The Demon In You

Hyunjae smiled.

"Tell me about her," he said, turning back to the mirror.

"Her name is Oh Rian," Lambark stated. "She lost her parents when she was ten years old and she lives with her twin sister, Rui. Her aunt used to abuse them, so they ran away when they turned sixteen and since then, live on their own. They-"

"Cut to the chase," Hyunjae said crossly. "I'm getting late for my appointment."

"She has been seeing demons since that accident," Lambark noted. "After all, she was in the car with her parents that day. You know it too."

"I know," Hyunjae replied, adjusting his suit, checking himself out in the mirror. "I was there, after all."

"Sire," Lambark said. "Did your powers transfer into her when you..."

Hyunjae gave him a cryptic look. "Hey Lambark," he said quietly. "Do really think purple suits me?"

The demon stared at him, failing to find any comments.

"Pft, you're right," Hyunjae said cheerfully. "I can pull off any color. After all, I am quite dashing."

At that time, Lambark felt like flinging the CEO out of the door.

Blissfully oblivious to the effect he has on both humans and demons, Hyunjae exited the washroom. Lambark sighed. Was this guy seriously the demon lord? it wondered.

Hyunjae located Rian sitting at the front row. She saved a seat for him. He gracefully walked towards her and took the seat.

"Has the CEO of Armiola made an appearance yet?" he asked.

"No, sir," she replied. "He is not here yet."

"Good," he said. "His ghastly appearance ruins my day."

Shaking her head, Rian concentrated on the ramp show. The models were dressed in different attires, each with the signature elegant touch of Armiola.

She looked on in awe, as the tall models strutted along the ramp walk with alluring confidence.

"How unoriginal," Hyunjae yawned.

"How are they unoriginal, sir?" she asked.

"You see that dress there?" Hyunjae pointed at the model on the ramp walk. She was wearing a white satin suit with a golden glitter belt holding the midriff. "Givenchy had a similar dress with the same stitching. Only difference is, the glitter belt was on the cuffs and not on the midriff."

"Then that one," he pointed at the next model. "You see the feather border on her dress? Armani had the same border on their dress but it was made of fur. Plus, the know on the c.h.e.s.t is totally similar to Gucci's summer collection."

"And that one there," he indicated at the next model. "You see the draping over her shoulder? It's inspired from the Indian saree's style. Armiola only fixed this with a skirt instead of a petticoat. The bordering is inspired from Sabyasachi."

Rian was listening to him in awe. He might be full of self-importance but the CEO of TNT Corps knew his line of work very well.

"So Armiola copies their style?" she asked.

"No," he said. "Copying is not the word here. You can say Armiola takes 'inspiration' from old designs. They're not alone. Everyone does it. But, Armiola lacks their own signature. They focus too much on outer attraction. They appeal to the eyes but forget one crucial component."

"What's that sir?" Rian asked, holding her breath. Hyunjae paused a minute. Rian looked at him expectantly, waiting for his next words.

"Me," he said in a cheery tone. "They lack my presence and brains."

If I murder him right now, will the witnesses back me up? Rian wondered.

She returned her attention to the fashion show, but as the CEO said, she also noticed the 'inspirations' in Armiola's designs. The CEO was right; Armiola's designs lacked a signature touch.

"And now," the announcer's voice came. "We now introduce our showstopper. She is a new talent, who is one of the fastest rising stars of the modeling industry. Please welcome, Ms. Oh Rui!"

Rian's eyes widened in shock as she saw her sister walk up the ramp.

"What?" she exclaimed but her words were drowned by the loud cheers.

She was shell shocked. Why didn't Rui inform her of this? Her sister always wanted to be a showstopper and now that she fulfilled her dream, she didn't even tell Rian about it.

(Such sisterly love, Lambark's snarky voice came to her mind. She hid such a crucial information from you. Surely, you are a little angry?)

Rian did not take its bait. She took a deep breath and cleared all negative thoughts. Rui probably wanted to surprise her. No matter how much Lambark tries, she would not let it ruin her relationship with Rui. Ever.

Rui did not notice her sister in the audience. She confidently stood with grace and fierceness as the dress she wore was designed by the CEO of Armiola himself.

"Another lifeless dress," Hyunjae lamented. He glanced at Rian who was lost in her own thoughts. She grew quiet upon hearing the name of the showstopper. Hyunjae noticed they had the same surname. This was perhaps her sister, he concluded.

The last piece of information did not surprise him. What did surprise him, was the extremely dark colored demon, Saion, standing next to Oh Rui.

"This is bad," he said softly. As a demon grows darker, it starts to eat up the soul of its human, till it completely possesses the body. Saion's increasingly dark appearance indicates that he already ate some of Oh Rui's soul. If he gets any darker, then Rui's soul will be irretrievable.

He turned to the girl next to him. She was still spaced out. He snapped his fingers in front of her eyes.

Rian burst out of her reverie.

"Ms. Rui, I know I'm so good looking that you want to stare at me all day," Hyunjae lamented. "But we're at work now. I'll give you an autograph later on."

I won't be arrested if I try to make his death look like an accident, would I? she wondered. I'll maybe just push him in front of a running bus when no one is looking.

Appeasing herself with the ways she can kill the CEO, she followed him throughout the after party of the show. While Hyunjae was engaged in conversation with some hotshots of the fashion industry, Rian snuck out to try and meet Rui.

But the security guard in front of the models' room did not allow her in.

"No outsiders are allowed," he said in a stern tone.

"My sister is in there," Rian tried to explain. "Oh Rui."

"No entry," he repeated. Feeling dejected, she headed back to the party.

(Tough luck, Lambark consoled her)

Meanwhile, Hyunjae was face to face with the CEO of Armiola. Ahn Taewon.

Ahn Taewon was considerably older than Hyunjae. In his fifties, Ahn Taewon was a tall, well built man with greying hair. Unlike Hyunjae, who wore flamboyant colors and dresses, Ahn Taewon preferred simple yet elegant designer clothes. The contrast between the two could not be any more clearer.

"Hyunjae," CEO Ahn nodded stiffly.

"Ahn Taewon," Hyunjae nodded back, not bothering with honorifics. "I see your designs are as...inspiring as ever."

"Thank you for the compliment, Hyunjae," Ahn Taewon snickered. "Unlike your outlandish ones, we prefer to keep our clothes simple."

"Too bad your ones lack the originality, unlike our ones," Hyunjae smiled at him.

"At least we're still at the top of the fashion industry," Taewon remarked. "Unlike some other company, which is still in second place."

Hyunjae gritted his teeth. The man knew how to touch his weak spot.

"Ha ha," Hyunjae laughed. "At least we turned in more profit than the 'top' fashion company."

If Taewon felt any anger, he hid it well. Even though Armiola was at the top, the company has been facing losses for the past three years. TNT Corps, on the other hand, has been profiting through their ventures.

"Our designs are adored by the public," Taewon said, maintaining a smile.

"Yes, the public loves your designs," Hyunjae agreed. "Since, they're mostly cheap knockoffs. At least we have original designs for which we can charge premium prices."

"Our art is true beauty," Taewon shot at him. "Our designs can make even an ugly person beautiful!"

"Correction sir," Hyunjae tutted. "I am the epitome of beauty. That said, unlike you, I don't aim to make 'ugly' people 'pretty'. Everyone is beautiful. My job is to use my designs to bring out their hidden beauty."

"We'll see whose clothes are better at the International Fashion Week," Taewon challenged him with a wide smile.

"That we shall see," Hyunjae accepted the challenge as he shook hands with Taewon.

"May the best man win."