The rain had returned by the time Hana stepped out of her apartment the next evening. Seoul's streets shimmered under the neon glow, wet and alive, yet somehow lonelier than the night before. Her thoughts kept drifting to him, the stranger with the crimson eyes. She had tried to convince herself it had been a hallucination, a trick of fatigue and imagination. Yet, every instinct in her body whispered that what she had seen was real.
Her phone buzzed in her pocket. A message from her friend Ji-eun: "Late again? Don't disappear into the city. You worry me." Hana smiled faintly and typed a quick reply: "I'll be careful. Just need some air."
She didn't mention him. She couldn't explain the stranger, the way he had looked at her like she was the only person in the world. How could she? She didn't even fully understand it herself.
Hana wandered aimlessly, her heels splashing through puddles, her umbrella barely shielding her from the persistent drizzle. Her thoughts were a storm of curiosity and fear, memories of his gaze replaying like a slow-burning flame. The city seemed quieter tonight, as if it, too, held its breath.
And then she felt it, a presence, faint but unmistakable. Not in her mind, but around her, in the shifting shadows that clung to the alleyways and the glow of streetlamps. Her heart caught in her throat.
She stopped. "Show yourself," she whispered, more to convince herself than to call anyone. The wind carried her words down the deserted street.
A soft chuckle echoed from the alley ahead. Hana's pulse jumped. Out of the shadows, he emerged tall, lithe, his dark hair damp with rain, crimson eyes burning brighter than before. The neon reflected off him, painting his face with streaks of red and gold.
"You again," Hana said, her voice trembling. "I… I thought you disappeared."
"I did," he said, his voice low and smooth, like velvet sliding over stone. "But some things… cannot stay away."
Hana's instincts screamed at her to turn and run, but her legs refused to obey. There was something magnetic about him, something that pulled her closer despite every warning in her mind.
"You're… dangerous," she said, taking a cautious step back. "I don't even know what you are."
He smiled faintly, almost ruefully. "And yet, here you are, talking to me. Perhaps you already know what I am."
"I don't," she whispered, though the truth was more complicated. Deep in her chest, she felt a strange familiarity, as if a fragment of her soul recognized him. She shook her head. "I shouldn't be here. I don't… I don't belong in your world."
"And yet you do," he said softly. "More than you realize. The threads of fate have a way of weaving themselves around those who resist."
Hana's curiosity battled her fear. "Fate? Threads? What are you talking about?"
He stepped closer, and the air seemed to thrum with his presence. Rain fell around them in silvery sheets, but somehow, she felt untouched, as though a pocket of stillness protected him and her. "You've always sensed what others cannot," he said. "You hear the whispers, see the shadows that move unseen. That is why I've come. That is why I've found you."
Hana swallowed hard. "Why me? I'm… just a girl."
"Not just a girl," he corrected, his voice firm yet gentle. "You are the girl who can change everything."
Her pulse quickened. Every instinct screamed that this was impossible. "Change… everything?"
He nodded, eyes never leaving hers. "Seoul is not what it seems. Beneath the lights, the laughter, the music… there are things that lurk in the dark, things that feed on fear and desire. And they are awakening."
Hana's stomach twisted. "Awakening… what?"
He shook his head, as if the answer were too heavy for her to hear. "Not yet. You need to see it for yourself. Soon, the city will demand your choice. And when that moment comes, you will not be able to turn back."
Her mind reeled. Choice? Destiny? Supernatural threats? This was insane. And yet… something in her chest told her he spoke the truth. Her dreams, the strange pull she had felt for weeks, the inexplicable unease, everything pointed to him.
"I… I don't understand," she admitted. "I don't know what to do."
"Then do nothing for now," he said softly, though there was an edge to his voice that hinted at urgency. "Watch, listen, learn. But do not let fear control you. Fear is a weapon, and the city wields it against those who do not see."
Hana's gaze fell to the wet pavement, her mind spinning. "And if I fail?" she asked quietly.
He stepped closer still, and for the first time, she noticed the faint scar across his jaw, the way the rain traced patterns over his skin as though the night itself revered him. "Then we both fail," he said simply. "But I will not fail again. Not with you."
Something in her chest ached at those words, a confusing mix of fear and longing. The stranger, no, the demon, the prince—was dangerous, yes, but also compelling, magnetic. She wanted to step back, wanted to run, but a deeper part of her wanted to stay, to learn, to see what this impossible world was that he inhabited.
A sudden noise startled them, a scream from somewhere down the street, distant but sharp, slicing through the rain. The stranger's eyes flicked toward it, crimson burning brighter. His posture stiffened, his body moving with predatory grace.
"Go home," he said abruptly, his voice firmer now. "This is not your fight… yet."
Hana hesitated. "But...."
"No," he interrupted, softer now, almost regretful. "You need to be ready. And readiness cannot be forced. Leave. Live. But do not wander alone after dark until I find you again."
And before she could argue, he vanished into the shadows, leaving only the lingering warmth of his presence behind. Hana's breath came in ragged gasps, her body trembling. She stood there, soaked to the bone, heart pounding, mind spinning with the impossible truths he had revealed.
She turned and ran, not caring where, only that she needed to be somewhere safe, somewhere real. Her apartment never felt so cold, so insufficient, so small. She pressed her back to the door, hands trembling, trying to calm her racing heart.
The city outside was alive, oblivious to the dangerous currents flowing beneath its neon lights. Hana closed her eyes, trying to remember his words, trying to make sense of the impossible:
A girl who can change everything… shadows that move unseen… awakening… the city will demand your choice…
Her pulse slowed slightly, but one thing was clear: her life would never be the same again. The stranger in the rain had shown her a world she had never known existed, a world of danger, magic, and forbidden desire.
And deep down, Hana knew she would not be able to stay away.
Because he was waiting.
And somewhere, somehow, she already wanted to find him again.