The Demon In You

They pulled up in front of Rian's apartment building. The dilapidated complex looked more like a haunted hotel than a place to live in. The paint was peeled off in many places and the units were dark except for a few.

Hyunjae stared at the building for a few seconds before saying, "Tomorrow, I'll buy you a new apartment."

"No!" Rian exclaimed. "We don't need a new apartment. We are fine with our current one."

"Honey, this isn't an apartment," Hyunjae scoffed. "This is a travesty. Just tell me once and I'll get you the grandest building ever."

He stood there with all his pride and self-absorbed glory. Rian felt her anger boiling. If he was not her boss, she would have slapped him on the spot. She hated people who were pompous and the CEO fell in that category.

Choosing not to comment on the issue any further, she walked into the building with Hyunjae in tow. He made a face at every step he took. If the outside was bad, inside the building was simply disastrous. The place was dark. Hyunjae crinkled his nose. He would have to take another bath upon returning home.

His arrogance was annoying Rian. How can someone be so thoughtless? Even if she was poor, he could have been a little respectful. It was not like she actually invited him to her place. He invited himself!

Taking a deep breath, Rian led him to their apartment. Rui was probably home already so Rian rang the door bell. Rui answered it in seconds.

"Rian why are you so-"

Her mouth gaped open at the sight of the gorgeous man standing next to her sister. In their 23 years, Rian never brought a man home. Especially not such a handsome guy.

"Rui, this is my CEO, Hyuk Hyunjae," Rian introduced them

"Nice to meet you, Ms. Rui," hyunjae greeted cheerfully as he barged into the apartment. Rui kept on gaping at him while Rian g.r.o.a.n.e.d.

Hyunjae happily settled on a couch, elegantly crossing his legs like a majestic prince.

"What is for dinner?" he asked.

"Uhh...I was about to make some ramen," Rui replied.

"Ramen?" he frowned. "What is that?"

Rui looked at Rian, trying to figure out if he was joking or not.

(Is he serious? Lambark was astonished. He just woke up from his nap and came downstairs to see what the commotion was about)

Hyunjae's eyes momentarily flickered towards the demon. He was alone. Saion was nowhere in sight. He was undoubtedly hiding from Hyunjae.

"Just cook him some ramen," Rian said in exasperation. Her patience was running thin with the man-child.

Rui silently went to the kitchen to prepare dinner, still marveling at Hyunjae. As she glanced back to sneak another look, she could not help but feel jealous of her sister for snagging such a fine man.

"Ms. Oh," Hyunjae said, scanning the house with disdain. "I should really get you a new house."

Rian turned on Hyunjae.

"Sir," she started. "We don't need a new house. Please stop forcing your opinions on us!"

"You call this a house?" he snorted. "It's a pigsty. Give me a chance and I'll build you a fabulous one instead!"

He was being his usual cheery self which only irritated Rian more.

Lambark quietly observed his lord. As obnoxious like he was, the demon lord was known to be respectful of others. He never provoked people deliberately. There must be some reason behind his behavior. Besides, as far as he remembered, the demon lord loved ramen.

Rui came out of the kitchen, holding a hotpot.

"Time for dinner!" she announced. Rian set down the plates.

Rui put some ramen on Hyunjae's plate. He feigned to stare at it for a while as if seeing it for the first time.

He took a sniff before biting into it.

"How is it?" Rui asked excitedly. She was known for her delicious homemade ramen.

"I'll answer that question after dinner," Hyunjae winked. "But first. I wish to give you a good news!"

"Good news?" Rui frowned while Rian slurped some ramen.

"Yes!" Hyunjae clapped his hands. "Rian is going to be the showstopper at the International Fashion Week!"

Rian choked on her noodles. Rui's expression froze as she looked at her sister.

"What?" she exclaimed. It was her dream to be a showstopper at the prestigious event. But Armiola had already chosen someone else over her. For years, she worked hard to get the chance to model at the International Fashion Week and failed multiple times. She even yielded to do immoral stuffs to get modeling jobs. Yet, her sister got the chance without any experience?

"Congratulations, Rian," she said in a heavy voice. Rian was speechless. She never thought the CEO will reveal this information in such a way. Rui looked hurt.

"Nothing has been finalize," Rian assured her. "I don't even want to do it!"

"Nonsense!" Hyunjae waved her off. "You just agreed this morning!"

"I did not."

"Did too," Hyunjae said in a final tone. "I told you. I won't take no for an answer."

Rian glared at Hyunjae. Observing the little dinner show was Lambark. Rui's expression made him realize what the demon lord was trying to do. He was trying to provoke the demon in her.

The two sisters looked at each other. Rui's eyes darkened as she processed the information that her less able sister will be the showstopper at the world's largest fashion event. Rui was the beautiful and more talented one, It was her right to get that position

"Oh my, look at the time," Hyunjae yawned, acting oblivious to the rift he just created. "It's getting late. I should head home."

The girls merely nodded at him as he got up to leave.

"Ms. Oh, remember to stay back for rehearsal tomorrow," he reminded Rian. She merely nodded as he head off. An awkward silence lingered in the air. Lambark quietly followed the demon lord.

"Lord!" he called out. Hyunjae stopped in his tracks.

"You are trying to lure our Saion, aren't you?" It was not a question, but a statement.

"You've seen what he has become," Hyunjae said quietly. "If he keeps on eating her soul, we won't be able to get her back."

"So that's why he got so dark," Lambark realized. Up until a few months ago, Saion was a pearly silver color. But in a span of few months, he turned almost pitch black.

"So, you made Rian the showstopper to provoke Rui into doing something rash," Lambark concluded. "Which will result in her exposing that she is possessed."

"Yep!" Hyunjae said cheerfully. "When she reveals that Saion is possessing her, we'll extract the darkness out of her."

"You mean an exorcism?" Lambark asked in astonishment. "But that can kill her! Or worse, turn her comatose!"

"Which is exactly why she needs reveal about her possession herself," Hyunjae replied. "So that the demon's darkness inside her can weaken. Once it is weak, we can extract its powers from her without harming her soul. But to do this, she must reveal it herself."

"The only way a person reveals about his possession, is when they're provoked into making a mistake," Hyunjae went on. "Hence, I provoked Rui's pride today."

"And why were you making those insulting comments?" Lambark frowned.

"I wanted to see if the demon seer is truly worthy to aid us in finding Boram," Hyunjae replied. "I wanted to test her temper and patience. Even if she can see demons, only a truly honest and neutral person can confront Boram. That demon will feed on its opponents fear and insecurities. If Rian has a temper, then she won't stand a chance against Boram."

"Boram?" Lambark asked, feeling a dread inside itself. "Wasn't Boram dead?"

"No," Hyunjae admitted. "He's alive. We'll have to catch him before he gets to Rian. Otherwise we won't be able to stop him."

Lambark shivered at the thought of Boram. Unlike humans, who die completely, demons can be reborn again and again with their memories intact. The memories of Boram brought nothing but dread for Lambark.

"I'll be off now," Hyunjae said cheerfully. "Time for my beauty sleep! Goodbye Lambark."

With that, he strutted towards his car and within seconds drove away. Meanwhile, inside the Oh's household, a storm was brewing.