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....
Hobin slowly opened his eyes. His head felt heavy and bright lights were shining right above him, almost blinding him. He felt someone poking his head and a pair of brown eyes popped before him.
"Oi, do you have to do that all the time?" he asked.
"Uwu," Miyoo said. She was sitting next to him on the bed, staring back at him. Hobin noticed that she was also holding a marker and probably drew things on his face while he was asleep. He groaned and looked around to find that Jina was lying on the couch, fast asleep.
"Was she here all night?" he wondered out loud.
"All night," Miyoon replied. She raised her hand to draw more hearts on his face. Hobin had long given up trying to discipline the kid and just let her do whatever she wanted. He lay back, thinking about what happened at Duho's house.
I fell unconscious again, he remembered. Now he was sure that the exorcism ritual was having an effect on him. The demon was also addressing him during the exorcism, calling him 'Prince'. Why? Did the demon know something about him?
Jina stirred and slowly sat up to find that Hobin was already awake.
"Miyoo, don't draw on someone's face!" Jina scolded her sister. Miyoo pouted and jumped off the bed to pick up a paper and draw on it instead. Jina sighed and took a cloth. She dipped it in water and began to wipe off the hearts from Hobin's face.
"How are you feeling now?" she asked.
"Terrible," he muttered. "How long have I been out?"
"Two days," she replied. "The doctor kept you sedated. You woke up sporadically but fell asleep again."
"Ugh!"
Hobin tried to sit up but his muscles were sore. No doubt he would have to go through some mild therapy to loosen them up.
"What happened to the kid? Duho?"
Jina thought for a while before answering. "Well, when the demon left his body, he lost his sanity," she said. "The doctors here treated him but the trauma of it made his mental state deteriorate and he's acting like a child now. We looked into his past and he has a history of obsession along with mental issues. Moreover, he doesn't have any family here because his parents don't want to keep any contact with him. As for the crimes…"
"Duho was seen with the painting by a student. So he automatically fell under our radar. Dahoon looked into his alibi and found that he has none for the killing of the student at Dalton and Minyku's family. His face was caught on the cameras around Minkyu's neighborhood. Moreover, Soobin also told us that he was stalking her. When he kidnapped her from her room, he cut his finger and bled. That was his blood we found. So we have enough evidence to arrest him."
"But it was the demon which made him kill that family, right?" Hobin frowned.
"Yes," Jina nodded. "But how are you going to prove that in court? Law doesn't believe in supernatural creatures! We can't bring the demon on trial. And even if Duho was a psycho, he didn't commit any of the crimes in a sane state of mind. So our only option is to declare him insane and have him admitted to a mental facility. That way, he won't be charged by the court and once he's healed, he can live a normal life. Of course, we'll issue a restraining order on behalf of Soobin."
Jina was not completely in support of this but sending an innocent kid to jail was wrong. Between jail and rehab, it was best for Duho to be sent off to the latter until he could recover from the trauma.
"I understand," Hobin said. "Once I've recovered, I'll analyze him and talk to the court appointed psychiatrists. I'm sure they'll agree with me as well."
She nodded and they fell into an awkward silence.
"There's one more thing," Jina said. "It's about you."
"Did your grandfather find out anything about why I keep on fainting every time there's an exorcism going on?" he asked.
"Not really. But he's researching it. He tried to find out more about demons but he has limited access to the information. In fact, only a few selected exorcists have access to such data. The things we know about demons are from movies and fiction which aren't true."
"Also," she added. "We need to find out how...how I was able to kill a demon."
"What?" Hobin frowned. "Kill a demon? You said it's impossible to kill a demon!"
"I know! I thought so too but that night, when I burnt the painting, the demon died! I've never heard of a demon dying. When my parents were facing a demon, my dad had to open the door to Purgatory and push the demon in. There it had its soul taken by a reaper and the demon became an empty shell but didn't die. But last night, the demon died! I don't know how."
Hobin let out a frustrated groan. So many mysteries to solve! First was the issue of their strange abilities and now this.
"I need a long break," he muttered.
"We all do," Jina agreed. The door opened and Siwan entered the room, looking relieved.
"Thank god, you're awake!" He smiled at his brother. "How do you feel now? Are you in pain? Or hurting anywhere?"
"I'm hungry," Hobin said. "And I wanna walk."
"I'll tell a nurse to help you move around," Siwan said. "And what's that on your cheek?"
"Oh, I missed one!" Jina exclaimed and rubbed Hobin's cheek to remove the heart. Hobin shot a glare at Miyoo who ignored him.
"Where are the trouble trio?" he asked Jina. He was referring to the twins and Soobin whom he nicknamed the 'Trouble Trio' because of their uncanny penchant to fall in dangerous situations.
"They're at school," Jina replied. "Since the culprit was caught, there's no reason why the school should be closed. The principal addressed the issue in the assembly today and the store room will be demolished and sealed with a wall. They'll also increase the security by putting up electrical wires on the walls."
Hobin knew it was useless but at least the school was taking some action for the sake of the students.
Wonder what else is in store now, he thought warily.
….
"I still can't believe you didn't tell us about the kidnapping!" Yoonmin scolded Soobin.
"I'm sorry!" she said in a small tone. "Everything happened so fast that I didn't know what to do!"
They were in the classroom with Minyoon. The trio sat in a corner, whispering to themselves while Sera was at the front, throwing jealous gazes at Soobin. Yoonmin had his arm around her shoulder and was saying something to her making Sera incredibly envious.
"It wasn't her fault, Yoon," Minyoon told him. "Sis forbade the old man because she knows we might react. Besides, Binbin is safe! That's what matters. Besides, it's great that Binbin now knows the Hwang family secret!"
"You won't be safe if you call my girlfriend 'Binbin' one more time!" Yoonmin snapped at him. Minyoon scowled while Soobin laughed.
"But Yoonie, I like the nickname!" Soobin purred, teasing him. Yoonmin went red in the face and muttered something like 'If you insist'. She patted his cheek and kept on laughing at her cute boyfriend.
"Are they together?" one girl whispered at Sera. "They look so intimate!"
When Sera did not reply, the girl went on, "Is that why Soobin refused Duho? Then again, Duho was a nutcase. And who wouldn't choose Hwang Yoonmin over him?"
Sera glared at her, making the girl shut her mouth. At that moment, the teacher entered the class and everyone went to their seats. Soobin sat next to Yoonmin while Minyoon sat alone at his bench.
"Class, I know that our school has gone through a major tragedy," the teacher said in a glum tone. "And all of you are tense. But as the principal said in the morning assembly, we must somehow move on. Hyoseop will be missed and we will remember him fondly. He was a good student and his parents were very upset. Duho's case is also a sad reminder that not everyone is what they seem."
"But we should learn a lesson and be kinder to each other. You never know what might happen tomorrow so it's best not to live with regrets."
The class slowly nodded in agreement. They were going to have a tribute for Hyoseop in the evening so almost everyone was going to stay back after school to pay their final respects.
"Anyways," the teacher went on. "I also have another announcement. We have a new student transferring into our class. I hope all of you will be kind and welcoming to her. Without further ado, I'd like to welcome, Cho Baekha!"
The students were curious. A slim girl of their age entered the class. She had long, dark hair with grey eyes and a very smooth, oval face. An icy vibe oozed from her, as if she was far beyond their reach. The girl was watching them all with a bored expression until her eyes met Minyoon's. He was mildly curious but did not seem to be paying much attention to her.
Yoonmin, however, was peering at her with attention.
"Baekha, introduce yourself," the teacher encouraged.
"My name is Cho Baekha and I'm the daughter of Cho Youngjoon, the country's biggest steel tycoon."
She spoke in an arrogant, haughty manner which immediately made the students dislike her. Minyoon rolled his eyes. He disliked spoiled brats like her and was no longer curious. Instead, he was doodling a new song in his notebook, basing it on the tune he heard from the mysterious girl at the summer festival.
But Baekha was still glaring at him.
I'll beat you, Hwang Minyoon, she swore.
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