No Choice

Taegyun sat on his knees, his wrists bound tightly behind his back with a strange black rope that pulsed faintly like living thread. His breath was steady, his back straight, his head tilted upward as he glared at the tall demoness seated cross-legged atop the desk.

Her sharp red eyes gleamed with amusement, and a strange smile curled on her lips, one that teetered between curiosity and predatory hunger.

Oddly enough, Taegyun felt no fear now. Not the panic he had when he first uncovered her true identity.

There was a strange calm inside him, an eerie stillness.

But his anger simmered.

Gritting his teeth, he spat out, "If you're going to kill me, then do it already! Why tie me up and make me kneel like this? What the fuck do you want?!"

The demoness's smile widened slightly, her gaze sharpening like a blade catching sunlight. She stared down at him with interest, as if observing a peculiar new toy she hadn't quite figured out how to play with yet.

She finally parted her lips and spoke, her voice low and amused. "Well, originally… I was planning to kill you."

Taegyun's expression twisted in confusion. "Then why don't you?"

The demon raised a brow, her grin deepening. "Because I've changed my mind."

He blinked. "What?"

"If I'm not killing you," she said, pausing for dramatic effect, "then I want you to willingly become my slave."

Taegyun's face froze for a second, processing her words. Then it twisted into visible disbelief and rage.

"Your slave? Willingly?" he scoffed and snarled. "That's the most ridiculous fucking thing I've ever heard. I refuse!"

Her smile thinned into a slight frown.

"You do realize I could kill you right here if you truly refuse, correct?"

Taegyun suddenly laughed.

The air shifted.

The light in the room dimmed faintly, and an unnatural cold spread outward from his body like a living mist. Darkness crawled along the corners, and a creeping void coiled around the edge of the room.

His head lowered, voice cold and hollow.

"Then do it. Kill me. I'll die, but know this—you won't leave here unscathed."

The demoness blinked.

For a brief moment, she felt something. A chill that pierced the air, crawling up her spine and sinking deep into her bones.

She met his eyes.

They were pitch-black. Not metaphorically—his eyes had become literal voids, bottomless and ancient. And for a terrifying second, she felt like she was staring into something far beyond comprehension.

Then the room returned to normal.

The cold vanished.

The light returned.

And yet, a sliver of unease remained inside her.

Her expression softened. She chuckled, a genuine one this time.

"Well now… What is this? I feel like I actually believe what you just said."

She slid off the desk with effortless grace, her heels clicking as she stepped forward. Her frame towered slightly over Taegyun, who remained kneeling on the floor, hands still tied.

Bending forward until their faces were inches apart, she stared into his eyes again.

Then, with a sultry glint in her gaze, she licked her lips and whispered, "That little display of yours just now? It actually made me aroused, you know."

Taegyun met her eyes coldly, refusing to show any emotion. His silence was louder than any insult.

She sighed and straightened herself, brushing invisible dust from her tight blazer.

"If you don't want to be my slave willingly," she said, "then how about a partnership?"

His brows narrowed slightly. "Partnership?"

"Yes. A deal between equals. We help each other in times of need, no matter how dangerous it gets."

Before he could respond, she added quickly, "And you have to accept it. You don't really have a choice."

Taegyun stared at her in disbelief.

The demon noticed his confusion and tilted her head with a knowing look. "Did you think I wouldn't notice? You don't use mana, yet you're awakened. And not just any awakened—you're something else entirely. I don't need to ask you. It's clearly a secret. Just like mine."

Her lips curled faintly.

"We both have things we can't afford to reveal, right?" she added. "So now, I'm going to release you. Don't try anything stupid."

She stepped behind him and, with a small silver blade, sliced through the ropes binding his wrists.

His arms dropped to his sides, and he slowly stood up, rubbing the stiffness from his shoulders.

He looked her over with a cold, curious gaze.

"You could've killed me," he said quietly. "But you didn't."

She nodded, not denying it. "Yes, I could have. But I'm not fond of killing unless it's necessary. I told you—I haven't taken a single life in the past twenty years."

She paused, her expression softening.

"And besides… I have a daughter to care for. I don't need any more enemies than I already have."

Taegyun remained silent. His thoughts churned, skeptical. A demon who doesn't like killing? It sounded like a bad joke.

"So you're really letting me go?" he asked doubtfully.

The demoness smiled—this time, it was warm. Almost human.

"Of course. We're partners now, aren't we?"

She stepped back and leaned casually against her desk, her red eyes gleaming with playful mischief.

"Now that we both know each other's secrets," she said with a wink, "it would be a waste not to make use of one another."

It was only then that Taegyun truly observed her new form.

She had glowing crimson eyes with vertical slit pupils, slightly pointed ears, and long, cascading dark purple hair that shimmered under the light like satin ink. Earlier, when she wore her human illusion, she had golden blonde hair and pitch-black eyes.

She caught his lingering stare.

Though his expression remained neutral, she felt the tension—the hunger beneath his gaze, whether he admitted it or not.

The demon licked her lips subtly, her voice dropping into a low whisper meant only for herself.

"Mmm… I wonder how he tastes…"

She turned, reached onto the desk, and picked up a card.

It was his Awakened license.

She handed it back to him with a faint smile.

He took it silently, his hand brushing against hers.

Then she extended her palm in invitation.

A handshake.

Taegyun stared at her outstretched hand for a second, then reached forward and accepted it.

Her grip was warm. Firm.

"I'm Roselle," she said, her voice laced with playful authority. "Roselle Elmar."

Then she winked, lips curling into a grin.

"But you can call me Rose."

"Taegyun," he replied, his voice steady. "Taegyun Park."

He did not want to stay a second longer.

Without another word, Taegyun excused himself and stepped out of the office, shutting the door behind him.

The moment his feet touched the staircase landing, his knees buckled slightly. His legs trembled, his hands shook, and the tremors surged uncontrollably through his body.

His breath hitched, shallow, ragged gasps catching in his throat.

Each inhale was sharp. Each exhale heavy and uneven.

Now that he was out of her presence, everything that had happened rushed back into his mind like a dam finally giving way.

The adrenaline that kept him steady inside had drained out of him completely.

And what remained was raw, delayed fear.

Crippling. Crushing. Fear.

His heartbeat pounded like war drums in his ears. His mind reeled as flashes of the demon's expression, her smile, her dagger, her power, replayed in vivid detail.

'It felt like… it wasn't even me standing there,' he thought, his back pressing against the cold stairwell wall. 'As if something else took over. I wasn't afraid. I was calm. Completely still.'

His eyes narrowed in confusion.

'Is this… the perk of my unique Awakening?'

He brought a trembling hand to his chest and closed his eyes.

Even now, his thoughts felt clearer than usual. Sharper. Focused.

'I even felt like… my intelligence increased slightly. My reflexes too. Everything just clicked for those few moments.'

That was not normal. No other Awakened he knew had gone through something like this.

'This Awakening... it's not just power. It's reshaping me. From the inside out.'

He stood there, frozen in thought, eyes closed, palm on his chest as if to steady the strange turbulence inside him.

"As if… my very existence is beginning to take shape," he whispered to himself.

Until now, he had simply existed. Breathing, eating, walking through life like every other person. But not living.

Now, something had shifted.

It was subtle, invisible, but undeniably there, like a fog lifting from his soul.

He opened his eyes slowly.

The hallway, the stairs, the academy — all of it looked the same.

But something within him had changed.

Even if he could not name it yet.

'Funny... after facing that demon, something inside me stirred.'

Was it fear?

No.

He had not felt fear. Not then.

'Then what was it? A spark? A shift in perception?'

Could this… be called enlightenment?

'Or maybe... I was just too numb to feel anything, and too dumb to understand what happened.'

He let out a bitter chuckle, lips curling into a half-smirk.

"Maybe it was nothing," he muttered, pushing off the wall. "Maybe… it was everything."

With one last glance at the closed office door, he began walking down the stairs.

His pace was slow. Calculated. Each step heavy with thought.

"That demon… she's dangerous," he murmured under his breath. "I didn't feel it then, but now… could she be as strong as an S-Rank Hunter?"

The possibility sent a chill down his spine.

And yet, he could do nothing.

Not now.

No matter how special or unique his Awakening might be, the truth remained. He was still weak. A freshly Awakened, still untrained and untested.

'Even if I wanted to report her… to a guild or the Association…'

His jaw clenched.

'My secret would be exposed too.'

There was no winning move.

Not yet.

He exhaled slowly, suppressing his frustration as he reached the ground floor.

'For now... I'll stay quiet.'

He tucked his hands in his pockets and walked away.

It was time to enter the Awakened Division as a Hunter Trainee.