Doctor Demon

There was a long silence following his revelation. 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 curse lasts 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 explain 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 exclaimed and rushed towards her grandfather, jumping on his lap. 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 demon lackeys 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 class. In your case, your demon side tries to rise whenever an exorcism takes place."

"That explains 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 our last 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 claimed. "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 exclaimed. "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. Miyoo comically twisted their words, making the duo bicker even more. Jina watched in dismay while Hobin contained his laughter with great difficulty.

But somewhere inside him, he could feel the demon was getting more restless. It was watching him, waiting to come out.

"I'm still waiting, Ohm Hobin," he whispered into Hobin's mind. "And I'll come out soon. That is my promise."

Dream on, Hobin thought and pushed the demon away, focusing on the crazy conversation instead.

…

In the far end of the city, stood a large bungalow. It was located in an isolated area where people rarely visited or stopped by. The bungalow had a magnificent green yard which was almost shining under the bright sun. Its glass windows are black 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 the large mahogany door, he found himself in a living room with sleek marble floors and a lavish setting. 

He barely had the time to admire his surroundings when a cold voice spoke up.

"Speak."