Doctor Demon

Hobin was nervous in front of Minho. The latter had brought him to a place 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 place ran well until twenty five years ago, a devastating fire destroyed the place. 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 know'¦"

He turned to Hobin who was unusually still and uncomfortable.Â

"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.Â

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 believe'¦"

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.Â

"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 I'¦I'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 not comment. 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 into'¦they 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 Cleaver'¦are 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 you come face to face with one?"

Hobin shook his head.Â

"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 years later 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 but coming 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 for'¦"

Minho's tone grew more grim as he added, "Satisfying their bloodlust."

"The Cleaver was targeting the murder victims through their deceased relatives," Hobin said. "He may have been possessing the dead bodies of the relatives 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.Â

"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 could comprehend and he was sure that the demon inside him was also going to harm him.Â

Was it fate or something else Hobin did not know but he was glad 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 blatant 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 plan 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.Â

"Says the guy who was in a live-in relationship 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.Â

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.