sir, we''re nearly there," the chauffeur informed him. The man did not say anything but nodded and turned away, staring outside the window. It was going to be a long night.

    бн..

    Siwan was in the hospital where a new patient had been wheeled in. The patient was a six year old girl with dark hair and a sweet, innocent face. She had been badly bruised when she fell from the hill after witnessing her father''s death.

    "Kim Hana," he muttered as he checked the details on the file the nurse handed to him. The children''s unit was nearly empty that night except for Hana who was the only patient. Only he and a nurse were there to tend to the girl.

    "Did you inject her with anesthesia?" Siwan asked. "Or has she been unconscious all this time?"

    The girl was lying on the bed, unconscious. Her arm was in a sling and she broke a few teeth as well. The nurse shook her head.

    "She is in trauma," the nurse exined. "The girl has been unconscious since she was wheeled into emergency care."

    Siwan sighed and shut the file. "Keep her under observation," he instructed. "And-"

    "MY BABY! WHERE''S MY BABY?"

    The silence of the hospital was shattered by the cries of a hysterical woman who barged into the children''s unit. She waspletely deranged, her hair in a mess and her makeup running all over her face. Her eyes fell on Hana, who was still unconscious.

    "Hana!" The woman screamed and rushed to hug her daughter. Siwan stepped between them, looking calm.

    "I''m sorry but who are you?" he asked politely. "This is my patient and I cannot let you near her unless you are a guardian or a parent."

    "I''m her mother!" the woman imed. "Song Aina!"

    Siwan checked the file. The mother''s name was also written as Song Aina.

    "My baby!" Aina cried, pushing past him. She was touching Hana''s face, crying hard.

    "Ma''am please be careful," Siwan warned. "She is in a critical state and touching her like this will only agitate her more. Please step back-"

    "Who the hell are you to tell me what to do to my child?" Aina snapped. "I''m here to take my daughter away! That rat bastard Hwangjoon snatched her away from me but I''m now here to take my daughter away!"

    Her eyes were bloodshot red and a faint smell wasing from her. Siwan shared a nce with the nurse.

    "Ma''am, Hana is sick and needs rest," he informs her. "Please step back and follow me outside. I will exin her condition-"

    "I am taking my daughter home!" Aina snarled at him. "Prepare her discharge papers!"

    "No."

    Aina red at Siwan who was calm. She might be Hana''s mother but at that moment, Hana was his patient and he was the one who would decide the best course of action for her future.

    "What?" she snarled. "Why won''t you let me take my child away?"

    "Mrs. Kim, was it?" he asked.

    "Miss Song. I''m divorced."

    "Alright, Miss Song," Siwan stated. "The file in my hands is from the police team who are at the crime scene right now. I''m sure you know what happened to your ex-husband?"

    "Yes. He was killed in the cabin he owned in the countryside."

    "ording to the investigating officers who sent us all the information via email, the file states that your ex-husband had full custody of your child," Siwan replied. "Which means that you don''t have any authority to take her away. Only her assigned legal guardian can do so."

    "I am her mother and I-"

    "Then show me proof where it states that you are authorized to take Hana away in the events of your ex-husband''s death," Siwan demanded. "Bring the written paper and I will let you go. I might be a doctor but it''s basic protocol. Only a parent or legal guardian can take the child away-"

    "I am a parent!"

    "But in the event where the custody is solely with one parent, then the other one must receive a written approval from the court to even visit the child," Siwan recited. "And in the events of the sole custodian''s death, the living parent must provide all legal evidence to show that he or she is authorized to take the child''s custody."

    Aina did not reply but red at him as if she wanted to murder him. At that moment, Jiwoon entered the room to see that Aina was giving threatening looks at Siwan. She instantly took charge of the situation.

    "Step back from the doctor, Miss Song!" Jiwoon ordered. "Otherwise, I''ll be forced to arrest you!"

    She shed her badge at Aina, who was scared. "You know very well that you''re not supposed to be anywhere around Hana," Jiwoon continued. "Your ex-husband removed you from Hana''s life because you abused her in your drug induced state. The court has prohibited you from seeing your child without permission and even after his death, you''re not the custodian but your brother-inw is."

    Aina gulped and red at both of them. "I''ll be back!" she threatened. "My ex might think that he had won but I will take my daughter away! Does he think that his rich brother will help him? Never!"

    She stormed off, leaving them alone. The nurse, who was scared stiff, was the first to speak when the woman left.

    "She''s scary!" the nurse squeaked. "Obsessed with her daughter, she is!"

    "Yeahбн" Siwan was still staring at the door as if expecting the woman to return. He did not want to admit it but she made him feel uneasy because she reminded him of his own father who was obsessed with his image and lineage.

    Why do people like them be parents?

    "How is she now?" Jiwoon asked him.

    "She''s traumatized," he winced. "But we''ll do all we can to help her. I''m sure she can make a full recovery."

    "It''s a good thing I had called Kim Hwangjoon''s legal representative," Jiwoon sighed. "And he told me about this situation. Apparently, Song Aina assaulted her daughter. Aina takes a lot of drugs and in one of her fits, she beat up Hana to the point that the girl almost died. It''s a good thing her father saved her on time."

    "Is her legal guardianing?" Siwan asked as they walked towards the door, heading for his office. They were now in the corridor, talking alone.

    "Thewyer informed the victim''s brother," she replied. "He''s apparently some big movie mogul in the country and is on set. He''ll be here."

    "Do you know what really happened to her dad?" he asked. "I heard the news about the mysterious Blue Fish murders and people are saying that it makes people kill themselves. Is it true?"

    "Wellбн" Jiwoon hesitated but there was no point in hiding this from him. Since Junho was mentoring him, Siwan was going to find out anyway. She quickly filled him in about the demon murders which made him raise his eyebrows.

    "Demon huh?" he muttered. "I don''t know if our information is fully urate about them. I''ll be heading to the national library tomorrow to try and get ess to their archives where there are books on the ult. Do you want to-"

    "Jisoo?"

    For a moment, the world seemed to have stopped. A familiar voice echoed in her ears and Jiwoon turned around, her face turning pale. Siwan followed her gaze, instinctively protective of her but she was not scared. On the contrary, she was surprised and happy to see a familiar figure standing in front of her. His cold demeanor did not bother her at all but he looked a little sad and hurt.

    "Ilhoon?" she gasped. "Kim Ilhoon?"

    Siwan recognized that name. Kim Ilhoon was Hana''s guardian and also the biggest movie mogul in the country. He was only in his early thirties and the most sessful movie producer who won an Oscar recently. The man stood there with an air of dignity and elegance. Even in his state of crisis, he recognized Jiwoon as Jisoo.

    Without a word, he stepped forward and hugged her in front of Siwan. Jiwoon smiled and hugged him back.

    "I missed you, Jisoo," Ilhoon whispered.

    "I missed you too, Ilhoon," she said.

    Siwan watched them, feeling unsettled and for some reason, very sad. He did not know why but his heart was in pain. Why was he feeling so bothered? For a wild second, he wanted to tear them apart and pull her away from him but he stood there, frozen to his spot.

    Slowly, he stepped back and walked away, leaving them alone while his own mind was in turmoil. What was this uneasy feeling?

    And why was he feeling soбнsoбнangry?

 Chapter 276 - War Of The Leagues (6)

    AUTHOR''S NOTE: For the Twinnies and Baes'' part in this arc, I will be breaking it down to two parts. One will be in the real world and the other one will be set in the game through the POV of the game avatars. When the POV will shift to the game, I will be using their avatar names to make it easier for readers (Cookie, Pink Thunder, Ofelia, Hamlet and Doggy)

    Hope it won''t be confusing^^

    ....

    "Everyone''s avatar has been set?" Baekha asked.

    "Yes!" Soobin eximed. "I''m the tracker and my name is Ofelia! Special abilities include knife fights and expert mapping techniques."

    "I''m the Squad Captain, Hamlet," Yoonmin groaned. "Literature? Seriously? Can''t we use better names?"

    "No," Baekha stated. "And you? Hwang Minyoon?"

    "Oh I didn''t like my name so I made up something else," Minyoon said.

    "What did you do?"

    "My spy''s name is Pink Thunder!" Minyoon imed. "Goes with me image too! I''m a bright and pink person-"

    "Oi!" Maggie yelled. "Why is my character so useless?"

    He pointed at a cute and fluffy Pomeranian dog on screen. Everyone stifled theirughter at his state. The poor demon was not only stuffed into an Alpaca doll but even his online avatar was the cutesy and cuddly type. They could not help it because the demon was too darn cute when he was angry.

    "Because we need a cute character," Baekha nodded. "It''s fun."

    Maggie cursed them all. He scowled at his avatar which was wagging its tail and yelping.

    "Listen up!" Baekha began. "We''re in level one which means we''re at the bottom of the food chain. Other yers will gang up on us but we''re smarter. We''ll be defending ournds but at the same time, we''ll start to scoutnds and attack as well. Pink Thunder, you''ll be spying on everyone. Enter every gang you can to gain their trust and give us info on them."

    "Okay!" Minyoon chirped.

    "Captain and Doggy! You two will be defending the underground tunnel."

    "How is this dog gonna defend anything?" Maggie protested. "It''s just a cute fluffy-"

    Baekha clicked a button on his controller and the on-screen dog suddenly transformed into arge demon-like dog with fireing out of its eyes and mouth. Maggie yelped in fear as the dog roared, bursting mes into the air.

    "I tweaked it," Baekha stated. "But you can use this state only thrice per two hours. You gotta let your avatar''s body recharge."

    "Wait a minute!" Soobin said. "Beaky, what''s your avatar''s name?"

    Everyone turned to Baekha wh sighed. "It''sбнCookie," she muttered.

    Minyoon snorted. "That''s so cute!" he snickered. "Just like you!"

    To Baekha''s chagrin, he pinched her cheek in an affectionate manner. Soobin was surprised and curious while Baekha was blushing hard out of embarrassment.

    "Don''t touch me!" she eximed, pping his hand away.

    "You have surprisingly soft cheeks, Beaky!" Minyoon noted. Beside him, his twin brother facepalmed himself while Maggie was clueless. What the hell were these human doing?

    "Can we start?" Yoonmin asked, feeling annoyed. "It''s nearly 3 AM!"

    "Okay!"

    Baekha clicked on the screen and a catchy tune began to y. They were all now prepared to y through their avatars. The screen popped up and a very realistic looking war game appeared which made Soobin and Maggie gape in awe.

    "Woah!" They gasped in unison. "So cool!"

    Their characters appeared to be defending a barricade which was nearly empty. There were sounds of bomb sts and gunshotsing from a distance which made everyone uneasy. The barricade they were defending was empty except for them and they had a collection of ammunition a few feet away from them.

    "Here goes nothing," Baekha muttered.

    бн.

    *In the Game*

    The loud explosions wereing somewhere from the East. Pink Thunder looked up at the sky above which was filled with ck smog. The stench of carbon and soot lingered in the air, amplifying the sense of dread they were all feeling.

    His short blonde hair was matted to his forehead, damp and sweaty. The usually handsome skin was darkened by the smoke and soot. He wore no uniform but a bulletproof vest underneath his white t-shirt and khaki pants.

    Cookie was next to him, holding her position. She was pointing her gun at the distance, adjusting it to make sure it hits the enemies. Her pale face was filled with dread and her long dark hair was tied into a bun, hidden beneath her soldier''s helmet. She was wearing full army gear with heavy vests and padded foam to protect herself. The sun was scorching hot and the presence of gunpowder in the air only made things worse. There were no enemies in sight but they could attack anytime.

    "Aerial view is clear, Cookie!" Ofelia reported. Her short hair was also hidden beneath an army cap and her uniform was light green with her badge shining on her chest. There was a scar on her face which indicated that she was injured early on in a battle. She had been trying to track down the enemies and even checked the aerial space to see if anyone was approaching. So far, no one wasing for them.

    "Where''s Hamlet?" Cookie asked.

    "He''s underground with Doggy," Ofelia stated. "How are we gonna find SJS66 in this state? It can take hours for us to reach the next level and we have to reach 70!"

    "Do you remember the cheat codes?" Cookie asked. "They''lle in handy when the enemies attack."

    "I''ll go and try to infiltrate another gang," Pink said. "Sitting here won''t do anything-"

    BANG! BANG! BANG!

    A shower of bullets came raining down from the sky and all of them ducked to take cover behind the pirs of their barricade.

    "Enemies!" Cookie yelled. "Pink, go and escape through the barriers at the back! We''ll cover you!"

    "But-"

    "Just go!"

    Pink dodged the bullets while Cookie and Ofelia covered him. They shot at the helicopter which was flying in the air with a bunch of snipers who were shooting at them. Their levels were written over their heads.

    "Level 10?" Ofelia yelled. "I thought only matching levels can attack each other!"

    "Those must be rogues and are using cheat codes!" Cookie yelled back. "They''re now after allnds! We must get to level seventy and find SJS at all costs!"

    The snipers shot at them but Cookie was an expert. She shot them down one by one, letting them fall to the ground. Ofelia aimed at the helicopter''s pilot and shot him through the head. The helicopter came crashing to the ground and exploded, causing thick smoke to emit from the ensuing fire.

    "Pink managed to flee!" Ofelia panted.

    "Let''s go and check out the helicopter for clues!" Cookie suggested. "It might have resources for us to advance to the next level."

    Ofelia nodded and they picked up a bunch of fire extinguishers from their storage before heading for the helicopter.

 Chapter 277 - War Of The Leagues (7)

    Ilhoon was observing his niece who was still unconscious. Jiwoon stood next to him, worried upon seeing his impassive expression. He was always hard to read because Ilhoon had the tendency to internalize his feelings. Whether he was angry or sad, it was nearly impossible to tell.

    "Are you okay?" she asked.

    "No," he admitted. "I''m not. I don''t know what to do with her."

    Jiwoon winced. She knew that he shared a veryplicated rtionship with his family. Ilhoon was her childhood friend and they grew up together. The neighborhood they lived in was poor and rundown. Ilhoon''s mother was a small-time beautician who barely scraped by and Ilhoon grew up in rtive poverty. His father was not around when he was growing up but one day, his dad appeared. Ilhoon was fourteen then and he refused to leave but his mother had contracted cancer. She forced him to go with his father and not to return.

    It was thest time Jiwoon had seen him. She was only eleven at that time and heartbroken to see her friend leave. To think that she would meet him after so many years was unbelievable.

    "Your brother was killed," she said in a sad tone. "I didn''t know he was your brother. Kim Hwangjoon, right?"

    "Hwangjoon was my younger brother but a fool!" Ilhoon remarked in a bitter tone. "He went off to marry that woman and ruin his life. All of us warned him not to marry her but he didn''t listen. I didn''t even know that he named me as his daughter''s godfather. We didn''t speak for years."

    "Oh," Jiwoon said. She looked from him to the girl who was lying unconscious.

    "I''ll have to take her," he went on. "Otherwise the old man will not spare me. Grandpa Kim will not let me live in peace if I leave her like this. She''s his heir after all."

    "She''s in shock," Jiwoon informed him. "She saw her father''s murder and passed out. If she wakes up, it might be hard to handle her."

    Ilhoon nodded, his handsome features hardening. He nced at Jiwoon who was gazing at the child. Something in his cold heart was stirring because he ran into her after so many years. Her hair was cropped short and she was a changed woman. The weak and skinny little Jiwoon was now leaner and fit. She oozed a quiet dignity, showing how much she had matured.

    But he could sense that she was broken. Something in her had destroyed her because the Jiwoon he knew used to smile a lot. She was not talkative but had a bright naivety which was no longer there.

    "Jiwoonбн" he began. "Why did you leave the old neighborhood? I went back to look for you but you weren''t there."

    Jiwoon looked at him in surprise. Ilhoon went back to look for her?

    She was silent for a while, wondering if she should tell him the truth but before she could do so, someone cleared their throat. Looking around, she found Siwan standing there. He was not looking at her but at Ilhoon.

    "Are you Hana''s guardian?" he asked.

    "Yes doctor," Ilhoon replied. The two men shook their hands.

    "I want to talk about Hana''s condition with you," Siwan stated. "If you please follow me."

    Ilhoon nodded and turned to Jiwoon. To her surprise, he hugged her tightly, holding her in his arms for a while.

    Siwan watched them with a stony expression while Jiwoon was taken aback. She was not used to letting people hug her but Ilhoon was in such a vulnerable state that she could not refuse him. After all, they were childhood friends. Her friend needed her.

    "Thanks, Jisoo," he whispered. "Foring back to me when I needed you the most."

    Jiwoon smiled and patted his back. Siwan looked away, giving them some privacy but he was not sure why his heart was so unsettled. Seeing them together was making him uneasy to the point that he was also a little irritated. It was strange because he did not feel like this in a very long time.

    Why was he feeling so angry and annoyed? Jiwoon was Ilhoon''s friend and they seemed to be very close. He should not be bothered by their closeness at all. It was her life and she could be close with whoever she wanted.

    But you want her to be close to you, a sly voice was echoing in his head. Siwan blinked.

    Huh? Why did I think that? He wondered. Siwan was still trying to figure out why he thought such an atrocious thing when Ilhoon''s voice broke his reverie.

    "Shall we go, doctor?" Ilhoon asked.

    "Ah. Yes!"

    Jiwoon bid them goodbye and turned towards Hana. To her delight, Hana was stirring. She was starting to wake up!

    "Nurse!" Jiwoon called. A nurse came running to check up on Hana who was confused and dazed.

    "Where am I?" the child mumbled. "Dadбн"

    "Take rest, sweetie," Jiwoon consoled her. "You''re in the hospital."

    "Dadбн" Hana mumbled. "Where is my daddy?"

    She was starting to panic. Jiwoon looked at the nurse, silently pleading with her to do something.

    "I''ll administer a mild dose of anesthesia," the nurse stated. "She''s not fully prepared to give any statement and can be hysterical in this state."

    "Will it harm her?"

    "No. It will calm down her nerves while she sleeps. After a full sleep cycle, we''ll start to give her therapy and help her to deal with her grief."

    Jiwoon was worried for the child. Hana was starting to be anxious so the nurse injected the anesthesia in her. Hana yelped when the sharp needle pierced her. She was crying hard so Jiwoon patted her head.

    "Don''t worry, dear," she consoled the child. "You''re safe. You''ll be fine. Just take some rest, okay?"

    "It hurtsбн" Hana sobbed. "A lot!"

    "It''ll be fine," Jiwoon cooed. "You''ll be okay."

    To soothe down the girl''s nerves, Jiwoon began to hum a luby. Her voice was surprisingly soft and gentle, calming down the girl. Hana smiled a little and was rxing as sleep overtook her.

    Unbeknownst to Jiwoon, Ilhoon and Siwan had returned after their brief discussion. Siwan slightly smiled as he watched Jiwoon. Seeing her smile and sing like that, made him feel very happy. It was rare to see her enjoy herself but whenever she did, he could not help but gaze at her.

    Ilhoon''s cold expression also softened upon seeing Jiwoon with Hana. For the past seventeen years, he had been searching for her but to no avail. There was only one girl he had ever loved and it was Ming Jisoo. He had lost her once and was devastated.

    Now that he found her again, he would never let her go.. Not this time.

 Chapter 278 - War Of The Leagues (8)

    Jina and Hobin were in the police station, observing Kim Hwangjoon''s corpse. Kyuhyun was on an extended break so his recement was Doctor Jung Nancy, a half-American forensic expert who worked part time with the police. She was in herte fifties and quite efficient in her work.

    The doctor was leaning over the body, her gray hair tied in a bun while her beady eyes examined the corpse. Jina winced as Nancy touched the shed neck, checking the extent of the cut.

    "Yup, it aligns with the other cases," she muttered. "There''s a hair here as well but no DNA match. I ran the tests through my server but it''s kinda shocking."

    "Shocking?" Hobin frowned. "How?"

    "The hair doesn''t seem to belong to a human," Nancy revealed. "In fact, it seems to be from some kind of animal but I can''t find a match!"

    Jina and Hobin nced at each other. Animal? Was it possible that the demon had the appearance of an animal like Maggie? Or was it due to the fact that it was a demon and not technically a human anymore?

    "The autopsy results will be out in a day," Nancy went on. "But preliminary checkup seems to indicate that the killing method is the same. We might be looking at a serial killer."

    "I''ll talk to the tech team and see if the Blue Fish site can be taken down," Jina said. "They tried but we''ll have to continue with our efforts."

    "We''lle to collect the reports," Hobin said and they bid farewell to the doctor. Once they were outside, Jina turned towards him.

    "The twins and the girls are still ying the game!" She eximed. "This demon is bing more dangerous. What if it hurts them?"

    "I doubt it," Hobin stated. "I can tell that this demon is doing its job. It doesn''t care about anything else as long as its part of the deal is done."

    "We don''t know that! What if it attacks the kids? They''re in danger!"

    Hobin was in deep thought. "Myungsooбн" he began. "We should talk to him again. I feel like we''re going to get more answers from him."

    "His father won''t let us talk to him," Jina said warily.

    "We''ll have to try," Hobin reasoned. "I feel as if we''re missing out on a big clue. Let''s go and talk to him. He might not know who SJS66 is but he might know what the demon is doing."

    Jina was not so sure but there was no harm in trying to find new clues. They were nowhere near to catching the demon and time was running out. If the demon imed more lives, then it was going to be a disaster.

    They got into Hobin''s car and sped off towards Myungsoo''s house in the city. Twenty minutester, they pulled up in front of an apartment building.

    "This is the address he gave me after he recorded his statement," Jina said. "I''ll text him toe down."

    She took out her phone and sent him a text, requesting him to meet with her. To her surprise, the reply came fast.

    "He agreed!" She gasped.

    "He''s pretty shaken up after his friend''s death," Hobin muttered. They waited in the car for a while. A lone figure wasing out of the building and spotted their car. It was Myungsoo.

    He ran towards their car and got into the passenger seat.

    "Is everything alright?" he asked, panicking a little. "Am I in trouble?"

    "No," Jina assured him. "But the thing that killed your friend also murdered someone else in the city."

    Myungsoo''s face went pale with fright.

    "A-another murder?" He stammered. "B-but I didn''t do anything!"

    "We know," Hobin said. "But this is also connected to the Blue Fish."

    "I gave my statement already!"

    "There must be something you missed," Jina pressed. "Anything weird, maybe? Like, did something happen to you or someone you know after you made that contract with the Blue Fish site? Other than Yisub and Youngoo''s deaths, is there anything which happened to you?"

    Myungsoo was struggling hard to answer. He was thinking hard until something seemed to have hit him.

    "There is!" he realized. "I don''t know if it''s rted butбн"

    He pulled up his sleeve and showed them his wrist. Hobin and Jina took a nce at it, their eyes widening in horror.

    "What the fuck?" Hobin muttered as they stared at the familiar symbol. It was the same sign they found at the murder sites of Sungki!

    "This is the pentagon sign with the cross and star!" Jina gasped. "When did this appear on your wrist, Myungsoo?"

    "I guess it was after I signed that contract with the Blue Fish," Myungsoo muttered. "Youngoo had it too. He showed me. It was on his chest."

    Jina quickly took out her phone and called Nancy. The doctor picked it up after a few rings.

    "Doctor Nancy!" She said at once. "Is there any sort of pentagon tattoo on Youngoo''s body?"

    "Is it the tattoo of a pentagon, star and cross?" Nancy asked from the other end. "Yes there is."

    Hobin and Myungsoo watched her, worried. Jina hung up the phone and turned to them.

    "Youngoo has the tattoo," she revealed to Hobin. "This is a problem."

    "P-problem?" Myungsoo stammered. "W-what problem?"

    "Nothing," Jina told him. "Justбнjust go home."

    There really was nothing they could do for him. The guy''s soul was damned but in a way, he deserved it for wishing death on an innocent person. Whether now or 3,000 yearster, his soul was damned to Hell and he was going to have a painful afterlife.

    Myungsoo was fearful but got out of the car. Jina and Hobin waited until he was gone.

    "The guy is screwed," Hobin sighed. "To think he actually wished someone was dead and ended up killing himбн"

    "I can''t even arrest him," Jina murmured. "He''s gonna live a happy and healthy life while Yisub suffers."

    They were silent for a while, lost in their own thought chain.

    "This isn''t fair!" Jina suddenly eximed. "Why does he get to live a free life after killing someone? I know he thought he was joking but it wasn''t! It was not a joke! An innocent person died and even if Myungsoo''s soul is damned to Hell, he''s still gonna live a long life! He''ll have a family, a career and probably die of old age someday. But Yisub won''t experience any of that!"

    "Maybe," Hobin said. "But we''re gonna make sure he never forgets his guilt."

    "What do you mean?"

    "WellбнI gave cookies to Maggie and told him to use his hocus pocus to teach Myugnsoo a lesson."

    "And?"

    "Every night, whenever Myungsoo goes to sleep, he ends up having nightmares about Yisub and several things in his head scream out that he''s a murderer," Hobin shrugged. "This is causing him serious insomnia. Maggie couldn''t refuse the cookies and ended up putting a lifelong curse on him."

    Jina was shocked but her lips formed a small smile.

    "That is petty and I love you for it!" She grinned and pecked him on the lips.

    "What else do I say?" He sighed. "Your family has been a bad influence on me."

    "I know," she winked. "But you''ve seen nothing of our pettiness. My dad is the pettiest one."

    I know, Hobin added in his thoughts with a smile as he drove away.

 Chapter 279 - War Of The Leagues (9)

    AUTHOR''S NOTE: I''m so sorry for the slow updates! I got my second vine dose and have been ill ;-;

    I''ll give a mass release tomorrow <3

    ....

    *In the Game*

    "Oi Hamlet! Go faster would ya?" Doggy yelled.

    "I will if you can just get off my back!"

    "Are you kidding? What if I get hit by a bomb? I love my life too!"

    "You''re a demon and you can''t die!"

    "Well, it still hurts and I like to live a painless life, thank you very much."

    Hamlet groaned. They were at the underground tunnel, slowly making their way towards the enemy''s base camp. They heard the loud explosions above which caused the ground beneath them to shake roughly. Doggy wastched on to Hamlet''s head, not letting go.

    "Where''s the enemy anyway?" Doggy asked. "I don''t see anyone."

    "You would if you go ahead on your own instead of sticking to me!" Hamlet said in annoyance. "Get off me!"

    "No. I like it here."

    Hamlet groaned and picked up his rifle, keeping an eye out for any enemies. Pink Thunder should be prating the enemy''s base camp and once he reaches there, they should be able to use a cheat code to gain more levels.

    He was alert for any enemies who may appear. The tunnel was long and dark with a strange stench lingering in the air. There were no people in sight but enemies coulde out and attack at any moment. Every step echoed throughout the long tunnel so he took off his shoes and tied them around his neck to avoid making any noise.

    "This ce gives me the chills!" Doggy imed. "It''s so creepy."

    "Aren''t you from Hell?" Hamlet frowned. "Isn''t that ce a thousand times worse?"

    "This silence reminds me of Hell," Doggy muttered. Hamlet could not make heads nor tails of what he meant but judging from Doggy''s voice, he assumed it was a sensitive topic for him. They ventured further into the tunnel, looking out for enemies.

    Suddenly, they heard the shuffling of feet. Hamlet ducked behind a connecting tunnel, away from sight.

    "Who are they?" Doggy hissed. They peered from behind the tunnel to see a couple of other yers who were from one of the enemy camps. They were casually walking around but their levels were on their heads.

    "Level 15?" Hamlet frowned. The guards were talking amongst themselves.

    "Did you hear that the leader made a deal with the higher levels?" One of the guards was saying. "SJS'' group."

    SJS? SJS66? They listened in closer.

    "That little git?" the other guardughed. "He''s all mighty on the web but I heard that in real life he''s a loser! Lives in his mother''s basement."

    "Really? What a loser! Where does he live?"

    "I don''t know," the other guard replied. "He''s got crazy security. Hard to tell where he lives. But I think our leader knows. They seem to be friends in real life."

    The guards kept on chatting as they walked. Hamlet and Doggy waited until they werepletely gone from sight before emerging out from their hiding spot.

    "Did you hear that?" Hamlet asked. "Their leader might know where SJS66 is!"

    "Lives in his mother''s basement!" Doggy scoffed. "What an idiot."

    "Let''s follow them."

    "Are you mad? What if we''re attacked? We''re still Level One yers!"

    "So what? I''m sure I can take out a lot of those idiots. Let''s go!"

    Despite Doggy''s protests, Hamlet marched ahead, silently following the guards. They were up ahead, still talking. The guards did not seem to have noticed their presence as they made their way to the base.

    "Well, I guess there''s no enemies here," one of the guards said. "I don''t see any."

    "Yea-"

    WHACK!

    Hamlet and Doggy hit them on the head, causing both the guards to fall to the ground, unconscious.

    "I''ll take one of their uniforms," Hamlet dered.

    "Hey! What about me?" Doggy frowned. Hamlet looked at his tiny size.

    "Do you think you''ll fit into their uniforms?" he asked warily. Doggy pouted in a corner as Hamlet changed into one of the guard''s uniforms. He took out a small gadget which all the yers owned.

    "Activate cheat code 15009," he instructed. The gadget froze for a second beforeing to life.

    "Cheat code activated," it dered. "You are now a level 15 yer."

    The number above him changed from Level 1 to Level 15.

    "Woah!" Doggy gaped. "Can it do that?"

    "Yep," Hamlet replied. "But each person can use it only three times. That too up to twenty levels. We gotta be very careful in using these."

    Cookie had given them clear instructions. The gadgets in their hands were their lifelines and also their only way tomunicate with each other. Each group had one but the other groups did not know what the gadgets did. The gadget given to their group showed them their inventory, their yer locations and thanks to Cookie''s tweaking, it can change their levels up to twenty levels. But the codes could be used only three times. Hamlet already used up his and he would have to be very careful in using his next turns.

    "Let''s go!" Doggy dered but Hamlet grabbed him and stuffed him in a bag.

    "Hey! What the hell are you doing? I''m an elite, ya know!"

    "Shut it!" he hissed at Doggy. "I can''t take you up there! You''re still in level one. If the others see you, they''ll attack us!"

    "But this bag stinks!"

    Hamlet rolled his eyes and began to climb out of the tunnel. Thankfully, Doggy had gone quiet inside the bag.

    Once he was outside the tunnel, Hamlet found himself in the middle of the base camp which was full of soldiers. In fact, there were too many soldiers. They were allzing around or talking amongst themselves, unaware of Hamlet''s existence.

    The ce he was in looked more like a small town than army barracks. There were several shops with essential items, lined up on the sides. The shops were run by the yers posing as army officers but some of the shops like grocery store and barber were run by AI. The guards were training or gossiping around a well situated in the heart of the town. There were too many people and it was impossible for four humans and a demon-dog to take them down.

    He scanned the area, trying to read the situation.

    "I''m guessing at least 500 soldiers," he muttered. "We''ll need to take them out with tact, not by force."

    He watched them,ughing and drinking. Several of them were around the well, dipping their cups into it and drinking the crystal clear water from it.

    Bingo! Hamlet thought. The well!

 Chapter 280 - War Of The Leagues (10)

    Junho arrived at Bomi''s house only to find it empty. He frowned and checked every room but the shaman was nowhere to be found.

    "Where the fuck is he?" he cursed. Junho tried to call him on the cell but to no avail. Bomi was unreachable. Did he go for some mission? But he usually informed Junho if he was out of town!

    "Ugh! I''ll have to do this myself," he muttered. He opened Bomi''s supply closet and picked the materials he might need for an exorcism. Jina had texted him about the mark they found on Myungsoo and he deduced that the demon must be a Kristis or higher level which only made it more difficult for them to exorcize. The only way was to find the object the demon was bound to and destroy it.

    Junho was about to leave when his attention was caught by something. A piece of paper was peeking out from beneath one of the closets. He stooped down and picked it up.

    "Hamavis," he read out loud. What did that mean? He wondered. Not thinking much of it, he put the paper in his pocket and rushed off. Since Bomi was not around, he needed his spare exorcist to help him with the job.

    бн

    Siwan was in his office when he received Junho''s text. He read through it and frowned.

    "Blue Fish?" he muttered. Junho had told him to research the Blue Fish case. He instantly opened his browser and read through the articles. To his surprise, one of the victims was very much familiar to him. It was Hana''s father.

    Siwan frowned and sat back. Was a demon behind all these deaths? How was it killing them?

    He printed the article and headed towards the pediatric center where Jiwoon was still watching over Hana. She looked around when he entered the room.

    "We need to talk," he said. Jiwoon was surprised but nodded. She followed him outside to the emergency staircase before he turned to face her. He handed her the article.

    "This Blue Fish," he began. "Is it rted to Hana''s father''s death?"

    "How did you know?" Jiwoon asked.

    "Mr. Hwang told me to look it up because a demon is rted to it."

    Jiwoon sighed. If Junho needed Siwan for the exorcism, then there was no other option but to tell him the truth. She quickly summarized everything they found out and how they needed to look for an inte user called SJS66 in order to find the demon. Siwan''s frown deepened with every word.

    "The teen gang is ying on the dark web?" He hissed. "Are they insane? Their information can be hacked!"

    "Baekha says it''s the only way to find the culprit," Jiwoon replied. "I know it''s dangerous but she can handle it. I know Baekha and she understands the inte in a way even experienced hackers can''t. Trust her, okay?"

    "What worries me more," she pressed before he could argue. "Is Hana''s safety. The demon attacked her father which means that Hana might know the person who used the site to sign a contract with the demon. What if that persones after her?"

    Siwan did not think like that but Jiwoon was right. Hana was probably in danger.

    "I can''t leave her," he muttered. "If the demones after her, then someone has to protect her. I''ll call the old man and exin-"

    WHOOSH!

    A sudden gust of cold air passed them by. Both of them were startled when the door burst open.

    "What was that?" Jiwoon asked.

    "Dunno," Siwan replied. "But isn''t it too quiet?"

    It was nearly 3 AM and the hospital was rtively silent but Siwan felt something was wrong. The ce was quiet, too quiet in fact. They slowly stepped on the main corridor.

    Click!

    Siwan instinctively shielded Jiwoon with his arm. The bulb at the end of the corridor had suddenly switched off but there was no one in sight who may have turned it off.

    Click!

    Another light switched off by itself. Siwan gulped. He could feel Jiwoon shaking beside him. She was scared too. This was not a human they could easily take down but something else. Something beyondprehension.

    Jiwoon took out her gun and was about to aim it in front of her but Siwan stopped her.

    "Don''t," he said. "You might end up hitting someone in the hospital."

    "But-"

    "Guns won''t work against a demon," he pointed out. "We''ll have to stall it."

    Click! Click!

    The lights were flickering off faster, the darkness slowly heading towards them. A cold wave was gripping them in its sp. Jiwoon held on to Siwan''s sleeve. He took out a pinch of salt from his pocket but he doubted it was going to work. The demon was invisible to them but they could feel its eyes on them, watching their movements like a predator observing its prey. It was taunting them, leering at them as they waited for it to attack.

    Click! Click! Click!

    Thest light was switched off and the corridor fell into a deathly silence. A fog is creeping from beneath the doors, engulfing them. Their breaths were visible, cold and frosty. Jiwoon shivered but Siwan did not let go of his grip on her.

    "Call Jina and Hobin," he told her.

    "The phones aren''t working!" She whispered, showing him the zero signal on her cell phone. Siwan checked his phone and to his dismay, it was also out ofwork. The demon must have jammed their phones.

    Suddenly, their phones flickered and even though there was nowork, the screen came to life.

    "What the hell?" Siwan muttered.

    "It''s happening to my phone as well!" Jiwoon gasped. "What is this?"

    "Whatever it is, it''s not good."

    CREAK!

    They were frozen in fear. Something metallic was being dragged across the floor, creating a creaking sound which made the hair on their arms stand. They looked at the pitch ck darkness ahead which was hiding the presence of someone.

    "Siwanбн" Jiwoon whispered. "What''s going on?"

    "I don''t knowбн"

    The creaking sound stopped and a deafening silence filled the area. Siwan and Jiwoon were alert, waiting for something to attack-

    "AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

    The lights burst back to life and the whole hospital was illuminated with bright lights. Siwan and Jiwoon were shocked by the screams. They rushed towards Hana''s room but to their surprise, she was still sleeping.

    "Doctor Kang?" A nurse who was attending Hana addressed Siwan. "Is there anything wrong?"

    "Nothing!" He gasped. "We just came to check up on her. We''ll be off nowбн"

    He quickly led Jiwoon out of the room. She was shaken and scared by what happened moments ago.

    "Y-You heard it too, right?" Jiwoon stammered nervously. "The scream? I wasn''t imagining it, right?"

    "I heard it," Siwan nodded. "But what was that?"

    Was it truly their imaginations? But both of them saw the strange phenomena and heard the screams. How can two people imagine the same thing at the same time?

    "We''ll have to find out," he dered.

 Chapter 281 - War Of The Leagues (11)

    Jina and Hobin were at their wits end. They were in the police precinct with Jaebum, Woohee, Chanmi and Dahoon. The whole case was confusing the team because there was no lead. For the past few hours, Dahoon had been trying to search for SJS66 as per Myungsoo''s testimony but no luck.

    "Boss, I tried everything but SJS66 ispletely untraceable," he sighed. It was past 1 PM in the afternoon and none of them slept a wink all night. Their team had been working on the case, trying to trace the user but to no avail. Jina let out a frustrated sigh.

    "What about the tattoo?" She asked. "The one Myungsoo showed us?"

    She had already briefed the team about Myungsoo''s tattoo and her suspicions that it may be connected to the serial murder cases.

    "Are you sure that his tattoo is rted to his case?" Woohee asked. "Boss, the Cho murder cases werepletely different and had a separate MO. Maybe he got the tattoo out of curiosity and is trying to hide his involvement in these Blue Fish murders? He''s just trying to save himself!"

    "Youngoo had that tattoo too," Jaebum pointed out. "Two kids got the same tattoo for fun? Sounds unlikely."

    "They were best friends," Woohee reasoned. "It can happen. He''s only trying to distract us. I say, we should arrest him!"

    "But the forensic reports said that Minjoong had the tattoo as well and he wasn''t rted to Youngoo nor Myungsoo," Chanmi stated, ncing at some papers.

    "We don''t have proof against Myungsoo," Jina stated. "But if this SJS66 is the culprit, we''ll know soon who it is. Dahoon, any luck?"

    Dahoon shook his head. He was in front of his desktopputer, trying to track down the user. He was not talking nor participating in the discussions because he needed topletely focus on tracking the culprit. He used several different codes but SJS66 had aplex system which could take days or even months to decode.

    Jina had secretly briefed him that the teen gang was in the dark web, trying to find SJS66. Once they find him, they will use a code to hack his system which will expose his location temporarily. Once that was aplished, Dahoon would be able to track his location.

    "I still think it''s a waste of time trying to find someone we don''t even know exists!" Woohee muttered. She was skeptical because the case made no sense. It was as if the murders were carried out by a ghost. No matter how close they came close to cracking it, they kept on meeting dead ends and it was frustrating the team.

    "We''ll have to try harder," Chanmi told her. "There must be a way. Dahoon is trying!"

    "The thing is, this isn''t an ordinary serial killing case," Jaebum stated. "This is a site which is targeting kids who visit it. But now it seems to be targeting adults too."

    "As long as there''s inte, anyone can be a target," Jina muttered. She turned to Hobin who had been silent all this time. He was leaning against the wall, thinking hard. His eyes were nk but Jina knew that he was trying to see things differently so that a new perspective could pop up.

    "I think I''ve made a mistake," he murmured. Something seemed to have stuck him and his eyes sparkled again. He picked up a marker and wrote on the board.

    "SJS66," he muttered. "Let''s say, this is the murderer. We don''t know if it''s Myungsoo or someone else but he is the murderer. He''s hiding behind a screen but using this site to kill people."

    He drew a circle around the name. "Let''s separate the game from the person," he went on.

    "This person is a coward," Hobin dered.

    "What do you mean?" Jaebum frowned.

    "Whoever he is, he hides behind a screen and doesn''te in front of it," Hobin replied. "He designed this site to somehow manipte the people into killing themselves. We don''t know how he''s doing it but not everyone is dying here. There''s a pattern."

    "Pattern?" Woohee echoed.

    Hobin wrote the names of all the victims but in two columns. One column had the names of Youngoo and the first victim, Minjoong. The other one had Yisub and Hwangjoon. He also wrote down the name of Myungsoo in a third column.

    "Youngoo and Minjoong were the only ones who visited the site multiple times before their deaths," he pointed out. "And so did Myungsoo. The site clearly states that the one who will sign a contract will have a wish granted, right?"

    "Youngoo, Minjoong and Myungsoo have the tattoos which we also found at the Cho murder sites," he went on. "Which means that these tattoos can either be some kind of weird fashion trend among weird teenagers who copied it from serial murder sites. Or, the tattoos have nothing to do with the murders itself but are part of something bigger. A cult, perhaps."

    "Cult?" Jina frowned.

    "This cult is using others to murder people for something," Hobin said. "A ritual? Or a process? This tattoo has nothing to do with the Cho''s murders but rather, they used it because of their cult practices. Like a symbol. And the developer of the Blue Fish site is doing the same. The murders from the two cases aren''t connected but the murderers are. They are from the same cult."

    "That''s a far fetched theory though," Woohee stated. "Why will a cult risk itself like this? Don''t they operate in secrecy?"

    "We''ll only know that once we find SJS66," Hobin said. "Which brings us back to him."

    He pointed at SJS66''s name.

    "This person isn''t a fighter," he continued. "He can''te out and attack people so he is using this site to kill them. This is my guess. People like Myungsoo, Youngoo and Minjoong have signed the contract because they visited the site multiple times. ording to the contract we saw on the sitest night, the person signing the contract will get to have a wish fulfilled in exchange for their lives. Our friend Myungsoo here, had a beef with Yisub. Maybe, out of anger, he signed the contract and wished for Yisub to die. He didn''t mean it but the contract took it seriously and the developer of the site simply did the deed on behalf of Myungsoo?"

    "But how?" Chanmi asked.

    "Before Yisub died, the Blue Fish site popped up on his screen. The site''s developer may have hacked hisputer and showed him an image which hypnotized him. It''s notpletely impossible because there are many sites which y on our sense of sight and hearing topletely control us. It''s a trick used by many psychiatrists to treat patients. Those who have knowledge on hypnotism can do it. The developer must be someone who has such knowledge and used it to make a site which hypnotized people into killing themselves."

    "Once the contract is fulfilled, the developer waits until the time limit stated in the contract pses and he proceeds to kill the contract''s signatory. Myungsoo had jokingly written 3000 years as his time limit. This may have saved him because the site is designed in a way that he can''t be made to kill himself for 3000 years. But Youngoo wasn''t so lucky nor was Minjoong."

    "What about Hwangjoon?" Woohee asked.

    "We need to find SJS66 in order to find out who killed him," Hobin replied. "If he''s the site developer, then surely SJS66 will also have the backend data where all the contracts are recorded."

    "This SJS66 is someone who is well versed in psychology, web development and is a loner, " he went on. "He has a sadistic mind and wants to inflict torment on others but when confronted with any pain, he''ll cower. This person is addicted to online activities like gaming and is active in the dark web where he can hide with ease. This Blue Fish is also active in the dark web but shes on the clean web at midnight for one minute only so that it can im more victims. I doubt he''s a school kid. Judging from Myungsoo''s testimony, SJS66 seems to be online almost all the time which means he is either a dropout or an unemployed person who earns through the inte. Frencer or online worker. Gamer, perhaps?"

    "He also possesses a lot of anger in him to create such a destructive website," Hobin warned. "He''s not a fighter but definitely obsessive and mad. If we confront him, he might try to kill himself so be very careful when questioning anyone."

    Jina turned to her team. "Bring in Myungsoo and Aina," she ordered them. "We''ll be questioning them again. Also bring in Eli, Yisub''s sister. She has a lot of exining to do."

    The team nodded and instantly dispersed to carry out their orders. Jina turned to Hobin.

    "I''ll have to trust you with the questioning," she said. "I''ll go and help the old man to track the demon. He texted me and said that Bomi is out of town."

    "Do so," Hobin nodded. "I can handle them."

    "Good luck," she smiled and walked out of the room. Hobin flexed his fingers and followed her outside.

    It was time for some action.

    Dahoon, who waspletely engrossed in his work, turned around.

    "Can someone tell me whether the teens got any information-HEY! WHERE IS EVERYONE?"

 Chapter 282 - War Of The Leagues (12)

    *In the Game*

    Cookie and Ofelia were hiding in the bunker, waiting for the warfare to die down outside. They had been fighting off many enemies but there were too many of them. The other yers were ganging up together to take out many level one participants but thanks to Cookie''s skills, they had advanced to level 15 without using any codes.

    The duo had infiltrated nearby camps and Ofelia used her bombs to take out the yers, eliminating them from the game. They had captured a fewnds but ran into an overwhelming number of enemies.

    "Where''s Pink Thunder?" Ofelia hissed.

    "He''s probably trying to enter another camp," Cookie muttered. "We''ll have to team up with the others and take over morends. Otherwise, we''ll never reach level 70."

    The loud sounds of gunshots and bombs could still be heard. Ofelia peered out of a dusty window.

    "I think the tanks are retreating!" she hissed.

    "We''ll wait till nightfall and leave," Cookie nodded. Ofelia ducked under the window as more soldiers scavenged the area.

    "Activate code 6709!" Cookie whispered. Instantly, a cloak of invisibility appeared and she quickly threw it over both of them, disappearing from sight. They sat frozen in silence as the soldiers walked around them. Their hearts beat fast as the soldiers searched everywhere for survivors.

    Over their heads were the numbers of their lever: Level 69.

    "Found anyone?" One of the men was asking his partner.

    "Nope. Nothing here!"

    They searched the area again but there was no one. Finally, they gave up and sat on a crate.

    "I guess all of em are dead," the first guard named Gingerbread imed. "We can rest."

    "SJS doesn''t even let us sit!" the other guard, Noob98 sighed. "What an ass!"

    "He''s a jerk but he''s the boss here. We can''t do anything. I just wish we didn''t have to rely on him a lot."

    They were SJS66''sckeys and in his team. Cookie had heard whispers of how SJS66 was increasing his territory through brutal tactics. While it was a game on the dark web, people only yed for fun and it was not anything serious but this SJS66 was annihting camps as if killing flies. His men were looting and bombing every territory they could find and only those which partnered with him, pledging allegiance to him were spared.

    "I heard that SJS is up on the mountains?" Noob98 asked. "Is it true?"

    "He doesn'' do any dirty work himself but makes us do it!" Gingerbread growled. "I''m sick of it! If only I could get rid of him. Asshole and a motherfucker he is! I bet he killed that kidбнwhat was his name in real life? Youngoo?"

    "I heard that as well," Noob98 shuddered. "I know I''m bad but that SJS is dangerous. He bragged how his website is killing people! I meanбнwe''re on the dark web and there is a lotta scary shit here but he''s taking it up a notch, don''t ya think?"

    "Says the guy who watches child porn all day long!" Gingerbeard sneered. "Why are you thinking that you''re any better than him?"

    "I may be addicted to kiddie porn but I ain''t a pedo nor a murderer like SJS66 is!" Noob98 snarled. "I hear that SJS66 is attempting to kidnap a child in real life! Can you imagine that?"

    "Huh? How do you know that?"

    "I heard it from one of the yers," Noob replied. "He said that SJS66 is obsessed with some six year old kid and the website he designed is simply a method to get to the child. I dunno how he''s doing it but maybe he''s experimenting with it. Killing off many people so that when he murders the child''s parents, he''ll be able to pass it off as part of a the Blue Fish murders? I hear that no one has been arrested. It''s like the police are chasing a ghost!"

    "But how is he doing it?" Gingerbread asked thoughtfully. "Killing those people?"

    "Who knows? All I care about is staying far away from him. He''s mad. Completely mad and weird. I bet he''s a druggie in real life!"

    There was a murmur of agreement and the two men decided to set camp outside. The girls waited until they left beforeing out of hiding.

    "You hear that?" Cookie hissed. "SJS66 is in the mountains!"

    "But we''ll have to pass lots of levels before we can reach that ce," Ofelia pointed out. "We''d better get going."

    "I can''t believe that SJS66 is sending that demon after these people!" Cookie snarled. "I''m so gonna rip his heart out once I get my hands on him!"

    "Let''s get out of here and find the others," Ofelia said. "If we can capture a really big town, we might be able to advance several levels."

    Cookie nodded and they slowly crept out of the bunker. They stole more weapons on the way, passing by the sleeping guards. As soon as they were out of earshot and sight, they ran for it, heading towards the nearest town which was full of Level 15 yers.

    It was time to gather more experience points and the only way to advance several levels was by grabbing a major chunk ofnd from higher level yers.

    бн

    "Doctor, we brought in Myungsoo," Jaebum informed Hobin. Thetter frowned.

    "What about Song Aina?" he asked. "Where is she?"

    "Our men are searching for her but we can''t find her," Jaebum admitted. "Herst known address was in City D but she left that cest month. Thendy doesn''t know where she lives now."

    "What about her parents'' house?"

    "Her parents disowned her after the divorce. She lived alone and worked odd jobs but she quit herst job four months ago."

    Hobin was thinking hard. Song Aina was not missing because she had created a ruckusst night at the hospital but where was she?

    "Keep looking for her," he ordered. "I''ll question Myungsoo."

    Jaebum nodded, leaving Hobin to interrogate Myungsoo. Thetter headed towards the interrogation room where Myungsoo sat with his father.

    "Why the hell did you arrest my son?" Mr. Yeon demanded.

    "We didn''t arrest him," Hobin stated. "He''s been brought here to help us answer some questions about a game he tes online."

    Mr. Yeon and Myungsoo were confused. Hobin puts the image of the game in front of him and asks.

    "This gameбнWar of the Leagues," he begins. "You y it on the dark web, right?"

    "Yeah," Myungsoo slowly nodded.

    "Is this where you met SJS66?"

    "Yes.SJS66 is the one who told me about the Blue Fish site when we were ying this game together."

    "Tell us about SJS66 and what he told you about the Blue Fish site," Hobin ordered.

    "Oh," Myungsoo frowned. "I made that mistake too."

    "Mistake?" Hobin questioned him. "What mistake?"

    "Calling SJS a ''he''," Myungsoo revealed. "Turns out, it''s a woman in her thirties and she''s SJS66.. She even has a kid."

 Chapter 283 - War Of The Leagues (13)

    Rats were scurrying through the pile of rubbish which towered all around the room. A stench of old, stale food and alcohol hung in the air while the trashy on the floorpletely unattended. The lights were switched off and the whole room was thrown into darkness except for a single spot. Dim light emitted from theputer''s screen and a woman with wild curls is muttering under her breath. Dark circles formed under her eyes but she unblinkingly stared at the screen, pressing the buttons continuously.

    "Die!" She muttered as she shot down a few soldiers on screen who were attacking her character. "Die! Die! Die!"

    The screen blipped and a message popped up.

    "You have unlocked a new badge: General!" A robotic voice dered.

    The woman smirked and let out a sigh of relief. She nced at the wall clock. It was nearly 6 PM. How long had she been ying the game?

    "You''re wasting your time, Aina."

    A shadow stepped out of the shadows, sneering at Aina''s pathetic state. Unlike Aina, the second woman in the room had an air of dignity to her. Her long hair was neatlybed and tied. She was in her fifties, a delicate beauty with greyish brown hair but there was a look of arrogance on her which diminished her good looks. She despised the unkempt woman who was wasting her time ying games.

    "I''m hearingints from Orma," the woman said. "She said that she haspleted her end of the bargain, yet you are making her go out of her way to torment other people. Why?"

    "Our contract was that she must eliminate anyone whoes in between me and my child!" Aina snarled at the Vozakel Lord. "That''s the deal! That doctor and the detective are handing my child to my useless brother-inw! He''s gonna keep me away from my daughter. I can''t let that happen! I want my daughter!"

    "We can''t afford this kind of bloodlust!" the woman snapped at her. "The Brethren aren''t happy with your actions. You were simply supposed to create a software which will make Orma give out more contracts and im souls who could aid in our mission! Those souls are the only things keeping our Lord sated! He needs more but your actions are making it difficult for us to procure human souls for him. Do you have any idea how hard it is to steal souls from Hell?"

    "I want my daughter!" Aina growled, her voice almost like an animal''s. "My software already got you three souls! Orma killed them and gave their souls to the Prince instead of sending them to Hell. Then what else do you want?"

    "Discretion!" The woman ordered. "Don''t do anything which will expose us otherwise, I will not let the Prince cancel your contract. Got it?"

    Aina winced at the woman. Thetter gave her a hard stare and snapped her fingers, vanishing in thin air.

    "I''ll take my daughter back at all costs!" she dered, returning to her game. I must get more souls, she decided. Somehow!

    The game she was ying on the dark web was the perfect ce to search for naive teenagers who might sign contracts with the Blue Fish. She had developed the site for the Brethren so that they could insert their demon into it. The demon took the form of a beautiful female yer''s avatar and stole her appearance to project itself outside of the game in the real world. Most of the stupid teenagers seek sexual favors but the demon Orma did not mind. She was a demon who was fulfilling a duty in her contracts and towards her Prince. Once she was done having sex with the teens, she killed them off as per the contract''s time limit.

    It was the perfect method for the Brethren. Not only were they getting arge source of souls for the True Prince but also were able to carry out their activities with ease. Aina got a ton of money from them which she spent on wine and drugs while she wasted her days ying online games. She was addicted to these luxuries, preferring to live the easy way rather than work hard.

    But she wanted her child back from Hwangjoon. He was disgusted by her lifestyle and demanded that she either clean up her act or he would never let her see their daughter. Enraged, she made a deal with Orma to kill off anyone who came in between her and her daughter. Last night, she ordered Orma to scare the doctor and detective so that they would let her have her child.

    "I''ll get that child!" She growled. "She''s my meal ticket, after all."

    Kim Hwangjoon''s family was quite rich. His brother, Ilhoon was one of the richest men in the country and Aina knew that Hana was the only way she could extract money from the Kim''s.

    "Dumb bitch!" She cursed the Vozakel Lord. "Just coz she''s a demon, she''s tryna intimidate me? I''ll show herбн"

    She pulled up her sleeve and pressed the star tattoo on her hand Instantly, she felt a cold presence around her. The entity wandered around for a while before possessing a stic kangaroo whichy somewhere in the trash.

    "You called," a deep feminine voice came from the kangaroo.

    "Go and scare the doctor and detective again!" She ordered. The kangaroo was quiet for a while.

    "You''re making a mistake," the demon replied. "They''re not ordinary people. A Vurthramis like me has no chance against them. I can sense that they were aware of my presence and not the least bit scared-"

    "Do as I say!" Aina snapped. "I want my daughter and they won''t let me see her! The deal was that you''ll kill anyone who wille between me and my daughter. Go and kill them. NOW!"

    бн

    Hobin was in the precinct, deep in thought. Myungsoo has given his testimony about SJS66. Aina''s filey in front of him and he realized that she had studied software development. Not only that, Aina also had a record of hacking into highly secured servers which caused a lot of private information to be leaked. She served a few months in jail because of it, following which she married Hwangjoon. Hobin doubted that the poor guy had any idea about his wife''s past.

    "She''s SJS66," he concluded. "But where is sheбн"

    He sat in silence, thinking hard. Aina had her husband killed and even created a ruckus at the hospital. She was obsessed with her daughter and was fighting for custody, yet the woman was not holding a steady job.

    A NEET, online gamer and possibly the creator of the Blue Fish, he thought. Her cyber security must be impable.

    He did not want to admit it out loud but Baekha was right. The only way to find someone like her was in her own arena: online. His eyes went to the clock on the wall.

    8 PM. Four more hours and the website would appear again. An entire day had passed by and they still got nothing. Jina and Junho were at the national library, researching the demons but unless they found Aina, there was nothing they could do.

    "Where will she strike next?" he wondered out loud. He had an eerie feeling that she was going to attack nearby.

    But where?

    He thought and thought but got no answer.. Come out, bitch! He cursed. Juste out of hidingбн

 Chapter 284 - War Of The Leagues (14)

    Jina picked up Junho from Bomi''s house and went to the national library where there was a section dedicated to Demonology, a study on demons. It was notpletely urate most of the time but there were instances when they stumbled across useful information. Hobin already texted her about what he found out from Myungsoo and they were now worried.

    "Song Aina is killing these people simply to test her website?" Junho frowned.

    "She''s probably trying to hide her involvement in her husband''s murder," Jina muttered. "There''s no proof against her unless the site is tracked back to her. If we arrest her now, she''ll im in court that she has no connection to the other victims and hence, she''s not the murderer in all the cases."

    Junho nodded and picked out a pile of books. The library was open all the time so they were able to enter it. Moreover, he was friends with the librarian and let him use the restricted section where the books on demons were avable.

    "Did you find anything?" Junho asked.

    "Nothing!" Jina eximed, throwing aside a book which had no exnation on any previous cases where a demon was killing through websites. More of the information was useless because it did not match with what Maggie told them. There were no mentions of Vozakel lords or Jazrads and all that. She was frustrated as she flipped through the books.

    "Can''t we summon the demon and ask what its deal is?" She asked.

    "I can''t find Bomi," Junho sighed. "Conducting a seance without him is dangerous."

    "Where is he anyway?" Why can''t we reach him?"

    They had tried to reach the shaman but to no avail. Bomi''s phone was switched off and he was not calling them back either. It was not unusual for exorcists and shamans to be out of reach when there was a case but they desperately needed Bomi to track down the demon.

    "We''ll think of himter," Junho said. "Let''s seeбнAh hah!"

    He flipped a page and showed it to Jina. She read it, frowning at every line.

    "Subus?" She questioned him. "Maggie never mentioned this as a kind of demon."

    "Subus is not a demon type but that doesn''t mean the demons can''t intercourse with humans," Junho reasoned. "Look at Hobin. His father was a demon, right? I''m guessing he possessed a human and that''s how he stayed with his Hobin''s mother."

    "But this demon is possessing avatars on the website," he went on. "Giving it a physical form and seducing these kids."

    They had been in the library for hours but there was no fruit. Jina was sleep deprived and tired of seeing all the books in front of her. Suddenly, she felt a cold presence and snapped her neck around.

    "Yisub?" She asked, shocked to see the boy. He had been staying over at his parents'' home, watching over them and his sister. They were still grieving over his death and he refused to move on when his family was in misery.

    "What are you doing here?" Jina asked. "Is everything alright?"

    "I want to help," he simply said.

    "You should go back home," Jina suggested. "We''re trying to find the demon-"

    "Let him stay," Junho said. "He might be able to help in his own way."

    Jina was not so sure but she nodded. They pored over many books until finally, they were forced to give up. It was nearly 10 PM and she decided to check up on the teen gang who was still ying the game.

    "I''ll call Yoonmin," she finally said. "And-"

    Just then, her phone rang. It was Yoonmin.

    "Sis!" He eximed from the other end of the phone. "We did it!"

    Jina frowned. "You got the code?" She asked in shock.

    бн

    *A Few Hours Ago*

    Hamlet blended in with the soldiers in the barrack. Night had fallen and they were waiting for everyone to go to sleep but it seemed the ce was on red alert. Doggy was sitting on his head, both of them peering from behind a wall. There was a group of people ahead who were talking about the arrival of someone.

    "SJS66 said he''s gonnae tonight," one of the guards was saying. "Some of us gotta wait for him."

    "What a drag!" Another guardined. "He''s on level 70! What''s he doing in our area?"

    "We''re too weak. He''s strong. We''ll be protected by his squad."

    There was a murmur of agreement. They were busy talking to each other so Hamlet took Doggy aside.

    "Listen up," he muttered. "You go and distract them. I''ll mix this in the well."

    He took out a packet full ofxatives. Doggy scoffed.

    "I''m an elite! I should be the one to mix this in their well. You go and-"

    Hamlet picked up the dog and flung him across the long distance.

    "AHHHHHH! THIS IS ANIMAL ABUSE!" Doggy screamed as he flew across the barrack andnded right in front of the soldiers who were distracted by the animal which fell right in front of them. Doggy coughed out dust and glowered towards the ce where Hamlet was hiding.

    "I''m gonna sue you in court and suck out all your money!" He threatened. The soldiers were staring at the strange dog which appeared and to their shock, it was talking!

    They instantly pointed their guns at him.

    "Kill him!" One of the soldiers yelled but Doggy pounced on him, scratching his eyes while the others tried to shoot at him. Doggy growled at them and began to transform. They watched in horror as the dog grewrger with mes spitting out of his mouth.

    "HE-"

    Before the soldiers could scream, Doggy swooshed his long tail, hitting all three of them hard on their heads. They fell down, unconscious. Hamlet came out of his hiding ce and nodded in appreciation.

    "Good job," he praised the dog.

    "Oi! I''m gonna sue you for animal abuse!" Doggy growled. "That hurt!"

    "Yeah yeah and who''s gonna pay for yourwyer?"

    GrrrбнDoggy growled at him but Hamlet did not care. He stepped towards the well and poured thexative in it.

    "Are you sure this is strong enough to knock the men out?" Doggy frowned.

    "I used a cheat code to make it stronger," Hamlet muttered. "I''m sure it''ll work just fine. As for these threeбн"

    Hamlet turned to the unconscious guards. "Let''s just throw them into the well," he casually says.

    "Huh? You wanna kill them?" Doggy was shocked but Hamlet merely shrugged.

    "This is a game, Doggy," he replied. "An online game. These guys won''t die in real life. They''ll just be eliminated and restart their levels. Only their game data will be removed so it''ll take them ages to find us. Now stop whining and help me throw them in the well!"

    Doggy winced but did as he was told. They threw the soldiers into the well. A robotic voice echoed from the well.

    "Game over for yer 78. Game over for yer 110. Game over for yer 1001."

    "See?" Hamlet said. "They''re just eliminated. Not actually dead."

    "Humans are weird," Doggy muttered. They quickly left the ce to avoid detection.

    "What do we do now?" he asked Hamlet once they reached a safe hiding ce.

    "We wait for a few hours," Hamlet said. "The cooks will start to make dinner soonбн"

    A few cooks were approaching the well and the duo watched them taking water from the well.

    "Perfect!" Hamlet muttered. "Now we wait."

    They waited for a while, pretending to stroll around. Night had fallen and the other soldiers were preparing for dinner. Finally, the rm rang for dinner time.

    Doggy was hiding in Hamlet''s pouch, having shrunk to his regr size while Hamlet made his way to the banquet hall.

    "I''m hungry!" Doggy whined.

    "We can''t eat anything here otherwise we''ll fall sick!" Hamlet muttered. He entered the boisterous hall where the food was going to be served. Most of the soldiers were there, talking and gossiping. Their avatars were depleted of food and water so they needed nourishment.

    "Aren''t these guys just game avatars?" Doggy asked from inside the pouch. "Why do they need food?"

    "Game avatars are designed to behave like humans," Hamlet muttered. He took a seat at a far corner, away from everyone. There were so many soldiers that he went unnoticed.

    "Since avatars are like humans, they need food and water too," he went on. "Of course it''s not actual food. It''s just fake."

    "Huh? My real body is starving for cookies!"

    "Your real body is a stuffed animal!"

    Doggy pouted. He watched the other soldiers with envy. Seeing them eat was making him hungry and he only imagined the cookies waiting for him in the real world. Hamlet pretended to eat but threw away most of the food because it was cooked using the water from the well.

    Hamlet was sitting quietly, waiting for the impact of the medicine when the siren began to ring loudly. All the soldiers stood up in rm, their food half eaten. Hamlet and Doggy were also on their feet, wondering what was going on.

    "Intruders!" One of the soldiers shouted. "Let''s go!"

    Intruders? Hamlet and Doggy followed the men, wondering what was going on. The soldiers headed for the town square where a pair of small soldiers were rounded up and tied together. Doggy peeped out of his pouch.

    "What''s going on?" he hissed.

    "I don''t knowбн"

    Hamlet squeezed his way through the crowd, reaching the spot where the intruders were caught. A pair of familiar faces appeared in front of him, tied and bound together. His eyes widened in shock.

    "Cookie and Ofelia!" He gasped.

 Chapter 285 - War Of The Leagues-Conclusion

    Cookie and Ofelia were surrounded by enemy soldiers who gave them cold stares. They were trying to break into the barracks and hide until they found the others but the soldiers spotted them. They captured the girls and brought them to the town''s square to be executed.

    "What do we do with them?" One of the soldiers asked. "They''re from the enemy camp!"

    "I say, we torture them and see if we can fine information," another soldier said. "They might have capturednds too!"

    "Or they may have spies here!" Another soldier piped up.

    "I say, we kill them."

    Everyone turned to look at the Commander-In-Chief, a yer named Beezee78. He stood there, wearing a high ranking uniform and had a strict expression on his face.

    "They''re enemies. We will kill them. Besides, SJS66 is nearly here. He will love to see an execution."

    The other soldiers nodded and murmured in agreement. At that moment, a jeep drove their way and stopped right in front of the group. A few soldiers wearing red uniforms came out of it and opened the back seat''s door.

    A tall, blonde man in his thirties came out of it. The level tag above him was written ''70'' and he had a muscr build. He was stocky with a goatee and quite handsome as if he had been carved out of a fantasy fairy tale. The avatar was modeled after a famous supermodel whom Hamlet recognized as a Hollywood celebrity.

    Did the woman project her own fantasy into her avatar? He wondered. He stood in a corner, staying unnoticed.

    "SJS!" Beezee eximed and bowed in front of him. SJS merely nodded and paid more attention to the prisoners. His face was distorted with contempt for the girls who dared to break into his barracks. The girls were not scared but red at him, knowing very well that he is their target.

    "How are we going to rescue them?" Doggy hissed from inside the pouch.

    "Just wait," Hamlet muttered. He slowly began to step to his side, hiding from in sight. The girls did not notice him yet but timing was everything. He would reveal himself when it was necessary but at that moment, all of them were greatly outnumbered.

    SJS was ring at the girls.

    "You stupid bitches thought that you''ll break into my area and get away with it?" He growled. "A couple of level 20 brats? Hah!"

    He gloated over them. Cookie shifted next to Ofelia, trying to get a hold on her gun in her pocket but the ropes were too tight. Ofelia suddenly spotted someone moving in the crowd and realized that it was Hamlet.

    "Kill them!" SJS ordered. "And make sure that they never return to the game. It''ll take these kids a hundred years before they can beat me!"

    "Yes!" Beezee replied, taking out his gun. He pointed it at Cookie who was glowering back at him. The Commander readied the gun, ready to fire.

    "AHHHHH!" He growled in pain and doubled over on the ground as his stomach gave a loud rumble. SJS was shocked.

    "Beezee?" He asked. "What happened?"

    To his horror, Beezee was starting to fade, his avatar disappearing fast. More men groaned in pain and clutched their stomachs. All of them were starting to fade and SJS was at a loss.

    "What the hell''s going on ?" He snarled. "Why are my men dying?"

    Cookie was shocked but Ofelia was not because she knew it was Hamlet''s doing.

    "Hamlet did it!" She hissed to Cookie.

    "Oh!" Cookie realized. "Good. Now we gotta get rid of these ropesбн"

    Something tugged at the ropes and to their surprise, it was Doggy. He was pulling the ropes, untying them and they were freed. SJS noticed his prisoners were escaping.

    "Get them!" He shouted at the red uniformed guards who were about to shoot at the girls but the girls were fast. Cookie hit one on the nose while Ofelia picked up a knife from a sick soldier and stabbed a few of the red soldiers. Doggy began to transform into his demonic self and took down a few of the soldiers but more wereing.

    "Where''s Hamlet?" Ofelia shouted as she took down more soldiers. As soon as she said it, there was an explosion in one of the buildings, shocking them. An entire group of soldiers were taken out and the building was blown up, causing several avatars to disappear. Hamlet emerged from it, holding explosives in his hands.

    "Get that bitch!" He yelled, pointing at SJS. Cookie ran towards SJS but thetter used a cheat code to gather more soldiers who magically appeared out of nowhere.

    "She''s using a cheat code!" Cookie yelled. "More soldiers areing!"

    "We can''t beat ''em all!" Ofelia shouted. She was having a tough time stabbing and killing the other avatars but more wereing, overwhelming her. Doggy was also trying his best to shake off the soldiers who were jumping on him. He let out a st of me at them but so many of them were popping up that he was running out of steam.

    "If we can only get to her-" Hamlet was saying but his words were cut off by a very loud explosion at the entry gate. Everyone froze as arge battalion of soldiers in pink uniform were marching towards them. There were hundreds, no, thousands of soldiers, marching towards them. Tanks and advanced jeeps were also marching into the city and on top of thergest tank wasбн

    "Surprise!" Pink Thunder dered, boasting a level 100 tag on his head. "How do you like my squad?"

    Cookie and the others were staring at him in shock. Pink Thunder ordered his men to take down the Red Army. SJS was infuriated and used the cheat code to bring in more soldiers but he was at the end of the cheat limits. The Red Army shed with the Pink Army but were no match for thetter''s numbers.

    Ofelia, taking her chance, ran through the crowd while Cookie followed her. SJS turned to run away but the girls captured him, toppling the avatar to the ground.

    "Activate cheat code 10096!" Cookiemanded. The robotic voice echoed again.

    "Activating cheat code 10096," it said.

    Instantly, SJS'' avatar died but it did not fade. Cookie had cut off the avatar''s connection to its actual host and now they only need to know thest known location where the avatar was controlled from. A keyboard popped up on-screen and Ofelia typed in a code which brought down SJS'' web defense. A timer came to life and a location code erupted on screen.

    "Got the code!" Ofelia informed her. "YES!"

    бн

    *Real World*

    "FUCK THIS SHIT!" Aina snarled and threw her game away. How did a bunch of newbies outwit herrge army? And who the hell was that pink guy with that massive army?

    "Level 100? I couldn''t even reach that! Ugh! Now I have to start all over againбн"

    She growled in annoyance and looked at the clock. It was 11 PM and within one hour, Orma was going to get rid of the doctor and that detective.

    "I hope I get Hana today," she muttered. Aina checked herputer''s defense system and was pleased to see that it was not breached. The police could never find her because the defense was very high. Unless someone was an expert with the dark web, it was impossible to find her and the police would not waste resources on someone as trivial as her.

    "Orma," she said, turning to the Kangaroo. "You know what to do."

    "Think again," Orma said through the Kangaroo. "They''re not ordinary humans. They might have an idea about demons."

    "Kill them then!" Aina snapped. "But get me my daughter! I want her at all costs. Now go!"

    Orma sighed and left the Kangaroo doll toplete her orders.

    бн

    Jina, Junho and Hobin arrived at the precinct where the teen gang had arrived. Magrod was stuffed into a bag while Miyoo was still fast asleep on Minyoon''sp, oblivious to the world.

    "Why did you bring her here?" Jina eximed.

    "All the babysitters are here!" Yoonmin pointed out. "Who''ll look after her?"

    "How did you do it?" Hobin demanded. "How did you get the codes?"

    "Our avatars nearly died but Minyoon somehow managed to get this super huge army!" Yoonmin replied. "And then the girls disconnected SJS'' avatar from the hostputer and hacked the code of the host''sst location. We gave the code to Officer Dahoon. He''s tracking it now."

    "How the hell did you get to level 100 and acquire that many soldiers?" Baekha frowned at Minyoon.

    "That was my fan club!" Minyoon chirped happily. "I just broke into their barracks and promised that if they help me, I''ll send them all a hand signed autograph. They didn''t believe me at first so I showed them a selfie of mine ying the game and they believed me. So they came to help. We conquered othernds and reached level 100!"

    Everyone stared at him in shock.

    Minyoon pouted.

    "What? I''m smart too! Maybe I''m not smart in math but I can handle a crisis."

    "Yes!" Soobin imed. "Minmin is smart!"

    "Your Minmin failed to earn enough album revenuest month," Yoonmin scowled. "And he''ll be working twice as hard to earn it back."

    "Why?" Minyoonmented.

    "Enough!" Junho snapped at them. "Where does that bitch live?"

    At that precise moment, Miyoo woke up and caught her grandfather saying the word. She sleepily rubbed her eye.

    "Bitch," she mumbled.

    "Don''t learn that!" Everyone scolded her in unison. Miyoo blinked and pouted in anger. Why was she being scolded when all she did was sleep peacefully?

    Dahoon came rushing out of the IT room.. "We found her location!" He revealed. "She''s in Town A right next to the new chicken restaurant!"

 Chapter 286 - An Ace (1)

    At the hospital, Hana was beginning to wake up. Jiwoon, who was sitting next to her, rushed forward to attend to the girl. Hana''s eyes fluttered open and she seemed confused about the unfamiliar surroundings.

    "D-Dadбн" she mumbled.

    "Hana!" Jiwoon gently called her. "Are you okay? Do you need something?"

    Hana nced at her and was trying to recognize Jiwoon but her mind waspletely muddled. She was trying to speak but her voice was hoarse and broken.

    "Dadбнdyбн" She mumbled. "Whereбн"

    Jiwoon bit her lip. She did not know how to remind the child that her father was dead. Hana was scared and confused by what was going on. How was she going to deal with this blow?

    "Hana dear, your uncle wille back soon," Jiwoon told her. "Your dadбнyour dad is with him. He wille and see you soon."

    Seeing the child''s state, she decided that it was best to keep the truth from Hana until she was well enough. The child would not be able to tolerate an emotional blow at this state and Jiwoon did not have the courage to tell her the truth either.

    I should call Ilhoon, she decided.

    "Hana, I''ll call your uncle and dad, okay?" she said. "Stay here."

    Hana was too weak to respond but she stiffly nodded. Jiwoon stepped away from the bed, turning her back. She took out her phone and dialed Jina''s number first.

    "Hello, Jiwoon?" Jina''s worried voice came from the other end. "I was about to call you!"

    "Did you find the culprit?" Jiwoon asked.

    "Yes! It''s Song Aina! Hana''s mother. She''s the one who developed the demonic website to kill her husband and killed the others to cover her tracks! But the kids found her location code and we''re heading that way."

    Jiwoon froze in shock. But the shock was not due to the news of Aina''s involvement. Her eyes fell on the window''s ss.

    A tall woman stood beside Hana''s bed. Her eyes were lit with a menacing red hue and she was ring at Jiwoon. The lips of the woman were curled in a cruel smile and she reached out for Hana, holding the child by the throat.

    Hana was frozen in fear as the strange woman grasped her throat, her cold fingers tightening.

    "Jiwoon?" Jina''s voice rang from the other end. "Hello?"

    Jiwoon dropped the phone and leapt towards the woman but thetter''s other hand reached out to hold Jiwoon''s neck, almost strangling her.

    "AGH!" Jiwoon screamed. "Jinaбнthe demonбн"

    The cellphoney on the floor and Jina''s panicked voice was echoing from it.

    "Jiwoon!" Jina yelled. She was in the car with Hobin and Junho. They were heading for the location Dahoon had told them about. The teen gang had insisted on apanying them but their protests were overruled by the adults because they had put themselves in far too much danger. Jina had dispatched her other team members to the victims'' houses to collect evidence from theirptops.

    "What happened?" Hobin demanded.

    "Jiwoon is saying that the demon is there at the hospital!" Jina eximed. "We must save her!"

    Hobin was about to turn the car around but Junho stopped him.

    "No!" He ordered. "Keep driving towards Song Aina''s house."

    "But Jiwoon-"

    "Just do as I say. If we try to fight the demon at the hospital, Song Aina will be alerted and she will try to escape. More people might die because of it."

    "But Jiwoon is in danger!" Jina protested. To her surprise, her grandfather shook his head.

    "Trust me, she will be fine," he assured her. Jina was dumbfounded. Why was her grandfather so calm? Jiwoon was attacked and needed help. Yet, Junho was not in a hurry to save her! Why?

    Hobin was also shocked by Junho''s attitude. "A person is going to die!" He said hotly. "We must save her-"

    "I promise you, she will be fine," Junho reaffirmed. Unbeknownst to them, Junho secretly had Siwan on speaker phone. Siwan had heard everything from the other line and was already rushing to save Jiwoon.

    "Just go and destroy the object tying the damn demon to this world!" Junho snapped. "If that''s destroyed, your friend will be saved."

    Jina was in a fix. She nced at Hobin who was also in a dilemma but she finally nodded.

    "Fine," she gritted. "But if anything happens to JiwoonбнI won''t be able to forgive myself."

    "Nothing will happen to her," Junho said in a cryptic tone. "I have an ace up my sleeve."

    Hobin was suspicious. The old man was hiding something and he must find out. What did he mean by an ace up his sleeve?

    "You better be right, old man," he warned. "If anything happens to Detective Jiwoon, her blood will be on your hands."

    Junho did not reply but was inwardly praying that Siwan would be able to save her. This is your first test, kid, he thought. What are you going to do?

    бн

    The demon mmed Jiwoon against the wall. Hana was screaming loudly but no one came to help her while Jiwoon was struggling against the brute strength of the demon. She red at the sick thing which had possessed and taken the form of an avatar.

    The demon looked exactly like a human but its touch was cold and lifeless. From afar, it looked human but now that it was closer, Jiwoon could tell that the expressions were artificial and robotic.

    She kicked the demon but it felt no pain. It was not a human but an avatar which never felt pain nor any desire.

    How did it manage to bring an avatar to life?

    "L-Let go of her!" Jiwoon screamed. Hana was whimpering on the bed where the demon kept her captive. She was crying hard, unsure of what to do.

    "Help!" She yelled but it was to no avail. The demon had cast a magic spell to stop all sound from escaping the room. Her cries were unheard by everyone outside the ward.

    "It''s futile to fight me," the demon imed in a soft tone. "I''m not an ordinary demon. A Vurthramis like me isn''t easy to defeat for a mere mortal like you."

    Jiwoon tried her best to break free with one hand while her other hand was reaching for her pocket where there was a vial of salt. She took it out and was about to spray it but an invisible hand pped it out of her hand. The demon had a third hand?

    "You can''t fight me," the demon stated. "It''s over. Time to die-"

    Suddenly, a handful of salt hit the demon''s back and it screamed in agony. Its hand around Jiwoon''s neck loosened and Jiwoon kicked her away. Hana cried as the demon let go of her as well as it writhed in agony. The demon hissed and turned around to find Siwan coldly ring at it.

    "Get out of my hospital," he ordered in a cold tone. "NOW!"

 Chapter 287 - An Ace (2)

    Siwan threw more salt at the demon but it dodged him and glided through the walls, disappearing in thin air. Jiwoon was shaken and nearly lost her bnce but Siwan caught her.

    "Are you okay?" he asked her.

    "Y-yeahбн" she stammered. "Hana!"

    She quickly turned towards the girl who was unconscious again. The demon must have scared her and she lost all her energy. Jiwoon and Siwan rushed towards her. Siwan quickly took out his stethoscope to check on her.

    "She''s in shock," he muttered. "I''ll have to sedate her again."

    Jiwoon nodded and watched as Siwan sedated the girl again to calm down her nerves. Hana fell into a deep sleep while Siwan and Jiwoon were alert.

    "This demon seemed to be scared of salt," he said. "I''ll put a salt circle around Hana''s bed for the night so that the demon can''t hurt her."

    "You seemed to have learnt a lot about the demons," Jiwoon noted.

    "I had to," Siwan replied as he took out another vial of salt and a small jar of glue from his pockets. He mixed the salt in the glue before pouring the liquid glue on the floor, creating a salt circle around Hana''s bed.

    "That should do it," he finally said. "The demon won''t be able to harm her. I''ll text Hwang Junho and let him know about this."

    He paused before adding, "You should stay in the circle as well. The demon might return and try to harm you. I''ll go and search for it-"

    "No!" Jiwoon insisted. "I''ll go with you."

    "Jiwoon, it''s too dangerous. The demon wille back for us. I can tell. Hwang Junho told me that Hana''s mother is behind this and the demon must have been sent by her to harm us. You should stay in the salt circle-"

    "I''m not going to leave you alone," Jiwoon said quietly. "Whether you like it or not, I''ming with you to find that demon."

    Siwan was dumbfounded but he could not argue against her stubbornness. She was determined to go with him without any question. His heart was filled with worry and he feared that something was going to happen to her.

    He was about to argue more when there was a loud crash. Shards of ss flew everywhere, piercing Jiwoon''s arm. In slow motion, Siwan pushed her down on the floor, shielding her from further harm while more ss exploded around them. One by one, every object made of ss was bursting on their own, sending sharp jagged pieces all over the ce. Only the salt circle remained unprated because the demon''s magic could not extend there.

    Siwan and Jiwoon ducked under a table, trying to steer away from the exploding objects. Jiwoon''s arm was bleeding which rmed Siwan to no end.

    "Stay here!" he eximed. "I''ll have to ward off the demon!"

    But she shook her head.

    "No!" She shot back. "I''ming with you. I wanna help! You can''t stop me."

    Siwan was aghast and annoyed at her stubborn nature. Why can''t she listen to him for once?

    More objects were exploding and they had little time to think. The demon had reappeared, more menacing and dangerous than ever. It was floating in the air, casting its magic all around the room to stop any sound from escaping outside. The demon had trapped them in its realm, not letting them escape.

    It telepathically picked up the television set and hurled it towards them. Siwan pushed Jiwoon out of the way and they missed being hit by inches. The TV set was flung at them with so much force that itpletely shattered to pieces. Siwan was lying on top of Jiwoon, shielding her from harm.

    "We have to distract it!" Jiwoon yelled. "I''ll divert its attention and you start the spell!"

    "I can''t let you be in danger!"

    "I''ll be fine!"

    Before Siwan coud protest more, Jiwoon slipped off to confront the demon. Its red eyes fell on her and it let out an animalistic howl. Jiwoon pointed her gun at the demon but did not shoot.

    "Come and get me, you bitch!" Jiwoon taunted the demon. The demon hissed and went after her. Jiwoon ran towards the door but a strong jolt of electricity hit her and she was thrown backwards. The demon was about to attack her but Siwan threw more salt at it, causing the demon to cry in pain.

    "Stay away from her!" he yelled. Without any dy, he began to chant as he threw more salt on the demon.

    "Oh you creature of the dark," he chanted. "The one who sold his soul and dwells in Hell. Go back to where you came from! Imand you to go back!"

    He kept on throwing more salt at the demon while Jiwoon scrambled to her feet. Her arm was bleeding ever more profusely but she ignored it, her attention on the demon who was writhing and hissing in pain.

    "You think your pathetic spell will work?" the demon hissed. "You need to mean it, doctor! Your heart is too gentle. You can''t beat a Vurthramis Lord! Only someone with a hard heart can send us away!"

    The demon''s lips curled into a cruel smile as it taunted Siwan.

    "You''re afraid that your brother will turn into a demon," it gloated. "I know all about him! I know who he is and I know what he is. You think he''s a monster like me and you''re right! He will be one of us."

    "You''re wrong!" Siwan dered. "Oh you creature of the dark. The one who sold his soul and dwells in Hell. Go back to where you came from! Imand you to go back!"

    Hearing his words, the demon let out a bone chillingughter which made even Jiwoon freeze with fear. She was witnessing the bizarre scene as the demon tormented Siwan with his worst fear. It was happy to see him suffer, making her blood boil.

    "You really think your brother is a human?" The demon hissed. "His human side will die and the demon dwelling in him will take over his life! He may be a half human but the demon inside him is of the Jazrad ss! It will not stay put. Your brother is a s good as dead and you''ll see. Getting rid of me won''t save him!"

    The demon seemed to have hit home because Siwan''s determination was starting to crack. He was starting to buckle under the pressure of the spell and coupled with his deepest fear, he was nearly losing his focus. Jiwoon was rmed at his vulnerable state.

    "Don''t listen to it!" She told him. "Its lying-"

    The demon pped her hard across the cheek. Siwan''s spell was not affecting it at all and it held Jiwoon up in the air, once again strangling her. It turned to Siwan who was still chanting the spell but he was not strong enough to drive the demon away. Siwan had also run out of salt, making the process even harder.

    "Oh you creature of the dark," he chanted. "The one who sold his soul and dwells in Hell. Go back to where you came from! Imand you to go back!"

    "You can''t send me anywhere!" The demon sneered, throttling Jiwoon with one one hand.

    "Agh!" Jiwoon sputtered. "Siwanбн"

    She was gagging and almost losing consciousness. Siwan leapt forward to save her but the demon grabbed him by the throat as well, pushing both of them against the wall.

    "And now, it''s time to die!" The demon dered.

 Chapter 288 - An Ace (3)

    Jina, Hobin and Junho arrive at the location where Aina was hiding. They stood in front of a greyish two storey building which was in a decrepit state. The paint on the walls were peeling while several cables were hanging from various poles, passing dangerously close by from the building. There was a broken gate in front of them, creaking every now and then because of the wind.

    "This is her house?" Hobin frowned. "For someone who can build a dangerous website like that, this seems like a downgrade."

    "She''s toozy to work with honesty," Junho muttered as they entered through the gate. "If she had, she wouldn''t have been in this state."

    Jina put her gun away and walked ahead. The foul stench of rotten eggs and sulphur hung in the air, confirming that a demon had been dwelling there for days.

    "It stinks!" She winced. "It''s like someone died here!"

    "Knowing her, she probably lives like a pig," Hobin remarked. "She''s a coward who hides behindputers and barely takes care of herself. It checks out all the boxes."

    They stepped on the threshold of the house.

    "Should we knock or break in?" Hobin asked.

    "I''ll have to knock," Jina sighed. "Breaking in like this will cause some serious issues with the internal affairs."

    She took a deep breath and knocked on the door. There was the sound of something breaking inside the house which made them alert.

    "What was that?" Hobin asked. Jina took out her gun.

    "She must be inside," she muttered. "Aina might try to escape-"

    CRASH!

    They jumped in shock when a window nearby broke and a thin figure scrambled out of it. Aina got to her feet and began to run for her life.

    "She''s getting away!" Junho yelled but Jina was already chasing the woman. She ran after Aina who was sprinting unusually fast for a shut in. Aina panted and gasped as she ran ahead, passing the front gate. She was already on the street, running while Jina chased her.

    "STOP OR I''LL SHOOT!" Jina screamed but the woman kept on running wildly. She passed through the houses and was heading for the road.

    "AINA DON''T TRY TO ESCAPE!" Jina warned.

    Aina was not listening. She kept on sprinting straight towards the busy road where the cars were passing by at rming speed. Jina was right after her, stepping on the road when bright lights shed at her and a car came speeding towards her.

    "AGH!" She yelled, expecting to be hit but a hand grabbed her and pulled her back.

    "Are you crazy? What the hell are you doing chasing her like this?" Hobin scolded her. Jina was not listening and looked around to find that Aina was in the middle of the road, smirking victoriously.

    "You won''t get me, Detective!" She shrieked. "I''ll get my hands on my daughter and her property-"

    BEEP! BEEP!

    It all happened in a matter of seconds. Arge truck came speeding towards Aina but it was toote for it to stop. Aina''s smile vanished and was reced by a look of pure horror as the truck hit her small frame, sending her flying towards another car. Her body hit the car and she fell on the road, bleeding.

    Jina and Hobin watched in shock as the woman''s lifeless bodyy in front of them. All the cars have stopped and a crowd gathered around Aina''s body. Hobin rushed forward.

    "Excuse me! Coming through!"

    He pushed past the crowd and stooped down to check Aina''s pulse. Jina was horrified when he shook his head.

    "She''s dead," Hobin dered. "We''ll have to call an ambnce."

    Jina was thinking hard. With Aina dead, her soul was undoubtedly going to Hell.

    бн

    Siwan and Jiwoon were struggling to be freed. The demon''s hands were sped around their necks, tightening with every second. It was ring at them with its cold eyes which were like the re from death itself.

    Is this how we will die? A voice in Jiwoon''s head spoke up.

    True. This is where we''ll die, she thought. From the corner of her eyes, she saw Siwan was also writhing in pain. Her heart swelled up with many emotions, unsure of whether this was how they would end up as.

    But if this is death, it''s not so bad dying with you, she thought.

    "Huh?" Siwan gasped. Jiwoon had identally said it out loud and he heard it. But there was no time to dwell on that because the demon''s icy voice interrupted them.

    "Die!" It ordered. Suddenly, something spoke up in its head and the demon froze. It loosened its grip on their throats and let them go. Siwan and Jiwoon fell to the ground, gasping for breath.

    "W-What happened?" Jiwoon asked. Why was the demon letting them go?

    Siwan was also confused. The demon was backing out as if it was leaving.

    "You two are damn lucky," it muttered. It snapped its fingers and vanished, leaving the duo behind.

    "Why did it leave?" Siwan wondered out loud.

    "I have no idea," Jiwoon replied, equally shocked. It said they were lucky. Why?

    бн

    Jina and Hobin had called the ambnce. Junho also arrived on the spot, carrying a small kangaroo in his hands. The paramedics were taking Aina''s body away. They watched as the pathetic woman''s corpse was loaded into a body bag and pushed into the ambnce. She was going to be examined by the pathologists and then the body would be handed to her closest family members.

    They were watching it all from a distance, keeping far away from the crowd.

    "I found this in her house," Junho said. He handed Jina the Kangaroo. She felt a strange energy from it which was the same one she felt with the hyacinths at the Cho mansion.

    "This is the object which tied the demon to Aina''s contract," he exined.

    "Should we destroy it?" Hobin asked. "Aina is dead. The contract is now void."

    "The website still exists," Jina muttered. "It''ll only cause more mayhem."

    Suddenly, a cold air gushed by and Jina sighed.

    "Oi you!" Aina''s ghost screamed at her. "Do you think I''ll give up this easily? I''ll take my daughter away! I''ll get my hands on her money! I-"

    The ghost went on a rampage of curses and swear words which was giving Jina a headache. Hobin seemed to have noticed her impatience.

    "What happened?" he asked her.

    "Aina''s ghost is lingering," she groaned.

    "Isn''t she supposed to go to Hell?"

    As if answering his question, another cold presence appeared. Aina, who was busy cursing, froze when Orma the demon grabbed her.

    "Time to go to Hell," Orma said in a matter-of-fact tone. She had ditched her avatar and was now in her true form one of a reddish half goat, fish with scarlet scales. Jina winced and inched closer to Hobin.

    "The demon is here too," she winced. The demon held Aina by the throat but its eyes were on Hobin, who was trying to search for the demon.

    "The demon is staring at you," Jina whispered to Hobin.

    "What is it doing now?" Junho asked.

    "You''re the Seer," the demon noted. "And also the reincarnated form of the Butterfly Priestess, right?"

    Jina blinked in surprise. "How do youбн" she began but the demon cut her off.

    "The entire Hell knows by now," it remarked. "Which is why they''re agitated. Some are waiting for the True Prince while others are mouring behind your fated soulmate. Either way, one of them is going to be the next ruler. However, if Ohm Hobin bes the next ruler of Hell, he''ll have to let go of his human side and be a demon. He''ll be stuck in Hell forever and that''ll effectively end your rtionship with him."

    "Let me go!" Aina was yelling but Jina ignored the woman, her attention on the demon. The other two men werepletely confused about what the demon was telling Jina.

    "What''s it saying?" Hobin asked but Jina shushed him.

    "What do we have to do?" Jina asked the demon. "Just let the True Prince rule-"

    "The True Prince will bring havoc to the living world," Orma replied bitterly. "He wants to rule over all humans, showing off his superiority. He''s trapped somewhere but his followers are trying to bring him back. I was forced to help his followers because of the contracts but I don''t want him to rule. The Emperor of Hell isn''t going toe back and there are no Jazrad lords left who can control Hell. Only the Half Prince is left."

    The demon''s cold eyes are staring right at her, ignoring Aina''s protests. She was trying to get away but the demon kept a firm grasp on her.

    "More demons wille for him," it went on. "They''ll force him to go back. The demon inside him is bing restless and insecure. Once it grows too powerful, it''ll take over him and only you can stop him. How you''ll do soбнyou''ll know in due time. Till then, beware of the Brethren."

    "What do you-"

    "Don''t tell anyone about this," the demon warned her. "This is something you need to figure out on your own. The more people know about the Brethren, the more danger you''ll put your loved ones in. Stop them, Priestess."

    With that, the demon snapped its fingers and disappeared into Hell. The strange energy the kangaroo doll emitted also vanished, leaving nothing behind.

    The bond between the demon and the object was broken.

 Chapter 289 - An Ace-Conclusion

    Jina and Hobin rushed to the hospital with Junho. They ran towards the paediatric section where they found Jiwoon and Siwan outside Hana''s room. To their relief, Jiwoon was safe.

    "The demon-" Jina began.

    "It attacked us but at thest minute for some reason, it left," Jiwoon told her. "It created a huge havoc though."

    Jina let out a sigh of relief and Hobin was also d. He hugged his brother much to thetter''s surprise.

    "I''m sorry," he muttered. "I thought I was going to bete in saving you."

    "I''m fine!" Siwan reassured him. "Look."

    He let go of Hobin and smiled at him. "I''m fine. Just rx, okay?"

    Junho stepped into Hana''s room. The girl was sedated but there was broken ss and china all over the floor. He knew that the demon had attacked them and left only because Aina died. Otherwise, it would have done even worse things.

    "Why did the demon leave?" Siwan asked.

    "Its summoner died," Junho said. "So it left with Aina''s soul."

    "Did you kill the demon?" Jiwoon asked. Jina shook her head.

    "As soon as Aina died, the contract was over. So the demon was no longer tied to the object and was free to take her soul away. We couldn''t kill it and honestly, it wasn''t needed. It may have killed people but the real murderer was Aina. Without her website, those people would have been alive."

    "But what did the demon tell you?" Hobin asked. "You saw it didn''t you? When it came to take Aina''s soul away?"

    Jina was hesitating to reveal the conversation. The demon had warned her to figure out some things on her own and find the Brethren. Why was it being so benevolent? Was it a trap?

    However, she did not think it was a trap. The demon could have just left without telling her anything or hidden the bit about the Brethren.

    Instead, it chose to warn her about the True Prince, the one who was trapped somewhere. She needed to find out more information about this guy and where to find him. His followers must be using demons to free him and that symbol was linked to the True Prince.

    What did that symbol mean?

    "The usual bullshit," she lied. "How it was going toe back and create more havoc. But the connection between the object and the demon broke so even if I had killed the demon, it wouldn''t have died."

    Hobin raised his eyebrow but did not say anything. Junho was busy checking the room to see if the demon was still active anywhere.

    "It''s not here," he dered. "The demon is gone."

    Siwan was d that one nightmare was behind them. But he was still troubled. He nced at Hobin who was now talking to Jina about the case.

    "His human side will die and the demon dwelling in him will take over his life!"

    The demon''s words were still echoing in his ears. Was it true? Will Hobin really turn into a demon someday?

    His heart was rmed and he knew that having a soft heart was not going to help him nor his brother. The demon was right. He must harden himself to carry out an exorcism which would throw the demon out of Hobin.

    I have a lot more to learn, he realized.

    бн

    Over the next few days, the Blue Fish case was being wrapped up. Aina''s death was officially dered an ident while trying to escape. Herputer system was confiscated and the website''s IP was decoded. It was traced back to herputer, proving that she was the guilty one. The website was promptly shut down and anyone who has logged into it was contacted.

    It turned out that there were more victims of the website. People from within and outside the country had been found dead under mysterious circumstances which were written off as suicides. Several precincts had recorded the cases but the problem was that since the murders took ce in various locations, there were different teams from each region working on them. That made it hard for the police precincts toe together and connect the dots.

    Moreover, many of the police officers did not check too deeply into the cases and simply saw a simple suicide case rather than look up on the site. Hence, the connection to the Blue Fish was not established in those cases.

    "So many murders by this damn site!" Wooheeined one day, throwing aside a file. "And the dumb officers didn''t even figure out hte connection!"

    "There were too many suicides but it''s not unusual," Chanmi replied. "The suicide rates in this country are sky high anyway."

    "Still. You''d think that the police are smart enough to figure this out."

    "Figure what out?" Jina asked as she entered the room, heading towards her desk.

    "The different precincts who did not look up the connection to the Blue Fish website," Woohee replied.

    "Not every officer wants to think deep," Jina sighed. "Many just want to wrap up a case quickly and move on."

    "The victims are never going to get closure," Chanmi said bitterly. "Imagine killing off so many people only for a truck to squish the murderer instead of throwing her in jail to rot!"

    Jina momentarily recalled where Aina''s soul was and the fate awaiting her. She sincerely hoped that the crazy woman was being burnt in Hell with the hottest fire or worse.

    "I think she''s in a worse ce than jail," Jina muttered. Woohee and Chanmi blinked but did not reply.

    бн

    Junho was pacing back and forth in front of an abandoned factory. He checked his watch every now and then, waiting for someone.

    A car pulled up in front of the factory and Siwan came out of it. He approached the old man, feeling nervous but determined.

    "You arete," Junho said.

    "I got held back at the hospital," Siwan replied. "Hana was discharged today."

    "Song Aina''s daughter, right?" Junho asked. "How is she?"

    "She''s fine. We managed to make her believe that the whole episode with the demon was a nightmare and nothing happened that night. Jiwoon helped me to switch her room that night and we quietly cleaned up the messed up ward. It was hard to exin to the Board of Director what happened and I have to pay a fine for broken property but it''s all taken care of. Hana has been taken by her uncle and she''ll be safe there."

    Junho nodded. "Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked as he led Siwan inside. "It''s your first time and I know it''ll be hard."

    "I want to," Siwan replied. "I need to learn how to protect my brother from the demon dwelling within him."

    Junho did not say anything but led Siwan into the abandoned factory. There was no one in there except for an Alpaca doll and a small circle drawn with white chalk.

    "What''s this?" Siwan asked curiously, pointing at the Alpaca doll. "Why is a doll here?"

    "I''m not a doll, ya puny doctor!"

    Siwan was so shocked by the talking doll that he nearly yelped and fell backwards. The doll hopped on his hind legs, crossing its arms.

    "I''m the elite Vozakel Lord, Magrod!" Maggie imed. "It''s Magrod. Not Maggie. M-A-G-R-O-D!"

    Siwan gaped at the doll. Junho chuckled and said, "It''s a demon. Simr to the one you saw at the Cho mansion and also at the possessed girl''s house. But he''s harmless and doesn''t try to make people sign contracts. He''s annoying though and doesn''t pay rent-"

    "Oi! Stop maligning my name you old geezer!" the Alpaca eximed. "I''m the most dangerous demon ss after the Jazrads! Speaking of demons, I will give you a hundred cookies if you sign a deal with me. One way ticket to Hell but it''s a tropical ce with warmth and a lot of hot springs-"

    "Why the hell are ya tryna make people sign contracts?" Junho growled.

    "I run a business too! Other demons willugh at me if I stop taking contracts. I need my daily supply of cookies, ya old geezer!"

    Siwan was in total disbelief. Seeing an old man argue with a toy alpaca was stranger than believing in ghosts and demons.

    "I hate to interrupt but what are we supposed to do here?" he asked warily. "Am I supposed to exorcise the stuffed alpaca?"

    "It''ll take you a hundred years to exorcise an exquisite and elite being like me!" Maggie boasts.

    "Shut it, Maggie!" Junho snapped.

    "MAGROD!"

    "Uhhбнexcuse me Mr. Magrod," Siwan began. "What am I supposed to do here?"

    "See? Now that''s a man of culture," Maggie nodded. "Calling me by my real name. Add a ''Lord'' in front of it."

    "No," Siwan stated outright. Magrod groaned but went on talking.

    "You will have to purify a soul," he revealed.

    "Purify?"

    Siwan was confused so Junho exined, "In order to properly exorcise a demon or a spirit, you need to learn how to purify a soul as well. Purifying means having to prepare a soul to move on to the Afterlife. You remember the three ces I told you about?"

    "Afterlife, Purgatory and Hell," Siwan nodded.

    "First, you need to send a soul to the Afterlife," Junho said. He pointed at the circle and added, "There is a soul standing there and you must purify him."

    "Whose soul is it?" Siwan asked.

    "The soul of a fifteen year old child," Maggie revealed.. "And he is autistic."

 Chapter 290 - A Sisters Confession

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    ....

    *A few hours ago*

    Junho was sitting on a couch. Opposite to him was a seemingly empty chair but it was upied by an invisible spirit while Magrod sat on the table in his Alpaca form. He was staring at the chair where Yisub sat.

    "Yisub," Junho began. "You must listen to me very carefully. What I''m about to tell you is not going to be easy for you to hear."

    Yisub shifted in his seat. Magrod was able to see him thanks to his demonic powers. He sensed that the boy was nervous but this must be done.

    "Magrod will interpret your words to me," Junho continued. "You must know that if you want, you can back out. There''s absolutely no rush to do this but if you agree, it''ll be good for you."

    "Am I going to be punished?" Yisub mumbled.

    "He''s afraid that he''ll be punished," Magrod told Junho.

    "No, you won''t be punished. On the contrary, we''re trying to free you from this half life."

    Yisub''s ears perked up. "Will I be alive again?" he asked.

    "That''s impossible," Magrod replied. "The dead can''te back. Once your body is gone, you can''t be alive again. Even if you possess someone, it won''t be the same as being alive. You will always have to share a body with the original soul of the possessed body. Moreover, if the possessed person dies, his body will also start to rot. You won''t be able to live in it. As a ghost, you will be stuck between two worlds."

    Magrod did not mince his words but the kid needed to know. He tried to be as gentle as possible in exining the side effects of being a ghost. Yisub was saddened by the thought of living a life like that.

    "I wanted to y ser," Yisub said in a monotone. "Then go to France and taste croissants. I wanted to take lots of pictures and send them to Eli. I also wanted to buy my sister a lot of makeup. She likes makeup."

    Magrod was interpreting his every word to Junho. The old man may not be able to see the ghost but he could feel the boy''s quiet excitement and subsequent disappointment. He would not be able to do any of those things in this lifetime and it was torturing Yisub.

    "Listen," Junho said. "You may not be able to do all this now. But that doesn''t mean you won''t get another chance at life. Maybe, you''lle back as someone else. If you''re given the chance to reincarnate, you might be able to live a better life."

    Yisub looked down at his interlocked hands.

    "But it won''t be this life," he finally said. He was not angry nor bitter but simply sad. The boy was questioning himself over what he did to deserve this fate.

    "No," Junho said. "It won''t be this life. But you can''t relive one life over and over again. All you can do is, move on."

    "I know it sounds bad, kid," Magrod added. "It''s normal to be scared but living like this is going to hurt you more. Your parents will grow old, your sister will also age and live her own life. She might be naive but she''ll have a family someday and they''ll upy her mind. You''ll see them and be sad for not being able to talk to them. That pain is worse than the fear of the unknown life after death. It''s for your own good."

    "Let us help you," Junho said. "You should move on to the Afterlife. It''ll be much better than being a ghost with no ce to go back to."

    Yisub was quiet for a while. "I want to see my grave," he requested.

    He was not sure why he made that request but something in his heart was making him want to see his grave. For a long time, Yisub avoided going there but he had a feeling that he might be able to make a decision if he went there.

    "Alright," Junho nodded when Magrod told him of Yisub''s request. "We''ll take you there."

    бн

    A whileter, Junho pulled up in front of arge cemetery on the south of the city. It was a bright, sunny day. Thergendscape of the cemeteryy in front of them, looking more like a neatly trimmed park with a long walkway in between the tombstones.

    The tombstones were made with cement and b, smoothened out expertly. There were wooden nametes on the graves, marking the owners. It was deserted at that time of the day because it was a weekday and most people were at work.

    "Look for his name and date of death," Junho told Magrod. "Stay with him."

    Magrod nodded and went off with Yisub to look for thetter''s grave. Yisub was not looking at the graves but rather following the feeling in his heart. It was the same connection he felt whenever his twin sister was around.

    Why was it pulling him when he was already dead?

    "Kid, I can''t find your grave- '''' Magrod was saying but Yisub had stopped in his tracks.

    He was staring at something in front of him. Magrod frowned and followed Yisub''s gaze only to realize that there was someone else in the graveyard.

    "Isn''t that your sister?" Magrod asked. Eli was standing in front of a grave. She was in her uniform, clearly ditching school. Her expression was unreadable as she stared at her brother''s grave.

    Without a word, Yisub apparated beside her. For a moment, Eli shivered and looked around but there was no one in sight. But her heart was beating fast and she felt a familiar presence, yet she could not pinpoint at it.

    "Why?" She whispered. "Why do I still feel that you''re somewhere around, Yisub bro?"

    People had been questioning her seemingly cold and indifferent reaction to Yisub''s death but she could exin to them that she simply did not feel any loss. Even though she was selfish in dealing with Yisub, she still loved him. Eli felt guilty for not crying or being sad over her brother''s death and yet, she kept on having the nagging feeling that he was not entirely gone.

    Today, however, she was restless. A slow sense of loss was creeping into her heart as if she was no longer going to feel her brother''s presence. It started an hour ago and she could not help ditching school to visit the graveyard.

    "Youбн" Eli said to her brother''s grave. "Are you really gone?"

    Yisub did not reply but quietly listened to his sister talking to him.

    "I don''t know why but I think you''re still here," Eli went on, her voice bing thicker with every word. "Are you okay? Can you see me? Or am I imagining things?"

    The tombstone in front of her did not answer her. She was hesitant for days, avoiding the graveyard but for some reason, her twin senses were egging her to visit her brother''s tomb. Eli was slowlying out of denial. Bying to the graveyard, she was starting to realize that her brother was no more.

    "IбнI was always jealous of you," she admitted, trying to control her tears. "Mom and dad always fussed over you. Your needs were more important than mine. You needed protection while I was ignoredбн"

    Behind her, Yisub was still watching her. His innocent mind was unaware of the feelings like jealousy and envy but he knew his sister was crying because of him. Did he hurt her?

    "And I hated you so much for trying to interfere in my rtionship with Myungsoo!" Eli sobbed. "I really did. I thought that if I did bad things, mom and dad would notice me. I wanted their love and attention. I really wanted to hate you."

    Hate. She hated him. Yisub was sad and hung his head low.

    His sister wanted him to leave. He was about to turn around when Eli eximed, "But who the hell told you to really go away? Why are you gone? I wanted to hate you forever and ever but I want you to be with us! I want you with me so that I can hate you! I want to see you everyday andбнs-scold you! I want to be jealous and annoyed at you everyday! At least you''llбнb-b-be here with me! What if I screw up again? Who will protect me?"

    She was wailing hard, her cheeks burning with tears.

    "I can''t hate you now because you''re not here! Who''s going to nag me? Whom will I be jealous of? A-And who will annoy me with his silly questions? IбнIбнI want to feel your presence forever! We''re twins, right? We were born together! Who told you to leave like this?"

    She fell to the ground, crying hard. The faint connection between them was starting to fade and she was desperate to hold on to it.

    "I don''t know if you''re here or notбн" she sobbed. "But I hate you. I hate you for being better than me. I hate you for always being right. I hate your innocence."

    "But most of all, I hate the fact that you''re not here with me, bro. I reallyбнIбн"

    Eli broke down in front of her brother''s grave, trying to hold on to the faint bond she felt with her twin. She wanted to hate him so that she could keep on feeling his presence.

    "I''m sorry!" She cried. "I''m sorry for not telling you how much I miss you! Pleaseбнdon''tбнdon''t leave thinking that I don''t want you. J-Just be happy wherever you are. I-I''ll take care of mom and dad. I''ll be good to them and make sure they don''t forget you. Soбн"

    She took a deep breath and said, "So, you can rest now."

    Yisub faintly smiled at his sister. Eli was crying alone but she was not lonely.

    "IбнI will always look over you," he said slowly. "Goodbye, sister."

    Junho and Magrod were watching the scene from afar. Junho did not need Magrod to interpret Yisub''s actions because he knew that Eli''s tears were enough to make Yisub decide on what to do.

    He sighed and turned to Magrod.

    "Let''s go-" he was saying before pausing to stare at the demon in dismay. Magrod was teary eyed, wiping his nose with his paws.

    "Are you crying?" Junho frowned.

    "I''m not crying!" Magrod wailed. "Someone''s cutting onions around me!"

    "This is a graveyard."

    "I don''t care! There are onions here!" The demon cried. "I''m not crying at the brother-sister duo! I d-d-don''t c-c-careбн"

    Junho shook his head as Magrod let out his ''onion'' tears. He turned to Yisub and his sister. Yisub was not saying anything but simply watched over his sister as she cried her heart out, finallying to terms with his death.

    This was goodbye.

 Chapter 291 - Purify

    *In the Present*

    Siwan was staring at the spot where Yisub stood. He was quiet after hearing the ghost''s story, contemting many things. In many ways, Yisub was like him; a protective brother who only wanted a peaceful life for himself and his sibling. Even though he could not see the boy, he faintly felt his desperate pleas.

    "Is this why you''re making me purify his soul?" Siwan asked Junho. "Because I can rte to him more?"

    "Yes," Junho replied. "That is the precise reason why I''m letting you do this. YouбнYou understand spirits in a way I never can."

    Siwan was not sure how to respond to that. Junho had given it a lot of thought and decided that it was time for Siwan to start learning how to purify spirits.

    Even though Junho was experienced, he could feel that Siwan possessed something which he did not: empathy. Junho may have purified many souls but other than a selected few, he did not feel particrly sympathetic towards them.

    Siwan, however, was different. He was not simply protective but he was also genuinelypassionate towards people, treating them with kindness rather than hollow words. It was something which many spirits sought after death and if someone like Siwan purified their souls, they would be at ease.

    "It''s a lot of responsibility, but I know you can do it," Junho affirmed. He patted Siwan on the shoulder while Magrod watched. Yisub was scared and trembling but Siwan stepped forward to tell him something.

    "Mr. Magrod, can you see Yisub?" Siwan asked.

    "Yes," Magrod nodded.

    "I want to tell him something," Siwan said. "If he replies, please do interpret it for me."

    Magrod was impressed. "I kinda like this guy," he told Junho. "He knows how to give proper respect to an elite Vozakel Lord-"

    "Shut it!" Junho snapped. "Do your work!"

    Magrod scowled and turned back to Siwan who was now facing the invisible spirit.

    "Yisubбн" Siwan began. "I''m sorry you had to suffer a fate like this. You didn''t deserve it. No one did. I hope that your family will never forget you. Even if they doбн"

    He took a deep breath and smiled before saying, "I won''t. I may not know what you look like, but I won''t forget your name. I might not look like it but I remember the names of all my patients. I''ll not forget your name either."

    Siwan''s smile made Yisub smile as well.

    "T-Thank you!" He stammered.

    "He''s thanking you," Magrod told Siwan.

    Junho was beaming at Siwan with pride. The spoiled brat who used to bully others and thought of himself as an entitled person was long gone. Instead stood a young man who had opened his eyes and realized that only a little bit of kindness was enough to give someone hope in this cruel world.

    All the kids grew up to be fine, he thought. For a moment, he wished that his wife was alive to see their grandkids.

    "What do I have to do?" Siwan asked Junho.

    "Sprinkle some of the holy water on the ground," the old man instructed. "Then read out loud the purification charm with Yisub''s full name. It''s on the chit I gave you. Read it three times. A light will appear and Yisub will be able to leave the physical world behind."

    "I-I am ready," Yisub mumbled. He meant his words. It was time for him to go.

    Siwan took out the holy water from his bag and sprinkled it on the ground near Yisub''s foot.

    "Oh you holy spirit of Kim Yisub," he chanted. "The pure soul who has been wrongfully condemned. May you move forward to the light and purify your soul in the light."

    Yisub felt a warm touch on his skin and a gentle light was embracing him. It felt as loving as his mother''s hug,forting him in hisst moments. Siwan kept on chanting the spell until the lightpletely engulfed Yisub and thetter dly let the light guide him upwards.

    Magrod watched as the light pulled Yisub away. The boy faded away in thin air, leaving for his next life.

    "He''s gone," he whispered.

    Siwan slowly stopped chanting and lowered his head, murmuring a small prayer his mother had taught him long ago.

    "Where will he go?" he asked. "To Purgatory?"

    "Nah," Junho replied. "He''ll go to Afterlife. I hope it''s a good ce and he''s happy there."

    "This is all very strange," Siwan muttered. "Afterlife, Purgatory and Hell. All these scary stories I''m hearing, yet they don''t scare me."

    "Why not?" Magrod asked curiously. "Hell is bad, ya know! You''ll be roasted like a live chicken with long sticks stuck right into your-"

    "I don''t mean like that," Siwan winced. "What I mean isбн"

    He was still staring at the salt circle but his mind was reying the memories of his childhood. His father''s cruel face popped in front of him, scaring him a little bit.

    "Even with all the bad things in Hell, it''s still better than the monsters who are living in this world," he finally said.

    Junho and Magrod did not know what to say to that. Siwan''s mask had slightly slipped and his true feelings about his father were seeping through. He hated that man for what he did and the single biggest fear in his life was that his father was going toe back someday.

    "Let''s go," he finally said.

    бн

    Hobin was in his office, looking over his patient files but his mind was elsewhere. He was ncing at his clock every few seconds, waiting for it to strike at 6 PM. His heart was restless because he promised his Tinkerbell that he was going to take her out to an event that night.

    It had been ages since they had a proper date and he never took her out at any fancy ce. But that night was different. He was going to attend a medical charity ball which would be hosted by the Doctor''s Association, a prestigious group in the country''s medical field. It was an annual event where all the prominent doctors would gather and Hobin was invited. He could bring a date as well so he asked Jina.

    She was flustered but instantly agreed. Hobin promised her that he was going to pick her up from their apartment that night.

    "Three hours to go!" He whined. "This isme!"

    He leaned back on his chair, annoyed at the slow pacing of time. He was already imagining his cute Tinkerbell in a sexy gown.

    "Is bro going to attend?" He wondered out loud. He took out his phone and called Siwan. Thetter picked up after a few seconds.

    "Yes, Hobin?" Siwan''s voice came from the other end.

    "Bro, are you gonna attend tonight''s medical event?" Hobin asked. "I''m going there and so is Tinkerbell! What about you?"

    There was silence on the other end. "I''m not so sure," Siwan said hesitantly. "I don''t really feel like attendingбн"

    "Ohe on! You''re the heir to the Kang family''s hospitals. You''ve got to attend!"

    "I-"

    "Do you have a date?" Hobin pressed.

    "I don''t-"

    "Great! I''ll set you up on a blind date then!" Hobin eximed. He heard Siwan sigh on the other end.

    "Another blind date? Last year, you set me up with that friend of yours and it was awkward!"

    "What? She really liked you! In fact, she wanted another date."

    "She was nice but haughty about many things. I couldn''t connect to her at all. You''re terrible at setting people up on dates."

    Siwan still remembered that disastrous date. Hobin''s friend was pretty but too full of herself. She spoke with an arrogant tone and was more conscious about her image than about the people around her. Siwan was not a picky person but he knew any rtionship they would enter was not going tost.

    "I can set you up with someone better!" Hobin eximed. "Or do you have someone in mind?"

    Siwan blinked. For some reason, the image of a short haired woman shed in front of his eyes. It was a good thing that Hobin was not around otherwise he would have pestered Siwan over his blushing cheeks.

    Why am I thinking of Jiwoon? He wondered.

    "IбнI don''t have anyone in mind!" Siwan imed. "I just-"

    "Great! I''ll set you up with someone then."

    When Siwan did not reply, Hobin said, "Bro, loosen up! We''ve been fighting ghosts and demons way too much. You need to have some fun. Just take someone to this event and have some fun. It''ll be good for us. Don''t you think we''re being way too stressedtely?"

    Siwan sighed. Hobin was right. They were so focused on the dead that they almost stopped living.

    "Fine," he conceded. "You can set me up with someone."

    "Alright then! I''ll meet you at the event at 7 PM. I''ll also text your number to your date."

    "But who is she?" Siwan asked. "What''s her name?"

    "Nuh uh! That''s a secret."

    Siwan had a strange feeling about this but he had no choice. Hobin was determined to set him up on a date and there was no escaping his brother''s insistence.

    Hobin hung up the phone and smiled.

    "Now all I need to do is arrange a date for bro!" he happily said.

 Chapter 292 - Park

    A slow music was ying in the background. The firece was lit with zing mes, the only source of light in the dark room. A chair was rocking back and forth, upied by a woman who was casually sipping dark wine. She was staring at the fire but was in deep thought.

    "What are you nning?"

    A voice spoke up from behind her. Hongsik sat there, looking nervous. He had been hiding in the Vozakel Lord''s mansion because the police was still looking for him with regards to the Cho murder case. The Vozakel Lord would not let him leave either; they needed him for the final ritual.

    "Using Orma was a big mistake," she muttered. "She is a demon but she spilled the beans on us!"

    "You were the one who insisted on using her!" Hongsik pointed out. "I didn''t want to. You know how she loathed working for us."

    "She didn''t care as long as she got the souls. But she also set us back several steps. The souls she took were sent directly to Hell and we couldn''t steal any of them for the Prince! If this keeps up, we won''t be able to free him for another 500 years."

    She gripped her ss so tightly that it broke into pieces. Blood trickled from her palm but she did not care. These things do not hurt her anyway.

    "I have to think big now," she muttered. She nced at the table next to her.

    Several files were on it with the names and pictures of a few people she had been investigating.

    "Hwang Jina," she muttered as she picked up a file. "The reincarnated Butterfly Priestess. And thisбн"

    She picked up Hobin''s file. "The half blood brat is back again! Last time he managed to lock us away but not anymore."

    "He canmunicate with the Prince," Hongsik pointed out. "I can tell. His powers are getting stronger and he doesn''t even know it."

    "The demon hiding in him is going to burst out any moment," the Lady stated. "If that happens, we''ll be forced to flee. The Prince won''t be happy if his brother takes the throne."

    "But where is the Emperor?" Hongsik asked. "He''s the ruler of Hell! What if he interferes-"

    "The Emperor is long gone!" the Lady snapped. "He is gone and he won''t return. That guy is too busy looking for a way to reunite with his lover. He won''t let her go to Hell with him because he wants her to live a full life as a human. The curse her brother put on her is too strong and can''t be broken. She''s destined to die and reborn only to die again. The Emperor has to see his lover die again and again. He brought it upon himself."

    "The love of a demon is dangerous," Hongsik muttered.

    "But ruling Hell is even sweeter," the Lady smirked. "It might not be the best ce to live but once we unleash the demons on Earth, we''ll be able to rule over all humans. The humans will be at our mercyбн"

    Her eyes were still on the files, contemting her next move.

    "It''s time to y big," she dered. "Bring out Park."

    Hongsik''s eyes widened in shock. "Park?" He gasped. "No way! We can''t do that! He''s too unhinged and dangerous-"

    "He''s perfect for our n," the Lady said. "The only one who is crazy enough to bring us the souls we need. Bring him out and we''ll be able to reach our goal faster."

    Hongsik''s heart was now beating in fear. The demon they were about to use was not someone who could be controlled. Park was the most ardent follower of the True Prince and he was one of the most dangerous demons Hongsik had ever encountered. Park was so dangerous that even summoning him for a contract meant instant death. He was one of the demons who did not care about contracts and forced summoners to request their own deaths.

    And they had a very big reason to agree to such ridiculous demands.

    "Think about it again, Lady," Hongsik urged. "We can''t control Park."

    "Who said anything about controlling him? On the contrary, I want to unleash him on the world. That''s how I can get my work done."

    Hongsik was not keen to carry out the n but angering the Lady was even more dangerous than Park. He had seen her cruel side and he had no desire to be at the receiving end of her punishment.

    "Fine," he reluctantly agreed. "But don''t tell me that I didn''t warn you!"

    The Lady ignored him and kept on reading the files in her hands. She was flicking through Yoonmin''s file before putting it aside. Thest file she picked up was of a five year old girl with chocte brown eyes and chubby cheeks.

    "The other Seer," she stated. "This oneбнHwang Miyoo."

    "We sent our spirits to bring her to us that night but the ghosts were chased away," Hongsik informed her.

    "Yes, an old friend is protecting her," the Lady yawned. "Magrod. Tch! He still seems to have a soft corner for kids. That''s rich considering his past as a human."

    "Why? What did he do?" Hongsik asked curiously but the Lady shook her head.

    "He did many things which people cannot even fathom," she grinned. "I see that he''s still trying to repent. But not all deeds are worth penance. The moment he sold his soul to the demons of Hell, any chance of repentance was gone. But he''s a major thorn in our way. We need this girl for the ritual."

    "Why can''t we use the Butterfly Priestess?" Hondsik frowned. "I''m sure we can use her."

    "The ritual requires a pure and innocent child with the powers of a Seer," the Lady revealed. "I tried to kill the Priestess that night but she was saved by the lover of hers. Both of them are going to be a major pain in my ass. We need this girl but we''ll have to be patient."

    Hongsik nced at the files in her hands. Over the past few weeks, the Lady had sent her human servants after the Hwang''s and Kang''s in order to gain more information on them. She also gathered information on the people around them, specifically their friends and lovers so that she could use them as leverage when the time arrived.

    "The Prince is getting restless," she muttered. "We must hurry up. Park is our biggest hope. If he fails, I''ll have to go out there myself."

    "But the half blood is gonna recognize you! He''s looking for you after all."

    "He''s weak. I don''t give a damn about him. He couldn''t do anythingst time and saw his friend die. I''m more powerful now but I won''te out in the open until it''s necessary. Use Park. He''s ourst hope in getting the remaining souls."

    "Understood," Hongsik said. "I''ll release him tonight."

    The Lady nodded and returned to staring at the mes. She was thinking about the Hwang''s, pondering how to get rid of them.

    I''ve severely underestimated them, she thought. The Hwang''s may seem like an ordinary family but they were not. They were smarter than most people and even had the wealth to back up their power. Hwang Junho still held considerable influence over many renowned figures in the country and even though he did not use his power, he knew that they woulde to his aid if he wanted.

    The Priestess was no longer the naive girl from the past. She was now more resourceful and in control of her powers. Her powers evolved a lot, attracting the spirits with her charm and wit. Moreover, she was a detective who had the skills and resources needed to take down demons which made her more dangerous.

    Equally cunning were her two brothers. Hwang Minyoon held a lot of power over the young fans. His words drove them to action and he could make them do anything with a snap. Despite his seemingly goofy nature, he was as clever and strong as his siblings.

    His twin brother, Hwang Yoonmin was the shrewd and highly observant one. If Minyoon was like a king, Yoonmin was a kingmaker. He knew how to handle people and analyse them. Dealing with the supernatural was not much work for him. Individually, the twins were dangerous enough but once together, they were even more dangerous than demons despite being mere humans.

    Lastly, was Hwang Miyoo. The youngest and also the most protected one. There was not a single moment when she was left alone. Like the other members in her family, she was unusually smart and too shrewd. But they need her and there must be a way to get their hands on her.

    "For now, focus on getting more souls," she finally said. "The less the Hwang''s suspect, the better for us. They probably still don''t know about us but knowing Orma, she might have warned the Priestess before taking Aina''s soul. My human informers told me that the Priestess was chasing Aina when thetter died in that ident."

    "Think about it again, Lady," Hongsik warned. "Releasing Park might cause us a lot of trouble."

    "It''s a risk we have to take," the Lady told him in a cold tone. "Release him and let him do the work for us. Only a few more souls are needed and the Prince can gain enough powers to leave Purgatory."

    "What if the half blood finds him first? The Priestess might try to kill the Prince!"

    "Then we''ll kill them first," the Lady grinned.

 Chapter 293 - Realization

    Hobin sped to pick up Jina from their apartment. He was already dressed up in a dapper emerald suit with dark pants and a white vest. Even though it was a formal party, he opted for a semi-formal look to highlight his good looks. He wanted to look his best next to his Tinkerbell who was definitely going to turn a few heads that night. Hobin chuckled, recalling their conversation when he informed her about the partyбн

    "What?" Jina had eximed over the phone. "A party?"

    "Yeah," he replied. "It''s more of a formal event which the Doctors'' Association hosts every year. Prominent healthcare experts from all over the country attend it and I got an invitation. I get to bring a date too."

    Jina squealed at the other end. She was suddenly excited because this was their first formal event as a couple.

    "I''m gonna get a dress ready!" She insisted. "I''m so excited!"

    "Speaking of the partyбнmy brother needs a date too," Hobin realized. "I''ll make him attend. Do you have any friends who might be interested?"

    Jina thought for a while before snapping her fingers. "I got the perfect person!" She said. "I''ll ask her."

    "Is she pretty?"

    "Why do you care? I''ll kill you if you flirt with her!"

    "I''m asking for my brother!"

    "She is but you''re not allowed to go near her!" Jina scolded him. Hobin suppressed augh. He was imagining her cheeks going red with jealousy and it was cute.

    I should make her jealous more often, he mused.

    "Don''t worry, Tinkerbell. You''re more than enough for me."

    Jina smirked. "I know," she imed. "No one can beat me when ites to being awesome! You''re lucky to have me, Ohm Hobin."

    If only he could tell her that luck had nothing to do with it. If given the choice, he would keep on returning for her.

    Hobin was chuckling at the memory of his conversation with her. She was so excited and she did not even hide it. He knew that she must have worked hard on her look for the night and if he did notpliment her, she was going to give him the silent treatment.

    But she''s always beautiful in my eyes, he sighed. He pulled up in front of the house and got out of the car. Hobin was walking up the stairs when he saw thendy, Mrs. Ahn,ing down the stairs. She was wearing a ck dress and looked glum.

    "What happened, Mrs. Ahn?" he asked, feeling concerned at her sad face. "Are you alright?"

    "No," she admitted. "Myбнmy longtime friend passed away. I''m going to her wake."

    "I''m so sorry for your loss," Hobin told her. "Is there anything I can do? Do you want to talk about it?"

    "No, it''s okay," she said with a small smile. "It''s just that she was a very good friend of mine. We used to go to school together. We even went to the same church. She was a lovely woman. After my husband passed away, she supported me a lot. I just wish I could''ve seen her onest time."

    "How did this happen?"

    "It was a hit and run," she replied. "A car hit her and she died on the spot this morning."

    Hobin pitied the old woman. She was a sweetdy, always jolly with everyone. She even helped them to look after Miyoo when no one was avable so it was hard to see someone like her look so sad and demure.

    "If there''s anything I can do, please do let me know," he insisted.

    "It''s okay. I finished all my work here. You go ahead."

    Mrs. Ahn slightly smiled at him and walked away. Hobin watched her leave, hoping that she could get over her grief. He turned away and headed towards Jina''s apartment. Technically, it was also his apartment now. Since they were serious about their rtionship, they kept on using each other''s houses like free property. He mostly lived over at her ce and was considering permanently moving in with her.

    Should I ask her today? He wondered. Or would she think it''ll be too soon?

    Hobin was in a dilemma. He wanted to tell her that he was Shinho but he was unsure how she was going to take that news. What if she did not believe him? Or think that he was lying to her because he already read her memories of Shinho and could easily pose as him?

    Deciding against revealing his other past life as Shinho, he knocked on Jina''s door.

    "Just a minute!" Her voice came from inside.

    "I''m waiting!" He told her. Hobin lingered in the hallway, eagerly waiting for his girlfriend toe out. He was texting one of his acquaintances when the door to Jina''s apartment opened. Hobin looked up from his phone and was stunned

    Jina flicked her long hair which was let loose in soft curls. The peach colored floral dress she wore was off-shoulder with roses embroidered on the torso. It reached a little above her knees in a loose series of pinkyers, revealing her smooth legs.

    Her pearly skin was shimmering with slight glitters and she wore simple makeup with wine red lipstick which highlighted her luscious lips. Her chocte colored eyes twinkled upon seeing him as if she, too, was checking him out.

    "I''m worried," Hobin said in a serious tone. Jina''s smile flickered.

    "Why?" She asked.

    "I''ll have to beat up the guys who will be staring at my beautiful girlfriend tonight!" he whined. "It''s so hard to keep those pesky guys away from you."

    Jina snickered.

    "And I will have to keep some annoying girls away from you," she sighed. "Coz you look like a snack!"

    "Yes but only you can eat it," he winked and before Jina could even blush in embarrassment, he swooped her into a long kiss. Jina gasped, his soft lips pressing against hers as he slowly deepened the kiss. She was also lost in the moment, kissing him back hungrily. He pushed her against the wall, not caring if anyone saw them.

    "Hobinбн" she murmured in between their kisses.

    "Mmm?"

    "The party."

    "Let''s ditch it and go back inside."

    Jina pushed him away and gave him a stern look. "No!" She said. "We have to go. This is our first event as a couple and I''m not missing out on it."

    She was pouting so Hobin had no choice.

    "Fine!" he eximed. "We''ll go."

    "Yaii!" Jina happily eximed. "And as a rewardбн"

    She whispered something in his ears which made his jaw drop open. "Are you serious?" heughed.

    Jina nodded and bit her lower lip seductively. If she gave him that look, then how could a poor man like Hobin resist?

    "Agreed!" He grinned. "But I must warn you, Tinkerbell. I take my dues very seriously. That too with interest."

    "Good luck taking interest from a miser like me!" she winked again and pulled his hand. Hobin was amused by the challenge and let her pull him away. It was going to be a really good night for him.

    "By the way, where''s my brother''s date?" he asked when they got into the car. "Should we pick her up?"

    "She''ll meet us at the party," Jina replied. "I already gave her Siwan''s number. She''ll call him."

    Hobin shrugged and started the engine. He was terrible at setting people up on dates so he took Jina''s help in finding Siwan a date. She had excellent taste in people so she would know a great girl as a date for Siwan.

    "I just hope he attends," Hobin said. "Bro can be unpredictable at times."

    "I think he will," Jina said. "He texted me where we were a while ago."

    Hobin nodded and they drove off towards the party which was going to take ce at a hotel.

    бн

    Siwan got out of the car and buttoned his coat. He was wearing a sleek dark tuxedo with a bowtie. His dark hair was brushed back and his chiseled jawline was more prominent. The suit was well fitted to his lean body and he fixed his bow.

    He was unwilling to attend the party but Hobin had insisted so much that he had toe.

    "Where are they?" he muttered.

    The party was taking ce at the Grand Rose, the most luxurious hotel in the country. It was one of Hwang Minho''s many properties and wasrge enough to host thousands of guests at a time. Siwan walked into the grand ballroom which was glittering with hundreds of golden and silver lights.

    The guests had arrived and were mingling with each other. Some of them came over to Siwan and congratted him on his recent surgeries and research papers which were all a sess. He was smiling and talking to them while keeping an eye on the entrance for Hobin and Jina.

    "Doctor Kang?"

    A familiar voice called him and he turned around only to be momentarily breathless.

    Jiwoon stood there in a ck sequin gown which reached to her feet. The dress hugged her curves, showing off her slender figure and was full sleeved with small beads stitched along the neckline. Her short hair was brushed to the side, held together by a ruby studded hairpin.

    For a moment, Siwan forgot how to breathe. He knew that Jiwoon was pretty but for the first time, he realized how ethereal she was. Her cheeks were rosy with a soft tint of makeup blush and she looked younger than her years. She was looking at him with her innocent, cat shaped eyes as if she was very curious about something.

    "Your bow is a little skewed," Jiwoon said, not noticing that he waspletely speechless.

    "Oh right!" Siwan realized but before he could fix it, Jiwoon stepped forward to do it for him. He gulped when she stood close to him, straightening his bow.

    "All done," she smiled and smoothened the tie. Siwan cleared his throat.

    "So, are you my-" he began but someone interrupted him.

    "Jisoo!" Ilhoon came running towards her. Jiwoon turned to address him.

    "I''m so sorry!" he apologized. "I got engrossed in the conversation with that neurosurgeon and when I turned around, I couldn''t find you. I thought that you were gone!"

    "I spotted Doctor Kang," she replied, pointing at Siwan.

    Siwan was confused before realization dawned on him.

    "Soбн" he slowly began. "You are Mr. Kim''s date?"

    "Yes," Jiwoon revealed. "I came as Ilhoon''s date."

 Chapter 294 - Having Fun

    "Oh," Siwan said.

    He was not sure what to do or say because for some odd reason, his heart was feeling unsettled. Jiwoon smiled at him but her smile did not reach her eyes. That morning, Ilhoon had called her and requested her to apany him at an event that night. She was about to refuse but Jina had overheard her talking about the Doctor''s Association. To her surprise, Jina was also going to attend the party.

    "We can go on a double date!" Jina eximed. Jiwoon was not so sure about the date part but she thought it might be nice to hangout with friends that night so she agreed to Ilhoon''s request. She did not expect Siwan to attend because he was usually on night duty on Fridays but seeing him there surprised her. In fact, she was so fixated on Siwan that she did not realize that Ilhoon was holding her hand.

    "Doctor Kang, I really should thank you," Ilhoon was saying. "My mother and father are thrilled that Hana is fine. She''s recovering slowly. She misses her father but we try not to let her feel too bad. We''re going to enrol her in Dalton Primary School. Jisoo suggested it to us."

    Siwan was only nodding but not really listening to what Ilhoon said. His nce fell on how Ilhoon was holding Jiwoon''s hand. He felt a surge of uncharacteristic irritation and he looked away.

    "Doctor Kang Siwan?"

    Siwan looked around to find a pretty girl in her early thirties with long blonde hair and a bright smile. She was wearing a red cocktail dress which clung to her figure tightly, making her look mature. Her elegant aura was oozing and she looked alluring. Many men in the party were ogling at the blonde beauty.

    "Hi, I''m Verona Yeon," she said, reaching out her hand. "Jina told me about you and informed me that we''ll be each other''s dates for tonight."

    "Oh."

    So this is my date, Siwan thought. He vaguely recalled the name Verona Yeon as if he knew her but forgot. Then it hit him.

    "Oh yes! You were in our school," he realized. "I think you were in Jina''s ss."

    "Yes," Verona replied. I had transferred towards the end of the year at our y school. You were our senior."

    Jiwoon watched them, feeling dismayed. The woman was quite a beauty and she felt inadequate in front of her. Siwan was looking so handsome and along with Verona, they looked like a couple out of a fairy tale.

    They make a good pair, she thought.

    "Verona Yeon?" Ilhoon asked. "Are you the heiress to the Yeon Industries? The youngest entrepreneur of the year and a socialite! I met your father on many asions."

    "Yes, I am," Verona replied with a smile. She shook his hand and then turned to Jiwoon.

    "And you areбн?" she frowned.

    "I''m Detective Kim Jiwoon," Jiwoon replied and shook her hand.

    "Ah yes! Jina told me that you''ll be here. She talks about you often. I''m a little jealous to hear my best friend refer to her other best friend!"

    Sheughed and Jiwoon also awkwardly smiled. Avoiding Siwan''s watchful eyes, she was about to move her hand to scratch her arm when she realized that Ilhoon was holding it. Without thinking, she slipped her palm out of his and sped her hands together defensively.

    "Are you alright?" Ilhoon asked, feeling concerned.

    Thankfully, Jiwoon was spared the answer by Jina and Hobin''s arrival.

    "Bro!" Hobin called for Siwan. To his surprise, the person standing next to Siwan was not Jiwoon but someone else.

    "Who''s that?" he whispered to Jina.

    "That''s my friend Verona," Jina exined. "I set her up with Siwan for the night!"

    Uh oh, Hobin thought. He had hoped that Jina would set his brother up with Jiwoon but it seemed that she had no idea about their innocent flirtations.

    My brother will die a virgin at this rate, he grimaced.

    Jina pulled him towards the others. "You made it!" she squealed at Siwan. "And you too, Jiwoon! Andбн"

    She pulled Verona into a wide hug. "I missed you so much!" She eximed. "Are you going back to the States? Or are you back for good?"

    "I''m back for good!" Verona giggled. Jiwoon introduced Jina to Ilhoon. Thetter was grateful to Jina for her help in Aina''s case.

    "It''s a shame she was never punished for her crimes," Ilhoonmented. "My brother made a mistake in marrying her but he never got the justice he deserves. Death was too kind to her."

    "At least that site won''t hurt anyone anymore," Jina said. "But the amount of grief she caused is too great."

    "But how can a mere website make people kill themselves?" Ilhoon questioned. "Isn''t it strange?"

    "AI works in very strange ways nowadays," Hobin lied. "It was modeled after the Blue Whale game. This website used a certain kind of code which yed with a person''s sight through its light screen. The nerves in the eyes are exposed to that light and trigger the chemicals in our brains. The person seeing that light will be triggered and their chemicals are imbnced, causing the brain to fall into a depression. Within that moment, the person bes hypnotized and kills himself. It''s not hard to create for a developer like her."

    "If only she used it for good things," Jiwoon muttered. She was still bitter over the fact that the woman got an easy death. The demon had nearly killed them and taken Hana away. Whether Aina was in Hell or not, she still went unpunished by thew which was not fair at all.

    Before Siwan could say something, Ilhoon put his arm around her shoulders and said, "She''s gone and Hana is safe. That''s what matters to us."

    Jiwoon was taken aback but nodded. Hobin noticed that his brother was frowning a little so he broke the tension.

    "I think the Chairman of the Doctor''s Association is about to give a speech!" He said. "Let''s grab a table."

    "We''ll be sitting with a few of my business associates," Ilhoon said. "I''m investing in a new health research facility so we''ll have a small meeting. Jisoo, shall we?"

    He offered her his arm. Jiwoon hesitated but took his arm.

    "I''ll see you guyster," she told Jina. "Bye."

    "Bye!" Jina waved, feeling happy that her friend finally had a date. Hobin pulled her away but Siwan was still staring at Jiwoon''s back.

    "Let''s go," Verona said.

    "Yeah, let''s go."

    He followed Verona to a table. Hobin and Jina were already seated, talking to themselves while the Chairman of the association was giving a speech. Siwan was not really listening but he kept on ncing at Jiwoon every few seconds. Ilhoon was talking to her and she was smiling at him.

    For a moment, Siwan was enchanted by her smile. She had a sweet and genuine warmth which was emitting from her smile. He could not look away from her and wished that she was sitting next to him.

    Then he frowned. Why am I thinking like that? He wondered.

    "Are you alright?" Verona asked.

    "Yes," he replied, tearing his eyes away from Jiwoon. "I''m great."

    "Tell me about yourtest works," she said. "I heard you did a veryplex surgery recently on Siamese twins! They were conjoined at birth, right?"

    "It was a joint surgery and I was with a renowned neurosurgeon. Yes, it wasplex but we managed to do itбн"

    They chatted about their work but Siwan''s mind was not into the conversation. He kept on ncing at Jiwoon who was sitting a few seats away. Verona was perfectly nice and was talking about something which Siwan had no idea about. He only kept on nodding his head.

    Meanwhile, Hobin was ying with a strand of Jina''s hair.

    "You better keep your promise after the party," he pouted. "This is so boring!"

    "It''s a banquet for all renowned doctors," Jina pointed out. "You can make some good contacts here!"

    "I''ll just end up reading their nasty memories," he scowled. "I''d rather y with you!"

    Before Jina could protest, he pecked her on the cheek. She blushed furiously and reproached him.

    "People are watching!" She hissed.

    "So? We''re a couple and they should get used to it."

    He snaked his arms around her waist and pulled her a little closer, hugging her. Jina stopped protesting but was painfully aware of the eyes on them. Some people were whispering and pointing at their shamelessness which made her feel embarrassed but Hobin did not give a damn. After all, if death could not stop him from loving this woman then how could puny humans deter him?

    At the other table, Ilhoon''s phone rang up. He answered the call.

    "Hello?" He greeted. "Mom?"

    Jiwoon watched as the color was sapped from his face.

    "I''ll be right there!" he said.

    "What happened?" she asked him.

    "Nothing," Ilhoon shrugged. "It''s Hana. She''s crying. I''ll go and handle her. Lemme drop you home."

    "No!" Jiwoon said. "I''ll go home on my own. You should go to Hana."

    "But-"

    "I''ll be fine! My friends are here. They''ll drop me off."

    Ilhoon was reluctant but he nodded. "Fine," he said. "I''m sorry for leaving you like this."

    "I''ll be fine. Go home to Hana."

    He smiled at her and took off. From afar, Siwan saw that Ilhoon was leaving and Jiwoon was leftpletely alone.

    "I think we should dance-" Verona was saying but Siwan cut her off.

    "I''ll be back," he said. Before Verona could say anything, Siwan strode over to Jiwoon. She was feeling awkward and like a fish out of water when a hand appeared in front of her. Looking up, she was pleasantly surprised to see Siwan.

    "Can I have this dance?" He smiled.

    Without thinking, Jiwoon replied, "Yes!"

    She took his hand and followed him to the dance floor. Jina''s mouth fell open in shock when she saw her friends going to the dance floor. Beside her, the Doctor Demon was chuckling.

    "You knew they had a thing for each other?" she hissed at him.

    "Isn''t it obvious? Why else do you think he got a house next to hers?"

    Jina wanted to facepalm herself. How could she not see it?

    But she gazed at Siwan and Jiwoon with a smile.

    "Do those two know about each other''s feelings?" she asked warily.

    "No, but it''s fun to see them like this," Hobin said, his voice hinting at mischief. "I think I''m gonna enjoy seeing my brother fight for a girl."

    Jina scowled at him but he was right. Those two needed to figure out their feelings on their own.

    For now, they should have fun.

 Chapter 295 - The Demon He Fears (1)

    "I am so not a good dancer!" Jiwoon protested but Siwan simply shrugged.

    "I''m no Michael Jackson either but we can still have a good time," he said.

    Without another word, he took Jiwoon''s hand and pulled her close. His hand snaked around her waist and they stood very close together. Jiwoon was suddenly very self conscious of the proximity. She did not dare to look at him, her gaze on his chest.

    His touch was warm and he was gazing at her, his heart full of many unspoken words. Slow music began to y in the background and Siwan took the lead. Jiwoon was too flustered on what to do so she followed his lead, swaying to the music with him. She was clumsy in her steps and stumbled a little but Siwan held her tight in a protective manner, not letting her go.

    "Sorry," she mumbled when she identally stepped on his foot.

    "You say that word a lot," he noted. Jiwoon blushed even harder.

    It was difficult to keep her focus whenever he was around and her heart was beating so fast that she was afraid she would faint from the pressure. He had an intoxicating aura which kept on pulling her towards him despite her best attempts not to get too attached to him. She felt that he deserves someone better, someone who was not as broken as she was.

    Moreover, the date he brought to the party was someone with beauty and power. Siwan was the heir to a very elite group of hospitals and he needed someone who could be beneficial to him and his work. Jiwoon had nothing to her name nor was she capable of being someone that impressive. She felt even more inadequate in front of him and hence, did not dare to make any step towards making her feelings clear.

    "What happened?" Siwan asked curiously. She had spaced out and was nk. His voice brought her back to reality.

    "Nothing!" She lied. "Ummбнso how are yourбнhow are your exorcising sessions going?"

    She spoke in a low, hushed tone. They were still dancing to the music, oblivious to the world around them.

    "Iбнtoday I had to send off a soul," he revealed. "Kim Yisub."

    Jiwoon could hear the sadness in his tone. She knew that Yisub had hung around for a while after his death, hovering between his home and the Hwang mansion. Jina told her all about the poor soul who was confused and sad. Everyone pitied the innocent boy who was wrongfully killed because of a teenage spat.

    But life was unfair and once fate decided something, no one could fight against it.

    "He was a little like me," Siwan whispered. "Protective of his sibling. Thest thing he did before leaving was to visit his grave where he saw his sister. She hated him all her life but at the moment, she really wanted him toe back. His sister was his twin and even though he died, she always felt the connection as if he was still around. She was not wrong. Anyways, he heard her confession and was finally at peace that she did love him in her own way."

    "That''s good to hear," Jiwoon said. "He left without any hate or regrets. That''s more than what we can say for some people who are resentful even in death. At least you got to meet him even if it was for a brief moment."

    "I don''t know why the old man made me send him off," Siwan muttered.

    "Isn''t it obvious?" Jiwoon asked, a little surprised that he did not figure it out. "You just said the reason yourself."

    "What do you mean?"

    "Didn''t you just say that he was a little like you? You understood his love for his sibling and his need to leave with a peaceful heart."

    "But I barely knew him," he frowned.

    "You don''t need to know him," she exined calmly. "You understood him and that''s what matters. He left the world with a happy heart and a smile on his face. He was content and it''s natural that only someone who can truly understand his happiness should be sending him off. Mr. Hwang may be experienced but he also knew that Yisub should have been sent off by you because both of you are two peas in a pod."

    Siwan was looking at her but she still did not dare to look directly at him. He always wondered what was in her mind. She was hard to read and did not speak much but she did, her words always made the most impact on him.

    To Jiwoon''s surprise, Siwan chuckled.

    "Youбн" he began. "You know you''re kind of amazing."

    Jiwoon blinked and blushed even harder but Siwan added, "You really know how to make me feel better."

    "I''m sure a lot of people can make you feel good," she mumbled nervously.

    "They make me happy but they don''t make me feel good about myself," he sighed. "Thank you, Kim Jiwoon. You make me feel good."

    Then it hit Jiwoon.

    "Where''s your date?" she frowned.

    Siwan also frowned for a second as if he did not understand what she was talking about. Then he realized that he forgot about Verona!

    "Uhбн" He said, looking around. Her slim figure was storming out of the door, grumbling to herself.

    "She left," he mused.

    "I''m sorry, it''s my fault," Jiwoon said. "I should go-"

    She was about to step away but Siwan held her close.

    "Stay," he whispered in her ears. "I''d rather be with you than with a stranger I barely connect with."

    Was it the song or something else but at that moment, everything else was a blur to them. Siwan was smiling warmly at her, his eyes only on her. He was not sure what he felt but his heart was content and happy just to be near her. She had a lovely blush on her face which was captivating his senses and she shyly avoided his eyes.

    Jiwoon was so shy that she could not even look at him. She was afraid that if she did, he would find out about what she truly felt. But Siwan was not thinking straight. He put a finger under her chin and made her look up, directly into his eyes.

    Her eyes were a little teary which stabbed his heart. Why was she crying? What was in her mind? So many questions gued him and all were about her.

    Without thinking, he leaned in close to her. Jiwoon was frozen to her spot, not able to fight off her feelings anymore. They were in the middle of the dance floor with many people around them and yet, she was not paying attention to anything else. He was leaning closer to her and she could count his eyshes.

    He has prettyshes, she randomly thought. Siwan was really close to her, their lips only inches away-

    "Jiwoon! We gotta go!"

    Jina''s voice broke both of them out of their reverie. Siwan came to his senses and realized what he was about to do. He instantly backed out, leaving Jiwoon flustered and confused.

    "Uhбн"

    Jina, who did not seem to have noticed what happened, said, "There''s been a murder nearby. We''ll have to go and investigate!"

    "Oh yes!" Jiwoon said. "Let''s go."

    She paused before adding, "Siwan, we''ll need you too. There''s a child at the crime scene who is hurt."

    "Y-Yes!" He stammered. Putting their earlier temptations aside, they followed Jina to the car. Hobin was already outside, waiting for them.

    "Where''s the crime scene?" Siwan asked.

    "They said it''s around a mile from here," Hobin replied. "Let''s get going."

    They got into Jina''s car and sped off towards the scene. A whileter, they pulled up in front of arge beach side house which was swarming with cops. Jina parked the car and all of them got out. A child was ced on a bench outside with his foot stretched out on the wood. He was around three years old and was crying hard.

    "Mama!" he was sobbing. "Dada!"

    Siwan immediately rushed to his side to tend to the child while Jina, Jiwoon and Hobin rushed into the beach house.. The other cops tried to calm down the child but to no avail.

    "What''s his name?" he asked one of the cops.

    "His full name is Oh Banyu," the cop replied. "Who are you?"

    Siwan showed him his hospital ID. "I''m a paediatric surgeon at the National Hospital," he exined. "I was in the vicinity with Detectives Hwang and Kim so they asked me to check on the child. How did he get hurt?"

    "The killer hit his foot with arge hammer," the cop sighed. Siwan turned to the child and touched the boy''s foot. Banyu screamed in pain.

    "Mama!" He cried. "Mama!"

    "I''m sorry, Banyu," Siwan said in a gentle tone. "It will hurt but I''ll heal you in no time."

    "His parents were killed," the cop muttered. "It''s a bloodbath in there! Their skulls were cleaved with an axe."

    Siwan, who was checking the boy''s foot, froze. He slowly turned to the cop, his face white with shock and fear.

    "C-Cleave?" he stammered. "What do you mean?"

    "It''s unlike anything I''ve ever seen, doc," the cop whispered. "Their bodies were lying on the bed and their heads were split open with an axe. You know how a wood is cut into half in a vertical line? That''s how their heads were cleaved. A perfect vertical line. The killer even left the axe by the bed-"

    Without a word, Siwan ran towards the crime scene. Several cops tried to stop him but he ran past them, not caring if it was illegal. He did not give a damn if he was arrested for trespassing a crime scene but he must stop Hobin.

    "No no no!" He shouted and rushed into the bedroom. He burst through the door to find Hobin standing at the foot of the bed. His eyes were fixated on the bloody bodies of the couple but there was something else. There was a message on the wall written in blood.

    "Long time no see, Ohm Hobin," Siwan read.

    Jina and Jiwoon were also staring at the message, shocked and confused. All of them turned to Hobin, whose eyes were bloody red with anger and fury.

    "The Cleaver is back," he whispered.

 Chapter 296 - The Demon He Fears (2)

    Everyone was staring at Hobin. His expression was unreadable and a dreadful silence followed his words as if ushering some kind of cmity no one could foresee.

    Siwan stepped forward and grasped his shoulder.

    "Hobinбн" he began but Hobin shrugged him off gently.

    "You can''t be here," he said in a wary tone. "This is a crime scene."

    Siwan was hesitant to leave but he met Jina''s eyes who shook her head. She was also worried about what was going on in Hobin''s mind but she did not say it out loud. Siwan sighed and left the room to the cops, hoping that nothing was going to go wrong.

    Hobin stepped towards the message, reading and re-reading it.

    "Long time no see, Ohm Hobin," he muttered. "This is him. This is the Cleaver."

    "ErбнCan someone fill me up?" Jiwoon asked. "Who''s the Cleaver and how do you know him?"

    "I''ll tell you everything at the precinct," Hobin replied. He paused before adding, "Call the Commissioner. He''ll be interested in this."

    Jiwoon was stupefied but nodded. She excused herself and stepped out of the room to call the Commissioner. Jina was about to say something to Hobin but the Forensic Team appeared, preventing her frommunicating with Hobin any further at that time.

    Thankfully, Kyuhyun was back from his break. He was studying the corpses of the couple.

    "Time of death, exactly 11 PM," he stated in his usual monotone. "The watch on the male victim''s hand is broken and thest recorded time is 11 PM. Couple with the still sticky blood and temperature of the bodies, they have been dead for two hours, corresponding with the stated time on the watch. They were killed in their sleep and there are no signs of struggle."

    "But if one of them was struck first then the other one would have woken up which also suggests that they may have been drugged. The murder weapon is the axe on the floor but the person is most likely an expert in cleaving objects because the head of the victims are cut in exactly perpendicr lines. It was one smooth cut and the victims died instantly."

    Jina did not know what was worse, the deaths or the way Kyuhyun parroted the deaths. She was ncing at Hobin every now and then, worried about him. He was still stony faced but she knew he was in pain.

    "What else is there?" She asked but it was Hobin who answered.

    "Someone in their family must have died recently," he said.

    Jina blinked at him. "What do you mean?" she asked.

    "The Cleaver only targets people who have recently lost a loved one," Hobin revealed. "The axe is his weapon of choice but the fingerprints you will find are useless."

    He spoke with a calm confidence which was scarier than his anger. Jina was sure that he was suppressing his past memories of Wang Taehee and how he failed to save her.

    Jiwoon came back from her call.

    "The Commissioner will be involved in the case," she informed them. "He''s on his way to the precinct."

    "Let''s go," Hobin said abruptly and left. Jina and Jiwoon were confused but they followed him. Outside, Siwan was waiting for them. He had already fixed up the kid and sent him to the hospital with the paramedics.

    "I''ll go with you!" he said at once.

    "Only the internal team can attend the meeting," Jina told him but Siwan shook his head.

    "I''ll stay outside the room but I''ming," he insisted. Jina gaped at him and looked at Hobin for assistance but to her surprise, Hobin nodded.

    "Let hime with us," Hobin said. "IбнI need him today."

    Internally, Hobin was battling himself. The demon in him was restless and had sensed his predicament. Taehee''s memories were shing in front of his eyes, taunting him for his failure. Wang Taehee was the only person he could not save and the guilt of her death was too great for him to deal alone.

    Siwan was the only person who could calm him down and he needed his brother more than anything. He was afraid that if Siwan was not around, the demon was going to erupt out of him and hurt those around him, particrly Jina.

    "Let''s go," Jiwoon nudged Jina. Thetter could not argue against the brothers but gave up and got into the car after Hobin. Soon, they sped off towards the police precinct.

    What the hell is going to happen now? Jina wondered in dismay.

    бн

    "Miyoo wants choco vored ice cream!" Miyoo insisted.

    "You just had chocte cake!" Magrod scolded her. "Whatcha tryna do, kid? Torment me?"

    Miyoo nodded her head enthusiastically. She did not know what the word ''torment'' meant but it sounded cute to her. Magrod stomped his cotton leg on the ground.

    "Oi! Listen up! Just because I''m staying here rent free doesn''t mean I''m gonna let you eat all the choctes you want. Finishing choctes is my job!"

    It was the usual noisy atmosphere in the Hwangs'' condo. The twins, their sister and the pet demon were in the living area. Yoonmin was rxing on the couch, reading a book while Minyoon was listening to music as heposed his next song. Junho had gone out and Soobin was about to arrive with Baekha at any moment.

    "Miyoo wants ice cream!" Miyoo cried.

    "You will be sick, you little brat!" Magrod fussed like a mother hen.

    He was stuck with taking care of Miyoo and even though he alwaysined about it, everyone knew how protective he was of the kid. He even ward off little boys who tried to flirt with Miyoo at the yground.

    It was not needed though. She was more interested in finding pennies in the sand than boys.

    Miyoo pouted and got up to walk towards Yoonmin. She climbed on hisp and he absentmindedly let her sit there.

    "Yoonie, Miyoo wants chocte ice cream!" she begged. Ever since she started taking speech therapy with Hobin, she became chattier than usual. She even spoke in full sentences although she referred back to her own word answers whenever she needed to be cute in order to extort things from their grandfather and father.

    "Finish your multiplication tables and I''ll give you three dors instead," he said warily. Miyoo was now in a deep dilemma. Dor versus ice cream.

    "Okay!" she eximed and jumped off hisp to run towards her room. It was time to study and earn money.

    "I''ll teach you, sis!" Minyoon imed but Yoonmin made a face at him.

    "You don''t even know what''s two times three!" He snorted. Minyoon was affronted.

    "I do!" he snapped. "It''s ten!"

    "Even I''m better at maths than you!" Magrod muttered. Minyoon pouted but the doorbell rang and his mood brightened.

    "It''s Binbin and Beaky!" he eximed. Yoonmin threw the book at his brother which thetter dodged by inches.

    "Stop being overly excited to meet my girlfriend!" he scowled.

    "I''m more excited about something else!" Minyoon grumbled. "The flute girl!"

    Yoonmin wanted to hit his brother again but even a hundred beatings would not be enough to fix that dimwit''s brain. How could he not figure it out?

    Minyoon opened the door for the girls. Soobin was smiling brightly while Baekha looked wary and tired. If Soobin had not dragged her, she would have been peacefully ying the new online game. Ever since she managed to beat SJS66, her demand as a gamer had increased and she was getting offers to star on streaming channels to y games with famous influencers.

    "Binbin!" Minyoon happily eximed and was about to hug her but Yoonmin grabbed his back cor and pulled him back before taking his side by Soobin''s side.

    "Hug your own girl!" he groaned.

    "Don''t be mean to Minmin!" Soobin scolded her boyfriend.

    "As if any girl wants him," Baekha added. Minyoon made a face but said, "I know you''re secretly my fan. Admit it that you were impressed by my gaming skills that day."

    "Never! You were just lucky!"

    "Anyways," Minyoon said, turning to Soobin.

    "Binbin, did you find out anything?" he asked. "About the fox girl?"

    Baekha merely blinked at him while Yoonmin wanted tough out loud. Soobin and Minyoon did not notice their expressions but were chatting excitedly.

    "I got a list of all the girls who attended the fair that day!" she said at once. "But none of them wore a fox mask. I went around the entire school, asking the girls but they don''t even know how to y a flute!"

    Minyoon''s shoulders fell in disappointment. "Where''s my foxy girl?" he pouted.

    "Probably running away from you, you perv!" Baekha snapped at him but her cheeks were blushing. "Stop stalking the girls!"

    "I only want to find her and tell her I love her!" Minyoon eximed

    L-Love? IS HE INSANE? Baekha screamed internally while Yoonmin tried not tough. Magrod was simply watching the whole drama, not understanding what the hell was going on.

    "Ugh! Humans are too weird!" He imed.

    "You''re the weird one here!" Baekha frowned.

    "A talking alpaca is strange," Soobin nodded. "And-"

    "YOONIE! MINMIN!"

    Their conversation was interrupted by Miyoo''s screams.

    "Miyoo!" Yoonmin yelled. "What-"

    CRACK!

    A strong wind gushed by, smashing all the ss in the condo and plunged everything into pitch ck darkness

 Chapter 297 - The Demon He Fears (3)

    Chapter 297 иC The Demon He Fears (3)

    CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

    One by one the ss objects exploded to bits, scaring the teenagers. Yoonmin and Minyoon shielded the girls, pulling them under furniture for cover while Magrod took charge.

    "Stay there!" he ordered.

    Magrod instantly left the body of the stuffed toy and rushed towards Miyoo''s room in his demon form. He had morphed into the monstrous dog, growling loudly.

    He barged into the bedroom to find that the window was open and everything in the room was a mess. A strong scent of sulphur hung in the air but thankfully, he sniffed Miyoo''s presence in the room. He found her hiding under a dresser, shaking in fear. Her face was white as chalk as if she had seen something scary.

    "Oi kid-" Magro began but she burst into loud tears.

    "M-MOMMYYYYY!" She screamed. "MOMMYYYYY!"

    Miyoo was so scared that she was crying for her mother. Her tiny eyes were red with tears and she was crying uncontrobly. She was aplete mess, unsure of what to do or think. Magrod immediately levitated her on to his back and took her to safety.

    "Miyoo!"

    The twins and the girls shouted as soon as Magrod brought her downstairs. She was crying hard as her brothers hugged her, trying to console the child. It was impossible tofort her and she kept on crying for her mother who was far away at that time.

    The demon went back into the stuffed toy to address the kids.

    "What the hell happened?" Yoonmin demanded from him.

    "How did the ss object explode on their own?" Minyoon whispered. Miyoo was in his arms, still wailing.

    "Is it another demon?" Baekha asked.

    "It must have been," Magrod muttered. "There''s sulphur all around the kid''s room."

    "Howe you couldn''t sense the demon?" Soobin asked. "You always sense nearby demons!"

    "Not this one," Magrod said in a grim tone. So this is what the Brethren is up to, he realized. But why did they attack the kid?

    Yoonmin had enough of the abrupt answers. "Tell us what the hell it was!" He ordered angrily. "Why did it attack us? Was it after Miyoo?"

    "It must be rted to the Priestess'' ident," Magrod concluded. "Both her and the kid were attacked that night. I''m sure that this is no coincidence."

    "Can you stop beating around the bush and tell us the truth?" Baekha snapped at him. "Why is a demon attacking her?"

    "Okay, listen up!" Magrod said in a serious tone. "What we''re dealing with is now a high level threat. This is not an ordinary demon like a Vurthramis or Kistris. Thisбнthis is an Aken."

    "The third demon ss?" Yoonmin recalled. Magrod nodded.

    "Let''s calm down the kid first," he suggested. "I don''t think she should be hearing about this."

    It was a herculean task to calm Miyoo down. She was demanding for her mother but the twins could not take the risk of calling her because if they did, Jeon Gayoon would not only take the first flight back to the country but also shove her fist right up the faces of all demons. Aiding her would be their father, Hwang Minho, whose anger was worse than the hellfire Magrod tried to scare them with.

    "What do we do?" Minyoon eximed over Miyoo''s cries. "She won''t stop at all and sis is out of reach!"

    "We can''t call mom at all!" Yoonmin yelled back. That only made Miyoo cry harder.

    "MOMMYYYYYY!" She screamed.

    "Can''t we just call her?" Soobin suggested. "We''ll just tell her Miyoo had a nightmare!"

    "Make her stop!" Baekha pleaded. She did not want to say it bluntly but the kid was a loud cryer. It was nearly impossible to keep her quiet.

    "Fine!" Yoonmin finally said. He winced and took out his phone. Dialling his mother''s number, he put the phone on speaker mode.

    "Hello?" A soft voice came from the other end. "Yoon?"

    Miyoo instantly stopped crying upon hearing her mother''s voice.

    "Mommy!" She squealed.

    "Miyoo?" Gayoon'' gasped from the other end. "Are you crying, honey? What happened?"

    There was a loud crash on the other end which made everyone jump in shock.

    "Crying? Why is my princess crying?" Minho''s panicked voice came from the other end.

    "Daddy!" Miyoo squeaked while the twins groaned. They were screwed.

    "Is that your dad?" Soobin whispered.

    "Are those two brats giving you a hard time, princess?" Minho demanded. "Oi, Hwang Minyoon and Hwang Yoonmin! What the hell did you two do?"

    "Nothing!" Minyoon imed. "Nothing happened! She had a nightmare and was crying for mom!"

    "I''ll cut your allowances if you upset your sisters!" Minho threatened them.

    "We don''t take allowances from you, old man!" Yoonmin groaned.

    "Oh stop it you three idiots!" Gayoon scolded them. "Where''s my little angel? Lemme talk to her."

    "Mommy, Miyoo is scared!" Miyoo whimpered. "Miyoo wants mommy!"

    "Why are you scared?" Gayoon asked in a gentle tone.

    Uh oh, the twins thought in dismay. Please don''t say it, sis!

    "Maggie''s demon friend scared Miyoo today!" Miyoo blurted. "It looks like a giant birdie! Birdie said it wille for Miyoo. Miyoo is scared!"

    There was a long silence on the other end. The twins could feel their parents were about to explode on them.

    "Yoon," Gayoon began. "Who else is there with you guys?"

    "Erбн" Soobin and Baekha looked at each other. "Baekha and I are here, Mrs. Hwang," Soobin said. "I''m Kim Soobin."

    "A-And I am Choi Baekha," Baekha replied.

    "Girls, can you take Miyoo upstairs and stay there?" Gayoon said. "We want to talk to our sons."

    The girls were hesitant but seeing Miyoo''s state, they agreed. Soobin took Miyoo in her arms and they scurried to another room, shutting the door behind them.

    "First thing first," Gayoon said. "Who the hell is Maggie?"

    "UhhбнI''m Maggie," Magrod replied. "I mean, Magrod! I''m Magrod! An elite demon from Hell."

    "Well, mom and dad," Yoonmin began. "You seeбн"

    They reluctantly told their parents everything about what happened and also what happened over the past few months. Their parents were quiet but the twins whimpered in fear. Demons did not scare them but the collective anger of Hwang Minho and Jeon Gayoon was something not even the twins would dare to provoke.

    And this time, they were both about to explode.

    "Jina is dating a half demon," Gayoon said. "She was in a deadly ident which was glossed over as a minor injury to us. And Miyoo was also attacked that night."

    "You guys were nearly killed by a cheap poltergeist," Minho added in a seemingly calm tone. "My future daughter-inw was also attacked. And you guys even yed an online video game against a person whose hobby is to make a demon kill others."

    "We solved all those problems!" Yoonmin said at once.

    "I swear, we are all safe!" Minyon imed but his parents were already bubbling.

    "Jina almost died, Yoonmin fought off a poltergeist, Minyoon was attacked by a demon and Miyoo is being scared by other demons," Gayoon said. "And she''s also keeping one as a pet."

    "I am not a pet!" Magrod imed. The twins tried to stop him from talking but the demon was blowing his own trumpet.

    "I am an elite Vozakel Lord of Hell who is among the high ss demons!" He went on, not reading the atmosphere. "I have lived for over 5000 years and am extremely powerful! I bathe in water which is boiled to exactly 100 degree celsius and I like to have my afternoon tea with chocte chip cookies. My favorite dramas air between 8 PM and 10 PM and I watch the repeat telecasts at noon. I have an extremely busy routine all day long because I am an elite Vozakel Lord. I am not a pet but rather chose your daughter to let me grace her with my presence by living in this house!"

    "Oi!" Yoonmin hissed. "You just opened the Pandora''s Box, moron!"

    "Now we''re truly dead!" Minyoon whimpered.

    "Huh? What do you mean?" Magrod asked, not knowing that he just put the final nail in the coffin.

    "THERE''S A DAMN DEMON LIVING IN MY HOUSE FOR FREE?" Minho''s voice echoed all throughout the condo, scaring the demon so much that he jumped right into Yoonmin''sp.

    "And now we''re dead," the twins said.

    бн

    Jina, Jiwoon and Hobin were in the briefing room with the Commissioner, Shun Bodung, and their department head, Taejoon. The pictures of the crime scene were hung on a board in front of them.

    Taejoon was wary of the heavy atmosphere in the room and cleared his throat.

    "Sir," he began. "May I ask why you are so interested in this case?"

    Shun did not reply but was staring at Hobin. He was unwilling to reopen this case but the situation is grave.

    "Doctor Ohm," he said, ignoring Taejoon. "Are you sure you want to investigate this case again? Last time, Wang Taehee was dered as the murderer. This one might be a copycat."

    "Do you think it''s a copycat, Shun?" Hobin asked in a t tone. He was the only one standing, his eyes fixated on the pictures. Shun sighed.

    "No," he admitted. "It''s the real deal. I''m sure of it as well."

    "You mean Wang Taehee was not the culprit?" Jiwoon asked. She had gone through the file of the Cleaver case and was confused.

    "No," Jina muttered. "She was probably framed. Right, Hobin?"

    Hobin nodded. "She was framed by the real murderer," he stated in a bitter tone.

    Jina stood up and touched his shoulder. "Tell us everything," she told him.. "Now."

 Chapter 298 - The Demon He Fears (4)

    Chapter 298 иC The Demon He Fears (4)

    "Tell us everything," Jina demanded. Hobin was hesitating but he took a deep breath.

    "Six years ago, there was a case in the UK," he began. "I had just gotten my license as a Psychiatrist, one of the youngest doctors to receive the license in the country. Even though I was only 18, I had been working with the police alongside my former Psychiatrist, Doctor Richard Alexander. I used to assist him in cases until one day, he left the country. So I took over his role as the Special Consultant to the police."

    "At that time, I had helped them to catch many killers," he went on. "The police didn''t like me because I was smarter and more resourceful than them."

    Taejoon snorted at that statement. "Are you looking down on us?" He snarled.

    "I''m looking down on ipetent idiots such as yourself," Hobin said in a dry tone. "You''re only hiding behind your highlypetent team."

    Taejoon gaped at him and was about to retort but Jiwoon said, "Doctor Ohm, please go on."

    "Anyways," Hobin said. "That time, I also had a patient visiting me. Her name was Wang Taehee and she recently lost her mother. Taehee was a few years older than me and she was already burdened with the care of her mother. She did not mind and dedicated her time to her ailing parent but it was also affecting her. You see, Taehee was immensely attached to her role as the caretaker and once her mother died, that role was taken away from her. She felt lost and suffered from grave depression to the point she was cking out. Her memories were hazy and she fainted at random times. There was nothing wrong with her physically and it was a mental illness."

    "I was treating her. She was also getting better at that time and made significant progress. Her fainting spells were also decreasing even though she was not fully healed."

    "But the city was on alert," he grimaced. "There was a serial killer on the loose."

    Hobin turned to the board and wrote a word.

    "The Cleaver," he muttered. "This serial killer was nothing like we have ever encountered. He was almost like a ghost. There were no signs of break-in and his killings were seemingly random. The victims had no connection to each other nor did the serial killer had any preference when it came to killing. He''d kill anyone he wanted; young, old, men, women and kids. But there was one thing he really liked to do. He would always spare the youngest member of the house."

    "Every serial killer loves to taunt the police. They leave something behind, a memorabilia of sorts. In the case of the Cleaver, it''s one surviving victim. The victim''s memories are his greatest triumph because he keeps on haunting them. The killer also left behind the murder weapon, an axe."

    Hobin paused and shared a meaningful look with Jina as if he wanted to tell her something in privateter on.

    "The survivors always told that same story," Hobin continued. "That it was the ghost of their recently deceased rtive who killed the victims. It was insane to hear because no fingerprints were left on the axe. The survivors were also confused and scared. Most did not want to testify at all."

    The Commissioner cleared his throat, continuing the story from there. "I was summoned to the UK because one of our citizens also died in that incident," he said. "That''s when I met Doctor Ohm and we began to work on the case together. The pattern we established was that there were recent deaths in the murder victims'' families. The victims were heavily affected by the deaths."

    Hobin nodded. "We went in circles, trying to find the murderer. We even exhumed many of the bodies of the deceased rtives of the murder victims. To our shock, the graves were empty."

    "What?" Jina gasped. "Empty? The graves were robbed?"

    "Strangely, no," Hobin replied. "There were no signs of robbery. It was as if the bodies simply disappeared. But the bodies were almost always fresh and still did not start dposing."

    "The murders were only increasing and the police were med. They needed to show progress and make the people believe that they were doing something. Nothing popped up until one day, a caretaker at a graveyard called the police and alerted them of a strange woman who was digging up something from a grave. The police immediately rushed there and found that Taehee was digging around someone''s grave."

    "She imed that she was innocent and her mother had told her to dig up the body," Hobin said in a grim tone. "Her mother had visited her and told her that she must dig up the body and cremate it as soon as possible."

    Jina frowned. Her mother told her to cremate a body? Her deceased motherбн?

    Several questions were circling her mind. Her hands were mmy with sweat and she could feel her heart race.

    "At first we thought it was the ramblings of a clinically depressed person," Hobin stated. "But the police searched her house andбнand they found the corpses of the murder victims'' previously deceased rtives. This was damning evidence. The police finally had a suspect and also proof. They were sure that it was Taehee and they arrested her."

    "But there were no fingerprints!" Jina pointed out. "The discovery of the corpses don''t link her to the murders, right?"

    She looked at the Commissioner who shook his head. "The discovery of all the corpses in her apartment was only the first evidence," he sighed. "But Taehee also stole artefacts from the murder victims'' homes. We don''t know how she did it but we found many of the missing items from the victims'' apartment. It was enough to seal her fate and the police had her convicted."

    "We tried to stop them," Hobin said in a bitter tone. "I knew thatбнthat she couldn''t do it. First of all, Taehee was physically too weak to carry around an axe. She was also suffering from a mild case of dyslexia after her mother''s death. There is no way a dyslexic person can cleave another person in a perfectly perpendicr line, that too on the head. It''s not possible."

    "So the police convicted her?" Jiwoon asked, feeling disgusted. Hobin nodded.

    "We tried to stall her conviction or at least turn it into jail time on the basis of her insanity," he gritted. "But the police and public were against it. The jury was influenced by public sentiment. They shouldn''t have been receiving any news nor information of the murders as per thew but they were somehow exposed to the public sentiments. This influenced their decision. The judges, too, were pressured into handing out a death sentence. Taehee stood no chance."

    There was a long silence following his words. It was Taejoon who spoke up.

    "I guess the Cleaver has followed you to this country," he said loudly.

    "He did," Hobin replied warily. Jina noticed that his eyes were nk and lost. He was speaking like a monotone robot devoid of all emotions.

    "The Cleaver disappeared after that incident," Commissioner Shun told them. "The police felt victorious but that was a ruse."

    He took out a paper from his pocket and put it on the table for everyone to see.

    "The main reason why I summoned Doctor Ohm to this country is because of this," he said, pointing at the paper. "I received this message a few months ago."

    The others, except for Hobin, read the message on the paper. It was written in blood.

    "You may seem to live your life well

    But in your memories I dwell

    -The Cleaver"

    "This note was delivered to my doorsteps," the Commissioner revealed. "I knew the Cleaver was still out there because like Doctor Ohm, I didn''t believe Wang Taehee was the killer. So I summoned him to this country and we decided to investigate this case in secret. We couldn''t find any clues until today."

    Jina was staring at Hobin, who had his back to her. He was investigating this in secret and hid it from her?

    "We must find this killer," Commissioner Shun went on. "This is only the beginning. Soon, more people will be killed and we will be in a lurch. No matter what happens, we can''t let an innocent person die again. The word about this shouldn''t go out now. We need to find the murderer and then reveal it to the public. Got it?"

    "Got it, sir!" Taejoon eximed. "My team and I will work on the case and catch the culprit!"

    Shun nodded. "Dismissed!" he dered.

    бн

    Jina was carrying two cups of coffee and headed back to the briefing room which was empty except for Hobin. He was staring at the pictures from the crime scene which were hung on the board.

    "Here," she said, handing him a cup of coffee.

    "Thanks," he muttered and epted the coffee. He did not drink it but was lost in his thoughts.

    "You must have figured it out by now," he finally said. Jina nodded.

    "Wang Tahee was also a Seer like me," she concluded.. "She must be distantly rted to me."

 Chapter 299 - The Demon He Fears (5)

    Chapter 299 иC The Demon He Fears (5)

    "When did you figure out that she was a Seer?" Jina demanded.

    "I had a hunch that she was like you after you revealed your powers to me," Hobin confessed. "The thing is that Taehee never let me read her memories. I never got to see what she suffered or the things she saw. Taehee used to look for her mother everywhere because she was close to her. I thought that Taehee was depressed. You see, she said that she was waiting for her mother toe back but she never exined her powers to me."

    Now that he thought about it, whenever Hobin tried to hold her hand she would always make an excuse. She would either move away or leave as if she was avoiding his touch. Taehee was not phobic to people''s touches but she particrly avoided him.

    Did a spirit warn her about his powers?

    "After I found out about your powers, I went back to the case files," he stated. "I read and re-read Taehee''s statement. She clearly said that her mother came back to warn her."

    "But that''s not all," Jina said. "She said something more, didn''t she?"

    Hobin nodded. "She did and those are not in the records."

    Jina crossed her arms. "Tell me everything."

    бн

    *Six Years Ago*

    "I don''t know why you''re wasting your time, doctor," the policeman was saying. "She''s a nutcase and a psycho!"

    The policeman was in his forties with a thick, heavy ent and a red moustache. His ginger hair was covered with a police cap and he was pot bellied. The cop turned to the young man who was barely in histe teens. He studied the auburn haired foreigner who looked more like a fashion model than a doctor.

    Yet, this boy was the youngest psychiatrist in the country and also a great asset to the UK police force. Doctor Ohm Hobin was known for his expertise in the psychology of criminals and helped the cops catch many culprits with nearly 99% uracy. The only reason he failed the rest 1% was due to his insistence that Wang Taehee was innocent.

    "I want to hear what she has to say," Hobin said curtly. He was in no mood to talk to the cops. No matter what he said or did, they would not believe his im that Taehee was innocent. They were blinded by their obsession to frame her as the criminal, something which made Hobin''s blood boil.

    "Very well," the cop said. "This way."

    He stood up from his desk and led Hobin towards the jail cells which were located in the building across his tiny office. They walked through the long hallway which was lined with cells. A few of the women locked inside were ogling at the handsomed who passed by.

    "Look at that hawtie!" One woman gasped.

    "Wanna y, kid?" Another woman winked at him. "I''m very bendy."

    "He''s a high school student!" Another one imed. "Wanna let this naughty teacher teach you?"

    Hobin did not pause but followed the cop towards the end of the corridor. There was a small meeting room located at the spot which was heavily guarded by several guards. Hobin was made to sit on a chair. Opposite to him was another chair Taehee would be sitting on.

    One of the guards checked Hobin for any possible weapon or sharp object. His phone, shoes, watch and jacket were taken away to prevent him from delivering anything to the prisoner.

    "Bring her in!" The ginger haired cop ordered the guards. Hobin waited until he heard the nking of chains and soon, a dark haired woman in herte twenties entered the room. Her pale skin was sullen and dull with several freckles on it. She had grown thinner in prison, her uniform barely even fitting her anymore.

    The guards led the chained up prisoner to the empty chair. Taehee was shaking in fear as she sat down. She did not dare to face Hobin but he wanted answers. The guards chained her to the chair and left the room to

    "Taehee," he began. "I''m going to try for another appeal. Don''t worry! I''ll get you out of here."

    Taehee shed him a sad smile. "Thank you Doctor Ohm, but I think you''ve already done enough," she said. "Besides, it''s good if I die. I can go to the Afterlife with my mother."

    She nced to her side as if she was seeing something Hobin could not but thetter did not notice her gaze.

    "Look," he said. "You''re innocent. I know it! You didn''t do anything. The cops are only trying to frame you-"

    "Doctor Ohm, I dug up the bodies and also stole the artefacts," she confessed. "I really did. But I didn''t kill anyone!"

    "I know," Hobin pressed. "Which is why you must tell me what really happened!"

    "It''s not a human killing them," she revealed. "It''s a demon! That thing is possessing the bodies of their deceased rtives and ying with their emotions. The different things I stole and burnt are the objects which tied the demon to the world. But I can''t seem to destroy it! So I had it exorcised when it was trying to possess another body. There was a shaman who helped me in trapping the demon but he ran away with the bottle where I trapped the demon!"

    Hobin had enough of her nonsense. Demons? What was she talking about?

    "Taehee, I can''t save you if you''re going to spin delusional tales!" Hobin snapped. "Just tell me the truth so that I can save you!"

    Taehee was in a dilemma. A cold wind passed by her and she heard a whisper in her ear. She was still refusing to speak, which frustrated Hobin.

    "Look, I can''t let you die!" He eximed. "You''re my patient and I know that you''re going through a lot of depression! If you only agree to the appeal and sign the papers-"

    "I''m tired, doctor," she sniffed. Her eyes were teary and she was breaking down.. "I''m tired."

 Chapter 300 - The Demon He Fears (6)

    Chapter 300 иC The Demon He Fears (6)

    Taehee''s voice was almost a whisper. She was haggard and lost, all emotions sucked out of her. The girl had no idea what to do or where to go because everything was a blur to her. Any hope she was being trampled unknowingly by Hobin.

    Hobin was at a loss. He did not know how to handle her because she was sick and needed medical help. If only he could get her out of jail, he would make sure that she got the treatment she needed.

    "I know that the whole courtroom and jail stuff are tiring-" Hobin was saying but she shook her head.

    "Jail is a much better ce to live in!" she sobbed. "It''s surprisingly peaceful here. I live in my cell with my mother-"

    "Your mother is dead-"

    "She holds my hand andforts me all the time," Taehee went on, ignoring his words. "Even now, she''s with me, watching over me! In my worst moment, she came to console me. I want to go with her, Doctor. I want to be rid of the nightmare I''ve lived in all my life!"

    "Taehee, I know that you''re depressed," Hobin said. "But we''ll get through this. You are not a killer and if you let them convict you, you''ll die for nothing! The killer wille back someday and by then it''ll be toote."

    "I am not depressed!" Taehee eximed. "IбнI am like you, Doctor Ohm. I have an ability too!"

    "What do you-"

    "You can read the memories of people," she revealed. "I know it. The spirits dwelling at the hospital saw you use your powers on people. They warned me already."

    There was a long silence between them. Hobin was trying to process what Taehee just said. She knew about his powers from the spirits at the hospital? What spirits?

    "I see them," she revealed tearfully. "Ghosts, spirits and evenбнdemons. I see them, Doctor Ohm. I''m telling you! The thing that killed those people is not a human but a demon! The only reason it stopped was due to the fact I managed to contain it!"

    Hobin was frowning. "How did you find out about my powers?" he demanded.

    "Ths spirits at the hospital told me!" She insisted. "I''m not lying!"

    She was crying hard,pletely breaking down. Taehee was a sobbing mess and Hobin concluded that she was not in her right mind because she was not taking her medication in jail.

    "The nightmares I''ve lived can''t be expressed in words," she wailed. "I''m always living in fear and I don''t know when I''ll end up killing myself! My motherбнshe was my only source of hope. I got this power from my dad''s side. The women in his family know how to see ghosts and we''re all born with it! I know it sounds crazy but it''s true."

    "When this demon began to terrorize the town, I was warned by nearby spirits that it''s looking for a Seer! I was in danger! So I-"

    Hobin had enough of her delusional talks.

    "Taehee, my powers are the result of high cognitive wavelengths in my brain!" Hobin stated. "There''s no higher power involved. It''s only luck-"

    "No, doctor! You''re different. I can feel it. I can sense something inside you. Why else do you think that I didn''t let you touch me?"

    Something else? Hobin frowned. What is she talking about?

    "Taehee, you are right now very much disturbed," he reasoned. "There are no such things as ghosts or demons. No one is here. It''s just your schizophrenia acting up again. I''ll tell the jailer to increase your dosage."

    "Please believe me!" Taehee begged. "You''re my only hope, Doctor Ohm! If you don''t believe meбнtouch my skin!"

    He frowned at her but Taehee was desperate. She had no will to live but she wanted Hobin to believe her so that he would be able to stop the demon froming back again.

    "Doctor Ohm, I don''t care if I die!" She whispered. "It''ll be much better than the life I''ve led. Do you know how scary it is to see dead people all the time? They seek me out, make me do things. They scare me every night and give me nightmares. I can''t sleep, I can''t eat. From the very beginning of my life, I''ve been seeing them! The only relief is that if I die, I can move on with my mom! That''s it. And I''ll be free from this curse."

    Hobin was gaping at her in shock. He did not believe in anything like ghosts or demons but Taehee was adamant on her beliefs. Even though she was innocent, Hobin felt she was just depressed and imagining things.

    But my psychometry is also unexinable, he thought. Taehee''s desperate pleas only reminded him of himself when he was younger. No one wanted to believe him and he was treated as an outcast.

    Was he treating Taehee the same way?

    He took a deep breath. "Okay," he said. "I''ll try it."

    Taehee was happy. It was her only hope. If he saw the ghosts in her memories, he will be convinced of her ims and also find the shaman who stole the bottle where she had kept the demon captive.

    Hobin stood up and reached out his hand to touch herбн

    "Time is up!"

    A guard barged into the cell. Hobin froze midway and quickly retracted his hand. Taehee was even more desperate.

    "Five more minutes!" She begged. "Just five more minutes! Let him touch me once!"

    "Sorry, but this is it," the guard said tly. Taehee almost jumped from her seat but she was chained to it. The guard stepped between her and Hobin, motioning thetter to leave. Hobin hesitated but turned around.

    "I''lle back tomorrow," he promised her. "And we''ll talk."

    Taehee did not say anything. She lowered her head, crying hard.

    Tomorrowбнthere will be no tomorrow, she thought in dismay. Hobin turned to catch a glimpse of her but her long hair curtained her teary face.

    "See you tomorrow, Taehee," Hobin said. Little did he know, it was thest time he was going to see her.

    "Goodbye, Doctor Ohm," she whispered.

 Chapter 301 - Cursed Luck

    Chapter 301 иC Cursed Luck

    There was a silence following Hobin''s story. Jina was still processing the new revtions, trying to wrap her head around the existence of more Seers. She knew that her rtives must be somewhere out there who may also possess the same ability as hers but to think that Taehee had suffered a tragic endбн

    "I''m sorry," Hobin whispered, trying to keep his guilt under control. For the first time in years, he was talking about hisst meeting with Taehee. For a long time, he had been questioning himself and even ming himself for her death. If he had believed her and found the demon, she may have lived. She did not deserve to die like that and it was his fault.

    "I should have believed her," he said bitterly, angry at himself. "If I had, she may have lived-"

    "She couldn''t have," Jina stated in a grim tone. "Even if you had believed her, the police and court would have executed her. They wanted evidence and a demon was not evidence. Courts only look for physical and quantitative evidence. Celestial things are not evidence at all. If people can''t see it, it doesn''t exist for them."

    She spoke calmly, analysing everything. Even though Hobin was at fault for not believing Taehee, she was doomed from the very start. With the evidence piling against her, there was no way the girl could have been spared.

    "If you''re really sorry for what you did, you should control yourself and find that demon," Jina said clearly. "Being sorry is not going to help. Taehee wanted you to find and punish that demon. Moping around isn''t gonna help, Hobin."

    She gripped his shoulder in an attempt to console him but Hobin shook his head.

    "I''m not moping," he muttered. "Even if I catch the demon, I won''t be able to forgive myself for her death. I should have believed her. She died knowing that I didn''t believe her words. I was her only hope and I betrayed her that time. I can''t forgive myself."

    Jina opened her mouth to argue but he stopped her.

    "But you''re right," he said. "I can''t continue to fixate on my guilt. Taehee wanted me to find the real killer and I''m gonna do that."

    He picked up the note from the table and stared at it. The demon left him two messagesбн

    Hobin suddenly frowned. "Something isn''t right," he said.

    "What do you mean?" Jina asked. Hobin stood up and strode towards the board where a picture of the message from the crime scene was hung. Hepared the handwriting of the two messages.

    "The handwritings don''t match," he concluded.

    "This might be due to the fact that the demon possessed two different people when writing the messages," Jina suggested but Hobin shook his head.

    "No," he said firmly. "If demons were humans once, then their behaviour and characteristics emte their personality even in their demon form. Even if they possess others, the demons can still retain their own habits. Their handwriting won''t change at all. I''m sure of it."

    "Furthermore, the timeline doesn''t make sense," he went on. "If this message was sent months ago then why did the Cleaver wait for such a long time to attack? Why didn''t he start killing that time?"

    Jina was now rmed. "Hobin, does this mean that the messages are written by two different people?" she asked. "But why?"

    "This first one must have been written to lure me back to the country," Hobin realized. "The writer must be a fraud and was pretending to be the Cleaver. The second message is from the real Cleaver."

    "Taehee said that the Cleaver was locked up in a bottle," Jina pointed out. "Does this mean that whoever stole the bottle has released him? Then the person who wrote the message must have been that shaman who stole the bottle!"

    "We''ll have to talk to your grandfather. Where is he?"

    "He''s out of town for some work," Jina groaned. Why was the old man going out of town so often?

    "We''ll have to wait for him to return," Hobin replied. "Thisбнthis is going to be a dangerous game. The Cleaver isn''t someone we can win against easily. He''s not someone to mess with. I''m sure he''ll attack again."

    "But why is he killing these people?" Jina wondered. "Is it an obsession like Sungki had with Jiwoon?"

    "Sungki''s obsession had a pattern. This one has only a connection. But there must be something more. The demon is not randomly attacking; if that was the case, he''d have killed all those with a deceased rtive. Nah. He''s targeting them for some other reason."

    "I''ll check if these people havee across any supernatural stuff in the past," Jina nodded. She held up her fist.

    "Let''s do this, partner!" She eximed. Hobin smirked and bumped her fist with his. He was now more confident that the Cleaver would be caught. Last time, he was alone and unprepared but this time, he had Jina.

    We''ll catch him, he vowed.

    бн

    Runway number 65 was isted from the rest of the airport which was bustling with people. On the ground were a few people who looked anxious. Their hearts were dreading and a few of them were sweating.

    They were all dressed in high end suits, looking prim and proper. A man in his fifties stood at the front. He was sweating in fear and he wiped his forehead. The man was Lee Jongin and he was cursing his luck.

    "Erбнsir?"

    One of the new interns named Yoseb joined him that day.

    "Why do you look so nervous?" Yoseb asked curiously. "The CEO ising back! Isn''t that good news?"

    Jongin scowled at the intern. "Good news? That guy ruined my life!" he cursed.

    "How?"

    Jongin did not want to recount it. The poor guy was enjoying his day off with his wife. His wife was a Forensic Pathologist and had a strange attachment with her job because she referred to the corpses as her ''blood and soul''. Jongin had long since grown ustomed to his entric wife because they truly loved each other.

    After many months, the husband-wife pair had gotten a day off and were nning to go on a romantic date. Everything was perfect. Jongin had nned an borate dinner and he set up the table.

    He was humming to himself when his phone rang and a familiar voice, the cursed voice which had been ruining his love life for the past few decades, came from the other end.

    "Jongin! I''m on my way back. Come to the airport!"

    That voiceбнJongin groaned. He wanted to tell that guy to toss his order up his butt.

    Instead Jonging replied, "Understood sir."

    Hence, he was at the airport in the middle of the night. Instead of being with his lovely wife, he was stuck escorting his boss all over town.

    "I should''ve quit this job years ago!" He groaned, knowing fully well that he would never do that. Jongin''s fate was cursed. He was sure that the voice would follow him in every job he would move on to.

    The air around them was starting to swirl and a ne was descending from the sky. It wasing closer and closer,nding a few meters away from the group until it stopped. The door flew open and a series of foreigners came out, holding the luggage of their boss.

    It was a private ne which was manned by the finest crew and pilots. The ne was one of the fastest and supposedly the most expensive private nes in the world. Only one of the richest, no, the richest man in the world could own it.

    Only thing was, the richest man in the world was a notorious miser and had haggled the price of the ne so much that he was able to buy it for a quarter of the price.

    And the miser in question was walking down the stairs of the ne.

    A tall man in his early sixties was descending the steps. He had a boisterous dignity about him, a charismatic aura which oozed out of him. Even in that age, he was fit and proud with a distinctively handsome face. His brown hair was a little greyish now but the man could easily pass off as someone in his forties. He wore a long trench coat with a turtleneck vest and a pair of sunsses.

    Beside him was a short woman in her fifties. She hadrge doe-like eyes with long, straight hair. If the man beside her had an arrogant demeanour, she was gentler and sweeter with a bright smile. She had a few lines on her face but her beauty was unparalleled.

    Jongin stepped forward to greet them.

    "Wee sir," he said with a bow but the brown haired man did not have time.

    "Take us to the condo," he ordered in a menacing tone. "Now."

    Beside him, the woman sighed and shook her head warily but it was futile to stop him.

    "Y-Yes sir!" Jongin squeaked.

 Chapter 302 - Bank Statement

    Chapter 302 иC Bank Statement

    Minyoon and Yoonmin were sitting on the couch, looking distressed. Soobin and Baekha were sitting opposite to them, holding Miyoo and Magrod respectively. They were staring at the twins, unable to understand what was going on. Miyoo, on the other hand, had calmed down and was munching on chips without a care in the world.

    "Uhhбнguys?" Soobin began. "What''s wrong?"

    "This is bad," Yoonmin muttered.

    "Very bad," Minyoon murmured.

    "Danger is arriving."

    "Is arriving."

    "We''re doomed."

    "Doomed."

    "Oi, will you tell us what the hell is going on?" Baekha snapped. "You''re making me nervous!"

    "Miyoo told our parents everything and I''m sure that they''ll not stay put," Yoonmin groaned. "We shouldn''t have called them!"

    "Dad is going to ask me for my financial records!" Minyoon squeaked. "And you know how bad I''m as maths! He''s gonna strangle me with those papers if he finds out I didn''t produce an album this month."

    "What nonsense!" Baekha scoffed. "Strangle you with paper? He''s not a monster! Hwang Minho isn''t that badбнI hope."

    "He''s worse!" Yoonmin said in a dramatic tone. "Money is everything to him. You don''t have money, he''ll not even nce at you. The man is more money minded than us. You think that we are bad? I fuss over 0.005 percent loss but he''ll fuss over 0.00005 percent or even lower margin loss."

    Magrod was now scared. "I''m living here for free!" He squeaked.

    "Yes, you owe him 500,000 dors," Minyoon whispered. "That too with interest!"

    In reality, the twins were exaggerating some of the things because they were secretly enjoying the reactions of the others. Only Miyoo was frowning at them wondering what the hell they were talking about. Her dad was nice!

    "And our mom is even scarier," Minyoon imed. "She''s really something of a strict and distinguished woman."

    "Isn''t she in the Interpol?" Soobin squeaked, feeling scared. "Is she that scary?"

    Minyoon nodded. "She caught many famous serial killers," he nodded. "Have you heard of the CCK?"

    "CCK?" Baekha frowned. "The cannibal killer? I heard of him from one of my dark web friends. Apparently he used to eat the hearts of girls."

    "H-Heart?" Soobin was now scared.

    "My mother caught the CCK!" Yoonmin imed. "Technically, she caught the person who was possessed by the CCK because the real CCK was dead. It was his spirit who came back after many years and began killing again. My mom caught him and even beat the daylights out of him!"

    "She even caught the Tinder Butcher!" Minyoon quipped. "You know the one who was finding men on Tinder and killing them? She caught her. Right now, she''s one of the highest paid police women in the world! Why else do you think dad married her?"

    "For her money?" Soobin mumbled. She was now extremely depressed.

    No money, no looks and nothing outstanding about me! She thought. Will they hate me? Do I have to break up with Yoonie?

    Soobin''s heart fell. She really liked Yoonmin and to break up with him was a saddening thought for her. What if his parents hated her?

    The images of two very arrogant and haughty people came to her mind, looming over her. They were going to hate her!

    Miyoo picked up a chip and threw it at Yoonmin, annoyed. Her brother winked at her, clearly enjoying tormenting his girlfriend.

    "Are theying here?" Soobin asked nervously.

    "Nah," Yoonmin assured her. "I''m sure they won''te. Not right now, anyway. It''ll take them time to arrive. At least a week because all the flights are booked."

    "Better get your bank bnce statement ready girls," Minyoon let out a fake sigh. "Because Hwang Minho and Jeon Gayoon are going to-"

    DING!

    The twins frowned. Who could that be?

    Yoonmin strode towards the door and opened it. As soon as he opened the door, he froze in shock, his face going pale.

    "Ohбнmyбнgodбн" He stammered. His back was covering the door so the others could not see who it was.

    "Oi, who is it?" Magrod asked. Minyoon also frowned and went towards his twin.

    "What is going on-" He was asking before freezing on the spot.

    "Ohбнmyбнgodбн" He echoed his twins'' reaction. The girls and Magrod were curious about what was going on but Miyoo happily jumped from Soobin''sp and rushed towards the door, looking excited.

    "Mommy!" She eximed.

    Instantly, a short, petite woman barged into the house with her arms outstretched.

    "Miyoo!" Gayoon gasped and hugged her youngest daughter, feeling ted. It had been so long since she hugged her daughter that she could not hold back her tears.

    "Oh my baby!" She squealed. "Mommy is so sorry! I will never leave you alone again! Never ever again!"

    "Mommy!" Minyoon squealed and hugged Gayoon from the back. "I missed you too!"

    The earlier dread was gone and he was happily chirping with his mother.

    "I missed you mom," Yoonmin smiled and embraced her and his siblings, making it a giant group hug.

    "My babies!" Gayoon squealed with happiness. "IбнI''m gonna cry now!"

    Her eyes were tearing up. It was hard to let her children stay far away from her but all of them inherited the strong genes of the Hwang family and wanted to start bing independent from an early age. While she was happy to see them growing well, she wished they would be together more often.

    Soobin, Baekha and Magrod were staring in shock. The dark haired woman was friendly and warm withrge doe-like eyes like Jina''s. In fact she looked a lot like Jina except that she was shorter and mature.

    This was the scary mother the twins talked about?

    Magrod was also staring at the woman with interest. Even though it was faint, he could sense a slight presence of Seer powers in her. Was she Hwang Jina''s mother?

    This is interesting, he thought.

    "She doesn''t seem that scary," Baekhamented. But Soobin was scared.

    She''s going to make us break up! She thought in dismay. I don''t wanna break up with Yoonie!

 Chapter 303 - [Bonus ]: Doctor Demon And The Money Lover

    Chapter 303 иC [Bonus ]: Doctor Demon And The Money Lover

    "Tight!" Miyoo pouted, feeling suffocated under the group hug. Her brothers instantly let go but hovered around their mom.

    "Mom, my album sold out a million copies!" Minyoon imed happily.

    "I topped maths again," Yoonmin nodded. "And made a billion dors in profit."

    "I''m not interested in all that!" Gayoon sighed. "I want to knowбн"

    Her eyes fell on the girls who were now on alert. Gayoon''s smile disappeared and she was curious about them.

    "You must be Soobin," she said, her eyes narrowing on Soobin. With Miyoo still in her arms, she walked towards the girls.

    "K-Kim Soobin!" Soobin stammered. "I-I amбн"

    "Dating Yoonmin," Gayoon finished for her. "I-"

    "I really really like Yoonmin!" Soobin blurted, her face turning red. "I m-m-may be poor and not so g-g-g-good looking but I really like him! And my f-f-f-feelings are genuine which isn''t on any b-b-b-bank statement so please don''t make me break up with him!"

    Gayoon blinked in surprise. What was this girl talking about?

    Miyoo whispered something into Gayoon''s ear, Her mother frowned and turned towards the culprits in question.

    "You told them that I will check their bank statement?" She scolded her sons. "Why would you scare the poor girls? Is this how you treat your girlfriends?"

    "I''m not anyone''s girlfriend!" Baekha imed.

    "It was a joke!" Yoonmin pouted. "We were just having fun!"

    "APOLOGISE TO HER!" Gayoon demanded. "NOW!"

    Miyoo snickered at her brother''s expression. Soobin was clueless but d that she did not have to show her bank statement in order to date Yoonmin. She did not own a bank ount anyway.

    "Sorry," he mumbled.

    "Good," Gayoon said. She smiled at the girls and said, "Thank you for putting up with these two. They''re a handful but really nice boys."

    She patted Yoonmin''s head, making him blush.

    "Mommy, pat me as well!" Minyoon whined.

    "Me too!" Miyoo whined.

    "Ugh! And you guys scared me into believing that your mother was a monster," Magrod spoke up. "I''m d she''s alright for a human being."

    There was a deathly silence following his words. Gayoon stared at the stuffed alpaca, her expression unreadable.

    "That''s a talking alpaca dollбн" she began. "Please don''t tell meбнthat is the demon?"

    "Errбн"

    "Uhhбн"

    "Mom!"

    Gayoon turned around to find her eldest daughter standing at the doorway. Without a word, Jina rushed to hug her mother as tight as she could.

    It was as if she was hugging her mother for the first time but Jina could not exin how much she missed her. The strong and tough Jina was crying with happiness, looking like a little girl who had found her favourite toy again. Jina received a call from Jongin who told her of her parents'' arrival.

    "My big baby!" Gayoon chuckled. "No more nightmares for you, okay? Mommy is here. But there is something we need to addressбн"

    She let go of Jina. "Your boyfriend," Gayoon said. "We need to talk about him."

    бн

    Hobin had just parked the car outside the twins'' condo. Jina told him to rush to their ce but she did not mention the reason she was going there all of a sudden.

    Is everything alright? He wondered. Hobin got out of the car and was walking towards the building when a voice spoke up.

    "Doctor Ohm Hobin?"

    Hobin paused in his steps and slowly turned around. A tall man with greyish brown hair was standing behind him. Hobin froze in shock.

    "Auburn haired young man who is a doctor and also half demon," Minho stated, directly looking into Hobin''s eyes. "And can read memories upon touching people. That''s you, isn''t it?"

    Hobin did not speak but was staring at him with many unspoken emotions. This manбнthe one who saved his soul.

    "I''m concerned about you and my daughter," Minho went on, careful to keep a distance between him and Hobin. "I usually respect her decision but after ourst encounter with a demon, I think that it''s best if you stop your rtionship with my daughter-"

    "Twenty seven years agoбнyou changed someone''s life," Hobin said. "Can you change his life again?"

    Minho frowned. "What are you-"

    "The Bunny Dance at the mall is still the coolest thing I''ve ever seen. When I was scared and running for my life, there was a man in a bunny costume who reached out to me and said that everything was going to be okay."

    Minho was now confused but something was stirring in his heart. Bunny dance? The mall? There was only one person who saw him doing the Bunny Dance at a mall so many years ago.

    But thisd is barely twenty five, he thought. And the dance at the mall was twenty four years agoбн

    "That monster caught me at that time and killed me," Hobin whispered. "But someone saved my soul. A man who loves money but has a soft heart. A man who made sure I was happy in myst moments on Earth. That manбнwas you, Mr. Hwang."

    "Who are you?" Minho slowly asked. Hobin took a deep breath. "How did you read my memories?"

    "I didn''t read your memories," Hobin revealed. "These are my memories. I''m the boy whose soul you saved. The boy whom you met alive at the mall''s washroom but found wandering as a ghost at your private property. The boy whose life you couldn''t save but you saved his soul. IбнI am Kang Shinho."

    Minho waspletely shocked. How was this possible? This boy did not even read his memories!

    "No way," he said. "Shinho is dead! You must have read my memories some other way and-"

    "Do you really believe that, Bunny Uncle?" Hobin asked in a simple, yet painful way. It was the same pain that Minho had heard many years ago in Shinho''s voice. For a moment, Shinho''s innocent face shed in front of him and he was reminded of the innocent child who hade to him for help.

    "I came back," Hobin revealed. "I was reincarnated and I came back. Even if I''m not fully human, I came back for Jina. Only you know about this. I could''ve told her about my final secret but I didn''t because you deserved to know it first."

    He was not sad nor pleading. He knew that Minho might not believe his words but he was being honest. Minho was frowning at him but he could see that the boy was saying what he believed.

    "You and I have a lot to talk about," Minho finally said.. "Follow me."

 Chapter 304 - Mothers Are Scary

    Chapter 304 иC Mothers Are Scary

    Gayoon was sternly staring at her children with Miyoo in her arms who was unsure of what was going on. Soobin and Baekha were also there, looking from the mother to her kids. Magrod stood on the table, looking grim.

    "How did that demon enter this house?" Gayoon asked.

    "Miyoo found him at a mall and brought him back," Minyoon said.

    Gayoon gave her youngest one a re. "Miyoo, how many times do I have to tell you? Don''t bring strange creatures home!"

    "Maggie looks for a prince!" Miyoo imed. "Not BTS princes. Miyoo likes BTS princes! Miyoo helps Maggie!"

    Gayoon was wary. She was not fully sure whether to trust thisбнMaggie or not but he did not cause any harm so far. If what the twins said was true then the demon was even protecting her family.

    "But why are you going against the other demons?" Gayoon asked Magrod. "Isn''t it too dangerous? They''re your own kind after all!"

    "Hey! We''re only supposed to give out contracts, not go on some mad drive to take over the world!" Magrod imed. "Do you know how much hard work that is? If demons take over, we''ll have to feed the humans, govern them, look over all the administrative stuff andбнugh, use taxes from them! I''d rather just stuff the silly humans into Hell to burn than demons rule over them on Earth!"

    This is one strange creature, Gayoon thought.

    "Mom, he''s a good demon," Jina said. "He helped us many times. Just as he said, demons were humans too. Just how there are good and bad humans, there are good and bad demons. We just happen to run into the bad ones a lot."

    "Stay hundreds of years in Hell and you''ll turn bad too," Magrod said in a dark tone. "The things those souls have to go through in order to be demonsбнit''s scary."

    "That''s contradicting my experience with demons though," Gayoon frowned. "Many years ago, there was a demon which terrorized us for a while. That demon nearly killed Minho''s brother-inw, Kanji. He then took over Kanji''satose body and kept on creating havoc. He was trying to get his lover broken out of Hell and was using Jina and Minho to open the gates to Hell. But if what you said is true then he could''ve just waited until his lover turned into a demon. Why go through all the hassle?"

    "By the description you mentioned, that demon belonged to the Aken ss," Magrod nodded. "It''s not unusual for some demons to forget their past life as a human. Maybe that demon forgot he was human once and didn''t know that his lover would also be a demon eventually. Moreover, love is a dangerous obsession for any demon. It makes them blind to the point that their mind only reys their obsession and nothing else. Once demons fall in love, they''d do anything to get the person they''re in love with. Even if it means bringing them to Hell."

    "But that''s so weird!" Yoonmin frowned. "Doctor Ohm''s dad is the ruler of Hell, right? The King or whatever? He fell in love with a human and ended up having a baby with her! Howe he''s not this obsessive?"

    "The Lord of Hell is unlike any other demon," Magrod replied. "There''s a reason why he''s ruling Hell. You see, when a person turns into a demon, their feelings and emotions are multiplied by a million times. The ones with a lot of greed, hatred or anger are the ones who most likely be obsessed. The Lord, however, has perfect control over his emotions. Even after falling in love and then losing his lover over and over again didn''t affect his control. Only a person like him can rule Hell."

    Gayoon was listening to everything carefully. She was already informed about the situation with Jina''s boyfriend and also, the powers he possessed.

    "Mom, there''s one more thingбн" Jina said. She quickly summed up everything she found out about Wang Taehee, making Gayoon frown.

    "Wang Taehee?" She echoed. "WangбнAh yes! There is a Wang family branch in our family tree. I remember that one of our ancestors was a married woman but she was also the concubine for an Emperor. She gave birth to the Emperor''s sons who went on to create the Wang dynasty. Our family branched out from her husband''s side. Taehee must have been the descendant of the Wang''s. Poor girlбн"

    Magrod was now highly interested. "The Cleaver, huh?" he asked. "That demon returned recently?"

    "And there''s a Brethren too!" Jina imed.

    "BrethrenбнI should''ve known!" He eximed.

    "What is thisбнBrethren?"

    "The Prince''s Hand," he revealed. "The ones who are trying for hundreds of years to bring him back and rule Hell. Once he takes over Hell, he can unleash all the demons to the world and make humans his ves."

    "Were they involved in the recent attacks on my kids?" Gayoon asked.

    "Duh! Oi kids, listen up! Whatever happens, do not let this one out of sight even for a single second!"

    He pointed at Miyoo as he said it. Somehow, the child realized the gravity of his words, clutching her mother tight.

    "Mommy, Miyoo is scared!" She mumbled.

    "What does this Brethren want with Miyoo?" Gayoon demanded.

    "The curse which was put on the pure blood Prince is very strong," Magrod replied. "It was put on him by the Lord of Hell himself. To break that curse, a very powerful human needs to be sacrificed. A human who has not reached the age of ten. This one here is a Seer and is under the age of ten. She ticks all the boxes!"

    A long silence followed his words. Miyoo clung on to her mother while Gayoon went pale. The twins and the girls gaped in shock. Jina looked grim and worried.

    "The Cleaver is probably an Aken," Magrod went on. "Someone whom the Brethren is using to bring more souls for the Prince. He needs to eat the souls to sustain himself and gain enough power to break the curse."

    "W-What do we do now?" Soobin stammered.

    "It''s obvious," Gayoon said. "We kick the Brethren to the curb."

    She flexed her fingers and added in a dangerous tone, "No one can hurt my kids and get away with it. Not even a stupid demon!"

    Seeing their mother fired up, the children winced. Even Magrod was scared to see the petite woman''s wrath.

    Human mothers are scary, he thought.

 Chapter 305 - Another Chance

    Chapter 305 иC Another Chance

    Hobin was nervous in front of Minho. Thetter had brought him to a ce which Hobin had consciously avoided for a long time after he found out that he was Shinho''s reincarnation. Yet, there was no escaping his past anymore.

    They stood in front of the ruins of an old building. It was once a hospital, a top hospital in the country and was known for its amazing services. The ce ran well until twenty five years ago, a devastating fire destroyed the ce. No one knew how the fire started but the patients and staff were safely evacuated earlier because prior to the fire, a criminal was holding a few people hostage. To catch him, the rest of the hospital was evacuated.

    The criminal was Doctor Kang Danny, Shinho and Siwan''s father.

    "He killed many people," Minho remarked. "The man who was supposed to be a savior, turned out to be a murderer. But of course, you must knowбн"

    He turned to Hobin who was unusually still and ufortable.

    "Do you still think that I''m lying?" Hobin asked him. He had told Minho everything he remembered from his time as Shinho and how he ended up as a half demon in his current life.

    Minho silently listened to him, his earlier suspicions starting to vanish. The things Hobin said about his time as Shinho were too vivid and real to be something he heard from someone else. Hobin was even able to tell which brand of belt Kang Danny wore because the sadistic doctor used that belt to beat up Shinho in the basement. Even Danny''s wife and eldest son were unaware of these details.

    "I don''t think you''re lying," Minho said carefully. "But I still don''t fully believe you given your powers."

    "I know," Hobin sighed. "It is hard to believeбн"

    He was staring at the hospital where Danny had died. The scene of him being pulled by the spirits of his victims was vivid in his memory.

    "But he still torments me," Hobin whispered. "Kang Danny."

    Minho looked at him for a long time, his eyes mixed with a little bit of doubt and pity.

    "He should," Minho finally said. "He was a monster, after all."

    "I only shared this fact with you," Hobin said. "Not anyone else. Even Jina doesn''t know that IбнI''m Shinho. She knows about our shared past life as the Demon Prince and Butterfly Priestess but not this."

    "And why didn''t you tell her?"

    "There''s just too much going," Hobin sighed. "I guess, I just wanted to forget that part of my life and live happily with Jina."

    Minho was a little wary but he did notment. His earlier concerns about Jina dating a half demon was starting to evaporate but he was still a father and he was concerned.

    "We''ll have to start looking for those who are trying to harm the two of you," he finally said. "This group that you guys keep running intoбнthey sound very influential. If they have been surviving for hundreds of years, then I''m sure that they''re loaded with money and power."

    Hobin was listening carefully to the older man. Minho was carefully assessing the situation.

    "And this Cleaverбнare you sure that this is the same demon?"

    "I''m sure of it."

    "Have you ever had any experience with a serial killer?"

    "I read about them and worked on the Cleaver case-"

    "I meant, did you have an experience with one?" Minho asked. "Not a demon but rather a full fledged killer who kills for joy. Did youe face to face with one?"

    Hobin shook his head.

    "I did," Minho confessed. "Many years ago, me and my sister came across the CCK. He tried to kill my sister and I rushed to save her when I was a teenager. I thought I had killed him but he resurfaced many yearster as a spirit. Finally, my wife and I managed to get rid of him for good."

    "He was unlike anything I''ve ever seen. Cops can psychoanalyse a criminal in hypothetical terms buting face to face with one is a different reality. They don''t look for logic or happiness. Those things mean nothing to them. What they look forбн"

    Minho''s tone grew more grim as he added, "Satisfying their bloodlust."

    "The Cleaver was targeting the murder victims through their deceased rtives," Hobin said. "He may have been possessing the dead bodies of the rtives and making the victims sign a contract!"

    "If what you said is true and demons were humans before they died then chances are that the demon in his past life was also a serial killer," Minho stated. "If a killer like CCK was not thwarted by death, then I''m sure that a demon won''t be either."

    He paused and added, "Look up on serial killers in the past who targeted vulnerable families who suffered the loss of a loved one. Could be hundreds of years ago."

    Minho turned to face Hobin but to his surprise, the youth was smiling.

    "What the hell are you smiling for?" he frowned.

    "Nothing!" Hobin lied but he could not help feel happy that his bunny uncle was helping him. This case was going to test him in ways no one couldprehend and he was sure that the demon inside him was also going to harm him.

    Was it fate or something else Hobin did not know but he was d that Minho had arrived at a time when he needed a saviour the most. If there was someone who could save him, it was Hwang Minho.

    "Don''t be too happy because I still don''t approve of you as my daughter''s boyfriend!" Minho snapped. "You''re gonna put her in danger-"

    "I will protect her with my life!" Hobin swore, his eyes shining with sincerity. "I didn''t return for nothing. I returned for her sake and I will keep on returning for her. No matter what happens, I won''t stop loving her. Past, present or future. One or millions of lives. I don''t care. In every lifetime, I will love her and no amount of money can amount to the love I hold for her."

    Minho was gaping at the kid. Is he for real? Minho was thinking.

    "That''s a corny dialogue," he muttered. "You watch way too many movies, kid. A simple ''I love her'' would have done."

    Hobin pursed his lips, feeling embarrassed at his tant confession.

    "But I gotta tell you, kid," Minho went on. "You''ve got a little bit of charm. A tiny bit. I might have to test your sincerity for my daughter. Just remember one thing. Don''t you dare get my daughter pregnant before marriage!"

    Hobin blinked at him. "Wasn''t Jina born way before you got married to her mother?" he pointed out.

    "Jina was a test tube baby and that doesn''t count!"

    "I don''t n to make test tube babies," Hobin gloated. "I''m a traditional man and I prefer the traditional way-"

    "STOP! THAT''S WORSE, OI! BREAK UP WITH MY DAUGHTER THIS VERY MOMENT!"

    But Hobin grinned. Minho was aghast at the boy who was clearly enjoying tormenting him.

    "Tch! Men nowadays have no shame!" Minho scowled.

    "Says the guy who was in a live-in rtionship with the mother of his kids," Hobin muttered back.

    "Say that again and I''ll ban you from Jina''s house!"

    "I''ll just take her to my house."

    They bickered all the way back to the twins'' condo with Minho losing every argument against Hobin.

    Ugh, there''s no way this rude brat is our sweet little Shinho! He grumpily thought.

    Yet, he could not help feeling a little hopeful that the boy he failed to save probably got another chance to live and grow up well.

 Chapter 306 - Green Brooch

    Chapter 306 иC Green Brooch

    Junho was grumbling loudly. His son and daughter-inw were looking down at him with stern expressions while Jina and the twins were cowering in a corner. Hobin sat back, observing the family drama with Miyoo on hisp, munching on popcorn. The girls were sent home but not before Gayoon cooked them a meal which was going to stay in their system for weeks.

    Magrod was purring on Yoonmin''s head, d that the pretty detective managed to console her husband and talked him into letting him stay in the house ("He''s a free babysitter after all!" Gayoon imed).

    It was only after they left that Junho returned to find the pair of angry parents waiting to pounce on him.

    "Old man, did you leave your granddaughter and go off on a date with one of your Tinder oldies?" Minho asked shrewdly.

    "Aw hell no!" Junho imed. "When I go on dates, I take Miyoo along coz cute babies are a great tool for conversation starters! Women gush over her and I get a chance to score more dates-"

    "Then where were you, ahjusshi?" Gayoon asked, peering her eyes at him.

    "I-IбнI was looking for Bomi!" Junho revealed. "Ugh!"

    The old man scowled in annoyance. "I can''t reach him over the phone!" He revealed. "I went to his house, checked with his friends and even called up the different councils for exorcism which he''s associated with. No one has any idea where he is."

    Everyone except Minho and Gayoon gasped.

    "Who''s Bomi?" Gayoon frowned.

    "He''s a friend, a shama who''s an expert on demons. Well, we''re still learning because so far we only took care of low level demons. It''s just that recently, we''ve been encountering higher level demons."

    "He wasn''t there during the Blue Fish murders either," Hobin realized.

    "Well, in your absence, Miyoo was attacked," Minho revealed.

    "Birdie attacked Miyoo!" Miyoo chimed in. "Big birdie! Big nails and red!"

    "WHAT?" Junho roared. "Who is this demon? I''ll kill it with my bare hands!"

    "Why else do you think her parents came running?" Magrod sneered. "Are you really that dim, old man?"

    "But it was strange," Yoonmin muttered. "All the ss made objects exploded as well. The entire house was under attack."

    "But if that thing really wanted to take Miyoo, then it would have," Minho deduced. "It wasn''t trying to take her away. Not yet, anyway. I''m sure it was trying to scare you guys."

    Jina was in deep thought while the others gave their own theories. After the earlier talk with her mother and the twins, she was starting to put together a few of the pieces.

    "The Brethren need a Seer, right?" she asked.

    "Yeah," Magrod replied. "Why?"

    "Let''s assume that the recent serial killing by the Aken is the Brethren''s doing," she stated. "Is it possible that the attack on Miyoo and the killings are connected? Like, the demon was not only scaring her but also warning us about something?"

    Hobin was doing some quick thinking. "Is Miyoo''s room clean or in the same state asst night?" He asked the twins.

    "We only cleaned the living room," Yoonmin muttered. "We didn''t go up there. What if the demon attacks that ce again?"

    "Everyone, stay here," he ordered, handing Miyoo back to her mother. "Only grandpa Hwang and Maggie wille with me."

    Magrod jumped off Yoonmin''s head and followed Junho and Hobin to Miyoo''s room. They peered through the door as if expecting another attack.

    "Ah!" Magrod yelped. "What was that? Something just brushed against my foot!"

    "That was your other foot," Hobin muttered. "Your cloth ising off."

    Magrod nced at his hind leg and realized the cloth was loose and needed stitching.

    "Ohh!" He chuckled. "Sorry!"

    "Get in there!" Junho growled and pushed him inside the room. Magrod scanned the bedroom which was arge pile of mess. The demon had trashed it badly and broke every single toy Miyoo owned and tore off all her books.

    "This is bad," Magrod muttered as he stood over her precious idol posters which had been ripped to shreds. "That girl is gonna scream her lungs out if she sees this."

    "She won''t see all this till tomorrow," Junho said. "She''s too busy being spoiled by her mom and dad at the moment. I''ll have to buy all of this again for her!"

    Now Junho was really angry. Not only did the demon hurt his grandchild but also made him spend money! It was personal now.

    "Once I get my hands on that demon, I''ll torture it so much that it''s gonna go back running to its mother!" Junho vowed. Behind him Hobin and Magrod shook their heads in dismay.

    "Just keep looking!" Hobin snapped as he rummaged through the broken objects. He was not sure what they were searching for but his gut feeling was saying that the demon was not just warning them but there was something else. It left a clue and Hobin wanted to see it.

    "What''s this?" Magrod asked. "This isn''t Miyoo''s."

    He held up a small, pink box which was the only thing left unscathed. It was wrapped with a red ribbon as if it was a gift.

    "Open it," Junho urged. Magrod slowly peeled the ribbon open and the trio opened the box. For a moment, none of them spoke.

    "What''s this?" Junho frowned.

    "Looks like junk, doesn''t it Prince?" Magrod asked. He nced at Hobin and to his surprise, thetter''s face had gone white with shock. Hobin was staring at the object with a nk expression as if he could not believe his eyes.

    "Thisбнthis isбн"

    He picked up a small green brooch which was shaped like a rose. It was not an expensive one but rather a handmade brooch with small beads sewed on the border.

    "Do you know whose it is?" Margrod asked. He sniffed it and added, "I smell a hint of sulphur but it might be due to the fact a demon touched it. I don''t sense any demon being tied to it."

    "There isn''t any demon tied to it," Hobin muttered. With shaky hands, he turned around the brooch.

    "This is Wang Taehee''s brooch," he revealed. "The one she was wearing when she was executed.. It was the only thing she requested to hold before her death."

 Chapter 307 - Little Things

    Chapter 307 иC Little Things

    Siwan was in his office when there was a knock on his door. He looked up to see Ilhoon and Hana entering his cabin. Ilhoon was smiling while Hana looked a lot more lively than she was a few days ago.

    "Hello Doctor!" Hana greeted him. "Thank you for helping me again!"

    "Hana," Siwan smiled. "Are you feeling sick anymore?"

    The little girl shook her head. "She''s eating a lot more now," Ilhoon remarked. "Your treatment is working as well. We have a nurse to take care of her and she goes on her regr walks as well."

    "She needs care rather than a nurse," Siwan stated. "A little child just lost her father and her mother is away for a long time. Hana needs to have her grandparents and uncle with her."

    He smiled at Hana who smiled back at him. She was shy around the handsome doctor and even had a tiny crush on him. Her cheeks grow red.

    "I try to be good," Hana nodded. "I also don''t annoy my grandparents."

    "That''s good to hear!" Siwan said. Ilhoon addressed Hana.

    "Hana, can you go and wait for me in the car?" he requested her. "Nanny Jo is outside the room. She will take you back. Uncle wants to talk to the doctor for a minute."

    Hana nodded and ran off. Siwan was frowning a little, wondering what was going on. Did Ilhoon want to talk about Hana? Was there something wrong with her which he could not talk about in front of her?

    "Is everything alright?" Siwan asked.

    "Doctor Kang," Ilhoon began. "I might be out of line here but can I ask you one thing?"

    "Sure."

    "Are you close with Jisoo?"

    There was an awkward silence between them. Siwan was not sure how to answer that. Was he close to her? He did not know the answer. Did he want to be close to her?

    He did not know the answer to that either.

    "I''m sorry for probing," Ilhoon quickly said. "It''s just thatбнI lost contact with her after she moved away from our old neighbourhood. And when I met her again, she''s no longer Ming Jisoo but Kim Jiwoon. I want to know what happened to her. What made her turn from Jisoo to Jiwoon?"

    "Why don''t you ask her?" Siwan frowned.

    "I want to but I can feel the pain in her voice," Ilhoon sighed. He recalled the day they met again. The soft and shy Jisoo he knew was still there but with a hint of immense grief in her voice. It was as if Jisoo had not just lost her identity but her whole existence to turn herself into Jiwoon. Ilhoon''s heart was aching at the thought of losing her again and he was determined to stay in her life, not just as a friend but as something more.

    "I know she will tell me but I don''t want her to relive the trauma," he said. "I noticed that you are close to her and perhaps, you know what happened to her."

    "Why do you want to know about her past?" Siwan asked. "Isn''t it better to let it go and embrace an old friend?"

    "I want to know her past so that I can make her future better," Ilhoon revealed.

    Ilhoon was forward and honest with his thoughts, not mincing his words at all. He was clear about his feelings, something which Siwan would have found admirable.

    Yes, Siwan would have found it admirable under ordinary circumstances.

    But now, he could not help disliking them. He did not want Ilhoon to be straightforward and honest. In fact, he wanted Ilhoon far away from Jiwoon. Far far away.

    Don''t say it, Siwan was inwardly chanting as if it was a prayer. Don''t say it out loud.

    He sped his palms together as if trying not to react in a way he did not want to. All he wished was for Ilhoon not to say the next words.

    "I love her," Ilhoon revealed. "And I want to marry her."

    Something in Siwan was on the verge of breaking out. He wanted to tell Ilhoon to leave but he did not say it. Instead, he leaned forward, unblinking and unflinching as he faced llhoon.

    "Whom do you want to marry?" Siwan asked in a clear tone. "Ming Jisoo, the shy and docile girl you fell in love with? Or Kim Jiwoon, the quiet but strong woman who is in love with someone else?"

    Ilhoon frowned. "Someone else? Who?"

    "Me," Siwan revealed. "Kim Jiwoon is in love with me."

    Ilhoon was shocked by the revtion. Jiwoon was in love with this doctor? He was eyeing the handsome doctor with interest now. Then he let out a chuckle.

    "Are you implying that I should back out simply because Jiwoon is holding special feelings for you?" he asked. "I don''t mind if she is in love with someone else. I''ll support her in it. But there is something which did not go amiss by me."

    His eyes darkened and he leaned forward, sitting formally as if he was in a business meeting.

    "You''re talking as if you are already dating her and I know that you''re not," Ilhoon stated outright. "Which means that either you''re too shy to reveal your feelings or you hold no special feelings for her but when someone else does, you feel threatened. Isn''t that a little too much?"

    Siwan was a little abashed by his statement. Threatened? Why was he feeling so threatened?

    "If you don''t love her, then isn''t it best for her to move on with someone else?" Ilhoon argued. "I''m her friend and I have known her the longest. Whereas you are a passing fancy to her. Unless you actually like her back and confess to her, I don''t think that I''m doing anything wrong in pursuing her."

    "You''re-"

    "Wrong? Then does it mean you love her?"

    Siwan''s fingers clenched into a fist. He did not want to reveal his true feelings in front of this man.

    "She''s a close friend and I''m only cautioning you," Siwan lied. "As for her feelings, I genuinely acknowledge them as a friend-"

    He froze midway. His eyes fell on the door where a thin figure stood.

    Jiwoon was expressionless. She arrived at the hospital to check up on the boy from thetest crime scene and decided to stop by at Siwan''s cabin. But she overheard their conversation.

    "Jiwoonбн" Siwan began. Ilhoon also turned around and was surprised.

    "I just met the boy from the crime scene," she imed. "He''s still unconscious. Do you know when he''ll wake up?"

    "I don''t know," Siwan said. "Jiwoon, look-"

    "I shall get going then," she said with a small smile. She paused before addressing Ilhoon.

    "Ilhoon, can you drop me off at the police station? I didn''t bring my car today."

    Ilhoon nodded. "Sure!" He eximed. Turning to Siwan, he added, "We''ll be going then."

    Siwan did not acknowledge him, his eyes on Jiwoon''s pain stricken expression. Her mask had slightly slipped, revealing that she was very much hurt. He helplessly watched her leave, not knowing what to do.

    It was as if someone was tearing his heart apart. With every step Jiwoon took with Ilhoon, Siwan was feeling the pain. He did not want to admit to llhoon about his true thoughts regarding Jiwoon.

    He could not admit how he noticed her every move. About how she had a musicalugh which calmed his heart. She also had a habit of running her fingers through her hair whenever she was tense. Siwan did not want to reveal how much he noticed her smallest things. He did not want to admit that every time she was around, he wanted to talk to her and be with her. Minutes, hours, days, nights. An eternity.

    "Is this really love?" He wondered sadly.

 Chapter 308 - A Calming Balm

    Chapter 308 иC A Calming Balm

    Hobin yawned widely as he entered his apartment. He turned on the lights and slumped on his chair before reaching out into his pocket to take out the brooch. It was sparkling under the light, its many beads shining brightly. He turned it over absentmindedly, not sure what to feel.

    The day Taehee died, she was wearing this brooch. It was thest gift her mother had given her and Hobin was feeling disturbed. How did this end up in the possession of the Brethren?

    There was a knock on the door. He looked up to see Jina entering the apartment. She sighed at his state. Junho had told her about the brooch and she came to check up on Hobin.

    "Are you alright?" she asked, sitting on a chair next to him.

    "I''m not," he muttered. "You were right. The demon from the Brethren is sending me a message. I''m sure it''s the Cleaver. It''s his way of goading at me."

    "Miyoo said that the demon looked like a bird," Jina stated. She took out a piece of paper and showed it to him. Arge red eagle-like bird was drawn on it only with a crooked beak and sharp wings. The drawing looked as if it was drawn by a child.

    "Miyoo drew this for me," Jina exined. "It''s not urate but probably what the demon looked like from her perspective."

    "Maggie is three headed, right?" Hobin asked her. Jina nodded.

    "Then it''s possible that some demons have the shape of animals," he added. "Like this one is an eagleбн"

    He stared at the drawing and then at the brooch. It was confusing as hell but they must get to the bottom of this mystery.

    "Everything dates back to the Lord of all Demons and his love for one human," he gritted. "His obsession started all of this."

    "He loved her," Jina reasoned. "And they gave birth to you! Not only in the past but also in this lifetime, they''re your parents. I''m sure the Demon Lord is trying to make things right-"

    "He left his so-called lover and ran away!" Hobin imed. For a long time, he had been suppressing his disdain for the creature which abandoned his mother to her fate, not once but twice. Whatever his reasons were to leave her, Hobin doubted the Demon Lord truly loved his mother. If what Maggie said was right, his mother was probably a toy for the Demon King, a time pass.

    "Why isn''t he stopping the Brethren himself?" Hobin went on. "Where is he? What''s his motive? Why is he hiding?"

    Jina bit her lip. She did not know how to answer him.

    "Sometimes, I wish that he''d never met my mother," he whispered. "She would''ve been alive and I would have been a normal person!"

    "We wouldn''t have met then."

    He looked at Jina who had spoken up. "If you were normal, we wouldn''t have met," she pointed out. "You wouldn''t have be a good doctor nor would you have had an amazing mother and brother like Aunt Doyoung and Siwan. I know your real mom would have been alive but you had a better life with the Kang''s. They love you and you love them."

    She reached out to pat his palm, smiling warmly.

    "You''re way better off with Siwan and Aunt Doyoung," she said. Her words acted like a calming balm on him and he sighed in content.

    "You really know how to calm me down," he said. Jina smiled widely then recalled something.

    "You and my dad met in front of the twins'' condo, right?" she asked. "What did the two of you talk about?"

    "Nothing, really," he shrugged. "Your dad threatened me not to get you pregnant before marriage."

    Jina frowned. "He didn''t tell you to break up with me because you''re a demon and all that?" Sheughed.

    "He did. I charmed him into epting our rtionship."

    "How?"

    "That''s a secret between your dad and me," Hobin winked. Jina pouted but grinned. She got up and walked over to his side, sitting on hisp. Hobin held her tight, letting her rest on his chest.

    "You must be very stressed," she mumbled. "With the arrival of the Cleaver and Taehee''s brooch. On top of that, the mystery of the demon inside you. Aren''t you tired?"

    "I am," he admitted. "But all my tiredness goes away when you''re around. Which is why you''re the only antidote to all my problems."

    Jina purred in his embrace, snuggling close to him. He was ying with her hair,zily enjoying her warmth. Then an idea came to his head.

    "You still didn''t fulfil your promise," he recalled.

    "What promise?"

    "The promise you made to make me go to the party with you," he reminded her. "Don''t tell me that you have no intention of making it true! It was the only thing that got me through the past few days."

    He sighed loudly, making Jina blush hard. That promise? Was it still valid?

    "I-It''s too bold!" She eximed, going red in the face.

    "So the mighty Hwang Jina will break a promise?"

    Hobin smirked at her like the demon he was. "Remember this, Tinkerbell. Breaking a deal with a demon is impossible."

    "I didn''t sign any contract!" Jina imed.

    "If you''re in love with me, then you''re in a lifelong contract. Don''t tell me you''re scared?"

    Jina scoffed. She was embarrassed but he was pushing her buttons. Scared? Her? Never!

    "Fine," she replied in a haughty tone. "I''ll fulfil my promise. But I must warn you, you won''t be able to handle it!"

    Suddenly, he leaned forward and kissed her hard on the lips. Jina moaned, kissing him back. His hands were rubbing her back, making her butterflies flutter in her stomach.

    "Bring it on, Tinkerbell," he whispered against her lips. Jina slowly backed off.

    "Wait here," she giggled and got off hisp. She ran out of the apartment while Hobin waited for her. Was she seriously going to fulfil that promise?

    "This is interesting," he said, unbuttoning his shirt.

 Chapter 309 - Nurse Tinkerbell**

    Chapter 309 иC Nurse Tinkerbell**

    A whileter, there was a knock on Hobin''s door.

    "Open up!" Jina''s voice came from the other end. "Hurry!"

    Hobin frowned and peeked out of the peephole. Jina was nervously looking sideways as if afraid that someone was going to see her. She wore a long jacket, hiding something beneath.

    Hobin smirked and said, "What''s the hurry?"

    "If you don''t open up, I''m leaving!"

    Jina was highly embarrassed. Why did I make such a ridiculous promise? She winced inwardly, cursing herself. Hobin sighed and opened the door for her. She instantly ran in and shut the door.

    "This is all on you," Hobin nodded. "You made me go to that party."

    "I didn''t think you''d actually go!"

    "After hearing your proposition, I''d have happily gone to hell!"

    He grinned and sat on a chair, looking directly at her. "I''m waiting, Tinkerbell," he winked.

    Jina''s earlier confidence had evaporated and she was nervous. The jacket she wore was hiding the costume beneath it but she was still too embarrassed to do it. Hobin''s seductive gaze did nothing to ebb her nervousness.

    He let out a loud sigh.

    "Forget it," he said. "Let''s just have a drink and go over the case. You don''t have to do anything like that."

    Hobin was serious because Jina looked very embarrassed and nervous. He was only joking around and did not really expect her to work on that so-called promise.

    "I''ll go and grab a few beers," he went on as he stood up. "Don''t worry about anything else, okay?"

    He gave her a quick kiss on the forehead. Jina was red in the face when he smiled at her and winked before heading towards the kitchen.

    Jina, get a grip! She scolded herself. A promise is a promise! Just go on and show him!

    Straightening herself, she slowly walked towards the kitchen. Hobin had just opened the fridge and was rummaging through it, looking for beer cans. Jina took a deep breath and began to slowly take off her jacket.

    Hobin picked up a few beer cans and shut the fridge. He turned around and froze in shock.

    "Hello, Doctor," Jina said, attempting a seductive tone. "Ready for our little checkup?"

    She stood in front of him in a tight fitting nurse uniform which hugged her slender figure well and exposed her smooth thighs. A few buttons were undone, exposing a ck bra she was wearing inside. Her wavy hair was down, reaching till her waist and she bit her lower lip which made Hobin grin.

    "Tinkerbell, you really don''t have to do this," he snickered but hisughter only made Jina a little bit more determined.

    "It is Nurse Tinkerbell," she corrected him. She picked up his stethoscope which hung on a wall and put it around her neck before approaching him slowly and calmly. Hobin let out a sharp breath when she came close to him.

    Her slender fingers reached for his neck, lightly caressing his skin. Hobin shivered with lust, his dark eyes feasting on her but he did not do anything.

    "What will you check first?" He asked in a hoarse voice.

    "I-I need to check your heartbeats first," she stammered. Somehow, her shyness was aggravating the tension between them. Her cheeks were as red as a tomato but she did not stop caressing him. Her fingers trailed down to his shirt, unbuttoning the buttons one by one until his sturdy body was on disy.

    She slid the shirt off him, not able to take her eyes off him. No matter how many times she saw him naked, it always felt as if it was their first time being intimate. Jina gulped, trailing her fingers down from his broad chest down to his abs.

    "Nurse Tinkerbell, you''re supposed to check my heartbeats," he whispered.

    "Y-Yes!" She squeaked. Gaining back control of herself, she pressed the cold diaphragm against his chest.

    BA-DUMP!

    His heart was beating hard against the tool, making her hear its every beat loud and clear. Jina smiled a little, knowing fully well that only she could make him feel this way. No matter how cocky he acted, she controlled his heart. It was hers and hers alone.

    Just like how he held her heart.

    Hobin leaned forward.

    "Do you hear it, Nurse?" he whispered in her ear. Jina shyly nodded, feeling the warmth emit from his body.

    "I have a problem, Nurse. I can''t seem to stop loving a woman. She makes me go crazy."

    His words were igniting the fire within her and she wanted to listen to his deep voice more. She turned to face him, his luscious lips only inches away from hers.

    "What do you do to her?" She asked, her earlier nervousness dying.

    His hands slowly snaked around her and pulled her closer. Their eyes were locked together and she felt his hands rubbing her back, untucking her uniform a little.

    "I make her go crazy too," he said. "I can pleasure her in ways she can''t even imagine and make her beg for more."

    Jina grinned and said, "Liar."

    Hobin raised an eyebrow. "You question my honor?" He chuckled.

    "I won''t believe it until you prove it."

    Hobin suddenly grabbed her and pushed her against a wall. Jina drew a harsh breath, slightly panting. She was eager to see what he was going to do and the thought of it was already making her wet.

    "I can make her moan my name," he whispered. "Every night."

    "That''s a big im," Jina goaded him.

    "You don''t believe me? Then let''s try it on you, shall we?"

    Their lips crashed into each other, writhing in a furious frenzy which had been tormenting them for days. He kissed her passionately, hard and rough while her soft lips eagerly weed him. She felt their tongues mesh together, engaging in a battle for control. Her hands are wrapped around his neck, pulling him close to taste his essence.

    She moaned loudly when he licked and lightly bit her lower lip. His one hand was holding her steady while the other hand was reached underneath her short skirt, pulling her thong.

    "Be ready to scream out my name, Nurse Tinkerbell," he winked.

 Chapter 310 - Pain**

    Chapter 310 иC Pain**

    Jina watched as he slowly unbuttoned his shirt and casually threw it aside. His chiseled abs were on full disy, parching her throat. She eyed his perfectly sculpted body, eager to press close to him.

    "I''m waiting, Tinkerbell," Hobin winked. Jina cleared her throat.

    "I''ll be checking y-y-y-yourбн" She stammered but Hobin grabbed her wrist and put it on his chest. Jina drew a sharp breath when he stood close, so close that her chest was slightly rubbing his chest.

    He made her press the cold diaphragm of the stethoscope against his skin. Jina felt his silky skin under her fingers and she drew a deep breath. Plucking up her courage, she looked directly into his eyes.

    "Where does it hurt, doctor?" she whispered in a sultry tone.

    "Everywhere," he murmured, lowering down his head and softly kissing her earlobe. Jina moaned, feeling his wicked tongue licking her skin. He snaked his arm around her waist, kissing her neck. She was shivering in pleasure and dropped the stethoscope with a nk but the couple did not hear it.

    "What can I do to ease your pain?" she gasps huskily, closing her eyes to feel his lips pleasuring her.

    "Will the sexy nurse let me pleasure her all night long?" he winked. Without another word, she wrapped her legs around his waist. Hobin carried her to the other room and ced her on the bed. Jina winked at him and slowly began to unbutton her blouse, letting her plump breastse to view but did not take off her shirtpletely. Her hands went to her skirt. Hobin grinned when she took off her skirt to reveal that she wore nothing underneath.

    "If it eases your pain, doctor," Jina said, prowling towards him. "I will give up my body to you whenever you want."

    Smiling seductively, she touched the bulge in his pants. Before she could unzip them, he grabbed her wrist and gently pushed her backwards. She watched as he undid his pants and then took off his underwear to let his hard erection out. Jina could not help admiring its girth and blushed at the ecstasy he always pulled her in.

    He climbed on top of her, smoothening her long hair on the pillow.

    "Lemme thoroughly enjoy the nurse first," Hobin smirked. Jina purred underneath him, her cheeked turning red. He leaned down to kiss her, trapping her in a torrid heat. His lips were smashing against hers, biting and licking her.

    Jina moaned against his lips, delving into his mouth to feel his tongue. Her hand was trailing downward and cupped his member, slowly rubbing it up and down. He groaned in pleasure and deepened the kiss while her fingers yed with his balls. Hobin was in pure torture, wanting to make love to his Tinkerbell all night long but what was the rush?

    She was caressing his erection, feeling it tremble under her touch. Smiling against his lips, she sped up her pace, rubbing and massaging it. Hobin moaned loudly when he neared his climax and he gently bit her lower lip.

    Jina flipped him over and broke the kiss. She towered above him, gazing into his deep ck eyes. Her pace had slowed down and she was rubbing him in a gentle manner, her butterfly touches turning him crazy.

    "Do you still feel the pain, doctor," she whispered.

    "The pain is starting to lessen but it still hurts," he grinned. His waist was moving with her hand, slowly in sync. He raised his hands, gently squeezing her buns.

    Jina moaned and arched backwards a little, feeling his hands y with her breasts while she rubbed his balls. They were in a sensual power y, trying to pleasure and torture each other into submission. Her breasts were perked up for attention, enjoying his teasing. She moaned loudly when he pinched her nubs, feeling the intensity of their lovemaking.

    Hobin groaned in pleasure as his climax neared. She was caressing his member with utmost care, skillfully rubbing up and down. He kept on touching and squeezing her breasts, making her wiggle while his member jerked and he finally climaxed. Jina felt his liquid ooze out and she slowly licked her wet finger in front of him.

    "That is such a turn on," he whispered.

    Jina yelped when he pushed her back. She leaned against the bedrest while Hobin crawled in between her legs. Closing her eyes, she smiled and leaned her head back.

    "Ahhбн" she moaned when his tongue delved into her, ravaging her clit. She slowly rocked her hips, giving him more ess to her entrance as his tonguepped around herbia. Hobin tortured her entrance, biting softly on her soft flesh as he caressed his tongue against her. Her mewling made him bolder and he inserted his tongue into her hole.

    "Faster!" she pleaded but he was deliberately slow, taking his time to taste and torment her. He pushed his tongue deep into her, feeling her soft walls. Jina let out a loud moan when he licked her insides, and she was already wet. Her clit shook and her juices were starting to ooze out but he dug deeper into her with his tongue, licking and tormenting her.

    She wriggled in ecstasy, her hands grabbing his hair. Hobin was lost in pleasuring her, eager to taste more. Her essence was a drug to him and he could not stop himself from tasting her. He was rough and gentle, a strange paradox which only muddled Jina''s senses.

    "Oh my god!" Jina moaned loudly when she came for the third time. How long had he been doing that? She did not know but it felt so good that she did not care.

    He climbed on top of her again, positioning his rod between her legs. Jina moaned when his member poked her entrance, slowly spooning her. She was so lost in the euphoric lust that she wanted nothing more than having him fill her and end the torture.

    "I''m still in pain, nurse," he whispered. "What''s the medicine, Ms. Nurse?"

    Jina wrapped her legs around him and in an instant, pushed him deep into her. Both of them groaned loudly in pleasure as his rod entered her in a swoop, her muscles pulling him in.

    "Just fuck the slutty nurse as if there''s no tomorrow," she whispered in his ear.

 Chapter 311 - Bad Drunk**

    Chapter 311 иC Bad Drunk**

    Jina wrapped her legs around him and in an instant, pushed him deep into her. Both of them groaned loudly in pleasure as his rod entered her in a swoop, her muscles pulling him in.

    "Just fuck the slutty nurse as if there''s no tomorrow," she whispered in his ear.

    Hobin smirked and slowly thrust his hip forward. Jina moaned at his slow thrusts which were teasing her while her muscles tightened around his rod. Hetched his mouth on her right breast while his hand kneaded her left one. His tongue was licking her soft bun in quick, circr motions and his movements sped up.

    He rammed into her, hitting her soft spot repeatedly while his own restraints were falling. She was a moaning mess beneath him and she held him close. Her nails dug into his skin but it did not hurt him because he was lost in his own pleasure. He grabbed her wrists and pinned them to her back while his mouth explored her supple buns.

    "Faster!" She begged, her hip moving in sync with his. It was so torturous and yet, she wanted to feel him more. He kept on pushing and pulling out of her while his tonguepped her skin. He bit and nibbled at her, leaving small red marks all over her while assaulting her with his rod.

    Hobin was panting and held back his climax. They were gasping and sweating, their bodies in heat.

    Jina moaned loudly and arched her back as she climaxed. Her breaths were short and shallow as Hobin continued to hit her g-spot. She tightened her hold on her, letting him savour her body. His member shuddered inside her and soon, he also came. She felt his warm seeds fill her.

    "Are you still in pain, doc?" she whispered in a raspy voice.

    Hobin, who was still buried in her breasts, said, "A little."

    Jina flipped him over and pinned him beneath her. With his member still in her, she began to slowly move up and down while he kept on thrusting into her.

    "Let''s end this pain then," she winked, implying that she was up for more rounds. Hobin grinned at her and sat up to position her on hisp, straddling her in ce.

    "It''ll be a long surgery, Nurse Tinkerbell," he winked and attacked her breasts again.

    бн

    Siwan was in a bar, circling his finger on a cognac ss full of bourbon. He was not a person who got easily drunk but he was in deep thought. The events of the day were ying in his mind and he was not sure how to handle them.

    Is Jiwoon alright? He wondered. Ugh! I shouldn''t have said anythingбн

    He called her that night to meet up with him so that they could talk but she was running a littlete because there was some work at the precinct. Siwan nced at the clock. It was 11 PM already and she still was not there.

    "Another ss of bourbon please," Siwan sighed. The bartender nodded and began to prepare the drink.

    Does she still have feelings for me? He wondered. But how am I going to address them?

    "Things were simpler when I didn''t know about her feelings," he muttered. I should just tell her to start dating someone else, he decided.

    "Doctor Kang?"

    Siwan was startled and turned around to find Jiwoon standing there. For a moment, his heart seemed to have stopped.

    She was wearing a casual light blue t-shirt with long, dark leggings. Her hair seemed to have grown a little longer because they now reach up to the nape of her neck. She was usually dressed formally in a shirt and pants or in her uniform so Siwan never really noticed how good she looked in casualwear.

    Why didn''t I notice it before? Siwan wondered.

    "Why did you call me here?" she asked, taking a seat next to him. Her dark eyes were full of questions and he could not help wondering how clear and pretty they were. He cleared his throat.

    "IбнI know you overheard my conversation with Ilhoon this morning," he said. "And I know that I lied to you when I said that I don''t remember anything about the night I got possessed but-"

    "So you admit that you knew about my feelings for you."

    Her voice was low yet clear and without any usations which confused Siwan. Was she not angry at him?

    "Yes," he admitted. "I remember everything that Sungki did that night. I''m sorry you had to go through all that. I also know that he taunted you about your feelings for me."

    Jiwoon fidgeted in her seat and looked down at her fingers. "Those feelings don''t really matter much," she finally said. "I know they''re one sided. You''re in love with someone else and I understand. I don''t really expect anything from you. I''m fine admiring you from afar."

    She smiled at him. The bartender put a ss of bourbon in front of her. She was not much of a drinker but she drank it.

    "I don''t want you to put your life on hold because of unrequited feelings," Siwan reasoned. "It''ll just make me feel-"

    "It shouldn''t make you feel anything. If you don''t like me back, that''s your choice. If I want to keep liking someone, it''s my choice. Why are you being flustered over what I feel for you?"

    Siwan blinked in surprise. Jiwoon downed her ss in one go, her cheeks red. She was a little tipsy with just one drink and her expression was one of anger.

    "One more!" She ordered the bartender.

    "You''ve had enough to drink-" Siwan was saying but she red at him.

    "I want another drink!" She insisted. "So what''s it to you if I want to drink more? Why do you care?"

    "I-"

    "Listen up, Kang Siwan! You don''t get to tell me whom to like or not like, okay? If I keep liking you from afar, thenбнhicбнdealбнhicбнwith it! Stop being a hero all the time!"

    The bartender brought another drink and before Siwan could stop her, Jiwoon drank it all in one go.

    "I like you!" She dered. "And no one can stop me from liking you!"

    She pointed her finger at him and added, "Not even you! So go ahead and do whateverбнhicбнyou want! I''ll doбнhicбнwhat I want!"

    Jiwoon stepped towards Siwan who simply stared at her. "You don''t have to like me back, but don''t stop me from-Bleh!"

    She bent over and threw up all over the floor. Siwan was too shocked by her behavior and it took him a while to reel over it. He gently patted her back as she threw up and motioned the bartender to bring a ss of water for her.

    "Here," he said, offering her the water. She was still drunk and pouted like a baby.

    "No!" She whined. "IбнI only want to like you! Why won''t you let me keep liking you? What is this nonsense about holding my life and whatnot and-"

    "You like me, right?" Siwan asked in a tone as if pacifying a child. "Fine. You can do whatever you want. But if you like me then you should know that I like it when our little Jiwoon is happy and healthy. How can we keep little Jiwoon healthy? It''s by drinking water!"

    Jiwoon''s cheeks puffed up and she stared at the ss. "Little Jiwoon will drink water," she mumbled and took the ss.

    "Umбнsir?" The bartender said from behind. "There''s been a mix up."

    "Mix up?" He asked in confusion.

    "That''s not water. That''s the clear wine for table number 8. We gave you the wrong drink."

    Siwan was mortified. He turned back towards Jiwoon who was now even more drunk.

    "Will the pretty doctor give little Jiwoon a piggyback ride?" She squealed. "Piggyback! Piggyback!"

    Siwan could only be wary of this. Who knew the quiet and tough detective was a bad drunk?

 Chapter 312 - Melting Hearts

    Chapter 312 иC Melting Hearts

    Siwan sighed out loud, wondering how he got himself into this situation. Only moments ago, he was having a drink alone and nowбн

    "Wanwan, I wanna go to the park!" Jiwoon eximed, her voice slurry. She was acting like a child on an adventure, enjoying the piggyback ride she was receiving from Siwan. He hoisted her on his back but it was hard to keep her in check because she was over excited.

    "You can''t go to the park now," he said in a calm tone. "You need to go home and rest."

    "B-b-butбнlittle Jiwoon wants to go to the park!" She insisted. She jerked backwards, nearly falling but Siwan kept a firm grip on her.

    "If you behave, I''ll treat you to choctes," he promised.

    "Really? Okay! Little Jiwoon will be quiet!"

    She giggled loudly, her hands wrapped around Siwan''s neck. "Wanwan is so nice!" she went on.

    Jiwoon pouted her cheeks and kept on ncing around as if she was seeing everything for the first time. When drunk, she was like a happy child who clung on to the nearest person. Everyone on the street was staring at the odd duo but Siwan was more concerned about Jiwoon because she might fall down.

    She was not heavy but her state was delicate. He could have taken his car but Jiwoon refused to get into it so he had to abandon it at the parking lot for the night.

    Siwan did not mind the situation but he was quite amused. Jiwoon was going ''oooh'' and ''ahhh'' at everything she saw. Her eyes were glittering under the streetlights and she had a childlike innocence which was quite fun to witness.

    "Pwettyyyy!" She gasped at a random light.

    "You mean, ''pretty''," Siwan corrected her.

    "Pwetty."

    "Pretty."

    "Silly Wanwan! They''re pwettyyyy!"

    Siwan shook his head in amusement. He was slowly walking along the street with Jiwoon on his back. Their house was still ten blocks away but he was not in a hurry. For some reason, it felt nice to carry her around like this.

    "Wanwan, do you wanna know a secret?" She whispered into his ear.

    "What is it?"

    "Promise me that you won''t tell!"

    "I promise."

    "Wanwanбн" she began. "WanwanбнI really really really like you!"

    Siwan froze for a moment but he shook off the awkwardness and kept walking. Jiwoon, on the other hand, was too wasted to care about anything else. Shey her head against his back, feeling sad.

    "Little Jiwoon knows Wanwan doesn''t like her," she mumbled. "Wanwan likes someone else but little Jiwoon can''t help it."

    "WhatбнWhat do you like about Wanwan?" Siwan asked, feeling curious.

    "Hmmбн" Jiwoon was now in deep thought. "Wanwan is nice. He is kind and thoughtful. He wants to save everyone around him. And little Jiwoon wants to save him."

    She hugs him tightly, her eyes turning a little misty. Siwan felt her shaking a little and she sniffed.

    "Wanwan cares too much for others so he doesn''t take care of himself," she murmured. "So little Jiwoon cares for him."

    The barriers around her were falling and for the first time, Siwan got a peek into her heart. Beneath the quiet and stoic exterior was a girl who once had many dreams. Jiwoon was also once a person who had the wish to love and be loved. She sought it with Sungki who destroyed her but she rose from the ashes to create new dreams.

    "Wanwan has many things to do now," Siwan admitted to her. "His life is too dangerous. Wanwan doesn''t want little Jiwoon to suffer-"

    "Little Jiwoon will suffer more if she is told to stop liking Wanwan."

    Siwan stopped in his tracks. They were standing in front of Jiwoon''s building for a while. He was unable to answer her at all. Her simple confessions were stirring something in his heart which he never felt before. Not even with Jina.

    Jiwoon slowly got off his back and climbed down. She hung her head low like a child who was caught doing something naughty.

    "Little Jiwoon can''t stop liking Wanwan," she sobbed. "Wanwan is too precious."

    Siwan stared at her for a while. "Why do you want to keep loving Wanwan so much?" he finally asked.

    "I just want to."

    Jiwoon was still not looking at him, staring at her feet instead. She was slightly pouting, adamant in her stance.

    Siwan took a step forward. He was a foot taller than her and she slowly looked up at him.

    "Little Jiwoon can''t stop liking you," she whispered. "And she is not sorry for it."

    "Tell little Jiwoon she doesn''t have to be sorry," he said. "But I am sorry."

    "Sorry? Wanwan is sorry? For what?"

    "For this."

    He leaned forward and ced a soft kiss on her lips. Jiwoon froze for a moment, her drunk mind not able to decipher what was happening but she closed her eyes and slowly kissed him back. His lips were soft and had a toffee taste which was quite sweet.

    His hands cupped her face, holding her as if she was quite delicate. They stood under the streetlight, their lips locked in a chaste kiss which made butterflies flutter in their stomach.

    Siwan gently let her go, pulling back. Jiwoon was in a daze and her unfocused eyes were on Siwan.

    "I''m sorry for kissing little Jiwoon when she''s dead drunk," he winked. "Next time, I''ll make sure she''s not drunk."

    "Little Jiwoon is drunk?"

    Jiwoon was confused. She was trying to think butбнthink about what? Why was she feeling so happy all of a sudden?

    "What''s going on?"

    Siwan turned around to find Baekha who had just returned from cram school. She was peering suspiciously at Jiwoon and then at Siwan.

    "Did something happen?" she asked. "Why is sis drunk?"

    "Give her some painkillers and lemon juice in the morning," Siwan instructed with a smile. "Oats Porridge also helps with hangovers."

    "Huh?"

    Baekha was confused but Jiwoon was starting to fall asleep so she rushed forward to support her. Siwan merely nodded and turned around to walk away.

    "Little Jiwoon says bye bye!" Jiwoon yelped. Siwan waved at her and left, smiling to himself.

    "Little Jiwoon knows how to melt someone''s heart," he mused.

 Chapter 313 - Miyoos First Business Transaction

    Chapter 313 иC Miyooбпs First Business Transaction

    "Say ahh!" Gayoon cooed at Miyoo. The little girl widened her mouth to let her mother feed her warm porridge while Magrod was lounging in front of the TV, watching a drama.

    "Miyoo wants candy!" Miyoo moaned.

    "You can''t have candy!" Gayoon reproched her. "You just had your tooth removed."

    "Uwu."

    Miyoo pouted while Magrod spoke up. "Stop pouting, kid!" He scolded her. "Your addiction to candy is the reason your tooth rot off!"

    The girl stuck out her tongue at the demon in annoyance. Gayoon sighed in dismay.

    They were living with the twins at their penthouse because their old mansion was under heavy renovation. The twins were at school while Minho was working in the study with Junho. Gayoon remained with Miyoo and Magrod. To her surprise, the demon was quite odd with a narcissistic side. Strangely, he was quite adorable and even cared for Miyoo in his own weird way.

    "Miyoo will go and y!" Miyoo dered and ran off to y with her dollhouse, leaving Gayoon with the demon.

    "Mr. Magrod?" She called the demon. She was the only one among the Hwang''s who called him by his full name which earned her a spot on the top of Magrod''s good books.

    "Yes, Mrs. Hwang?"

    Gayoon fidgeted a little, unsure of how to ask him the question.

    "It''s kind of a personal question," she began. Magrod was still watching TV, his focus on the female lead who was talking to the male lead''s mother. Suddenly, the mother threw a ss of water on the female lead and began to shout at her.

    "Ugh! Why is she tolerating all that?" Magrod cursed. "Just throw the old woman into the dumpster! Punch her right in the face and-"

    "How did you end up as a demon?" Gayoon asked outright.

    For a moment, Magrod did not move. He was quiet, his eyes on the TV but his mind reflecting back on her question.

    How did he be a demon? It was something he wished he could have forgotten.

    Gayoon knew she touched a sore point and quickly said, "I''m sorry for asking this! I know it must be something you don''t want to think about."

    "I think about it everyday," Magrod finally replied. The images of countless bodies lie in front of him and he was shaking in fear. Those bodies were staring at him with blood red eyes, reminding him of what he did to them. They did not speak but their gazes followed him wherever he went.

    "Even the fires of Hell are less of a punishment for the things I have done," he whispered. "I-"

    "You don''t have to say it."

    Gayoon sat beside him and patted his head. "If it''s painful, then you don''t have to say it."

    Magrod scoffed. "I was one of the worst persons to live on Earth," he said in a bitter tone. "A demon under the guise of a human. Aren''t you scared to leave your children with me?"

    "Are you going to harm them?" She questioned him. "The person you were beforeбнare you still like that? Or ratherбн"

    Looking straight at him, she asked, "Can you bring yourself to hurt any one of us?"

    There was a long silence between them. Magrod was gripped by her question, feeling a little guilty for not being able to reveal his secrets to her. It was something he never wanted to revisit but he knew he would have to face his past someday.

    "I can''t," he admitted. "I can''t hurt any one of you."

    He cleared his throat and said in a pompous tone, "I-I mean, any Hwang shouldn''t end up in Hell! Ya''ll are just gonna rip us off and make all the demons pay rent. Instead of human souls, we''ll be working our asses off to make meagre human money! And that little kid of yours is shrewd. She''s gonna turn all of us into her personal Alpaca army! Imagine that tiny little devil in Hell!"

    Magrod shuddered at that thought but Gayoon onlyughed.

    "Thank you, for taking care of her," she said with a smile. "You''re not as bad as you think you are."

    "I did things which no human can even imagine doing," he muttered.

    "Do you do those things now?"

    "No."

    "Do you want to be like that again?"

    "Absolutley not!"

    Gayoon patted him again. "Then you''re one of us!" She said. "Our pet demon!"

    Magrod smiled and nodded in satisfaction.

    "Yes, I''m a pet- Hey! I''M NOT A PET!"

    Meanwhile, inside the study, Minho was seated opposite to Junho. Junho briefed him on Hobin''s powers and everything they know so far. Minho frowned in worry. He still did not mention anything to the others about the additional secret Hobin had revealed to him but he was debating on many things.

    "I''m sure that the Brethren is going to attack again," he said. "The new serial killings which Jina told us about is not going to stop. There must be a pattern he''s using for choosing these victims."

    "If only we can find one of the members," Junho muttered.

    "What about that shaman from the Cho murders?" Minho asked.

    "The bastard got away! I tried to look for him everywhere but couldn''t find him."

    "You said that the shaman had summoned Sungki, right? But if the shaman is a member of the Brethren, then there must have been a reason why he summoned Sungki."

    "Sungki was trying to impregnate Jiwoon again," Junho recalled. "They needed a half demon for some reason and Sungki was fixated on Jiwoon so they were using her."

    "Half demonбнBrethrenбнmurdersбн" Minho trailed off. He thought for a long time but nothing came to his mind.

    He felt a soft tug on his wrist. Startled, he looked around to find Miyoo standing there.

    "PapaбнMiyoo''s toy broke."

    She held up a toy ne with a broken wing.

    "Miyoo, what did I teach you?" Minho asked sternly. "What should you do when you have a broken object?"

    Miyoo puffed up her cheeks, thinking hard.

    "Sell it and buy new toy!" She finally said.

    "Exactly and how will you sell it?"

    Junho watched them, wondering what Minho was teaching the kid. Miyoo nodded and walked up to her grandfather. She widened her eyes like a puppy dog and pleaded silently.

    "Gwandpa, will you buy Miyoo''s toy pwane?" she asked, adopting a cute tone and puffed her cheeks adorably, holding out the ne for him.

    For a moment no one spoke. Minho leaned back, enjoying the show while Junho only blinked at his cute little granddaughter.

    "Grandpa will buy all your toys!" Junho dered, taking out his wallet. "How many do you have?"

    "Hundred!"

    Minho sighed as his daughter made her first business transaction.. This kid is gonna end up richer than all of us someday, he nodded in satisfaction.

 Chapter 314 - The Cleaver (1)

    Chapter 314 иC The Cleaver (1)

    Jina was cursing herself under her breath. Her body was sore from the intense activities of the night and the damn doctor even managed to seduce her in the morning! By the time they were done, Jina''s lower half was aching like hell.

    She stood up from the chair, trying not to wince. The precinct wasparatively less busy that day so she did not have a lot of work other than filing a few papers. She sighed and made some photocopies of thetest case files about the Cleaver.

    "Boss!"

    Jina turned around to find Woohee walking towards her.

    "Hey, Woohee!" Jina greeted her. "What''s up?"

    "I submitted the report about the Cleaver case on your desk," Woohe reported. "We couldn''t find anything concrete. No one saw anyone entering the house of the victims and the CCTV cameras didn''t show anything either."

    Jina sighed. She knew that they would not be able to catch the demon like this. ording to Magrod, Aken''s usually possessed dead bodies for a while and discarded them once the body started to rot. But in aatose body which still had a soul alive but in aa, then the Aken could possess the body as long as the host''s soul is alive.

    "I should look intoatose patients as well," she muttered to herself.

    "By the way, boss," Woohee said in a hushed tone. "Detective Kim doesn''t look too good."

    She pointed at Jiwoon who was sitting at her desk, clutching her head. Jiwoon seemed confused and tired which surprised Jina.

    "Is sheбнhungover?" Jina frowned. She walked towards Jiwoon''s desk.

    "Jiwoon, are you okay?" she asked.

    "Iбнnot really," Jiwoon admitted. "I went out to have a drinkst night and after that, I can''t remember anything that happened!"

    "What? Are you okay? Whom were you drinking with?"

    "I''m fine. I met up with Doctor Kang and he brought me home. Baekha told me this morning."

    Jina was now interested. Smiling a little, she leaned forward.

    "Doctor Kang?" she echoed. "Siwan? You were drinking with Siwan?"

    Jiwoon nodded.

    "Why do you still call him Doctor Kang? You guys have been through so much! Just call him by his proper name."

    "I can''t. It''s embarrassing!"

    Jiwoon was blushing a little which made Jina snicker. "Your feelings for him are written all over your face," Jina pointed out. "It''s so obvious."

    "He knows as well," Jiwoon revealed. "He remembers everything Sungki said that night."

    "What did he say?"

    Jina waited for her answer but Jiwoon was thinking hard.

    "Last night, I remember that I should let go of my feelings for him," she said. "Heбнhe still likes you."

    There was an awkward silence. The two women did not know how to discuss this strange situation.

    "I''m sorry," Jina finally said. "I feel like an intruder-"

    "Don''t be!" Jiwoon quickly said. "It''s no one''s fault! I like him and he just doesn''t like me back. It happens. You don''t have to worry about it."

    She smiled at Jina who was still feeling guilty. It seemed that Jiwoon was having a hard time letting go of her feelings for Siwan and it was only going to hurt her.

    "You do what''s best for you, okay?" Jina said in a kind tone. "If he can''t like you backбнdon''t hold any grudges. Just promise me that you''ll be happy, okay?"

    "I am happy," Jiwoon stressed. "I love my job. I get to work with talented people and put criminals behind bars. Moreover, I get to protect the people I love. I am very happy."

    "I''m d."

    The two of them smiled at each other. Jiwoon was about to say thanks to Jina when a tall figure walked in.

    "Ilhoon!" She gasped at the CEO who had entered the precinct.

    Several of thedy officers were ogling at Ilhoon. They recognized him as the owner of a prominent entertainmentpany and some of them were openly admiring the handsome man. Ilhoon ignored the stares and walked straight towards Jiwoon.

    "Jisoo," he greeted. "How are you doing?"

    "I''m fineбн"

    Jina looked from the CEO to her best friend. Please don''t tell me there''s a love triangle here, she prayed.

    But the soft gaze in Ilhoon''s eyes gave away his feelings for Jiwoon. He only had eyes for her, his heart beating fast every time they were together.

    "Please excuse me," Jina said and walked away. She sent a quick text to Siwan, hoping that the naive idiot woulde and scoop Jiwoon away.

    I really should stop watching romantic dramas, she winced.

    Back at the table, Ilhoon was seated opposite Jiwoon.

    "I''m sorry about the party that night," he said. "I shouldn''t have left."

    "That''s okay," she said. "We would''ve had to leave anyway. There was a murder and it was hectic."

    "I read about the case on the papers," Ilhoon stated. "I want to tell you something."

    He leaned forward and put a photograph on the table. Jiwoon picked it up.

    "This isбн" she frowned. The picture was of a woman in her early twenties with long, blonde hair and sparkling violet eyes. Her slim stature was perfectly shaped and she was tall like a supermodel. Jiwoon instantly recognized the beautiful woman.

    "This is thete actress, Hong Younha," she recalled.

    In her heyday, Hong Younha was a famous actress. She was so beautiful and talented that fans nicknamed her as the ''Nation''s Fairy''. All her films were a hit and her dramas broke records. She had it all until one day, she lost it all.

    It was a sensational case a few years back. Hong Younha was killed in a car crash while on her way to a film set. The police found no evidence of foul y but the whole nation was shocked. Till date, Hong Younha remained an icon.

    "Hong Younha was really fond of her beauty," Ilhoon stated. "Mypany used to manage her. She was so obsessed with her looks that she had a fear of dying. In fact, she even had her will state that if she died, her body must be preserved in an ice facility where she would remain beautiful and young forever."

    What a strange woman, Jiwoon thought.

    "After she passed away, her body was kept in ice and she remained preserved," he went on. "But a few days ago, her body went missing."

    "Missing?" Jiwoon gasped.

    "Yes. It went missing. We suspect someone stole the body and might sell it off in the ck market. There are weirdos who will buy the body for their own sick pleasure."

    "You''re right," Jiwoon agreed. "I''ll check up on this now. I should ask her old friends and family."

    "I''ll escort you there," Ilhoon quickly offered. "Shall we?"

    Jiwoon hesitated but then nodded. "Alright," she agreed.. "You can take me to her family first."

 Chapter 315 - The Cleaver (2)

    Chapter 315 иC The Cleaver (2)

    Soobin hummed to herself as she walked through the corridor. It was empty at that time because the students were at their sses and she was on her way to the bathroom. She took out her phone to check up on her fansite.

    "Five hundred thousand members," she nodded. "This is great! We''re the biggest Minyoon fansite now! I might be able to sell more official mercs now. It''ll boost sales for Yoonie too!"

    She scrolled through the webpage as she walked towards the washroom when she bumped into someone.

    "Ah!" She yelped and nearly fell back but someone held her hand and steadied her. Soobin looked up to see a woman with greyish hair. She was in her fifties and very elegant looking. The woman wore a red dress which hugged her hourss figure.

    "I''m sorry!" Soobin apologized.

    The Lady studied the young girl, knowing very well who she was. After all, Soobin was also a person of interest for her.

    "Hello, youngdy," the Lady greeted with a small smirk. "Where is the Principal''s office?"

    "It''s down the hall," Soobin replied. "Should I escort you there?"

    "That''s okayбн" The Lady said. "Erбнyour name isбн"

    "Soobin. Kim Soobin!"

    "Soobin." The Lady was still studying Soobin with her beady eyes as if she found her very interesting.

    "I will see you around, Soobin."

    With that, the Lady walked away leaving Soobin very confused. Is she a new teacher? Soobin wondered but shrugged and turned away.

    The Lady stopped in front of the Principal''s office. She nced at the CCTV cameras around and found a few. Raising her hand, she snapped her fingers.

    Instantly, all the cameras in the school were turned off. She smirked and entered the Principal''s office. It was time for their n toe to fruition.

    бн

    "What took you so long?" Baekha hissed at Soobin.

    "I got caught up with some haters in the fansite," Soobin muttered as she took a seat next to Baekha. They were in maths ss and listening to the teacher. Yoonmin was scowling at Baekha from afar because thetter had taken Soobin away to sit with her. Baekha showed Yoonmin the middle finger and took Soobin away to sit with her because she was terrible at maths.

    "Are you missing your girlfriend?" Minyoon snickered. "Staying away from her for one ss won''t hurt you, little brother!"

    "Say that one more time and I''ll cut the prices of your merchandise in half," Yoonmin muttered.

    "You''ll face a loss!"

    "No problem. I''ll make you work thrice as hard for your new drama and earn back the losses."

    Minyoon gasped. "You''d do that to your brother?" he pouted.

    "Yes."

    "Tch!"

    Minyoon whined but his brother ignored him. He sighed and nced at the window next to him. His gaze fell on a slim figure in red, walking past the gates but as soon as he blinked, the figure disappeared.

    He frowned and rubbed his eyes to make sure that he was not mistaken but before he could check again, the door to the ssroom burst open.

    One of the assistants at the school came running in and whispered something into the teacher''s ear. The teacher looked shocked and went pale like a ghost. She turned to the ss and spoke in a calm manner.

    "Students, there''s been an emergency," she said. "All of you will have to line up at the field."

    There was a loud murmur among the students. Baekha and Soobin were confused while the twins also looked bewildered.

    "What happened?" Baekha asked. But no one had any answers. They were all divided into lines and led by the teacher to the field where the rest of the school stood. An ambnce had arrived and parked in front of the school while several paramedics came running out. They rushed towards the building while the students were in a state of confusion.

    The twins immediately went towards the spot where the girls stood.

    "What''s going on?" Minyoon asked his brother who stood next to him.

    "I don''t know but the Principal isn''t here." Soobin pointed out. "That''s odd."

    They looked around and realized that she was right. All the teachers had arrived but the Principal was not thereбн

    "Out of the way!" One of the paramedics yelled. They were carrying a bodybag, wheeling it towards the ambnce. Yoonmin caught a glimpse of the corpse''s face before one of the paramedics zipped up the bag.

    "That''s the Principal!" He revealed. "Is he dead?"

    They watched in horror as the ambnce took away the Principal''s body. The students were scared of what happened while the teachers tried to calm them down.

    "Send the students home!" One of the teachers instructed. "Let the police take care of this!"

    Soon, police cars parked up in front of the school. Several of the students stayed back while many were sent home. The twins and the girls remained to see if Jina was going toe and to their relief, she was one of the officers who arrived at the scene.

    "Sis, what happened?" Minyoon asked. "How did he die?"

    "They said it was a heart attack but the doctors will let us know," she replied. "Hobin is at the hospital. He''ll let us know the details."

    She turned to the girls. Baekha was confused but alright while Soobin was shaken.

    "Are you two okay?" she asked.

    "Yes," Baekha said. Soobin only nodded, unable to say anything.

    "I''m sure it was nothing," Jina tried to reassure them. "He had a chronic heart condition. Just rx."

    But Soobin was in deep thought. Someone was looking for the Principalбн

    Then she blinked as if in a daze and her mind went nk. For a moment, she did not move.

    "Soobin?"

    Yoonmin''s voice brought her out of her reverie and she looked at him.

    "What''s wrong?" he asked, feeling very concerned.

    "Nothing," she said. "Nothing is wrong."

    Yoonmin frowned. He was sure that Soobin had zoned out for a minute. Jina also noticed the slightly nk look in her eyes.

    "Are you okay? Do you know something?"

    Soobin was confused. "No," she replied. "I don''t know. This is all just too sudden."

    Her head felt light and she had the nagging feeling as if she had forgotten something. Jina and the others frowned but Soobin shook her head.

    "I''m probably just imagining things," she assured them.

    "You guys should go home and rest," Jina advised. "Twinnies, take them to your penthouse. Mom is there. She can help the girls until Jiwoon and Siwan arrive to pick them up. Take care of them."

    "Okay," the twins nodded in unison. Yoonmin wrapped his arm around Soobin''s shoulder and led her away while Minyoon walked alongside Baekha.

    "Is she alright?" Baekha asked. "She looks a little out of it."

    "She''s fine!" Minyoon said. "But the Principalбнit was sudden."

    He nced back at the school. For some reason, a lot of things are happening there as if the ce attracted negative energy.

    "Let''s go home and think," he said, tearing his eyes away from the building. "We should stay careful."

    Baekha nodded and followed him to his car.. The group got in and drove off towards the Hwangs'' penthouse.

 Chapter 316 - The Cleaver (3)

    Chapter 316 иC The Cleaver (3)

    At the hospital, the doctor on duty had finished checking up on thetest patient who was wheeled in from Dalton High. Hobin was waiting for him, anxious about the result. He looked up to see the doctoring out.

    "Doctor Wan, what''s the news?" he asked the doctor.

    "He died of a heart attack," Doctor Wan told him. "I checked for any foul y but so far there are no signs of anything like that. He was a chronic heart patient anyway. But we''ll wait for the reports."

    Hobin was not so sure. He checked the watch and frowned. It''s still less than an hour since the Principal diedбн

    "I would like to check up on him myself," he said. "Can I?"

    "Sure."

    Hobin thanked him and went to the ward where the Principal was kept. The corpse would be moved to the morgue soon but Hobin needed to be sure about something. He pulled down the nket covering the corpse and stared at it.

    The old Principal was lying there, pale and dead. Hobin was not a fan of the bumbling buffoon but to think that he would die so suddenly like this was a terrifying thought.

    "Will this really work?" he wondered. Back when he was a patient of Doctor Alex, Hobin had practised his powers on corpses. He could see the memories of a corpse up to one hour after its death. There were only five minutes left and then the Principal''s memories would disappear forever.

    "Let''s see," he muttered and touched the corpse''s forehead.

    Instantly, several memories rush into his head, nearly overwhelming him. He scanned through the memories untilбн

    "Hello, Prince."

    The Principal was in his office, working when there was a knock on the door.

    "Come in," he said. The door slowly slid open and an elegant woman in her fifties entered. She had a faint smile on her face and walked up to the Principal.

    "How may I-" The Principal began but all of a sudden, he let out a loud gasp. He clutched his heart and doubled over in pain.

    "Aghбнaghhhh!" He cried in agony. It was as if someone was ripping his blood vessels apart and he fell from his chair, writhing in pain.

    The Lady stepped in front of the pitiful man, her lips still curved in a smile. She raised a finger to stroke his cheek.

    "I know you will see this, Prince," she said in a soft tone. "Or rather, the Second Prince."

    She trailed her finger down to the Principal''s chest, poking it. He yelped as his heart attack got worse but she was having a lot of fun tormenting him.

    "If you see this, Second Prince," she went on. "Then you should know that we''re already on to you. We sent the demon to scare that little brat. We were the ones who attacked the Butterfly Priestess. In factбн"

    She leaned forward and whispered into the Principal''s ear. "We were the ones who killed you and your wifest time. If it wasn''t for the Demon Lord, we would have seeded in taking over Hell. He ruined our ns that time but now, we''ll raise our true Prince. You know very well that you shouldn''t exist and yet, here you are. Living and breathing."

    The Lady grabbed the Principal''s chest with a ferocious grip.

    "Surrender to us and we''ll spare the Hwang''s," she threatened. "Otherwise, this is only the beginning."

    бн

    The memory stopped and Hobin was pulled out of the corpse''s mind. He panted and checked his watch. One hour had passed and the memories of thete Principal were lost.

    That woman is from the Brethren, he thought bitterly. They are behind all this.

    "Bitch!" he muttered under his breath. He dialed Jina''s number. This isn''t good, he winced.

    бн

    Minho and Junho got out of the car to investigate the scene. They received a call from an old friend who sounded very scared over the phone and had summoned them to a private mausoleum which was built for a famous actress.

    To their surprise, there was a familiar face waiting for them.

    "Jiwoon?" Junho frowned when he saw Jiwoon standing in front of the gate with another man. She turned around to find the older Hwangsing towards her.

    "Mr. Hwang," she greeted with a bow. "I was brought here by my friend. This is Ilhoon."

    She introduced Ilhoon to the others. Minho recognized Jiwoon based on the pictures his daughter sent in the family chat group and was aware of her past as well. He also greeted her warmly.

    "What are you doing here?" he asked.

    "There''s a missing corpse," she informed him. "The famous actress, Hong Youngwha''s corpse went missing and Ilhoon asked for my help."

    "I used to manage her when she was alive," Ilhoon said. "This is her private mausoleum and someone stole her body-"

    "It wasn''t a thief!"

    They turned around to find an old guard who looked visibly scared. He came rushing to them and added, "It wasn''t a thief, sir!"

    "What do you mean?" Ilhoon asked warily.

    "I''m telling you, it wasn''t a thief! I saw her. I saw her rising from the coffin and walking away-"

    "What nonsense!" Ilhoon snapped at him. "Rising from the grave? How outrageous!"

    "Can you tell us in detail what you saw?" Jiwoon asked.

    "Last night, I was patrolling the mausoleum," the guard recalled. Everything was fine. Her body was kept in an ice casing, embalmed to perfection. Not even a single sign of dposition. She also has a cosmetologist whoes every week to keep her face perfect with makeup!"

    "Private mausoleum, makeup artist," Minho muttered. "What''s next? Her own personal luxury designer who makes her clothes?"

    "Her designer was scheduled to dress her corpse today," the guard said, not hearing Minho.

    What a waste of money, Minho sighed.

    "Last night, when I was on duty, I heard some scratching noisesing from the ice casing," the guard said. "I went to check and saw thatбнsaw thatбн"

    He gulped in fear.

    "What did you see?" Jiwoon probed.

    "I saw that she had opened the casing and was sitting up," he revealed. "Her face as white as a sheet, perfectly done makeup and a silver gown which was prim perfect. She sat in that casing for a while and thenбнshe turned towards me."

    "A sinister smile crept on her lips and she slowly got out of the case. I was so scared that I couldn''t move but she was limping away, not paying any attention to me. She just walked away. After seeing that, I fainted. When I woke up, I called Mr. Ilhoon and Mr. Junho! I used to work for Mr. Junho a long time ago and I know he''s an exorcist-"

    "That''s ridiculous!" Ilhoon scoffed. "A corpse walked? An exorcist? That''s bullshit. Her body was stolen and I''m sure it''ll be sold off."

    "I''ll decide what''s true and what''s not," Jiwoon said curtly. She turned to Junho and added, "I will count on you as well, Mr. Hwang."

    "Leave it to me!" Junho boasted. "I can kick that corpse''s ass back to her ice pce in no time!"

    Ilhoon was aghast. "You seriously believe this, Jisoo?" he questioned Jiwoon.

    "There are many things beyondprehension," she said in a bitter tone. "That much I know."

    Ilhoon was about to protest but was interrupted by the screeching of a car. Siwan stepped out of it and approached them.

    "Isn''t that Siwan?" Minho asked. "What''s he doing here?"

    "You''ll see," Junho muttered.

    Jiwoon was a little awkward, not recollecting what happenedst night. All she knew was that Siwan was telling her to move on and she avoided his gaze when he nced her way.

    Siwan bowed in front of Minho and Junho before addressing thetter.

    "I''ll help you as well," he said. "When can we start the purification?"

    Minho and Ilhoon were surprised but Junho said, "Now. We''ll be purifying the ce right now."

    Siwan nodded. He nced at Jiwoon again but she was not looking his way.

    He slowly brushed past her, briefly nodding at her. But he saw the conflict in her eyes which made his heart ache as well. She slowly looked at him and for a moment, they were locked into each other''s gaze for a moment.

    Siwan was not sure what was stopping him from going to her but he looked away from her out of respect for her need to be alone. Jiwoon sensed a change in him, something she could not put her finger on. Was he mad at her?

    Does he really want me to move on? She thought sadly.

    "Jisoo?"

    Jiwoon was startled and turned to Ilhoon.

    "Let''s go," he said.

    "Y-Yes!" She eximed.. "Let''s go."

 Chapter 317 - The Cleaver (4)

    Chapter 317 иC The Cleaver (4)

    The mausoleum was styled like a luxurious living room. Arge shelf stood in front of them withrgepartments containing urns from Hong Younha''s family. Jiwoon could tell because all the urns had the family name ''Hong'' in front of them. The long corridor led to a living room which was made of white marble walls with a ck tiled floor.

    "Minho and I will check this ce," Junho said. "We might find something."

    "Alright," Siwan replied. "I''ll go with Jiwoon and Mr. Ilhoon here."

    Junho nodded and stayed back to investigate the family pictures with Minho while the others went to the ce where Younha''s body was kept.

    "Take off your shoes," Jiwoon instructed them. "Keep your socks on and don''t touch anything inside."

    The men obeyed and did as they were told before following her to the corpse room.

    This room was adorned exactly like Hong Younha''s living room back in her old penthouse. It was quite famous for its signature Italian furniture and a sleek, granite chimney which was meticulously made by the finest interior decorator in the country. A set offortable couches were ced neatly at one corner and a shelf full of Hong Younha''s pictures was standing at the opposite end.

    In the middle of the room, however, is an ice casing which is wide open. The casing was cold with constant cold air blowing into it for refrigeration. It used to carry the embalmed body of Younha. Being obsessed with her looks and body, Younha made sure that even in death, she would look beautiful forever.

    "The body opened the casing and left!" the old guard imed.

    "That''s nonsense!" Ilhoon snapped. "A body can''t just get up and leave. Someone must have stolen it-"

    "Stay back, everyone!" Jiwoon ordered. She put on her gloves and began to examine the casing.

    Cold air was still blowing into it through a machine so any evidence of foul y should be preserved. She could smell the strong scent of chemicals which were used to regrly embalm Younha''s corpse. She scratched off some ice using a small pick and put it in an evidence bag, sealing it shut.

    Siwan watched her, feeling awed by her. He never saw her like this. She waspletely focused on collecting evidence, not paying attention to anyone else. Her face was scrunched up into concentration, giving her an intense vibe which wasбнattractive.

    "There''s a hair here," Jiwoon stated. She held up the long strand of hair and put it in another sealed bag. "And I can see a foot print too. Judging by the size, it looks like that of a female."

    "I told you! She stood up and left!"

    Jiwoon checked the marble floor. There were puddles of water which led to the window nearby. She took out her phone and clicked pictures of the ce.

    "She went out of the window?" she asked the guard.

    "Yes," he replied. "She opened the lock with her bare hands, which is impossible! These locks are heavily padded and yet, she managed to open them with ease!"

    "This is ridiculous!" Ilhoon scoffed. "Jisoo, you don''t really believe this, right?"

    "The window looks like it was opened from the inside," Siwan pointed out. "Look at the lock. It''s ripped off!"

    He was right. Someone had pulled the window''s lock with brute force. Moreover, there was a footprint on the window''s ledge as well. The corpse had been in an ice casing so bits of ice must have fallen to the floor when it escaped.

    "We''ll have to match these with Younha''s prints," Jiwoon muttered. Ilhoon had enough of the nonsense.

    "Younha is dead! How can she just get up and leave? I''ll go and check the CCTV cameras-"

    "The cameras are not working," the guard told him. "As soon as the corpse rose, the cameras stopped working!"

    Ilhoon was thoroughly confused but Jiwoon and Siwan understood most of the mystery.

    "Ilhoon, please go and inform the family members of Younha that her corpse is missing," Jiwoon told him. "Also, check at her old house and bring us something which might have her prints on it."

    He wanted to protest but pursed his lips. "Fine," he conceded. "But this is a far-fetched thing! I''m telling you, her corpse was stolen!"

    "We''ll investigate all the angles," Jiwoon assured him. "As a detective, I can''t ignore the clues. If her corpse was stolen, we''ll find the thieves. If she really walked out on her own, then we''ll have to know how this happened. But we''ll find her."

    Ilhoon turned to Siwan. "Do you believe all this, doctor?" he demanded. "Isn''t this absurd?"

    "I''m no one to decide what''s absurd and what''s not," Siwan stated. "But I don''t think that we should ignore the guard''s words. Maybe someone set up the evidence here to steal her body and misguide us. Or maybe, she really did rise from the grave. Either way, we''ll know once we find her body."

    Ilhoon sighed at their calmness. How could they even believe such absurd things?

    "I''ll see what I can do," he finally said. He turned away and left the room. Once he was gone, Jiwoon turned to the guard.

    "You can wait outside," she said. "I''ll take your testimony in a while."

    "I''m telling you, it''s the truth! She woke up and left on her own-"

    "Please wait outside while I investigate," Jiwoon said in a firm tone. The guard grumbled and left them alone.

    Siwan turned to Jiwoon. "This must be a demon," he said. "The corpse didn''t rise from the grave but the demon may have possessed it like Maggie said."

    "I also think it''s a demon," Jiwoon nodded. "Just like Detective Hwang and Maggie told us. This might be the Cleaver."

    Siwan froze. "What did you say?" he demanded. "The Cleaver? He''s back?"

    Jiwoon frowned at his restlessness. Siwan was now very worried. Why didn''t Hobin tell me about this? He thought in desperation.

    "What happened?" Jiwoon asked. "Do you know something?"

    "Is Hobin handling this case?"

    "Y-Yes."

    "This is badбн"

    At that very moment, Junho and Minho entered the living room.

    "There''s very high level demonic activity here," Junho confirmed. "The EMF meter went crazy!"

    "What''s crazier is that someone would spend so much on this after death service," Minho scowled. "Weekly manicure and designer wear for a dead body? She could''ve just spent it on property investment. Even after death, she would have been able to earn through trust funds. Mypany has the best investment techniques for the dead-"

    "We have to stop Hobin from investigating this case!" Siwan told Jiwoon, ignoring the old men.

    "Why?" Jiwoon asked, bewildered.

    "Becauseбн" Siwna began.. "If we don''t stop him, we''ll lose him to the demon residing in him! So stop him. Now!"

 Chapter 318 - The Cleaver (5)

    Chapter 318 иC The Cleaver (5)

    "So let me get this straight," Gayoon began. "Students were murdered, demons attacked the ce, stalkers being admitted and now the Principal died? How the hell is that school still running?"

    The twins and the girls had summarized what happened at the school and she was outraged. Miyoo was in herp, sipping from a fruit juice box while Maggie was busy watching a drama on the tab.

    "If humans want their kids to suffer, they should just send the brats to Hell," Maggie said absentmindedly. "At least we''re responsible about it. Everything is cleared out in the contract. 8 am to 11 PM, it''s burning in fire time. 11 PM to 1 PM, it''s boiling in water time. 2 PM to 5 PM, it''s getting yourself branded with hot iron."

    "Why is there a break between 1 PM and 2 PM?" Minyoon frowned.

    "It''s lunch time for the demons," Maggie joked.

    "Oh shut it you all!" Baekha snapped. "We''re in big trouble here! The Principal died in school and there''s a crazy killer on the loose. Focus!"

    "This is strange," Yoonmin nodded. "The Principal was quite healthy. To have a heart attack like thisбнWhat do you think, Soobin?"

    He turned to look at Soobin. To his surprise, she was a little lost and confused as if in a daze. Miyoo reached over and tucked her sleeve.

    "Binbin," she calls for her.

    "Huh?"

    Soobin broke out of her reverie and looked around. "Oh. Yes! It is weird. He was healthy."

    "Are you alright?" Gayoon asked in a gentle tone. "You seem a little lost, my dear."

    "I''m fine!" Soobin assured her. "I was just thinking about the recent events."

    She was exasperated. It was strange because she was listening to them a few moments ago but suddenly, her mind went nk. Soobin was not sure what was happening but she assumed it was from the exhausting events that had been urring.

    "Do you wanna rest?" Yoonmin asked, feeling concerned. "You can rest in my room-"

    "Not a chance!" Gayoon said sharply. "Soobin can rest in Miyoo''s room. Go ahead, dear."

    Soobin nodded and slowly headed towards Miyoo''s room. The others watched her leave.

    "She must be very tired," Minyoon remarked. "She has been strange since the morning."

    "That manager of hers keeps on giving her too much work!" Yoonmin scowled. "And the work at the doctor''s office is also exhausting for her."

    "Oh my!" Gayoon gasped. "That poor girl works too hard! I should make her dinner more often."

    Baekha frowned a little but did not say anything. Soobin was tired and exhausted. I should keep a closer eye on her, she decided.

    Back in Miyoo''s room, Soobin slumped on the bed. Her whole body was lethargic as if someone sapped the energy out of her. She felt something heavy on her chest and her eyes were drooping.

    Maybe I should lie down for a while, she thought and closed her eyes. Slowly, she closed her eyes.

    "HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

    Suddenly, a loudugh scared her and she snapped her eyes open. Trembling, Soobin looked around but there was no one in sight. The window was closed and there was no one there but her.

    "What the hell?" she whispered. "I must inform Yoonmin-"

    A sharp pain pierced her head and she groaned. Her head was spinning and she clutched her forehead, writhing in agony. The pain was only bing stronger, making her feel as if her head was going to split open.

    And then the pain was gone.

    She sat up, her eyes unfocused and nk. For a while, Soobin stared at the wall in front of her, not moving nor making a sound.

    "Yes master," she said in a robotic tone. "I understand."

    Something was whispering in her ears, a breeze blowing by. Soobin nodded.

    "I know, master," she repeated. "I understand. I will do it, master."

    Slowly, she leaned back and closed her eyes, drifting into a deep sleep. The breeze stopped blowing and the room fell into a deafening silence.

    бн

    Jina was in her office when Siwan and Jiwoon came bursting in. Siwan looked enraged and scared as he confronted her.

    "I told you to keep Hobin away from the Cleaver case!" He demanded from Jina. "Why is he investigating this?"

    "Doctor Kangбн" Jiwoon began. "Calm down."

    But there was no calming down for Siwan. He was scared, scared that his brother was going to lose himself again. Jina sighed and stood up.

    "We didn''t know at first that it was the Cleaver," she exined. "The Commissioner is making us investigate this. Hobin knows more than us. He can help. I won''t let him be a demon-"

    "That''s not the issue!"

    Siwan was at a loss. How could he exin to them the whole situation? His mind was going crazy because he had seen the implications of what could happen if Hobin went out of control. The day Taehee died was the day Siwan truly understood what his brother could do in his demon form.

    "That demon is targeting my brother and wants to break him," Siwan gritted. "You know very well! We can''t let him investigate this."

    Jina''s lips quivered. She knew the danger but there was no other option.

    "What if keeping him away only pushes him towards his demonic side?" she reasoned. "If he stays away from this case, he might end up investigating it on his own and that''ll make it hard for me to keep him in check! At least we know what he''s doing!"

    Before Siwan could retort, Jiwoon stepped in.

    "I don''t know much about what''s going on," Jiwoon said. "But Jina is right. The little I know about Doctor Ohm is that he''s not the type who will stay away from this case. If we remove him, he''ll do an independent investigation and that''ll create more trouble for us. It''s best to keep him close and let him investigate with us."

    Siwan ran his fingers through his hair. "Fine," he conceded. "But if anything happens to him, I want him off the case!"

    "You can''t tell us what to do!" Jina frowned. "It''s the police procedure! Only the Commissioner can-"

    "You will remove him from the case."

    He was resolute. No matter how much they knew about the demons now, he was certain that the demon within Hobin was a different matter. Until they knew how to get rid of it, there was no guarantee that it would not take over Hobin''s mind.

    "I will remove him if I feel that the demon is trying to take over," Jina stated. "Otherwise, I can''t do it."

    "We''ll look over him," Jiwoo added calmly. She did not know what was going on with Hobin but seeing how serious Siwan was, she knew that something was not right. Yet, she could not ignore Jina''s words either.

    Siwan red at them and stormed off. Jiwoon followed him.

    "Doctor Kang!"

    He stopped but did not turn to face her. Jiwoon took a deep breath and asked, "What is going on? Why do you think that Doctor Ohm will be affected in a bad way?"

    She waited for him to answer her. Siwan hesitated but he knew that he could not keep Hobin''s powers a secret from her anymore.

    "Hobin is a half-demon," he revealed.. "And he can read the memories of other people when he touches them."

 Chapter 319 - The Cleaver (6)

    Chapter 319 иC The Cleaver (6)

    Hobin was in his apartment with the door closed. He studied the board he had created for the case and traced the murders by the Cleaver.

    "The first murder was in Yorkshire," he muttered. "Then in Manchester and the third one in Londonбн"

    He pinpointed all the ces the Cleaver had attacked. The ces had no pattern but the victims seemed to have one: summoning a demon. But how? How did they do it?

    "This Brethren seems to have connections everywhere," he said to himself. His thoughts were interrupted by his phone''s ring. To his surprise, it was one of his old colleagues back in the UK.

    "Hello Brendon," he greeted his colleague.

    "Hey, Hobin!" His friend''s voice came from the other end. "I have a small update on the information you were looking for. Alicia told me that you''re looking for Richard."

    RichardбнDoctor Richard Alexander was his former psychiatrist and a close friend. When Doyoung and Siwan discovered Hobin''s powers, they took him to Richard who treated him for years. Richard was patient and stern but a good teacher who managed to help Hobin realize that his powers were a gift. He trained Hobin into controlling his powers and thanks to his training, Hobin was able to be a psychiatrist himself.

    One day, Rochard left the country and never returned. Hobin searched for him but it was as if Richard did not want to be found. That was when Hobin realized that he knew very little about his mentor because he had no family nor any friends. It was as if he was just there to train Hobin and then leave without any clues to his whereabouts.

    At first, Hobin thought that the doctor would return but when years passed, he let go of his pursuit. If Richard were to return, he would do it on his own ord. But now Hobin needed him and he had asked his old colleagues about Richard in case they found useful information.

    "Where is he?" He demanded.

    "He was seen in your country," Brendan revealed. "You know one of our old friends, Mark? He went to a conferencest week and he spotted Richard in the audience. Before he could call him, Richard left."

    Richard is here? Hobin frowned. Then why isn''t he meeting up with me?

    "Thanks Brendon," Hobin said. "I''ll look him up."

    He hung up the phone and was lost in deep thought. Richard was in the country and still did not contact Hobin. Why?

    "You really think that he can help you?"

    Hobin gritted his teeth and closed his eyes. The demon in him was taunting him, its voice echoing in his head. The image of the demon shed in front of him, a red hue emitting from it. The demon''s long hair was flowing in the wind, his lips curved into a sneer.

    "You think that he can help you?" The demon taunted. "He can''t stop me!"

    "What do you want?" Hobin asked warily.

    "Make a deal with me, Ohm Hobin," the demon offered. "Give up your body to me and I will save your loved ones."

    "And you will throw me in Hell? No thanks."

    The demon studied him for a while before bursting out inughter. "You really don''t know, do you?" he slowly asked. "Do you think that the Brethren will let you go? They won''t spare any of you. Those people wille for you and they will kill everyone you love. Especiallyбн"

    The demon took a dramatic pause before adding, "The person you care for the most. The one for whom you will die for."

    Hobin felt a chill down his spine as the images of his mother, brother and Jina popped in his head. The Brethren was going to hurt them and he would not let that happen.

    "You need my powers, Ohm Hobin," the demon went on. "You need me to defeat the Brethren and their Lord. You can''t win on your ownбн"

    In a sh, the demon was gone, leaving Hobin confused and bewildered. Make a deal with that demon? Never!

    "What a way to ruin my mood," he muttered. He massaged his head and went back to analyzing the chart.

    Ding! Ding!

    The doorbell rang and he walked towards the door to open it. He had expected either Jina or Siwan but to his surprise, it was Jiwoon.

    "Detective Kim!" He greeted and stepped aside to let her inside. "Erбн"

    He felt a little awkward. Even though he had worked with Jiwoon in many cases, they never had a one to one conversation like this. Jiwoon, however, looked unbothered by the awkwardness.

    "Doctor Ohm," she greeted. "I want to know something."

    "Okayбн"

    Hobin frowned, waiting for her to talk. Jiwoon took a deep breath and said, "Doctor Kang told me about your powers today."

    Hobin was surprised. Siwan told her about his powers?

    "I know that it might be shocking to you but Doctor Kang really cares for you," she went on. "He doesn''t want you to investigate the Cleaver case because he''s afraid that the demon within you will try to dominate you again."

    Hobin let out a sigh. He appreciated Siwan''s protectiveness but sometimes it could get annoying.

    "I won''t be a demon''s prey," he said warily. "I just want to find this killer! He''s been out there, killing people for years and I must stop him."

    "I''m not telling you to stop investigating the case," Jiwoon said. "But can you honestly im that the demon inside you is not bing powerful? What if this case only triggers him into bing more dominant?"

    She spoke straight to the point, not mincing her words at all. Hobin looked away from her, feeling a little overwhelmed by the detective.

    When he did not answer her, Jiwoon said, "Your brother also told me about the mirror experiment you did with him. He narrated what he saw that night. The demon was overwhelming you, wasn''t it?"

    "I-"

    "I know you won''t back out of the case," Jiwoon stated. "But don''t worry your brother any more than he already is."

    She knew about the things Siwan was doing to protect Hobin and she was also aware that Hobin would do anything for his brother. If he learnt that Siwan was learning how to exorcise demons, Hobin was going to put his foot down.

    None of the brothers would back out from protecting each other and that was going to end them.

    "I''m not going to make him worried!" Hobin eximed. "Once this case is over, there won''t be anything to worry about! All we need to do is catch the Brethren and it''ll all be over."

    "Will it be? Can you really believe that?"

    Hobin had no answer to her question. He could see the worry and care Jiwoon held for Siwan. She was not going to hesitate to confront Hobin if it was for Siwan''s good.

    Thankfully, he was spared from answering her by the phone. Jiwoon took out her cell phone and answered it.

    "Yes, Detective Hwang," she said over the phone.

    "Jiwoon,e to the address I just texted you!" Jina''s voice came from the other end. "The Cleaver has murdered again!"

 Chapter 320 - The Cleaver (7)

    Chapter 320 иC The Cleaver (7)

    Jina, Woohee, Chanmi and Dahoon arrived at the crime scene which was already swarming with cops. The scene this time was at a studio where several artists were shooting for a movie.

    "Victim''s name is Mu Chansub," Woohee was saying. "A supermodel who was shooting for a show in the studio."

    "Mu Chansub?" Jina frowned. She heard of the name. He was a very famous personality in the modeling industry but was also suffering from a severe bout of depression for the past few years. They sh their badges to the officers and enter the crime scene. To Jina''s chagrin, there were too many people in the studio.

    "Clear out the crowd!" She snapped at the cops. "What the hell are they doing here?"

    "We tried but these fans won''t listen!" One of the cops imed. He was right. Many of them were fans who had turned up after hearing the news of Chansub''s demise and were trying to break into the scene.

    "We want to see our darling!" One fan cried.

    "How can he die?" Another fan sobbed.

    "I loved him!"

    Jina had enough of this. The fans were mostly teenagers because all of them were in their uniforms.

    "If you all don''t leave, I''ll be calling your schools and your guardians can pick you up!" She threatened. "Let them punish you for bunking school!"

    "You rotten cop!" A fan yelled. "How dare you-"

    Several guards came running and pushed the crowd away. Ilhoon arrived at the scene and to Jina''s surprise, Minyoon was also there. He was carrying Miyoo in his arms who was only curiously watching the scene around her. Upon seeing her sister, her eyes lit up.

    "Sis!" She waved at Jina. "Miyoo is on TV!"

    "What the hell are you doing here?" Jina hissed at her brother. "And why did you bring her?"

    "I was here for a shooting!" Minyoon imed. "It''s for a brother-sister bonding show so I brought her with me."

    "But this ce is not safe for a kid!" Jina argued. "What if she sees the corpse?"

    "Sis, you''re talking to a kid who saw a half burnt naked poltergeist!" Minyoon pointed out. "And also befriended a high level demon. I think we''re past all that by now."

    Jina boxed her brother''s ear, making him yelp in pain. Miyoo giggled.

    "Minmin punished!" she cheered.

    "Don''t let her see anything dangerous otherwise I''ll tell mom and dad to take you back with them and put an end to your idol career!"

    "What? I''m innocent! I didn''t know there''ll be a murder! Besides, we were at another studio. We just saw themotion and came here."

    Jina let go of him. Minyoon pouted as he rubbed his ear.

    "Howe you never bring me?" She asked. "I''m your sister too!"

    "What can I say?" Minyoon shrugged. "Cute kids have an appeal and make more money. Bringing Miyoo increased the ratings of the show and the producer offered to put her on another guest segment. He''s even gonna pay her double the amount she made today."

    "Money!" Miyoo eximed. "Miyoo made dors!"

    Jina scowled at her siblings before turning to Ilhoon who looked a little confused by their exchange.

    "You two know each other?" he asked.

    "We are siblings," Jina sighed.

    "Oh, so you''re Hwang Jina?" Ilhoon frowned. "The heiress to the Hwang empire? It''s odd that you''re a cop."

    "I''d rather be a cop than take over a business empire," Jina said warily. "Let my brothers earn money. I''m fine chasing the bad guys."

    Ilhoon was still trying toprehend why someone would leave behind a billion dorpany in order to chase filthy street criminals but he did not make any furtherments.

    "Tell us about the crime," Jina demanded. "What was Mu Chansub up to?"

    "Chansub has been suffering from depression for years," Ilhoon stated. "But he was recovering bit by bit. To find him murdered like this is truly tragic."

    His voice cracks a little. Ilhoon got along well with Chansub and was heavily interested to see his friend recover. He cleared his throat to continue.

    "The one who found him is a janitor," he went on. "His face was cleaved as if by a sharp object. IбнI saw the body and couldn''t believe my eyes. It''s hard for me to see it againбн"

    "What about the CCTV cameras?" Jina asked.

    "The cameras around Chansub''s room are broken," Ilhoon gritted. This was strange. Why were CCTV cameras breaking down so often?

    "Anyways," he said. "I''ll go and check up on my staff. They''re pretty shaken."

    With that, he quickly walked away.

    Jina sighed, feeling frustrated. The presence of demons hampered the cameras which was a hindrance.

    "Boss!"

    She turned around to find Jiwoon running towards her. To her surprise, Hobin was behind her.

    "You two came together?" Jina asked in astonishment. As far as she knew, Jiwoon and Hobin were not that close.

    "Yes," Jiwoon admitted. "I had some work with Doctor Ohm."

    "Hobin!" Miyoo eximed. "Miyoo made money!"

    "Good," Hobin nodded. "You can finally pay me for the free speech therapy sessions you''ve been leeching from me."

    Miyoo thought for a while. "No," she simply said.

    "Tch!"

    "I''ll go and drop Miyoo home," Minyoon said.

    "Don''t tell mom and dad about this," Jina warned. "They''ll worry too much."

    "Oh, I can distract dad by telling him that Miyoo made money," Minyoon smirked. "That''ll keep his mind off any corpses or demons!"

    "Copsies!" Miyoo pouted. They bid goodbye to the others and left the premises.

    "I''ll go and check up on the corpse," Hobin said. Jina nodded and waited for him to leave before turning to Jiwoon.

    "What did you talk to Hobin about?" She asked. "Is it something serious?"

    Jiwoon took a deep breath and replied, "I just wanted to tell him not to worry Doctor Kang too much. He''s really worried about this Cleaver case and also afraid that Doctor Ohm will be too obsessed with it. Doctor Kang also told me about Doctor Ohm''s powers. I don''t want him to worry too much so I went to talk to Doctor Ohm and express my concerns. That''s it."

    Jina blinked at her best friend wondering whether to educate the two clueless people or not.

    "Jiwoon," she began. "I have a small piece of advice for you."

    "W-what is it, boss?"

    "Suck up your hesitation and date Siwan already!" Jina snickered. "Seeing you two idiots beating around the bush only makes the situation funnier than it already is!"

    Jiwoon pouts a little, trying to understand why the situation was funny. It was not like Siwan had any special feelings for her and she was content loving him from afar.

    "Let''s go, you love sick puppy!" Jinaughed and pulled her friend with her to the crime scene.

 Chapter 321 - The Cleaver (8)

    Chapter 321 иC The Cleaver (8)

    Hobin entered the crime scene which was at the victim''s makeup room. The police were collecting evidence from the room while Kyuhyun was crouched over the spot where the corpsey.

    It was the same mondus operandi. The corpse''s head was cleaved just like it was in the previous crime scene. Hobin put on his gloves and stooped low beside Kyuhyun.

    "Any clues?" he asked.

    "The head had been perfectly cleaved with an axe," Kyuhyun parroted. "The cuts are perpendicr-"

    "I know," Hobin said. "What else is there?"

    "Nothing."

    Kyunhyun went back to his work, making Hobin sigh. There were no messages for him either but Hobin wanted to be absolutely sure. He approached one of the cops.

    "Who found the body?" he asked.

    "One of the assistants," the officer replied. "We sent him to the police station for testimony. Also, the victim was popping high doses of some kind of medicine. Can you identify it for us, doctor?"

    "Medicines?" Hobin frowned. The cop held out an evidence bag which had a bottle of pills. Hobin studied the bottle and read thebel.

    "These are for people who suffer from bipr disorder," he stated. "And these medicines are not easy to find in this country. Patients will have to opt for a substitute or order from abroad."

    "The victim had been popping them for a long time," the cop said. "The interesting thing is that the victim had not been taking them for the past two days."

    "How do you know?"

    The cop took out another evidence bag which had a sort of a medicine nner in it. Hobin read the content and realized that the cop was right. Chansub had been taking the pills everyday but for the past two days, the spaces on his medicine nner had been nk.

    "Did anyone in his family die recently?" Hobin asked.

    "No," the cop frowned. "Mo Chansub had no rtives. His parents died when he was young, even before he entered the film industry. But he became depressed for the past few years. No one knows why."

    This is odd, Hobin thought. The victim had clearly been killed by the Cleaver but there was no survivor. Moreover, this patient did not seem to have lost anyone in the past few months. Yet, he had been depressed?

    Was his depression suppressed all these years?

    Jina and Jiwoon entered the crime scene and started to investigate. Unlike thest victims, there wereno survivors in this one nor any messages. The police swept the area for clues and took everything they could find. Hobin was searching in the drawers and even the cab spaces but there was nothing.

    "Found anything?" Jina asked him.

    "Nope," Hobin replied. "There''s nothing else here. We can try and analyze the things we found but I doubt any of it''ll help much."

    Jina was at a loss. "We should check out his house," she suggested. "Maybe we''ll find clues."

    "I heard that Mu Chansub had a diary," Jiwoon recalled. "It was in one of his interviews. We should find that diary."

    "Right!" Jina eximed. "I remember it too! He used to write down his thoughts in that diary. I bet we''ll find something there."

    "Let''s go then," Hobin said.

    бн

    Siwan was sitting across from Junho and Minho who looked very worried. He was in Minho''s office where he had summoned Junho as well. Junho was in deep thought while Minho addressed Siwan.

    "Are you sure that the Cleaver is after Hobin?" Minho questioned him.

    "I am," Siwan replied. "The Cleaver framed Wang Taeheest time and it nearly derailed Hobin to the point that the demon inside of him wasing out. If I hadn''t stopped him, who knows what would have happened?"

    Minho was deeply worried. He had encountered a serial killer many years ago and he knew how maniptive they could be. That serial killer nearly killed Gayoon and his sister Mina but his main aim was to make Minho deranged. Thankfully, the serial killer was stopped on time.

    "The Cleaver thinks of Hobin as a prey," he concluded. "It''s a cat and mouse game between them and if Hobin loses, he''ll revert to his inner demon."

    "What do we do?" Siwan demanded. "We must stop him!"

    "Do you know where he is?" Minho asked him. Siwan pursed his lips, not knowing what to do.

    "We wait."

    Both of them look up at Junho in surprise. Wait?

    "Why?" Siwan frowned.

    "This killer is going to chase Hobin," Junho stated. "He''ll eventuallyes in front of Hobin on his own. If the Cleaver really marked him, then all Hobin has to do is wait for him toe to him."

    "What if the Cleaver keeps on killing?" Siwan demanded.

    "We can''t stop him from killing until we can catch him," Junho reasoned. "But, if I''m not wrong, the demon is already close. He''s keeping an eye on Hobin already but we don''t know how. If we do anything now, the demon will be alerted."

    Before Siwan could reply, Minho said, "He''s right. Chasing the serial killer won''t help. He''ll go to Hobin eventually. What we need to do is identify the demon before it can attack. But we can''t wait around forever, old man. We''ll need to contain the damage."

    "If only Bomi was here!" Junho scowled. "Where the hell is he? We need him for a seance! If we can just summon the demon and ask him what he wantsбн"

    "Is it necessary to have a seance with him?" Siwan asked.

    "Well, no," Junho admitted. "But we need at least two exorcists to carry out a seance properly. It''s safer since the demon is very dangerous."

    "Then I''ll do it."

    Junho and Minho were shocked by Siwan''s statement but thetter did not care.

    "I''ll do it for my brother," he stated firmly. "Tell me what we have to do."

    "Don''t be stupid!" Junho snapped. "You''re too inexperienced to do a seance."

    "You can teach me!" Siwan protested. "I want to do this. We don''t have time for the shaman to arrive! What if the demon harms Hobin?"

    "I think Siwan is right," Minho spoke up. "We don''t have much time. We have to summon the demon and ask what its deal is. If we can send it away during the seance, that''ll save us a lot of time."

    "Fine!" Junho eximed. "I''ll do it. But it''ll be very dangerous. The demon might try to kill us."

    "Then it''s a chance I''ll have to take," Siwan gritted. Junho stared at him for a while.

    "You know, your love for your brother will kill you someday," he gritted. Siwan was silent for a while.

    "I know," he finally said.

 Chapter 322 The Cleaver (9)

    "His diary is full of junk!" Jina groans. "What the hell is this?"

    "He''s been writing weird poetry," Jiwoon mutters. They''re in the precinct, reading through three years worth diary journals written by Mu Chansub. His agency had sent them the content from his apartment but there are around fifty diaries, each filled with very depressing poems. Jina, Jiwoon and Hobin are reading them to find any clues to his murder.

    "The darkness is engulfing me," Hobin recites. "And I''m falling into the deep trench, unfeeling and lonely."

    He looks up and adds, "This guy used poetry to cope with some kinda loss."

    "But what''s the loss?" Jina frowns. "He was sessful, he had fans and he was about to be signed by a Hollywood agency. Even his co-workers said that they don''t know why he was so sad in his private life."

    "He wasn''t always like this," Jiwoon says. She points at a journal entry.

    "Look at this. He used to write about the things he saw around him. This isn''t a poem but just his observations and feelings!"

    "The sun is shining a little too brightly today," Hobin reads. "I feel that it''ll be a good day. My manager told me that I''m gonna start a new job with a famous person but he won''t take any names."

    "And this one hereбн" Jina points at another entry. "He seems happy. It says, ''I went to Tilsty today. They have a beautiful ruby ne which I bought for her. Will she like it?"

    "Ruby ne for her?" Hobin frowns. "Did he mention this girl''s name anywhere?"

    "Let''s find out," Jiwoon sighs. They painstakingly go through every journal entry, marking the parts where Chansub had mentioned a girl but he didn''t take any names. However, he described her in terms of her personality and also, they got an idea of her looks which they can submit to a sketch artist.

    "We''ll have to dig out his schedule from four years ago," Hobin states. "I''m sure that she''s a celebrity or a famous person at least."

    "How can you be so sure, Doctor Ohm?" Jiwoon asks.

    "Celebrities always have to be careful of what they write," he exins. "If she was a random person he was dating, then he''d have named her. Since he didn''t name her, it''s highly likely that the girl was a celebrity. If the diary''s content ever got exposed, it might create a scandal for them both. After all, their contract prevents them from dating."

    "I think so too," Jina nods. "Jiwoon, what''s the update on the mausoleum case?"

    "Her body went missing," Jiwoon replies. "The guard said that he saw the corpse rising from its coffin and walking away. He was so scared that he couldn''t even react."

    "The Brethren stole Younha''s body for a reason," Jina mutters. "What are they nning with it?"

    Hobin is silent, wondering the same thing. The demon who stole Younha''s body must have a motive. Otherwise, why will it choose her?

    "Let''s divide the team then," Jina goes on. "Jiwoon, you will investigate the mausoleum case and I will investigate the Cleaver."

    "Understood boss."

    "I''ll submit this to the sketch team," Jina adds. "They might be able to make a portrait from the description. Hopefully, someone might be able to recognize her. I''ll ask Jaebum to do another check at Chansub''s apartment."

    "And I''ll read the diaries again to figure out when his depression started," Hobin nods.

    Ring! Ring!

    Jiwoon''s phone starts to ring. It''s Ilhoon.

    "Yes, Ilhoon?" She says. "Did you find anything?"

    "Someone broke into Younha''s apartment!" He reveals. "They stole a few things from there."<sub> </sub>

    "I''m on my way!"

    She hangs up the phone and turns to the other two. "Someone stole things from Younha''s apartment. I have to go."

    "Get going then!" Jina tells her. Jiwoon nods and rushes off, leaving the duo behind. Jina turns to Hobin.

    "Are you alright?" she asks him. "Is theбнthe demon inside you still active?"

    "He wants me to give up my body to him," Hobin grits. "But I keep refusing. I can''t let it take over my mind."

    He takes a deep breath and says, "There''s something else as well."

    "What is it?"

    "My old psychiatrist is in town," he reveals. "But he''s not meeting up with me yet. I''m sure he''s hiding from me."

    бн

    In the middle of thevish mansion, the Lady is sitting on a couch. She is observing the girl in front of her. The stench of chemical mixed with balm is reeking off her and the girl is pale, very pale as if deathly. Her long hair has been preserved but is starting to fall off and soon, she will be bald if she is not embalmed with chemicals.

    "You need to shower and stay in a cool ce," the Lady says. "Otherwise, your secret will be out."

    The girl lets out a musicalugh and sits on the couch. Despite her pale skin, she is undoubtedly very beautiful. Even in death, her figure is well maintained. Her obsession with her beauty transcends life and death which only makes the Lady curious if the strange girl had some kind of contract with a demon.

    "This girlбн" the girl says pointing at herself. "I hear she was a celebrity! I wonder if she had a lot of fans."

    "If they recognize you, you will be exposed!" the Lady snarls.

    "Not if I kill them first," the girl says with a sly smile. "They don''t call me Cleaver for nothing!"

    "Don''t get in our way!" The Lady snaps at her. "Keep the half-blood and the Priestess busy. We''ll need to keep them upied until we get our hands on that child. Thankfully, I have a backup ready."

    "The half-blood has been quite fun to y with!" The Cleaverughs, her voice sinister. "I think I''ll enjoy tormenting him even more."

    "He''s no longer the weak little boy whom you nearly derailed," The Lady states. "He''s stronger and in more control of his powers. Plus, he''s got the Hwang''s backing him up. Hwang Junho is no ything. He''s got enough knowledge to get rid of any demon he wants! And-"

    Pat! Pat!

    They are startled when they hear footsteps approaching them. Upon seeing the new person entering, The Lady immediately bows.

    "Master Bomi!" She calls him with respect. Bomi, the exorcist, steps out of the shadows to address them.

    "Hwang Junho won''t be a problem," Bomi says in a calm tone. "He''s too old now. I''ve known him for years and have been observing him. Every exorcism takes a toll on his health. He doesn''t have enough powers to carry out a powerful exorcism like taking out our Lord."

    "Do you mean to say thatбн" the Lady begins. Cleaver looks from Bomi to the Lady, wondering what''s going on.

    "Hwang Junho''s next exorcism will be hisst," Bomi grins. "It''ll kill him."

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