Doctor Demon

Jina was wincing in her sleep. Her chest hurt and there was something heavy on her neck. She was vaguely annoyed by the thing and wanted to get rid of it but as soon as she reached for her neck, a memory ran through her mind.

Several pairs of hands were clasping her throat, throttling her while holding her against a tree. The white figures surrounded her with a manic smile. 

"Priestess…" they chanted. "Come with us…"

"No…" she whispered.

"Come with us...come with us…"

"No!"

Her eyes snapped open and a bright light almost blinded her. For a wild moment she thought it was those spirits.

"Help!" she whispered in a weak tone. "Help...please…"

She was shaking in fear, trying to move but her body was paralyzed. Her limbs were not moving and she was confined to a bed. Jina was gasping and panting when a strong pair of hands stopped her from moving. Terrified, she looked around to see a familiar pair of chocolate eyes looking back at her.

"You're safe now!" Minyoon told her. "Relax, sis."

The sight of her brother calmed her down. Jina slowly lay back, trying not to panic but her hands would not stop shaking.

"Where am I?" she gasped. "And why can't I move?"

"You're in the hospital," Minyoon told her. "And you're sedated so you can't move for a while."

He helped his sister to relax. Jina winced at the pain in her chest.

"Your ribs were badly injured," he explained. "And so was your throat but not that much. The doctors said it will take you a month to recover."

Soobin entered the room, carrying a sleeping Miyoo. Jina was a little surprised to see Soobin in a short hairstyle because the girl loved her long hair. 

"Sis, how are you feeling now?" Soobin asked. 

"Painful," Jina grimaced. "But what's with the hair? I thought you didn't want to cut it off. You nearly cried when I offered to trim it a little for you."

"Uh...I like the look now!"

Minyoon sighed at her. "Tell her the truth, Binbin," he said. 

"Truth?" Jina blinked.

"Someone put an explosive goo in her locker," he said before Soobin could stop him. "It stuck to her skin and hair. Baekha took off the goo from the skin but her hair was so badly affected that she was forced to cut it off."

"What?" Jina exclaimed and then scowled in pain. "Is the bullying still going on?"

"Yep. And now Binbin is a target."

"I am not a target," Soobin mumbled but she looked very sad. She lay Miyoo on a soa, tucking the pillows under her and then sat next to her sleeping form. Soobin fidgeted her fingers nervously as she spoke to Jina.

"I was taken aback by it," she admitted. "I don't know why someone would do this. Sometimes, I wish that I hadn't come to this city. People are so strange here."

"Don't talk like that!" Jina said. "I'll be having a talk with that principal of yours after I'm discharged! How can they just let the students go on-"

"That'll turn Binbin into a social pariah," Minyoon stated. "The bullying will worsen. Nah. You gotta fight fire with fire."

When Jina threw him a confused look, he simply said, "You'll see."

Before Jina could ask her brother what he was planning, Hobin, Junho and Siwan entered the room to check up on her. Junho was relieved to see Jina well while Hobin was stone faced. Siwan smiled at her and walked towards her to check on her.

"Are you alright?" he asked. "I was doing rounds so I thought to check up on you."

"I'm fine," Jina assured him. 

"Of course she is!" Junho claimed with pride. "My granddaughter can survive anything! After all, our bloodline is known for our love of money, discounts and life."

Everyone chuckled except Hobin. He stood in a corner, watching everyone else in silence. Jina noticed that he was pale and frightened but tried not to show it. Only she could read his fears.

"Oi, old man! Stop trying to take credit for Jina sis' survival!" Minyoon scolded his grandfather. "She was always a fighter!"

"Shut it, Yoonmin!"

"It's Minyoon. Cough up twenty bucks, old man!"

The duo bickered like cats and dogs but it was fun to watch. Soobin was laughing while Siwan smiled, shaking his head. Jina was amused but it was Miyoo who was able to shut them up. The child was annoyed that her sleep was disturbed and she woke up, feeling grouchy.

"Miyoo, sleepy!" she pouted at her brother and grandfather, who immediately stopped fighting.

"Look what you did!" Minyoon hissed at his old man. "You woke her up!"

"Me? It was your fault!"

"Stop fighting!" Soobin said sharply. "She didn't sleep a wink last night. And Jina sis needs rest."

She glared at the crazy pair who muttered an apology. Miyoo went back to sleep while Siwan snickered. 

"I'll go and tell Jiwoon that you're fine," he told Jina. "She's at the cafe, buying breakfast for everyone."

"I'll go and tell Yoonmin that sis is fine," Minyoon piped up. "The moment he heard about sis, he rushed to the airport for a flight but got stuck there due to a storm."

"We can go and join Jiwoon at the cafe," Junho suggested. "Hobin can stay with Jina."

Everyone nodded and murmured, slowly dispersing. Only Miyoo was left behind because she was still sleeping. Finally, Hobin was alone with Jina. All this time, he was silent and not talking at all. He averted his eyes, unwilling to look at her in the eye but Jina slowly reached out her hand.

"Come here," she whispered. Hobin hesitated but slowly walked towards her. He sat next to her. Gently stroking her cheek, he gazed down at her with his sad eyes. She looked so fragile and pale that he was afraid the slightest touch was going to break her.

"I thought I lost you," he admitted.

"You didn't," she croaked. "I'm fine!"

"I know," he said with a small smile. "But I...I was scared. What if something had happened to you? What if I was late even by a second? All these terrifying thoughts swirling in my head. I couldn't help it…"

Jina clasped his palm weakly, as if trying to comfort him. He held her hand in his.

"Don't ever scare me like that again," he almost begged. "Promise me?"

"I won't," Jina smiled. "But I hate this broken look on you! Where's the demon who keeps on calling me Tinkerbell?"

"I thought you hated it," Hobin smirked.

"It grew on me."

She chuckled but the pain in her ribs was too much. Seeing her wince, Hobin instantly stopped her from talking too much.

"You need to rest," he told her. "Your injuries are really bad. You won't be able to go to work for a further few weeks after being discharged."

Jina sighed. Her team would have to work on the case without her. The case…

"Were there any more deaths?" she asked. "You know, while I was in surgery."

"No," Hobin said, shaking his head. "It seems that the demon is looking for a new host."

"But where is Sungki now?" she wondered out loud. "Why is he taking so long to find a body?"

"It's weird," Hobin stated. "Unless…"

"Unless what?"

"Is it possible for demons to be like humans?" he wondered out loud.

"What do you mean?"

He quickly filled her in on what Junho told him the other night. Jina was shocked to learn that Miyoo was attacked at the same time as her.

"What?" she whispered. "Miyoo was also attacked? How? Why? Her room is always protected with charms!"

"What if the charms don't work in certain cases?" Hobin asked. 

"Why do you think that?"

"Lately, I've been thinking," he began. "This demon is highly functional. He knows what's wrong and right. If my theory is right and demons are really human souls which are trapped in Hell, then he must be retaining his human memories and personality. In short, he's just a nasty spirit in demon form. But no different than the human psyche. Maybe the charms don't work on him because he possessed enough powers to bypass the effects of a charm? Also, if he can bypass them, who's to say that other demons can't?"

He grabbed a notebook and pen from a desk and began to scribble down.

"This is like a patient analysis," he went on. "Sungki is a high functioning psychopath and a narcissist. Two of the most dangerous combinations in psychology. If he's still after Jiwoon, he's a psychopath for sure because of his obsession. As for the narcissistic part, what if he's not murdering anyone because he wants the perfect body to possess? Yooseok was more of a necessity to him rather than a choice. But now, he's looking for someone who fits the bill. Someone who is good looking and possibly charming enough to lure women who resemble Jiwoon. Hence, he's waiting to possess that body."

"And if he has gained enough powers to the point that even holy charms don't work on him," Hobin went on. "Then he's more powerful than we thought."

"There was a shaman involved," Jina said in a hoarse tone. "He might have the answers we need. Where are we gonna find him?"

"This shaman has his own agenda to summon this demon," Hobin said in a grave tone. "If we can find him, we'll be able to solve the mystery. Why did he target the Cho's?"

He turned to Jina. "Are there other Seers out there?" he asked. "Apart from you and Miyoo?"

"We never came across any," she frowned. "My mom's bloodline might have scattered but she doesn't have any cousins. Both her parents were single children and had no siblings."

"I might have to trace down the rest of your bloodline," he said. "Can your mom send us any information on her other relatives? It might help us in finding that shaman or any other Seer who might be involved in summoning demons."

"I'll ask her," Jina nodded. They were now in deep thought. Something was not right. The spirits were being controlled by something or someone who made them target Jina and Miyoo. Whatever force was behind the attacks, it was powerful.

"Maggie…" Miyoo mumbled in her sleep. "Doggo…"

The adults momentarily glanced at the child who was fast asleep.

"Why is she dreaming of dogs?" Hobin sighed. "Gave up on Alpacas?"

"God knows what goes on in her head," Jina sighed. But they stopped discussing any further because Jina's sedatives were kicking in.

"Take rest," Hobin said and kissed her forehead. "I'll be right here by your side."

She weakly nodded and drifted off to a peaceful sleep, knowing that Hobin was with her. He would protect her and as long as he was around, she was not afraid.

"See you later, Doctor Demon," she mumbled.

"See you later, Tinkerbell," he whispered and patted her head.

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