Doctor Demon

He drew a sharp breath. The demon was staring back at him with its red eyes with an impassive expression.

"Can you see them die, Ohm Hobin?" he questioned.

"How are the attacks on them related to me?"

"That is not the answer," the demon said. Hobin raised an eyebrow. The demon was deliberately avoiding his question for some reason and Hobin was now more curious.

"You know something," he accused. "Tell me the truth. Why were they attacked?"

"Keep asking me that and they'll be attacked again," the demon smirked. Hobin felt like smashing the mirror to pieces but he remained calm. The demon was trying to play a psychological game with him.Â

Two can play at that.

"Fine," Hobin said. "We're here for a while. Let's do this then."

He stepped back and sat on the floor. The demon mimicked his actions, watching him carefully. Hobin stared back at the demon in the mirror, contemplating his next move.

"What happened all those years ago?" he asked. "What's your real name? Wang Daesung?"

"That's your name," the demon replied lazily. "Not mine."

Wang Daesung...that was my name in the past? Hobin thought. But why is the demon saying his name is a different one?

"What is your name then?" he asked. "Surely, you want me to call you something."

"You can't exorcise me out of your body, Ohm Hobin," the demon sighed. He grinned and leaned back lazily, watching his human counterpart. "Unlike other demons, I'm a special case. I was born a demon. The result of the union between a human and the King of Hell. I was born with you and unlike Daesung, I didn't die with him. I was simply in a limbo until the King of Hell mated with the reincarnation of the woman he loves. And I was allowed to return to Earth once again."

"Imagine my shock when I saw that you were my host again," he added and snickered. "Promise to protect the woman you love? Ha! Bullshit! You can't protect her, Ohm Hobin. She's gonna be the death of you'¦"

He let out a loud, sarcastic laughter. Hobin watched his own reflection, his handsome face contorted into a manic obsession. He was disgusted by his own reflection but the demon tutted.

"What's there to be disgusted about?" The demon questioned him. "I am you and you are me. This is the world of mirrors. It shows your soul, Doctor Ohm. And you...you are a demon."

"So you can read my mind," Hobin concluded.

"I live in it."

Hobin studied the demon. He was sure that this was not the demon's real form. The real form of the demon must be more sinister but he merely took over Hobin's reflection. Then Hobin frowned at something.

"You said that unlike other demons, you were born one," he pointed out. "What do you mean? Have you been to Hell?"

"No," the demon revealed. "I haven't. Unlike other demons, I wasn't born there. You and I, we are the only exception. Other demons were created there. We weren't."

"Created?"

"You were right, Ohm Hobin," the demon said as if toying with him. "The demons were once humans. Your little friend, Sungki? He is the manifestation of his obsession. Thanks to his deal with the demons and mania to have his wife at all costs, he turned into a demon sooner than expected."

"But he's a Kistris," the demon went on. "Annoying types but beatable."

"Kistris?" Hobin frowned. He recalled the demon at Duho's apartment. It called itself a Vusthamis Lord. Was it a class of demons? Hobin did not think about it much because demons were known to lie but was his own demon lying to him?

The demon was eyeing him, amused by the situation. "You really don't know much about your own powers, do you?" he taunted. "If only you'd let me out!"

He let out a sigh and added, "I can show you so much more."

"My father," Hobin said, ignoring his questions. "Is he a demon too? They call me the Prince. Does that mean he is the Emperor of Hell? Who is he? Where is he?"

"If anyone knew, you wouldn't have had the problems of stray demons," the demon said. "Rules for a contract are simple. Take the soul and leave. No one is allowed to stay back."

"But someone must have summoned my father then!" Hobin exclaimed.

"Who knows?"

The demon was now withholding information. Hobin was thinking of what to say next. The demon was inside his head, reading his mind. There was no way he could outwit it without shutting down his thoughts. But this was the world of his own soul. He was sure that no matter what he did, the demon would be at an advantage.

He suddenly cleared his mind, deciding to let his mouth run instead of his head. It was the only way. Demon? Oh please! He was no different than a stubborn patient.

"You have a superiority complex like all demons," he stated. "You think you're the best but in reality, you really don't know much about anything."

The demon raised an eyebrow but Hobin went on.

"Being the exception to the rules of Hell, you think that you can take over it," he went on. "But you can't survive without a host so you need to take me with you. However, you can't take a human being without his will. Can you?"

"You don't know what will happen if you don't go," the demon said quietly. "The throne is empty, Ohm Hobin. Imagine what you can do if you go there-"

"You're not trying to take me there to rule Hell," Hobin pointed out. "You want to take me there so that you don't fall in a limbo again like last time."

He leaned forward, crossing his legs. "You saw what happened to Wang Daesung. You know many things and you don't want to say it. Is it out of guilt? Or something else?"

The demon's eyes flashed a bright scarlet light. It was trying to read Hobin's mind but the psychiatrist had completely blocked him off. It was a skill Hobin had learnt a long time ago. If it works against humans, it would work against demons too.

"You're guilty," Hobin accused. "You did something. Daesung died because of you, didn't he?"

"Daesung died because he was a fool who fell in love with his own murderer!" the demon cursed. "The Butterfly Priestess was born to kill him! Yet, the dumbass fell in love with her-"

"And so did you."

Hobin's words were simple but effective. It was the oldest story in the world. Two personalities cohabiting in the same body were also in love with the same person. Even if the personalities claimed they were not one, they had the same mind and heart. One of the common traits in an already dysfunctional mind.Â

"You loved her and were jealous of Daesung!" he realized. "Which is why you betrayed him-"

"I did nothing of that sort!" the demon roared. Hobin watched his reflection move desperately as if trying to prove a point. But he had touched the demon's sore spot.

"I didn't betray them!" the demon hissed.

"But you did. You betrayed them. Why? Was it because you thought you could take over Daesung's body? Or was it something else? Whatever it was, you felt you could have the Priestess all to yourself."

"She didn't kill Daesung," Hobin concluded. "She was killing you-"

"They killed themselves!" the demon burst out. It was on its feet and so was Hobin, shocked by the revelation.Â

They killed themselves?