Demon and the Interferer (2)
Donghwi yelled at Seha.
"I'm asking what you're gonna do from now on. You planning to keep dragging this summoned beast around?"
"...I..."
Seha hesitated before opening his mouth.
"Dahong is my summoned beast. So—"
"Dahong?"
Donghwi narrowed his eyes.
"You even gave it a name, just 'cause it looks like a summoned beast?"
"......"
"Hah."
It wasn't uncommon to name summoned beasts. For non-named ones, it made giving orders easier when there were multiples of the same type, and summoners often grew attached anyway.
But Donghwi scoffed.
"A dimwit student who can't even control it properly goes and names it? It's not a damn pet."
Donghwi shook his head.
"This is why you can't entrust summoned beasts to kids. They should drill the basics first before any practical training or whatever. Hell... they can't even get the fundamentals right?"
Seha's head drooped. His fists had gone white-knuckled.
Crunch.
"......"
The moment Seoyeun, unable to hold back any longer, opened her mouth to speak—
"Fun."
A low voice cut in. The staff room fell silent.
Donghwi looked up.
"What?"
"Humans are so amusing."
Dahong said, arms crossed.
"What'd you just say, summoned beast?"
Donghwi rose from his seat, glaring up at her.
"Acting like empty titles and authority are some invincible shield."
Dahong muttered. Loud enough for everyone in the room to hear.
She slowly uncrossed her arms. Seoyeun's face hardened.
"Dahong!"
Dahong stared down at Donghwi.
In that instant—
Whoosh!
The air shifted.
"......!"
Sound vanished. The patter of rain outside, footsteps in the hall, the fluorescent lights' hum—all gone.
The staff room felt like a vacuum.
Donghwi's body stiffened.
What...?
His breath caught. His heart clenched. His legs turned to logs, rigid and unyielding. Without the chair behind him, he'd have collapsed in a heap.
Donghwi's vision tinted red. Something loomed in the darkness. Horns. Crimson eyes. Fissured earth. A sky ablaze.
Hell itself.
A woman stood at its center.
She gazed down at Donghwi.
She swung her hand—and his limbs stretched grotesquely. They tore free at the limits, ripping apart in sprays of blood.
He wanted to scream, but no sound came.
His gut split like blooming petals, entrails spilling out. His hollowed torso gaped empty. And at its core, something fist-sized throbbed in terror.
His heart, pounding frantically.
The woman's hand reached for it.
Death—!
I'm gonna die!
The thought hit just as—
"Dahong!"
Seha shot up from his chair and grabbed her.
"Stop it! Please, Dahong!"
Dahong glanced down. Seha clung to her waist.
"Please."
His expression was desperate. Not just about avoiding complications—it was clear he didn't want her killing anyone.
"......"
Dahong closed her eyes.
Then opened them.
Whoosh!
The heavy air lifted.
"Hah, haaah... heuk...!"
Donghwi clutched his chest, gasping. His face had drained from pale to ashen blue. Cold sweat streamed down his jaw.
Seoyeun's hands trembled around her papers. The oppressive aura had blanketed the entire room—even the vice principal outside its range was frozen in his chair.
Seha released Dahong and bowed deeply to Donghwi.
"I'm sorry. It was my failing that let my summoned beast offend you."
"......"
Donghwi couldn't respond. Still catching his breath. His suit clung sweat-soaked to his back. His hands shook.
He straightened his tie to hide it.
"...Ahem. Cough."
Donghwi forced his back straight and lifted his chin.
Seha kept his head bowed.
Donghwi's lips curled.
That's right. Who'd dare touch him? The kid had good instincts, bowing immediately.
"Fine."
Donghwi brushed his sleeves like flicking off suit lint.
"The master's suffering 'cause of a dumb summoned beast."
He glanced at Dahong. She stared back coldly.
Donghwi swallowed involuntarily and looked away.
"S-something you can't even control ain't a summoned beast. It's a wild mana beast."
He fussed with his jacket front.
"I've decided."
Seoyeun spoke urgently.
"Director, the investigation isn't—"
"This summoned beast is being transferred to headquarters."
"......Pardon?"
Seha looked up.
"Re-measure the rank. Risk assessment. Review the summoning contract."
Donghwi snapped the file shut.
"Just proven right here. This thing's beyond what a student can handle. Leaving a summoned beast that threatens a Management Bureau executive with a kid? Insane."
Seha's eyes wavered.
"Th-that's..."
"Until headquarters decides, separate the summoned beast from the summoner."
Donghwi smirked down at him smugly.
"Effective immediately. You get one hour. Prepare."
Donghwi strode out. His footsteps faded.
No one moved. Only the rain against the window filled the room.
"......Why'd you do that?"
Seoyeun spoke first.
"Just hold it in a little longer, why..."
Dahong stared out the window.
"Dunno."
"......"
Seoyeun was speechless.
Seha spoke desperately.
"Teacher, is there... any way?"
Seoyeun met his eyes. Pleading. Nosebleed streaks still smeared.
She paused.
"I'll do everything I can. Sorry."
She couldn't say there was no way.
"......"
Seha's head drooped. The room fell quiet again.
Dahong approached Seha. Her pristine white suit entered his view. He looked up.
Dahong reached out, wiping under his nose. Her pale finger passed, and the bloodstain vanished.
Seha froze.
"Looks better now."
Dahong smiled brightly.
"......"
Seha said nothing.
Dahong turned away without lingering.
"Let's go, teacher."
Seoyeun nodded. Dahong exited the staff room. Seoyeun glanced at Seha once more and followed.
The door closed.
Seha alone remained.
"Nya......"
Ruby lifted her head at his feet. Her golden eyes gazed up anxiously.
Seha sank into an empty chair, expression vacant. The spot Dahong's fingertips had brushed still tingled with cold.
Management Bureau Seoul Branch.
Click.
Heavy silver handcuffs clamped Dahong's wrists. Intricate mana-suppression runes etched the surface.
S-grade mana beast restraints.
Click.
Not just one. Three on each forearm. One around her neck.
The staffer securing them glanced at Donghwi.
"......Director, isn't this enough?"
"Follow protocol."
"But she's not resisting, and four sets of S-grade captures..."
"Unmeasurable rank, remember? Better overdo it than under."
The staffer shut up. He snuck a peek at Dahong— not pity, but a face saying this excessive?
Dahong looked utterly bored. Three restraints the width of her waist on her arms, and she showed no discomfort.
After double- and triple-checking, the staffer led her to the underground parking.
A black transport van waited. Windowless. Mana-shielding runes on the body.
The rear door opened. Dahong stood before it, shackled in four sets.
Seoyeun stood beside her.
Seoyeun spoke.
"I'll do everything I can."
"......"
Dahong looked at her.
"It's fine. Not your fault, teacher."
From upfront, Donghwi barked.
"Get in already, summoned beast!"
Dahong boarded. Cramped interior. Metal bench. Sealed windows.
As she sat, the restraints clanked.
Seoyeun watched her. Dahong leaned against the wall, eyes closed—like napping.
Seoyeun said nothing.
Thud.
Rear door shut. Engine rumbled; the van pulled away.
Seoyeun watched it go.
Seha's apartment.
The front door opened; Seha entered.
He'd left huddled under a single cramped umbrella. Returning, plenty of space.
Clack.
Propped the umbrella; set Ruby down.
Dark. Lights on. No TV.
He wasn't one to watch much anyway—preferred study books in that time.
Since Dahong arrived, TV chatter filled the place.
But not tonight. No Dahong to turn it on.
The sofa felt huge. Balcony icily empty.
Dahong's seat. Her railing lean. Her coffee spot.
All vacant.
"Nya......"
Ruby peered up from his feet. Golden eyes anxious.
"It'll be okay."
Mumbling to who-knows-who, Seha dropped his bag. Stood in the living room center, scanning the place.
Quiet. Was it always this quiet? This spacious? This...
"......"
Voices echoed in his head.
'This summoned beast is beyond your level.'
'Separate the summoned beast from the summoner.'
Teacher's words too.
'I'll do everything I can. Sorry.'
And.
'Looks better now.'
Dahong.
......
Seha bowed his head. Belzar's voice surfaced too.
'You're just fleeting dust in my long love.'
"......"
Fists trembled. Dust. Beyond him. Uncontrollable.
All true.
Crunch.
"Who decides..."
A growl escaped. Eyes blazed with fury.
"I won't accept it."
Crackle.
"Nya!?"
Ruby bristled in shock. Mana formed sparks, arcing like lightning.
Lights flickered. Windows rattled. Cup shivered on the table.
Seha noticed none. Dahong filled his mind.
Her wiping his nose, turning away. Like it was nothing. Like it was goodbye.
"......Can't be nothing."
Seha's eyes burned brighter.
"Dahong is my summoned beast."
Mana thickened. Air grew heavy.
Ruby stared up, fur raised, sensing something new in Seha.
Seha extended his hand. A summoning circle drew instantly.
He'd tried it hundreds, thousands of times. Could do it blind.
"Come out! Anything! Come and help me!"
Seha shouted.
Hummm.
The summoning circle expanded massively.