"You don't have to accompany me ". YongSun spoke . He is really disliking being followed like he had no autonomy. On a daily basis he is usually tailed by maids so it's not something he is not used to. What makes this uncomfortable is that this time he is followed by someone with such a dark aura around them

" I don't have to but I want to", he spoke nonchalantly catching up to YongSun. DeJang was trying to be nice in every way imaginable but it didn't arrive like that to YongSun since the prince sent a very akward smile to his company. On account of that the only thought that colonized his head was to bolt away but that would be really rude if he acted on that domineering thought. It's important as the son of a noble to keep composure at all times despite feeling like one is being followed by a barbaric psychopath.. At this point,he really is fighting day and night to stay put.Heaven knows that if he had the guts, he would order the guards scattered around this place to take DeJang and lock him under the earth.

After that sentence, a silence befell the two of them such that the only thing audible was the sound of YongSun s shoes on the floor and his slightly irregular breathing. With every step he made, it was like seasoning the arbitrary fear that had germinated within . Though it's a subjective conclusion , should painstaking careful scrutiny of his hormonal changes be undertook, all they should show is he has mild symptoms of paranoia.

This would be very much anticipated since DeJang can invoke fear off of people. The energy they give out he will then absorb into his own body. This phenomena is only know a few people so everyone else just fears him fire no reason.

As they turned from the corridor and they reached the king s study room..YongSun headed forward first . He seemed ecstatic to go and greet the servant but that was far from the truth. All he wanted to do was rid of DeJang.

He thought that as he walking ahead at fast pace, DeJang was next to him but instead the 'dark soul' remained behind as he saw YongSun begin to flee

DeJang is not blind to the fact that all people see when they look at him is an crude agent of the worst things to befall this world. Everytime he meets someone, this is always the case and it only grows from bad to worse.So making YongSun storm away like this means that YongSun does also think that DeJang is a thing worth cremating and burying the ashes in a pit of ghouls.

He tried to replace the cold exterior but it was getting really difficult. It can be very tormenting to acknowledge this fact on the daily.Ever since from a young age people have been avoiding him or acting very tense for this very reason. Though everyone was just horrible , he felt empty especially to those who cloak it with fake smiles .

DeJang wishes he couldn't see through their fascade because It's not quantum physics for him to pick this spurious behavior. The instant they act nice he can tell it's all fabricated . They actually would rather be alone and interacting with DeJang was a fate more heartless than torture. For them they would rather he be a mention in their conversation not an existence in their lives.

However he shouldn't care because thanks to that fear , he gets a free snack.

He looked at the two men and they both headed inside. There were at least four guards standing by the door excluding the servant that was standing in between them.

These people won't stop him from entering because they would be to corrupted by fear but that is great as he really doesn't want to talk to them either.

As such he walked towards them and before they could ask him to identify himself, he spewed his introduction . Admist talking he went further to push open the doors of the room without knocking and enter. He might appreciate a free snack but that doesn't mean he is not a picky eater. So whatever the case, he won't drop his dignity to that level...

The king s study room looks a little like a personal library. There were were three brown board shelves on the place. The shelves where surrounding a large throne that has been elevated as expected.

In front of the throne there was a high enough table that the king uses to write on. The table hosted a tablet of ink, three brushes of different sizes placed on a ceramic piece on the right hand side of the table. There were three tools of paper on the left side of the table and they were bordered by two slates of ceramic crafted from the same material as the brush holder.

The middle of the table had a pale yellow woven mat with dark greenish bordering of margin, so as to provide a smooth writing surface.

Just like the king s bedroom , the corners of this fairly large space had metallic stands the shape of a crane . The curved potion of the said piece would be used to hang a lantern. And the said lantern was an oblong piece that ran about eighty centimeters long..

There was also a long carpet of red and blue, that bloomed from the throne and stopped in the middle of the room. To the side of this carpet were low laying tables like the ones the royal family had used when having breakfast. The tables were positioned on the right and left of the carpet and facing to the inside. On some days they faced to the throne but today since the king has no visitors they are kept like this.

YongSun was already seated at the table and had grabbed a paper then laid it out on the king s table.He proceeded to keep it in place using the two slates of ceramic. As he was about to begin writing, he noticed the ink tablet was empty. The maids haven't brought the prepared ink yet. They usually prepare it while the king is having breakfast so it's reasonable to think that they are doing that now.

" I have to write an invitation immediately.Can you please ask the maids to bring the ink.", he looked to SheJin.

SheJin knodded and he proceeded to place the tray containing a bowl of soup on the lower laying table . He went outside to tell the guards to inform the maids. He would go but he never had the reason to know where the king s ink is prepared so he is totally clueless about it. Plus it wasn't even mentioned in the novel so he is not to blame .

He turned to return into the room. But he instead he looked through the door and he saw DeJang standing staring at YongSun who had his head burried and was pretending to be reading a book that he found on that table.

Judging from the way YongSun is faking to be reading he must also loathe DeJang s presence. YongSun is so hostile and tense. And DeJang is staring at him like he wants to rip out his organs and squeeze them to a pulp

A man who always wear black . Looks like a dragon as he appears scary and savage like he has a great reputation of being sadistic.He is the definition of horror would be were it a person. A gruesome flesh-eating beast is eutopia in comparison to this being.

' so he must be the black sun', SheJin thought to himself.

He fits the description from the novel so he must be the demon cultivator with 'sadistic' appetite. To be honest with the aggressive words that were used SheJin was expecting something far hideous..

After reaching that conclusion, SheJin felt a tiny pinch of guilt for letting YongSun be alone in the presence of someone reputed to have infinite bad energy. Such characters warrant not being in the same sky as a tulip bulb like YongSun. SheJin stepped inside the room, pulled the doors slightly together and and assumed the place he was .

Because of the foreknowledge he has gained , standing next to him now is quite scary , almost like walking through a dark cave but he is going to be brave. After all fear comes from imagining things that are not there. So SheJin will keep in this dark cave, no matter how scared of the dark he is.

Afterall the dark is no different from the light. The absence of the other births the other. It's the meaning attached to one that gives it so much control over courage. If that is the case, SheJin will fear the light so that he can bare this darkness..

He fell quiet and clenched his jaw while facing straight ahead. The mind can play many hoaxes so at this point he can feel himself falling victim to that trickery. He was not scared a while ago but now he feels like he is walking in the yellow springs , with the worst things imaginable just a hair's breath away

As long as..Too late...

DeJang turned to acknowledge the existence that was standing next to him.

Through his peripheral vision that cannot be mistaken, SheJin knew that the man next to him was gawking at him. And somehow that awareness summoned the banishment of humidity in his mouth while simultaneously solidifying his lungs.

Without a doubt, SheJin knew he was afraid

For the next ten seconds, DeJang s eyes were fixed on SheJin and SheJin stood there unflinched.

All the while, his mind games was already painting a portrait of horror with the goal of convincing poor SheJin that the look on DeJang must be horrifying.If they are trying to scare SheJin, they are successful but if they think fear will have the upper hand, then better luck next time

SheJin knows that whatever the case he has to make sure he doesn't let him see the fear. He won't let him get the chance. .one thing is for certain, the only way tame a horror is act delighted and content especially to its face. Convince it that it has to try even harder to scare oneself. No matter how much the fear dominates him, he won't let it drown him, if anything he will fight a losing battle.

SheJin swallowed the bucket of saliva in his mouth and exhaled briefly after noticing he had been holding his breath. If he thinks he had ever done stupid things , what he is about to do dropped his IQ to sub-zero.

He partially bit his lips then turned to look at him..and his paranoia was right!!

SheJin had never ever seen anything like this, he looked dead like a corpse. He almost looked like he was decaying. Like he had been dead for months and the fungi and worms were boring his body on the inside. If he were to walk in the night, this look on his face would be without a doubt the most paralysis entity recorded.

SheJin let his lips slip out of his mouth. Involuntarily he slightly parted them and he half-blinked two times . He could feel the fear building when he looked to him but he can't bring himself to look away. Instead he counteracted his mouth dropping to the floor by looking to the side and back to him

At the instant this happened, YongSun stood up and said he is going to check the ink. He had felt enough of DeJang s grotesqueness and had to leave to avoid screaming.

SheJin felt more scared than ever on account of that it's just the two of them. He felt like he is going to be killed and the worst part is there is no one to help since he doesn't think he has the audacity to scream. He could feel his paralysis setting in but he still oblivious to give in. Not when he has the chance to gain an upper hand especially now that he doesn't have to worry about to YongSun..

He closed his mouth and he curled his lips.

"Are you hungry?", He asked him like he was asking the five olds that were in the hospital his grandfather was .

He maintained eye contact with the devoidness he could detect from DeJang s eyes. The number of times SheJin s butterfly felt like it was having a parade of hornets was infinite. DeJang didn't stop staring at SheJin and whenever he blinked, SheJin felt sharp needles encompass his righteousness.

SheJin didn't wait for a response and he went and picked up the warm bowl of food and presented it to him. Thereafter he proceeded to look at him again. In spite of his valiancy, he is getting tired of this fraudulent bravery

" Try this", he suggested to him and smiled so gently almost like he wasn't talking to something supernatural. He wanted to try to look away from his eyes but he can't . SheJin felt like he was trembling and honestly speaking the bowl of food was starting to weigh a lot

DeJang lowered his eyes to the bowl. He raised his hands and he picked the bowl and spoon. As he did that the cracks in his face began to move.

SheJin felt his blood pressure raise. It was getting hard to pretend that everything is fine. The dark cave was really starting to have strange sounds and acting deaf was becoming a whole nother level difficult.

A knock came on the door and SheJin thanked heaven. But if he leaves now , DeJang is going to know he is scared so SheJin pretended not to hear.Even if it's the king, SheJin is willing to risk punishment for ignoring the knock.

The knock came again and DeJang looked to SheJin who acted surprised to hear the knock.

He stepped to the side and walked over to the door.

As he did that he felt like his legs were numb and couldn't balance his weight.

He opened the door.

Shejin found one of the guards who had been standing by the door. The guard peeked over SheJin and announced to DeJang that Zhao MeiYang was outside waiting for him...

SheJin instantly turned to face DeJang.