Chapter Text
Seoul, South Korea
Present day
Late May (Age 22)
Evening
I live a deceptively exciting life.
Working as a radiology technician at an X-ray clinic doesn’t sound all that riveting. I just take X-rays of patients. It’s not too demanding, and it pays well. What I really live for are the things I get to do when I’m not on the clock…
This city, and to a lesser extent the entire world, is teeming with demons. Monsters that will suck your soul. Unfortunately for them, I am one of the few individuals on this planet capable of sending their ugly faces back to the pit from which they emerged.
I didn’t always like fighting them at first, but over time, I warmed up to being a hunter. It feels great bringing those fiends down. It keeps the city safe, and it helps shake up the monotony of my daily life.
Usually, I fight demons after I finish working. I go home, change, and go out on patrol. On certain occasions, however, my two jobs would intersect.
I’ve had demons try to impersonate my co-workers and even my freakin' boss once. Those fools got their teeth kicked in for trying that. My most recent demonic encounter might just be the most baffling one yet, though.
Today should have been just a regular day at work. One of my co-workers was out sick, so I had to stay late and cover for them.
The sky was clear, and the clinic's speakers were playing the new "Golden" song by HUNTR/X. People come in, and I scan them. Simple, right? Well, there was one patient who came in and immediately caught my attention.
She was a young lady. She appeared to be a college student. By all accounts, she was beautiful. The woman came in and requested an X-ray examination. My co-worker and I set up the machine and laid the patient down on the table. After completing the X-rays, I reviewed the results and noticed something unusual.
Throughout my career, I've encountered numerous unusual situations: toys in inappropriate locations, bones bending beyond their normal limits, and gruesome injuries reminiscent of a horror film. This scan, however, is like nothing I’ve seen before.
This lady’s skull was way bigger than it should be. She had six fingers instead of five, and to top it all off, pointed teeth lined her jaw. There’s no denying it; I just scanned a demon.
It’s like someone slipped one of those fake alien X-rays in without anyone noticing it.
The “lady” took note of my confusion and quickly adjusted herself. My coworker, who was unaware of the demon’s nature, assumed the scan was a glitch and restarted. I made sure to save the “faulty” scans anyway. I was going to need them for later.
The “lady” finished her scans and walked out the door right as we closed up shop. She had neglected to take back her necklace (which was probably stolen) that she removed before the X-ray, so my supervisor asked me to return it to her.
“Yu-jin. The patient forgot this. My supervisor told me as he gave me the abandoned item. “Since you’re leaving, can you make sure she gets it back?”
I left the clinic for the day and immediately began to pursue my target.
“Can I borrow you for a second, ma’am? You forgot something.” I called out to the lady
When the demon saw me, I surprised her, but she remained calm.
“I did? Why, thank you! You’re such a kind young man! She exclaimed.
I directed her to a nearby alley so we could exchange the “goods” she left behind. Any smart person would know the situation was a trap, but this demon already demonstrated her lack of a working brain.
As soon as we were out of sight, I opened my bag and grinned as I pulled out the X-rays I printed. The “lady’s” smile faded while my own grew.
“I’ve dealt with demons on the job before, but you’re the first one who’s actually gone in and received an X-ray. What did you think was gonna happen?”
The “lady” starts to panic.
“Y-you must be mistaken, sir! Weren’t those scans glitches?”
I grabbed the demon’s jaw and forced it open with my hands. This gave me a clear look at her very sharp teeth. Those weren’t bugs; they were features.
“Well, look what we have here. Fangs. Who’s your dentist?” I asked.
My “patient” finally snapped and pushed me back before revealing her much uglier true form.
“HOW DID YOU KNOW?!” The demon snapped.
“I’ve got a degree in this field. Kind of an expert," I answered. “I know what a healthy human skeleton looks like. You may have duped my co-workers, but that sort of crap won’t work on me.”
I didn’t want to waste any more time with this freak, so I summoned my weapons. A spear of hard light in one hand and a shield of light in the other. Their light softly illuminated the dark alley we were in.
The demon lunged at me. I bashed her back with my shield. Judging by the sound of bones cracking, she’s gonna need another x-ray if she survives.
The demon cowered in fear as I backed her into a corner.
“N-no! Wait! I’m sorry! I just needed an X-ray! I wasn’t gonna hurt anyone!” The demon begged.
I rolled my eyes. This idiot just lunged at me a second ago. She really needed to work on her acting skills.
“Sure. That’s the same thing the last one said, and the one before, and the one before.”
The demon looked at my weapons, and her eyes widened in shock.
“Y-you’re one of them? Y-you are part of HUNTR/X?! She asked in disbelief.
I drove the spear through the demon’s head. Her body became limp and faded to dust.
“HUNTR/X? Never heard of them.”
With my job finished, I hopped on a train back home. I own a car, but it's been damaged, so I had to take the train for now. A few more demons tried jumping me on the way back, but they all met the same fate as that “lady” did in the alley. I may not have been as big a target as HUNTR/X, but I still got into my fair share of trouble.
As I walked back, I felt a ripple across the ground. There’s this barrier that blocks the demons off from everyone else, but it was prone to cracking.
This time however, the ripple was far more intense. It sounded like someone yelling. I tried to find the source of the ripple, but had no luck.
I spotted someone sitting on the roof, but decided to not investigate. They were either just a weirdo, or a demon trying to bait me into a fight.
I returned to my apartment and took a quick shower before collapsing on my bed. Tomorrow was another day at work. If any more demons try to pull a fast one on me, I'll show those creatures how it’s done, done, done…