At the mention of his girlfriends, bitterness surged through him.
Some had disappeared the instant he fell from grace.
Others contacted him only to curse him or to make sure he wouldn't demand the expensive gifts he'd once showered them with.
Seeing how utterly different Hadi was from the arrogant man she once knew, Venice felt an indescribable sense of satisfaction.
Looking at the man who had ruined her reputation, destroyed her dream of entering high society, and even tried to make her his scapegoat, anger and resentment surged within her.
Yet there was also pride, condescension, and an overwhelming sense of triumph.
She might have failed...
But look who was even more miserable now.
Then there was Calin Ricci, who, according to everything being discussed online, was now facing prison.
Did this mean the two people who had harmed her were finally receiving divine retribution?
The more she thought about it, the smugger she became, no longer bothering to hold back as she viciously berated Hadi.
His expression grew darker with every insult, only when Venice mentioned Calin did his expression suddenly change.
"What do you mean?" he demanded. "What happened to Calin?"
Having been imprisoned by Shin all this time, Hadi knew nothing about the recent events surrounding Calin.
Believing he was merely pretending to be ignorant, Venice laughed triumphantly.
"So you really don't know?" she mocked before recounting everything that had happened.
"In the end, isn't this karma? You and that shameless, vicious woman thought you could manipulate the law and bend it to your will but look at you now. Can't you even afford a mirror anymore?"
Completely immersed in her own satisfaction, Venice continued talking, convinced she was now heaven's favored child.
She never noticed the sinister look slowly creeping across Hadi's face.
"You look absolutely pathetic and you still have the nerve to approach me? What? Do you seriously think I'd forgive you?"
Without warning, Hadi lunged at her.
Slap!
The force of the blow sent Venice crashing onto the pavement.
Before she could react, Hadi grabbed a fistful of her hair while his other hand clamped tightly around her throat, his face twisted with menace.
"Tell me!" he roared. "What happened to Calin?! How did he end up in the hospital?!"
The pedestrians nearby screamed and hurriedly backed away.
Humiliated and furious, Venice struggled with all her strength.
She clawed at Hadi's face, refusing to let herself become his victim again.
The two wrestled violently.
Weakened by everything he had gone through, Hadi no longer possessed the strength he once had and Venice was actually holding her own, leaving long scratches across his face and arms.
Before anyone in the gathering crowd could pull them apart, the pair stumbled toward the edge of the roadside.
In the chaos, one of them shoved first. The other desperately grabbed on.
The next instant...
A speeding car barreled straight into them.
The crowd, who had originally gathered to watch the drama unfold, froze in shock.
Then came the shrieks, screams, cries.
Within seconds, panic and chaos erupted as people rushed in every direction.
---
On the seventh day, Yeri finally left the hotel room to reunite with her classmates.
The moment Nina saw her, she burst into tears.
"What the hell happened to you?" she cried, unable to contain her anxiety. "When I woke up, there were people in our room, and I couldn't remember a single thing. It felt like someone had cut that part out of my memory."
Yeri gently comforted her. "I was just running a fever, but I'm already feeling much better."
"Are you sure?" Daisy asked. "Then why are you bundled up like a mummy?"
Yeri was indeed wrapped from head to toe in a thick winter coat and scarf, with a face mask covering most of her features.
If they weren't in the Arctic, people would have thought something was seriously wrong with her.
"I still have a bit of a cough," Yeri explained. "I don't want to pass it on to anyone, especially in this weather."
The two accepted the explanation without suspicion.
Instead, they were far more curious about what had happened a few days ago and why Calin Ricci had suddenly appeared there.
Soon, more of Yeri's classmates gathered around, all eager to hear the inside story.
However, Yeri simply smiled apologetically.
"It's still an open investigation, so I can't disclose anything that might affect the case."
After a brief pause, she added, "But I can confirm that Calin snuck into our room... and knocked Nina unconscious."
"I knew it!" Nina stomped her foot angrily. "No wonder I was sure someone hit me before I blacked out!"
"Gosh... that's terrifying."
"Could this be our fault? Did she find Yeri because we posted our trip online?"
Yeri immediately shook her head. "Don't think that way. It's not your responsibility to hide my whereabouts. You were just sharing your own memories on social media, and no one could've predicted something like this."
-
Later that afternoon, the class finished preparing for their return trip, with their flight scheduled shortly after sunset.
When Yeri returned to her hotel room, Shin had just stepped out of the bathroom, clearly having finished another shower.
She couldn't help but admire his obsession with cleanliness, even in the freezing Arctic.
"Didn't you already take a shower this morning?"
"Hm." Shin nodded while buttoning his shirt. "But I worked out afterward and handled some business matters. I won't have time to shower again before our flight."
Yeri, "..."
Ever since regaining fragments of her memories from the Demon Realm, countless questions had been swirling through her mind.
Yet she couldn't shake the feeling that Shin deliberately avoided the topic.
More importantly, the realization that she wasn't truly human, and neither was Shin, left her emotions in complete disarray.
There was a lingering sense of emptiness, detachment, and an instinctive refusal to accept things she couldn't fully understand.
"You said you aren't exactly the real Shin Keir," she said as she sat on the nearby couch. "Are there any other demons in this world besides us?"
Shin glanced at her through the mirror while adjusting his sleeves.
"Only Tristan."
Yeri blinked. He had already explained how demons used human bodies as vessels.
Likewise, she hadn't stolen Yeri Zhi's body. Before she had even been born, the unborn child had already died because of a tragic car accident and her soul had merely taken its place.
It wasn't reincarnation in the usual sense.
Even so...
A small part of her still felt as though the life she was living didn't truly belong to her.
"What made you choose my parents?" she asked quietly. "I mean... why this vessel?"
Shin walked over and sat beside her, gently wrapping one hand around her wrist.
"You don't like being Yeri Zhi?"
Yeri hurriedly shook her head. "No, that's not what I meant."
"Even if you hadn't become Yeri Zhi," Shin said softly, "I would've made sure you never suffered in this world. I would've found you the best family to grow up with."
Yeri stared at him. That was exactly what she wanted to know.
Why?
Why would he go to such lengths simply to make sure she grew up safe, comfortable, and loved?
Before she could ask, Shin seemed to have already guessed her thoughts.
He stood up and glanced at his watch.
"Are your things packed?" he asked naturally. "Do you need help?"
Yeri clenched her hands.
"Why was it you who brought me out of the Demon Realm? What's your connection to the Demon Emperor?"
Shin stopped.
Something unreadable flickered across his eyes as he gazed out the floor-to-ceiling window before finally turning back to her.
"Because you owe me."
Yeri was stunned.
Owe him?
"There's no point explaining," Shin said quietly. "You don't remember any of it. If I tell you now, you'll only misunderstand."
Annoyed, she frowned. "I'm not a child. You can explain it to me properly."
Shin let out a long sigh as he gently held both of her arms. "You already know what causes those black veins to appear on your skin. Stop insisting on remembering. Every time you force those memories to surface you're only hurting yourself."
"But I'm not okay with that." Yeri's voice trembled with frustration. "This is about me. Why can't I know the truth?"
She felt as though the scales between them had become completely unbalanced.
Recalling the argument they had just a week ago because of Xian Song only made her feel even more aggrieved.
"If it were you," she continued, "you wouldn't want to be kept in the dark either. All this secrecy doesn't make me feel any better. You keep saying it's for my own good... but is it really?"
Shin's expression hardened.
"Your current life and your past are not meant to become one. Those memories should remain just nothing but memories. If you still don't believe that my priority is your well-being, then isn't your current condition enough proof?"
His tone became even sterner.
"Even if all your memories return, so what? You're Yeri Zhi now. You're far removed from the Demon Realm and from the person you used to be."
Yeri's eyes gradually reddened.
Was it that he truly couldn't understand how she felt or was he simply pretending not to?
In the end, she grabbed her suitcase and dropped it onto the bed with a loud thud.
She packed in silence or rather, she angrily stuffed her clothes inside, practically slamming each piece into the suitcase while sulking.
Shin, on the other hand, quietly sat down on the sofa, choosing to mind his own business and this only irritated Yeri even more.
Just then, her phone rang.
Still glaring at him, she answered the call absentmindedly. "Hello?"
" ..."
She glanced at the screen, an unknown number?
"If you're not going to say anything, I'm hanging up."
Only then did the person on the other end speak.
"...Hello."
It was a child's voice, soft and hesitant.
"I just got a cellphone." After a brief pause, he awkwardly corrected himself. "I mean... save my number, okay?"
Yeri's heartbeat quickened, already had a good idea who it was.
"You're that child with the giant snake, aren't you? The little Demon Prince. You know..."
A smile unconsciously appeared on her lips.
"I know who you are. I remember."
Before she could hear the child's response, the phone was suddenly snatched from her hand.
Shin held it to his ear.
The colder his expression became, the more oppressive the atmosphere in the room felt.
Without saying a word he ended the call.