The Perfect Stranger 

They had been watched by a man outside the café, Joshua had observed the couple all along. He wanted to know what was going on between them and he had his answer. They were couple, a lovely couple. It would be even more thrilled next time he met both of them but not yet the time. The devil knew he could cause so much damages to this relationship but he did not plan to do so…he had no intention to break the couple apart, maybe he did just a little but for now as long as the beautiful boy was safe and protected by that man then he would not interfere.

Joshua roamed around the city looking for exciting things to do. It seemed like this serial killer turned the small neighborhood into panic mode. He knew what the killer was, he was a possessed soul and in order to stop this murderer was to kill him. It was police officers job so he let them deal with that. He was born to create disorder to this world so this was what supposed to happen.

And for a second time of the day, he thought about the beautiful boy…Yoon Jeonghan. There was something about this boy that made him wanted to learn more, to know more because this pretty face was just a facade covering deep dark secrets hidden underneath those big brown eyes even the devil like him could not expose. The boy who could draw actual crime scene was not normal so Joshua decided to dig more detail about the pretty sketcher.
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While Jeonghan was in his office processing his sketch to the computer screen. Seokmin was there with him, keeping the boy entertained. The smiley investigator had known the pretty boy quite a long time ago, ever since Jeonghan left the hospital. They were roommates because he was friendly and talkative so it should help the quiet boy recovered quicker. It took more than two years for Jeonghan to talk casually as he saw himself different and weird, did not fit in this world but Seokmin saw this boy as special. Even today, the long hair boy still refused to acknowledge that fact.

“You can rest if you are tired”

“I’m ok” His big brown eyes were still on two computer screens. The lines and curves were placed to make a matched photo as his sketch. 

“That guy really helped, didn’t he?”

“Which guy”

“The stranger this morning” 

“Yes” Jeonghan thought about Joshua who had given him detailed information, none of witnesses could describe the murderer that specific. They either went too brief, too blurred or something else entirely, it made him wonder how the gentle man could see that face and still survived to tell story.

“Hey Jeonghannie”

“Yes?”

“You see something in him, don’t you?”

“….” Jeonghan went quiet for a while. That was true, he saw something in that man deep brown smiling eyes. It was unusual, a feeling the long hair boy never experienced before so he could not identify what or how the stranger was. Joshua seemed to be a nice and gentle man who smiled a lot but in contrast, he was also obscure and delusive at the same time from how he confronted Seungcheol the way no one would dare doing. Jeonghan drifted into his thoughts again but it was snapped back when the computer screen showed 100% completed. 

“It’s done” That was the first real smile from the pretty boy. It was nice to see that lovely smile on his face. 

“I’ll call chief” A few minutes after Seungcheol and his team walked in to look at the photo. It was pulled up on big screen and when they ran in the system. It showed a match, this man was arrested a few years ago from domestic violence but the wife did not press charge so the man got away.

They started their work right away and thanked to the pretty boy again. He helped them solved a lot of cases just by his drawing. Jeonghan was dismissed for the day so he could go home to take some rest. Seungcheol still had more work to do so he asked the other to take care of the pretty boy.

“I’ll drive you home”

“Sure” 

Jeonghan did not talk much, he preferred listening. It was his habit to listen to people talking to him. It was partly because the beautiful boy was locked up alone in hospital room so long until he lost his interest in getting to know new people. He could live by himself with just a notebook and a pencil, he would draw until his hands were tired. Only if Seokmin could meet a 5-year-old Jeonghan, he would have met a cheerful boy who loved outdoor, a boy who loved his life and enjoyed the sunshine. It was the opposite now but still the smiley boy gave him an incredible friendship that he missed. He was grateful for that and this man was one of the lucky people who often saw the beautiful smile plastered on his beautiful face. 

“Are you sure that you don’t want me to be with you until Seungcheol is done with work?”

“Yes I am sure, besides you are tired too so you should go home and rest” Jeonghan patted his friend shoulder with a soft smile.

“Alright, whatever you say”

“Thank you Seokmin”

Jeonghan lived in a two bedrooms apartment on the first floor, it was located right downtown. He did not have any roommate but Seokmin or Jihoon who lived further out in the city would drop by for sleep once in a while when they had to work very early in the morning. He did not mind that. It was sometimes good to have someone home with him. Most of the time, it would be Seungcheol. His boyfriend was temporarily living with him but these past couple weeks, the handsome chief was stuck by workload so he did not come home as often. 

The pretty boy took off his jacket and sat down on comfortable sofa lounge in living room. He then TV on news channel and let it ran. It was only 4PM and the sun was still bright, not time for dinner yet so he started browsing on the internet. His slim fingers typed down “Joshua Hong” unknowingly and the browser showed nothing. He logged in his personal account in the internal police system but it also showed nothing. His hand moved and his thumb touched corner of his lips softly…that touch left him strange sensation he should not have. Jeonghan sighed to himself before laid down on sofa closing his eyes this time and drifted into a dream land.

He woke up again from loud banging sound from upstairs, his apartment neighbor was back home. They were couple with no children. They might greet each other once a week on weekend but no further interactions. Jeonghan decided it was time for dinner and he was too lazy to cook, Seungcheol would not be home until early morning so he would go out to café nearby. The pretty boy re-did his ponytail and changed to long sleeve blue sweater with same ripped jeans. 

When he stepped out from the door, it was a nightfall already. The neighborhood was strangely quiet but he continued to where he wanted to go. The long hair boy walked across the street to the next block and the next until he reached the local restaurants area. There were many choices and they were all open. This area was always lively with people. Before he walked to his chosen place, he was stopped by a familiar voice. Soft honey voice was heard not far away and when he turned the slim man already stood next to him.

“Good evening Jeonghan, are you about to go to that restaurant?” The pretty boy turned to see the stranger smiled excitedly next to him. The taller man wore casual clothes with jeans, white t-shirt and leather jacket. His hair was down and he looked just like a boy.

“Good…evening”

“It’s late already, let’s go in” Joshua leaded the way like he knew where the boy was heading to. The long hair boy turned left and right checking where this man was from. How could he not know? He sighed softly when the other called and waved at him enthusiastically. 

“Why are you even here?” The sweet voice asked in annoyance.

“I’m about to have dinner so I walked here” Jeonghan sat down quietly on the opposite side of the booth and let the other talked. “And I see you standing so it’s better to have a friend eating with you, right?” Joshua smiled at waiter who dropped the menu for them. 

“Ok” He did not know what to say so he just opened the menu and looked for his choice for tonight. 

“You don’t talk much, do you?”

“No” The pretty face still looked at the choices before put down the menu in front of him. 

“How is the case going?”

“The photo is a match, they are searching for the person now”

“Oh good to hear”

“Thank you” He said sincerely and it caught the other man attention, it was because of this stranger help so he got the picture right.

“No problem, I’m happy to help” 

“What can I get for you two” The young waiter smiled brightly, he had a little note and pen in his hands.

“What are specialties here?” Joshua asked looking into the waiter eyes. It seemed like this handsome stranger was able to attract both men and women to pay attention at him. 

“We have…mm…many delicious…food” The waiter suddenly stuttered. He stared at Joshua like this person was the only man in the whole world he wanted. Jeonghan looked at the waiter interestedly. 

“I will have what he’s having” Suddenly, the waiter snapped back when the gentle man turned to look at the beautiful face.

“Just get me soup and salad please” Sweet voice replied. He also pointed at coke for his drink. 

“So soup and salad for two” The young waiter rushed to kitchen as soon as Jeonghan finished his order. The pretty boy now looked back at the man sitting opposite to him, he had grin on his handsome face. His smiling eyes focus entirely on Jeonghan now.

“You live around here?”

“Yes”

“Me too”

“What do you do for living? Joshua”

“I am unemployed”

“Are you looking for a job or something?” Jeonghan asked as he thought this man might be interested in finding a job as inspector so he tried to talk to him.

“No I’m not looking for a job, I don’t like working but I can help you with your work” The soft voice replied. He obviously stared at Jeonghan eyes and those brown eyes never moved away. Joshua would like to try again, maybe a bit more fixate this time. 

“I am pretty good at reading people mind and I am quite persuasive” He leaned in a little closer to the pretty face. He noticed that this pair of eyes are truly fascinating, they are not too big, round like a doll eyes but slightly curved down at the end of upper eyelids and they were color of burnt umber. So instead of trying to read the boy mind, Joshua ended up admiring the other beautiful eyes for a minute or two. He snapped back when Jeonghan blinked.

“Are you a psychic??” The pretty boy asked and that made Joshua disappointed a little but he just had to laugh out. He was not a psychic, he was a Lucifer but his power did not have effect on this beautiful boy.

“Hahaha No I’m not a psychic” He moved back to his seat now looking outside to the dark sky.    

“Ok”

“Are you?” It was Jeonghan turn to reply. He was not a psychic, he could not read mind. He only saw things that other people did not so he was just a mad man.

“No”

“Then explain to me why or how you are able to draw the crime scene even before you heard about it?” 

“It was a coincident” 

“Was it?” The smiley Joshua was now doubtful. He looked different from a relax man earlier so all Jeonghan did was looked away. 

“Yes”

“Here you go sir” Nice looking soups and green salad were placed in front of them and Jeonghan was relieved as he did not want to answer or be questioned by this man.

“Bon Appetit!” Joshua said lively. Jeonghan could not help but let out a small smile. The dark brown eyes noticed the soft curl on those red lips, it was an absolute beauty. He wondered why the boy did not smile often, it was as if he carried the weight of the world on him. Even just a soft smile from this long hair boy made a devil like him felt happiness. 

Jeonghan just enjoyed his dinner quietly like he was eating by himself. He was not used to having meal with a stranger and it happened to be a man who he just met for two days. Joshua was attentive and he knew when to talk or what to talk by observing the pretty boy reaction to certain questions. It was obvious that this boy did not want to talk about personal life but other stuffs were ok. 

“The chief is your boyfriend?”

“Yes”

“He is really over protective of you” Jeonghan nodded. He sometimes thought that his boyfriend was over protective and also very possessive as well.

“He must be very special” And very lucky to be able to reach to this pretty boy heart, it was difficult just to talk to him. Joshua could not think how Jeonghan would be as a lover. 

“He is” The beautiful face was soften. They really loved each other and it was new to Joshua. He never experienced true love because he was a devil. Devils were loveless and soulless. Broken heart, Divorce, Suicide were more his special abilities so seeing humans in love was new and interesting. 

“How did you end up together with that arrogant man though?” The pretty face was a little upset. He knew instantly that this was a bit personal so he just gave sly smile.

“Sorry too personal” 

“It’s ok” 

They finished our light meal and Joshua learned a little more about Jeonghan who had been quiet most of the time. They walked back out to busy street, restaurants were open and lots of people were enjoying their Sunday evening. 

“I’m going, thank you for the dinner”

“I’ll walk you home” Joshua offered, it was already late and he did not want this beautiful boy walked home by himself.

“You don’t have to”

“I want to”

“It’s really ok” 

“Your boyfriend isn’t home right?” 

“How do you know?” 

“I just guess, he is the chief so coming home seems unlike his job” Joshua had to admit that he actually stalked a pretty boy and he noticed that Seungcheol was still at work this evening.

“You are so weird”

“Thank you for the compliment” 

“I’m leaving” Jeonghan quickly walked away. The other man did not wait for permission anymore and he just followed. The long hair boy glared back a little but he only received a grin from Joshua. 

“I can help you catch the bad guy” Jeonghan was already in front of his house and Joshua offered his assistance again.

“Why do you want to help me?” The long hair boy turned and faced the other. His face remained the same, calm and beautiful…maybe a hint of annoyance.

“I don’t know, you look like you need it”

“No I don’t need any help”

“You will” That comment made Jeonghan took a step back.

“What make you so sure?” 

“Trust me, you will need my help” The devil smiled. 

“Good night Joshua” Jeonghan twisted the doorknob and got in his home, did not care what the other said anymore. He shut the door and walked in.

“Sweet dream cutie” That was not sweet when the pretty boy shut the door right on his face. At least he talked a bit more than this morning.

Joshua went back to his condo, changed and went out again to the same club he was every other nights. The gentle man sat on the sofa at the back watching people danced around and got drunk. Even it was Sunday, lots of people were still partying. The lovely short hair woman walked right up to him with drinks.

“You have a visitor”

“Hmm….visitor is never good” The bartender pointed at the pretty looking man dressed in tight leather pants and long sleeve black shirt where the collar dropped on one side of the shoulder showing milky white skin...looking seductive as usual. 

“Oh my my Lucifer”

“Ren…” He was a sweet looking devil indeed but he was too dangerous to be around human. Joshua grabbed a tiny hand before placing soft kiss on top of it. 

“This place is interesting!” 

“It is and I changed my name to Joshua”

“Joshua?? Why such name exist” His tiny hand lifted a glass up and took the full shot. Ren was very beautiful and seductive but also very dreadful. He was an incubus, permanently lived in the human world because his duty required him to. 

“Why are you here?”

“I miss you”

“Please be honest”

“I can’t hehehe” The tiny body shifted closer almost sat on the other lap, his deep red eyes shown bright in the club dim light. Ren saw that as a new fashion trend “red eyes” but it was actually a devil mark.

“You have been resting too long already Lucifer”

“It’s Joshua”

“Whatever!”

“That’s all? So father sent you to collect me back?” Joshua was uninterested. He was always a rebel son so this was minor problem and his father should worry about something else rather than him being here.

“Yea…my chance of getting you back was higher than those low rank devils, besides you are soft-hearted when it comes to a pretty one like me!”

“When have I ever said you are pretty?” Joshua sipped his drink but was forcefully pulled from his pretty friend. Ren was upset by that and it was funny to look at.

“Rude” 

“So you are just going to be here for free drinks”

“Yes” Right after he said that, he called the bartender for more drinks. His red eyes were on a well-built man on the dance floor, his prey for tonight.

“I saw you with a girl yesterday” Joshua did not remember staying with a girl, the only woman he talked to turn out dead already.

“A girl?”

“Yes long hair beautiful one”

“Oh…” Joshua knew right away who Ren was talking about. The long hair pretty one was Jeonghan.

“Who is she???” Ren was all excited now.

“He…not she, he is a human I happened to talk to”

“That’s it?” His big red eyes stared at the gentle man with a dangerous grin. 

“Yes that is it”

“No No No, I can see it was more than that. Did you sleep with him yet?”

“No not yet” That came out wrong...He should not reply that way. He did not have intention to sleep with the beautiful boy. He just wanted to talk but this pretty devil could influence him in a bad way.

“You need my help? I can get him on your bed like that” He flicked his painted finger nails like it was the best thing to do and all the gentle man did was sighing to himself.

“No I don’t need your help and No I don’t want to sleep with him” Joshua explained clearly. 

“Why?” Ren sounded disappointed.

“Because he has a boyfriend”

“Get rid of his boyfriend then” That was definitely devil thought and was taught to do. If they ever wanted something then they would do any way to get it. Joshua was exactly like that, he was a spoiled prince. He would do what he wanted and he would have what he wished. He was surprised himself too how well behave he was with Jeonghan, maybe this was also because his power did not work on the boy.

“Thank you for advice and offer Ren, I don’t have plan to do any of those things”

“How come you are a prince of hell, you are so boring” He frowned cutely. That was Ren, he always had his way of making others fall for him and when he had an eye on someone, they would never get away. Unlike Joshua, he was calm and patient. He would not waste his energy creating minor problems and his father knew this. Joshua also knew too well what he could do but he preferred taking his time finished off his bait. If he wanted Seungcheol dead, that man would not last this long but what was the fun of that. 

“I’m on my break” Joshua answered with a cold wicked smile.

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As promised I finally updated this chapter!

A lot of readers are curious if this is Jihan or Jeonghcheol...tbh I am Jihan fan ^v^

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