Doctor Demon

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....

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 unaccompanied. 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 eccentric group of people who were led by an even more eccentric 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 was completely 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 claimed. "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 a lamb 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. The lamb came forward to whisper in his boss' ears.

"Boss, don't make me do that again!" the lamb 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," the lamb muttered. The rest of the staff were conscious about being ridiculed but not Hwang Minho. His eyes were only seeing dollars.

"If that brings me money, then I'm ready to do it for the rest of my life!" Minho declared, 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 play 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. The lamb high fived the bunny and rolled over on the ground to do a perfect split. Their choreography was well coordinated in a hilarious 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 playing 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. He laughed hard, something which he had not done in many months.

The bunny momentarily met his eyes and flashed 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 he landed on was circular 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 wants complete 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 to land 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 place 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 place 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.

"Woah…" he gaped at the strange paintings which were hung on the walls. They were more like splatters of ink and paint which were splashed 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 dollars?" he gasped. "Who the hell pays that much for this? Even my play school doodles are better!"

He pouted but kept on exploring the place as if he was in wonderland. 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, black 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 black 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 arm…

"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 flag and Minho was alarmed. 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!"