For the very first time a soft genuine smile appeared on Zavian's face. It wasn't forced.. not fleeing again and again.
That same gentlysmile returned to his lips--as if Something within him had finally found peace.
Hearing his voice, Sheyaan slowly opened her red, swollen eyes, which were still watering because of the spice.
Seeing her like this, Zavian gave a faint smile and took out a chocolate from his coat pocket, holding it out to her,
"Here… eat this, it'll help...with the spice."
Sheyaan looked at him with a mix of innocence and surprise. Then she took the chocolate, slightly unwrapped it, and took a bite.
Zavian watched her quietly, his expression unusually gentle.
In that moment, he slowly held the back of her neck and placed a soft kiss on her forehead.
They were standing so close to each other that the rest of the world seemed to fade away.
But neither of them realized that Younshu was standing outside the door, watching everything.
Seeing them like that, a mischievous smile spread across his face. He raised an eyebrow thoughtfully and muttered,
"Are these... two in love with each other…?"
Saying that, Younshu pulled out his phone from his pocket and, with a grin, clicked a couple of photos of them.
"Now this is...going to be fun," he said to himself.
Just then, Younshu knocked loudly on the door—
"Knock! Knock!"
The sound snapped Zavian and Sheyaan out of their moment, as if waking them from a dream.
They immediately pulled away from each other in shock.
As soon as Sheyaan jumped down from the edge of the sofa, her foot accidentally landed on Zavian's foot.
The very next moment, a painful cry echoed through the hall,
"Aaaahhh!"
Hearing his voice, Sheyaan panicked. She quickly made an innocent face and said apologetically,
"So… sorry! Are you..okay?"
Zavian winced in pain. He looked at her with irritation and anger and snapped,
"Sheyaan! Can't you... ever do anything properly?!"
Sheyaan made a teary face again and said softly,
"I'll remember... next time… sorry, please!"
Their little argument was still going on when Younshu appeared in front of them.
That same mischievous smile was on his face. Seeing them like this, he teased,
"Why are you...so worried? In love, a little pain is..expected!"
The moment he mentioned "love," both Zavian and Sheyaan froze in shock.
They quickly turned to look at him—their eyes filled with surprise and uneasiness.
The moment they heard it--Zavian and Sheyaan froze like statues shock flashed across.
Their faces as their eyes snapped toward him.
Zavian quickly composed himself and said in a firm tone,
"What nonsense.. are you talking about?!"
Younshu was now full of attitude. Dropping his playful tone, he became a bit serious and said,
"Seriously… stop hiding it.. now! I've seen everything."
Sheyaan, whose heartbeat had started racing, quickly spoke up,
"wha...what did you..see? And what...are we even hiding?!"
With a mischievous smile, Younshu replied,
"Sheyaan, don't lie… I just saw.. how Zavian kissed you. Isn't that love?!"
The moment he said that, Zavian's patience snapped. He glared at Younshu and said sharply,
"Stop your.. nonsense! And tell me,... why are you here?!"
Seeing Zavian's tone, Younshu said slowly,
"You're really good... at changing the topic!"
Now Zavian was even more irritated. He slowly started walking toward Younshu and, in a cold, icy voice, threatened,
"Are you going...to tell me why you're here… or do you want to.. get hurt?"
Seeing this terrifying side of Zavian, both Younshu and Sheyaan felt slightly shaken.
Seeing Zavian's rising anger and dangerous expression, Younshu immediately stopped in his tracks and raised both his
hands. Slightly nervous but trying to keep things friendly, he said,
"Hey… come on, man, you got..offended! I'm telling you… just wait!"
Hearing this, Zavian paused, but the intensity in his gaze didn't fade.
Younshu took a deep breath and finally explained the real reason,
"I came here...to get a file. Boss..sent me."
Without showing any emotion, Zavian replied in a flat, cold tone,
"Take the file... and get out."
After saying that, he didn't continue the conversation. He pulled out his phone from his pocket.
and went to sit on the sofa, as if Younshu's presence no longer mattered to him.
Sheyaan, who had been silently watching everything, tried to lighten the mood. She looked at Younshu with a slight smile and said,
"You sit, I'll.. bring the file."
Sheyaan left from there, and now only Zavian and Younshu were left in the hall.
Acting stubborn, Younshu sat down right on the sofa in front of Zavian.
He stared at him, who was pretending to be busy on his phone. Slightly annoyed, Younshu asked in a low voice:
"Won't you even...ask me for water? I walked...all the way here in this.. heat, man!"
Zavian lifted his gaze from his phone and looked at Younshu with cold, piercing eyes. With a sharp, sarcastic tone, he said,
"Do I look like... some public water stall..to you? That I should.. offer you water?"
Hearing his cutting reply, Younshu was left completely stunned. Making a simple, annoyed face, he muttered,
"Man, Zayan! What are you...even made of? I'm your... friend—at least show a little kindness!"
Before Younshu could finish complaining, Sheyaan walked in. She was holding a file in her hand.
"Here you go! This was the only.. file in Fangxi's room," she said, handing it to him.
Younshu checked the file and smiled,
"Yeah, this is the...one! Alright, I'll get going now."
He had just taken a step to leave when Sheyaan quickly said,
"Wait!"
She hurried to the dining table, grabbed a glass of water, and came back.
"Here, have.. some water!"
Younshu smiled at her and sat down on the sofa, drinking the water calmly. Placing the glass down, he said,
"Thank you for..the water! Alright, I'll...leave now. Bye-bye, Sheyaan!"
He was just about to leave when Zavian, without even looking up from his phone, said in a cold and firm voice,
"Don't show up...here again."
Hearing this, Younshu made an annoyed face and shot back teasingly—though there was a hint of friendship in his tone,
"Fine, I'll remember... this insult. Just wait, one day you'll be the... one calling me over."
He paused for a moment and added,
"But I...won't come… you grumpy man!"
At that, Zavian smirked slightly without even looking at him, while Sheyaan let out a small, suppressed smile.
Younshu finally left, and as soon as he was gone, an odd silence filled the hall.
But it didn't last long. Sheyaan's phone suddenly started ringing—it was an unknown number.
"Ring-Ring!"
Sheyaan picked up her phone from the table in surprise and murmured,
"Who could..this be?!"
Checking the number, she quietly walked toward her room.
The moment Sheyaan moved aside to take the unknown call Zavian didn't miss the opportunity he slowly lifted his gaze.
And looked away from his phone as if Something else had already caught his interest.
He pulled out the same old, dust-covered paper from his coat pocket.
The moment he unfolded it, ancient dust fell off and scattered onto the floor.
As he brushed the paper clean with his hand, his eyes fell on the tattoo etched on his skin—one that had remained faded and lifeless for years.
But today… today, a strange, glowing energy..was running through it.
Seeing this, Zavian froze for a moment, as if his heart had skipped a beat.
But the very next second, a smile appeared on his face—one filled with mystery and danger, like a sign of an approaching storm.
He placed the paper on the table and began touching his glowing tattoo with a mix of shock and excitement. Almost in disbelief, he exclaimed,
"My powers… how is this.. even possible?!"
Zavian kept running his fingers over the tattoo again and again, and a low, eerie laughter echoed through the hall.
In that moment, he realized that the power of the 'Demon' within him—once dormant—had awakened again…
either because of Sheyaan's presence or the effect of that mysterious paper.
But Zavian's powers hadn't fully returned yet—though their awakening had already begun.
His tattoo was glowing like an old, forgotten lamp. In his excitement, Zavian completely forgot that he.
wasn't in his own realm, but in the human world, inside Sheyaan's house.
His heart was pounding rapidly. In a frenzy, he shouted,
"How did this.. miracle happen?! I need to...repeat that method again. I'll do...anything to regain my powers!"
His loud voice reached Sheyaan's ears. She quickly stepped out of her room and, standing near the railing, looked down into the hall and called out,
"Zayan! What happened? Why are you... shouting like that?!"
Hearing her voice, Zavian snapped back to his senses. He immediately composed himself, hid his tattoo, and said calmly,
"No… it's nothing."
Sheyaan looked at him with slight suspicion, but without overthinking it, she went back to her room.
Meanwhile, Zavian sank into deep thought again.
Pacing around the hall, he placed a hand on his chin and muttered,
"My powers are within Sheyaan… but what.. exactly happened that they started returning to me so easily..from within her?"
He remained lost in this confusion for quite some time. Then suddenly, a completely unfamiliar voice came from behind him,
"Hello, Mr.!"
Zavian turned around in surprise. A servant stood there—someone he had never seen before.
She was staring at him with a strange, mysterious smile...
When Zavian saw the unfamiliar servant, he paused for a moment, lost in thought.
Then, in his usual flat and deep tone, he asked,
"What do you..want?"
But the servant remained silent. She kept staring at him with those secretive eyes, as if
she could read every hidden truth within him. Then, in a chilling voice, slightly leaning forward with a terrifying smile, she said,
"You must have... received the message…!"
After saying that, she slowly started stepping backward. That same mysterious smile was still on her face, her gaze fixed on Zavian.
He was left completely stunned by her strange behavior. He couldn't understand who this woman was or what "message" she was talking about.
The servant then turned toward the stairs and began walking upstairs with slow, steady steps.
Zavian stood there, watching her go. His mind was filled with questions, but his heart sensed an unknown danger.
Why was she heading up stairs? What business did she have there? Creating an uneasy tension in the air a strange chilling coldness.
Remained in the hall..along with a faint lingering sense of fear. That refused to fade.