Wonho tossed and turned in bed, his brows knitted together as beads of sweat gathered on his forehead. His arms were flailing in mid air as silent incoherent cries escaped his lips. His trashing grew wilder as he fought to grab hold of whatever he thought was in front of him.

With a jolt, he rose to a sitting position, his eyes wide open as he yelled, "Eomma! Appa!"

His screams pierced the air of silence that filled his mildly lit room. Wonho was a panting mess as hot tears threatened to fall from his eyes. The anger writhing within him fought to take over despite its once dormant status.

Wonho grit his teeth, forming his hands into tight fists. With that, the blue rings in his eyes returned. The demon in him was hungry.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

With every punch he threw, Wonho up his strength. The punching bag had been his victim the past hour without any pauses whatsoever. He tried to push down his urges but the ongoing battle seemed to have no end.

Flashes of his nightmare appeared in his mind. His home crumbling as flames swallowed it whole. His young self shedding tears as he held tight to his parents. His dad losing grip of him. His mom following suit. Then the unthinkable. His parents lying on the ground, lifeless. The scene then cut to a pit of darkness in which Wonho was left with nothing but himself and the echo of the murderer's laughter.

"Ahh!" Wonho exclaimed, throwing yet another punch towards the bag - this time leaving a dent. Steadying the bag, he leaned his forehead against it. His lips shuddered and his eyes were shut tight. He wanted to give in to his demon and he knew he was at the losing end of the battle but her words rung in his head.

"Promise me you won't harm innocent beings - that you'll only use your ability on those that deserve it. Only harm those that hurt you or the ones you care about."

Wonho let out a long sigh as he opened his eyes. To no one in particular, he uttered the words, "I promise, Su Ju-ya."

"Uhm, earth to Mr Shin Wonho, you there?" Wonho was brought out of his reverie. His blank stare was met with Do Yeon's questioning gaze. The fellow had been asking him questions regarding the project the past minute only to receive nothing but dead silence on his end of the conversation.

"Sorry, were you saying something?"

"Yeah, you're usually the one with better focus between us two. What's on your mind?" Do Yeon asked and she could see the slight panic in his eyes, as though her question was intrusive.

A lot. A lot is on my mind. Wonho thought to himself. For example, it's been ages since I've had that nightmare so what on earth could've possibly triggered it? Oh and let's not forget the fact that at any point, I could snap.

"And... You're off to Lalaland once more," Do Yeon sung, regaining his focus temporarily.

"Sorry. It's nothing much...just family stuff," Wonho replied, not wanting to let her in on any more details. Do Yeon scrutinized his face. The slightly furrowed brows. The nervous lip-biting. The constant plunge into his own trail of thoughts. She had never seen that side of him before. He looked so anxious - so fragile. For that short moment, the seemingly cunning demeanor she often saw him carry felt like a fragment of her imagination. Was Rina right? Am I just over-analysing him?

"Hey, Wonho?" Upon hearing the mention of his name, Wonho snapped out of his thoughts once more and raised a brow inquisitively.

"Do you want to cut today's project session short? I really think you need it."

On any other day, Wonho would have laughed and said it was unnecessary. That day however wasn't any other day. Without a single peep of a rebuttal, Wonho nodded. He hurriedly packed his belongings, not sparing a single thought for arranging his items properly. Wonho was quick to bolt for the door but Do Yeon managed to call out his name, stopping him in his tracks right as his hand made its way to the door knob.

As their eyes met, she asked, "Will you be okay?"

He remained silent for a brief second and she thought part of him wanted to say no. Yet he proceeded to nod before muttering a thanks and giving her a faint smile. With that, he was out the door and Do Yeon was left with nothing but endless questions filling her mind.

Wonho's night stroll was supposedly meant to be a form of relaxation but he knew that deep down, he was finding an excuse - an excuse to harm someone. His enhanced hearing ability helped to scope the area as he trailed down the empty street. The demon was winning the upper hand, restricting him of control over his urges.

Right then, he picked up a commotion from a nearby alley. For a long while, he remained rooted, listening in on the exchange between the involved parties. The corner of his lip tugged up ever so slightly to form a smirk.

Ah, an assault. He thought. The blue ring in his eyes grew prominent as black mist hugged his body. Wonho was then nothing but a shadow. Without the slightest bit of hesitation, he closed in on the attackers. Realising the uninvited presence, the group of men put a pause to their assault. With them taking a step back, Wonho was able to see who the victim was - his friend, Kihyun. Wonho scoffed.

Okay, now it's personal.

"Hey man, if you don't want a beating, I suggest you leave. Don't come around trying to be a hero," one of the men taunted. A low chuckle capable of making one's hair stand on end escaped Wonho's lips. The pair of eyes that was previously directed at the ground was raised.

"Oh. Nah, I'm not trying to be the hero here," Wonho paused. "I just needed a reason to do this."

Piercing through their souls with his gaze, Wonho tilted his head slightly. No words were said. No violence was involved. All it took was a single word and a single thought - Pain.

A/N: Well hello, I hope you're enjoying this story because I'm risking my bias list for this. Nah I'm kidding, I know I'll always be Shownu-biased trololol but Wonho's been making me feel some type of way lately as I write this. Thank you for your constant support - it means a lot to me :') I got a lot planned for this story so I promise you won't be disappointed. xx