It was late into the night when Taekwoon was rudely awakened from his sleep, duty calling right outside his door. There had been a possession by a rogue demon. That happens, but rarely ever since Taekwoon took over the reins of running korea's biggest organisation of exorcists.

He does not follow traditional means of destroying these evil entities. Salt? Sulphur? Holy water? Silver? Sprinkling those can only hurt these demons, not kill them and Taekwoon wants them gone. Permanently. Pack these “fairy dusts” into pretty metal shells then put a cap on them. Load them into a gun and voila! A lethal weapon.

His most recent bullet ingredients included blood of other demons, wood splinters from blessed crucifixes and even verses from the holy books those helpless priests used to carry with them. He would carefully row those pieces of paper into his metal capsules and they are the best for fatally injuring rogue demons. Sometimes even plain bullets are enough.

Possessions are simple. He would start off with beating the daylight out of the demon which may encompass injuries to the human vessel. However, to ward off evil, necessary evil is required. He would shoot if the situation calls for it and no one has ever died as a result of his unique methods of exorcism.

Nevertheless, his methods work and people are generally happy with the results. No one dares to question him or his professionalism. They need him. Especially in this world where demons are often malignant and very hard to kill. His aura and character in general is well known to be off-putting but people would gladly tolerate it after having witnessing the havoc wreaked by those evil anomalies.

Today is no exception. Taekwoon barges in to a tightly sealed room just to come face to face with a crazed person lunging at his direction. Slipping on his knuckle dusters and punching the demoness who was once a kindly old lady in the jaw, the stoic man narrowed his eyes and trailed his hands along his belt. An old lady wouldn’t survive a bullet. These demons are getting terribly good at the they do. Just a week ago, a possessed toddler. Those are the absolute worse since the vessel would be the most fragile.

He could handle an old lady. His actions just needed more tact. Zipping up his loosely fitted leather jacket to cover his neck, he lashed out like the professional boxer he once was. Swinging his brass laden fists into the frail body at all the right places and finally incapacitating her.

Then, hovering over her, Taekwoon started his usual intimidating count down and waited for the demon to attempt a getaway. A stationary demon is a dead demon while he is around. He is pretty damn popular in the underworld thanks to his notoriety but for some reasons, these things do not give up. They love adventures despite the consequences.

Trying to escape after surfacing, the ugly shrivelled up creature with glowing red veiny skin screeched it’s last under Taekwoon as the hunter skewers it with his metal dagger adorned with sacred carvings. He does not return them to the underworld since that would be considered a favour. He simply erases their existence.

Getting off the old lady and watching her family rush to her aid, the man bowed slightly to her son before exiting. Now for some more sleep. His circadian rhythm is seriously messed up but since he took in more apprentices, he had been relatively well rested. Hyuk is good at what he did and even better than Taekwoon nowadays. Younger with more tenacity. Not that Taekwoon is older, he seem to need more time to rejuvenate between jobs.

His other new recruits namely Ravi and Ken had been mighty good at their job as well. They did not require much training having been free lancing for years before joining the organisation. N, his newly assigned second in charge is also running the show now and Taekwoon is more than satisfied. No more back to back cases. Midnight calls like this are now rare. He is pleased with the improved delegation system.

Returning to his cramp headquarters, Taekwoon discarded his gear onto the rickety couch that he was sure Ravi and Ken had done nasty things on a few night ago while he was out. The man then ran his fingers through his hair, a signature move, and grabbed a can of ice coffee from the noisy old refrigerator. This place is rundown and vandalised, but it had also been his home since he was an angry and orphaned teen.

Taekwoon was apparently abandoned as an infant and grew up in various foster homes. The final and most loving family he lived with had brought him much comfort. They had wholeheartedly accepted the misanthropic and cynical loner that he was and he had finally grown to love them as well. That was till a poltergeist took his favourite nephew. Everyone thought the boy was simply missing but Taekwoon had witnessed his disappearance.

As an amateur preteen who was determined to save the kid, he had gone all out in search of that boy and ended up bringing a pack of stray legions back into the house. His new found family crumbled to dust that very day. He buried whatever little emotions he had developed during his short few years stay with them. Swearing vengeance, Taekwoon was the perfect formula for destroying demon since they seem very attracted to his very presence. The organisation saw that as a plus point and had recruited and groomed him.

Unable to blend in with the rest of the hunters, and most definitely being unable to keep a work partner, he was eventually given his own lodging at a single story factory that had ceased to operate. This was also the place that used to house his recruits. His very own workspace where he had thrived and fashioned new methods to destroy his evil enemies.

Having difficulties with drifting off to sleep after tucking himself back into his own personal haven on the second floor gallery he had built for himself, the man got dressed in his usual tank top and ripped jeans before leaving in his car. His recruits/ colleagues/ subordinates will be back to haunt him in a few hours and he is not in the best mood to be fooling around with them today.

Trawling the quiet early morning streets for signs of demonic activities like the workaholic leader that he is, the runes tattooed all over his upper back, chest, ankles and arms have never been more inactive. The usually more sensitive runes on the dorsum of his palms are also unusually dormant today. He liked the peace. That was until he drove past a building with a derelict exterior further down the routine path he usually took.

The burning sensation over his back is indicative of the presence of a demon, yet the ones on his chest remained as cool as the rest of the skin on his body. That was unusual. Result of the cold morning wind perhaps? That or he was wearing too little. Parking his vehicle in the opposite alley, Taekwoon got off and surveyed the area on foot. No police would catch him despite the heavy armoury he carries with him in his backpack. He is legal and welcomed wherever he went.

Loitering around the front of the building that his runes had specifically guided him to, the man traced his fingers along the mouldy bricks of the wall and the rusty locked metal grilles thoughtfully. The tattoos on his back flamed on while the rest remained serene as ever. He is perturbed. This has never happened before. They usually work in unison so this occurrence is confusing and definitely difficult to ignore.

Stepping back as the lift door opens with a ping from within the building premises, Taekwoon felt a jolt on his back as a hooded figure emerges and passes him at the front door. A simple grey hoodie overshadows ninety percent of the other individual’s face while nicely fitted worn jeans wrapped up whatever skin was exposed. The male’s head remained bowed as he hurries on ahead. Sneakers making an unsynchronised squeaking sound as he shuffles his legs forward nervously. Taekwoon tails him instinctively. Or rather, Taekwoon simply cannot resist the urge to follow that person. It was as if there was a magnetic force field around him and Taekwoon was piece of scrap metal.

The person stopped a few blocks away and entered a convenience store hastily. However, before Taekwoon could enter after him, the latter was running out with the store owner latched onto him. Trying to shrug the stubborn plump man off, he appeared rather small in stature now that Taekwoon is finally paying more attention. This is no robbery and appeared more like a case of harassment.

The hooded figure manages to break free at one point but only at the expanse of the owner collapsing at his feet. Everything was happening so quickly that Taekwoon could hardly register whatever was going on but the moment their eyes met, he knew who he was dealing with. Or rather, what he was dealing with. An incubus. It is beautiful. So very soul enrapturing that even Taekwoon could hardly refuse the obvious beckoning as he stares into the fleeting frightened dark brown orbs. Nevertheless, the hunter is too seasoned for any tricks that it may be playing.

Ignoring the calm on his chest and arms, he launched himself forward with the fire-like warmth burning on his back. The hooded individual sees him approaching and starts to back off. Taekwoon’s eyes glowed with an incandescence instead of the usual lust and that individual could tell that he is bad news. Especially since his gun is real, dangling from his belt and not in his pants.

Sprinting backwards from where he came from, the startled creature was only able to outrun Taekwoon since they were already metres apart. However, the hunter had drawn his weapon. With a loud bang, the fleeing male crashed to the cement pavement. Getting up with much difficulty and pressing forth with sheer willpower, he entered the building and shuts the metal door behind him successfully locking the raging hunter outside.

Darting into the lift leaving a trail of purplish blood behind him, the individual pounded at the lift button desperately until the door closed. He is safe. For now.