01:00;

"Ugh!", the skinny boy groaned in pain as one of Lu Wei's bodyguards punched him in the face. "Who directed you to hack into President Xi's system?!", the well-built man yelled out, bending his fingers in to form another punch. It was strange, he thought, how a nineteen-year-old kid was so tight-lipped about his employer.

Just then, the sounds of shoes clicking against the concrete floor resounded across the dull yet huge hotel lobby. Cautiously, the bodyguard stood back straight and pulled his gun out. Only when his Boss's face appeared in his line of sight did the man relaxed, loosening his grip over the weapon. "Evening, Sir.", he greeted the man with a bow.

"Evening.", Lu Wei responded, "Any progress so far?", he questioned, looking at the injured Chan Hyun calmly.

"No, Boss.", another one of the security staff answered helplessly. It was now that a tall figure walked in into the place, positioning himself a few steps behind Lu Wei. "May I?", he smiled, his voice spellbindingly deep.

"He's your mess anyway.", Lu Wei laughed shortly, "Go ahead."

"Alright, then.", Xi Yuan said, rolling his sleeves up unhurriedly. As he reached the young boy, the man pulled a chair for himself and placed it about one meter from the kid. "Get me one of the iron rods from outside, someone.", he ordered casually.

"Dangsin-eun Xi Yuan majseubnikka?!", the lad spoke up at this time, the expression in his eyes converting from that of pain to sheer horror.

"What did he say?", Lu Wei furrowed his brows, walking over to the two men, "It's Korean, I guess."

"He is confirming my identity.", Xi Yuan smiled with amusement, turning to the bruised Chan Hyun next, "Ne, geuleohseubnida.", he answered with fluency.

The boy nodded, his gaze clouding with tears slowly, "Naneun geuegeseo dangsin-eul-wihan mesijiga issseubnida. 'Magwijocha sangsanghal sueobsneun bangsig-eulo geunyeoleul pamyeol sikigessda', geuneun malhaessda."

The second Chan Hyun was done saying what he was supposed to say, he pierced his upper and lower incisors through the flesh of his tongue, hard. As quickly as they could, Xi Yuan and Lu Wei grabbed the guy's head as the group of bodyguards encircled them, not sure of their role in the situation. Even so, the lad did not let go until about one-third of his tongue had been cut apart. Blood flowing down the young man's mouth, onto his clothes, down his trousers; it was all too disturbing. Sick, to be precise.

Staring at the bitten-off organ lying on the floor, Xi Yuan stepped back a few paces, and so did Lu Wei. Both the men had their clothes stained in splattered, red blood, their minds searching for an explanation of what had just happened. Storming out of the dark old space, into the long high-ceilinged corridor, the two men stood there silently for a few minutes, wiping away the blood that'd touched their skins.

"Translation.", Lu Wei said later, fixing his gaze at the man beside him.

Xi Yuan inhaled a sharp breath, his eyes turning a few shades darker, "He delivered a message from the person who'd hired him. The phycho had said and I quote; 'I will ruin her in ways not even the devil can imagine.' Let's just face it. We both are aware of who they were referring to."

"Kiddo.", the girl's brother breathed out, his tone a mix of rage and shock.

____________

01:25;

No matter how she looked at him, Rong Xinghe couldn't place the man in front of her. When had they met? What circumstances was he speaking of? As far as she remembered, she'd never had a memory loss in her entire life. Then, how come...

"Don't stress to much.", Diablos chuckled, passing the girl a champagne-filled flute, "I'll tell you about it some other day, alright? It's a lot to take in, and I wouldn't want to burden you with something like that. Not after the surgery you've recently had."

"Your real name is Yang Bolin, right?", the girl said, sipping her drink, "Son of Yang Hai, the infamous business tycoon rooting from Country N."

"Yes.", the man nodded, a tad displeased by the mention of the name, "But I prefer Diablos better."

"Diablos. The Devil- in Spanish.", Rong Xinghe smiled, "It's tenebrous. Bizarre, really. They say, your name is but a reflection of who you really are."

"Oh? So what are your opinions about it? My name, I mean.", Diablos smiled back, intrigued.

Rong Xinghe looked at the man for about half a minute, and then, placing the glassware upon the table parting them, she leaned forward, her voice mesmerically euphonious, "I like to think of the Devil as an angel. A pure yet wronged, angel. His resentments, his rebellions, were all an outcome of how unfairly he was treated. And that, he deserved better."

Diablos stared at the woman, transfixed. She knew about him. At least, a part of him, or his childhood. And while the world around, spited him for choosing the identity of the lord of hell, she understood the reasons behind. Then again, why wouldn't she? She was the She-Devil herself. They could relate, the two of them. In fact, she'd faced pain more than anyone he'd ever known. And yet, she'd walked out of it with the delicacy of a Queen.

"Why do you love Xi Yuan?", the man questioned, knowing very well that the answer would break him. He had to know. He needed to know.

The girl's lips curled up into a tender smile the second her darling's name resounded through the place. "All my life, I've searched for a family. I had this picture of me, and Mom and Dad, and Xiao; sitting in the dining room, laughing. I had hope, that someday, they will come. But they didn't, for years. And it crushed me. I let go of the hope eventually.", she said.

"The thought of a normal life, a family, was frightening to me. At least, until he came along. Whenever I was with him, I was living, breathing, smiling. He became family, and he became home. So to answer your question, I love him because he accepted me for my scars. He chose to fight my battles with me, and he healed me in ways no one ever could."