A week had passed since the incident, and Sakyoung had barely come near Jihoon. It wasn't surprising—after all, Jihoon was a guest from another kingdom and a prince at that.
The repercussions of harassing someone of his stature could have been catastrophic for Sakyoung's family. Their very heads might have been at risk had Jihoon not shown a measure of mercy.
It was strange, though. Sakyoung's silence was almost too good to be true. Regardless, Jihoon was relieved he no longer had to deal with that obnoxious alpha. More importantly, his focus had shifted elsewhere. Specifically, Ryan.
Jihoon had thought they were making progress. Ryan had been more receptive, and for a moment, Jihoon felt like he was finally breaking through the barriers Ryan had put up. But then, as if on cue, Ryan started avoiding him again. It was infuriating—just when Jihoon thought he was getting somewhere, Ryan would retreat, leaving him feeling as though he was chasing shadows.
That afternoon, Jihoon sat alone in the campus café, nursing a cup of coffee. Jake, his usual companion, was conspicuously absent, having developed a sudden interest in someone new. Apparently, Jake had set his sights on an omega from the photography department, someone he claimed was breathtakingly beautiful—"otherworldly," as Jake put it. Jihoon scoffed at the thought.
No one is more beautiful than me, Jihoon thought smugly, rolling his eyes. Jake must have hit his head somewhere.
Leaning back in his chair, Jihoon let out a sigh, his thoughts wandering back to Ryan. How could he get close to him when Ryan kept pulling away? He couldn't shake the nagging feeling that something was off, a creeping unease that had been growing stronger over the past few days.
He didn't know what it was, but it felt ominous, like a storm brewing just beyond his reach.
His gaze drifted to the café's large glass wall, and his breath caught. Standing outside was a familiar figure—the very one he had been agonizing over. Ryan.
Without a second thought, Jihoon rose from his seat, leaving his half-finished coffee—and the bill—behind as he hurried out of the café.
"Ryan!" Jihoon called out, but his steps faltered as he drew closer. Something was wrong.
Ryan stood motionless, his head bowed, staring blankly at the ground. There was an unnatural stillness about him, a coldness that made Jihoon's chest tighten. A chill ran down his spine, the creeping unease from earlier now overwhelming.
"R-Ryan?" Jihoon's voice wavered, his breath hitching as Ryan lifted his head.
Jihoon froze. Ryan's eyes… they weren't his usual eyes. They were cold, devoid of any emotion. Hollow. It was as if he were someone—or something—else entirely.
Jihoon gulped, his palms growing clammy. A sense of dread washed over him, as though he had stumbled upon something irreversible. "W-What happened? Why are you standing here… like this?" he stammered, his words faltering.
For a moment, Ryan didn't respond, his vacant stare piercing straight through Jihoon. But then, as if snapping out of a trance, Ryan's eyes widened. He looked around, confusion etched across his face.
"W-What? How did I get here?" Ryan's voice trembled, and he shifted uncomfortably.
Jihoon's blood ran cold. "What do you mean? You were just… standing here like that!" He struggled to keep his voice steady, his chest heaving as the memory of Ryan's empty gaze replayed in his mind.
Ryan shook his head, his own confusion deepening. "I don't know. I don't remember. I was in my room, and then… I don't know how I ended up here."
Jihoon stared at him, his heart pounding. What was going on? His hands trembled slightly, but he forced himself to stay calm. They were in the middle of a busy campus, surrounded by students. He couldn't afford to draw attention.
Grabbing Ryan's hand, Jihoon whispered urgently, "Come with me."
Ryan didn't resist, following Jihoon like a lost puppy, his expression bewildered. Jihoon bit his lip anxiously as he led Ryan toward his car. His mind raced with a thousand questions, none of which had answers.
He unlocked the car with a shaky hand and gestured for Ryan to get in. As they drove off, Jihoon glanced at Ryan from the corner of his eye. The cold, emotionless gaze from earlier lingered in his mind.
Something was wrong—terribly wrong. And Jihoon was determined to figure out what it was before it was too late.
The sound of Jihoon's boots hitting the pavement echoed through the narrow street as he led Ryan to his car. His mind raced, trying to process what he had just witnessed. The image of Ryan's cold, emotionless eyes was burned into his memory. It wasn't Ryan—not the Ryan Jihoon had come to know in the past weeks.
Jihoon unlocked the car, his hands trembling as he gestured for Ryan to get in. Ryan hesitated but climbed into the passenger seat, his confusion evident in his furrowed brows.
The ride was silent at first. Jihoon's knuckles were white as he gripped the steering wheel, his thoughts running wild. He needed answers, but Ryan seemed just as lost as he was.
"Jihoon," Ryan finally spoke, his voice hesitant. "What… what did you see back there?"
Jihoon glanced at him, his jaw tight. "I don't know, Ryan. That's what's scaring me." He exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair as he tried to steady himself. "Your eyes—they weren't yours. It was like…" He trailed off, shaking his head.
"Like what?" Ryan pressed, his voice rising slightly in anxiety.
Jihoon's lips parted, but the words caught in his throat. Like you weren't human. He couldn't bring himself to say it, not yet. Instead, he muttered, "Like you were somewhere else. Not… here."
Ryan swallowed hard, his gaze dropping to his hands. "I don't remember anything. One moment, I was in my room, and the next… I was standing there." His voice cracked, and he clenched his fists. "It's like my body isn't mine anymore."
The car stopped abruptly as Jihoon pulled over to the side of the road. He turned to Ryan, his expression serious but tinged with concern. "Ryan, has anything like this happened before? Anything strange?"
Ryan hesitated, avoiding Jihoon's gaze. "I… I've been having nightmares," he admitted, his voice barely a whisper. "For weeks now. But I thought they were just dreams."
"What kind of nightmares?" Jihoon pressed, his heart sinking.
Ryan shivered, wrapping his arms around himself. "I see… a place. Dark, cold, and endless. There's a voice calling out to me, but I can't understand what it's saying. And then… there's blood. So much blood." His voice broke, and he buried his face in his hands. "I wake up feeling like I'm suffocating."
Jihoon felt a chill run down his spine. Same as mine. The pieces were starting to fit together, but the picture they formed was terrifying. The prophecy. The demon alpha. Could Ryan really be…? No, he refused to believe it.
Jihoon reached out, placing a hand on Ryan's shoulder. "Ryan, listen to me. Whatever's happening, we'll figure it out. Together."
Ryan looked up at him, his eyes glassy with unshed tears. "Why are you doing this? Why do you care so much?"
Jihoon paused, taken aback by the question. Why did he care so much? Was it just his mission to uncover the prophecy, or was it something more? His chest tightened as he met Ryan's gaze.
"Because you matter," Jihoon said softly, his voice steady despite the storm of emotions brewing inside him. "You're more than whatever this is. And I'm not going to let you face it alone."
Ryan's lips quivered as he nodded, his expression vulnerable. "Thank you," he whispered.
"First, I need to ask you something," Jihoon said, his tone firm as he stared directly into Ryan's eyes. "Did you tell anyone else about this? Other than me?"
Ryan hesitated, avoiding Jihoon's gaze. "No... you're the first."
Jihoon tightened his grip on the steering wheel, his knuckles whitening. Of course, Ryan wouldn't have told him either if he hadn't been caught. The realization stung—a reminder that they still weren't close, no matter how much he wanted to believe otherwise.
"Why?" Jihoon asked, his voice softer now but edged with frustration.
Ryan frowned, puzzled. "Why what?"
Jihoon took a deep breath, biting his bottom lip as he tried to steady himself. "Why have you been avoiding me?"
Ryan blinked, looking genuinely confused. "Me? Avoiding you?"
Jihoon nodded, his irritation bubbling to the surface. "Yes, you. For the past week, you've been keeping your distance, ignoring me. Why?"
Ryan tilted his head, disbelief flashing across his face. "What? You're the one who's been avoiding me! Every time I tried to approach you, you walked away. Did I do something to upset you?"
Jihoon's brow furrowed. "What are you talking about? It's you who's been ignoring me. You've been going out of your way to avoid me every time I call you."
Ryan's frustration mirrored Jihoon's now. "Are you serious? I've been trying to figure out what I did wrong, and here you are blaming me?"
Jihoon stared at him, unable to respond. He searched Ryan's face, looking for any hint of deception, but there was none. Ryan wasn't lying. He genuinely believed what he was saying.
Then a chilling thought crept into Jihoon's mind. Is it possible... Is the demon alpha influencing him? Making him see or feel things that aren't real?
The realization made his blood run cold. Jihoon fell silent, his thoughts racing as he processed what this could mean. If the demon alpha was already meddling in their perceptions, how much worse could things get?
For the first time in a long while, Jihoon wasn't sure how to move forward.
Jihoon started the car again, the tension between them is getting intense slightly. But his mind was far from calm. He needed to do something—find out what was happening to Ryan and what it had to do with the prophecy.
As they approached Jihoon's temporary residence at the Paraidal Palace, that creeping feeling Jihoon had earlier returned, stronger than ever. He glanced at Ryan, who had fallen silent, staring out the window with a distant look in his eyes.
Jihoon clenched the steering wheel tighter. Something is definitely happeing, he thought. And we're running out of time. Ryan....You are really a demon alpha.
To be continued.....