The receptionist stood frozen, her eyes following their retreating backs. She felt a mix of confusion and disbelief swirling in her mind, but before she could process anything further, the voice of the deputy manager startled her who appeared out of nowhere.
"Don't bother looking, there's no chance for you anyway," he said dryly, appearing out of nowhere, his tongue clicking with disapproval. "Tsk tsk, youngsters nowadays. Ah, such a waste~."
"Manager Choa went too far this time!" one of the female staff exclaimed, her voice a mixture of frustration and shock. "I shouldn't have kept quiet, now we've lost our only hope.."
The receptionist glanced around, bewildered. She hadn't been at the company long enough to understand the undercurrents at play, but seeing the other women muttering curses toward the manager made her curiosity spike.
"Why did he act like that?" she whispered, her voice betraying her confusion.
The deputy manager sighed dramatically, turning to look at her with a pitying gaze. "You're new here, so it makes sense you're not aware," he began, his voice dropping as if sharing a forbidden secret. "Manager Choa used to be the talk of the town a young, wealthy man with no shortage of admirers. But, do you know why no one ever dared to approach him?"
The receptionist shook her head slowly. She'd often wondered the same thing, but Manager Choa's cold and distant demeanour had kept her from ever asking outright.
Leaning in slightly, the deputy manager beckoned her closer, his eyes gleaming with gossip. "Well, the reason is simple. Manager Choa... prefers men," he whispered, pausing for dramatic effect.
"He made it quite clear when he first joined, so none of the women here tried anything. But oddly enough, he's never been seen getting close to any men either. People started to wonder if there was something wrong with him. But after today's little spectacle, I doubt anyone will be questioning it anymore. Tsk tsk. Manager Choa's vision is clearly above the clouds, and we were just too blind to see it."
With that, he turned and strolled away, leaving the receptionist in stunned silence, the weight of the revelation sinking in slowly.
Meanwhile, Choa led the young man to his sleek car and started the engine without asking any questions.
The tension in the air was thick but unspoken, as Choa occasionally glanced at the rearview mirror, his eyes flickering to Lucifer's reflection before quickly looking away, his ears betraying him with a faint flush of red.
Lucifer, sitting in the backseat, gazed out at the passing scenery in silence. His thoughts seemed far away, his crimson hair catching the light as they drove past the city's bustling streets. "Take me somewhere I can buy clothes," he finally said, his tone calm yet firm. It wasn't a request; it was a statement. Lucider's habit is that he always personally chooses his own personal items.
Choa raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised, but quickly nodded. Judging by Lucifer's aura and composure, it was obvious he wasn't someone who lacked money. Without hesitation, Choa steered the car toward the city's most exclusive shopping district, a place where only the wealthy dared to shop.
They soon arrived at a towering complex, a luxurious shopping centre known for its high-end brands and clientele. The area, located near the airport, was home to the city's elite, with sleek, expensive cars pulling up and down the street. Only the extraordinarily wealthy frequented this place, as the average person couldn't afford to shop there.
Choa parked the car effortlessly in front of the grand entrance and stepped out, moving with the quiet precision of someone well-trained in etiquette. His motions were efficient, almost mechanical, as he opened the door for Lucifer with the practised grace of a butler.
System 4858, watching the scene unfold, narrowed its eyes suspiciously. 'Something feels off. I hope I'm wrong about this,' it thought to itself, growing uneasy.
Despite the flurry of activity outside the shopping centre, no one paid much attention to Choa's actions. After all, young men from wealthy families frequented this place often, and their presence was hardly unusual. However, when Lucifer stepped out of the car, the atmosphere shifted dramatically.
In an instant, heads turned. The once casual air became charged with curiosity and awe. People around the entrance froze, their gazes locking onto Lucifer as if drawn by an invisible force.
His striking red hair stood out like a beacon amidst the sea of dark-haired patrons, but it wasn't just his appearance that captivated them it was something more, an almost magnetic energy that seemed to pulse around him.
Gulb
For a moment, time seemed to slow. A few onlookers swallowed hard, their eyes widening in disbelief at the sight of him, as if they couldn't tear their gaze away.
System 4858's panda face twists like a crust watermelon. 'Sign ~ Thankfully it's just a modern world, or things would have been bloody.' it muttered to itself, its thoughts briefly drifting to memories of the past, the panda couldn't help but shiver.
The Tyrant Host was dangerous in more ways than one, and System 4858 knew all too well the havoc that Lucifer could bring.
Choa noticed the way people's eyes lingered on the young man, a sense of displeasure rising sharply in his chest. He had only just met this person, yet an unexpected protectiveness welled up within him.
The unclear, speculative glances from the crowd irritated him. He didn't want them casting their curious eyes on this young man, as if they had any right to judge or even gaze upon him.
Turning around abruptly, Choa awkwardly opened his mouth, trying to say something. "Ahh, umm…" Words escaped him, and feeling embarrassed, he quickly closed his mouth again.
It was only then that it dawned on him, he didn't even know this young man's name.
"Lucifer."
The name, spoken in a calm and unbothered voice, cut through the fog of Choa's thoughts like a sharp blade. His eyes widened in delight as he repeated it internally.
'Lucifer'
He nodded enthusiastically, scrambling to regain his composure. "Hmm, let's go… Lici—" The name faltered on his lips. For some reason, he couldn't bring himself to say the man's full name out loud. It felt... too intimate, too strange. "Let's go, young master. I know a good place."
Lucifer nodded without a word and began walking forward. The crowd, almost unknowingly, parted for him as if an invisible force commanded their obedience. It was only after Lucifer and Choa had disappeared inside the building that the bystanders snapped out of their daze.
"Oh my god! Who was that?"
"A new idol?"
"He must be a movie star! How have I never seen him on TV?"
"Are you blind? Didn't you see that man with him acting like a butler? He must be some wealthy young master!"
"Wow… He was so good-looking. I've never seen anyone like that in my entire life."
"I know, right? He looked like a prince from a fairy tale! Even his red hair suited him so well!"
A few bold individuals tried to follow them into the building, but they were swiftly blocked by security. The building's tenth floor and above were off-limits, only accessible to those with special status.
Manager Choa, however, confidently flashed a silver card to the receptionist, and the doors immediately opened for them. Lucifer, observing this small interaction, gave Choa a piercing look, his eyes unreadable.
Choa's casual display of privilege did not go unnoticed. Lucifer, having experienced enough to understand people, already suspected that Choa was not as simple as he seemed. Still, Lucifer didn't care about his status or influence, it was irrelevant to him.
In the recesses of Lucifer's mind, System 4858 was on high alert. 'It's over,' the system thought with an exaggerated sense of doom. 'Another lunatic has appeared.' The system had witnessed this scenario countless times in various worlds.
There were always a few individuals who seemed drawn to Lucifer's chaotic nature, like moths to a flame. Over time, they would inevitably become fiercely loyal to him.
Most of them had issues of their own, to begin with, but once they fell under Lucifer's sway, they only grew more obsessed more crazier.
But, of course, it wasn't up to them whether they became Lucifer's subordinates. Whether they lived or died depended entirely on Lucifer's whims.
Sometimes, he allowed them to follow him, granting them the privilege of serving him. Other times, he would kill them in an instant, dismissing them as too noisy or troublesome to be bothered with.
Yet, despite the danger, the number of people drawn to Lucifer never seemed to diminish. If anything, it only increased over time, as if his presence pulled in more and more followers, whether through fear or admiration.