Here it is; the big reveal. A lot of you catched on to my hints and made a lot of theories which i enjoy reading them. And I bet instead of clarifying, this is going to cast more confusion and questions (which is what I'm hoping for).

After making sure Taemin is safe and fast asleep, Minho slips out and goes to Key's apartment. He enters quietly but couldn't get by Jonghyun who had a sword to his throat.

Minho gives a side smile. “I'm starting to think you enjoy having a sword to my throat.”

“Why are you here?” Jonghyun doesn't entertain his bait, not lowering his sword. “Aren't you supposed to stay with Taemin?”

“He's safe. I'll have Onew check on him tomorrow morning,” Minho replies, using two fingers to move the sword away from his throat. “I came to confirm something. Did you kill him?”

Jonghyun narrows his eyes, puts the sword away. “I'm not allowed to kill humans.”

“Oh?” The answer has Minho give an unkind smile showing his canine. That is not a definite answer of what happened to Tao. “What do you think he is?”

Jonghyun gives Minho a deadpanned look. “I think you have a better understanding than I do.” He turns his back as Minho follows behind with an annoyed look. “This is the first time I encounter something like that. But to you this is not your first encounter, correct?”

“Aren't I supposed to ask the question?”

“Yes but you already know the answer.”

Minho scoffs. Typical of an angel never giving straight answers. He makes his way to Key's bedroom but was stopped by Jonghyun. “What are you doing?”

Minho smirks. “Just checking on my handy work. I'll let you supervise if you give me something to work with.”

He finally got under the angel's skin, seeing the miniscule dip on the corners of his lips. Finally Jonghyun steps back and takes something out of his pocket.

“This fell out of that person's hand,” Jonghyun says. “It's not legible.”

It is a business card. The card had been crumpled, the white line creases makes it hard to read. But Minho recognizes the logo and font on the card. The handwriting at the back tells a floor he is able to make out.

He doesn't voice his observations to Jonghyun, putting the card in his pocket and enters Key's room. Jonghyun follows to make sure he wouldn't try anything funny.

Key is fast asleep since he took the evil essence out of his heart. The process took longer than anticipated keeping him unconscious for the whole duration. He's in a healing sleep courtesy of Jonghyun's angelic abilities that would allow him to heal his mind and body to recover from the ordeal. He won't easily wake up from the two's intrusion until the next day.

Minho has his hand hover above Key's heart, his hand engulfs in black flames.

Jonghyun is startle by the action. “What are you doing?!”

“A follow up,” Minho explains, concentrating. “The essence is extracted but there's a bit still preserved in there.”

“I didn't notice,” Jonghyun says, looks at Minho with wide eyes. “Did you leave it in there on purpose?!”

“Don't worry, it's completely harmless.”

Purple balls of light the size of a bead emerge from Key's chest, floats up into Minho's hand. His black flames enclosed around the purple light, condensing it. He closes the palm of his hand to dissipate it.

“There's no side effects or lingering effects if that's what you're worrying about,” Minho says, leaving the bedroom. “Now if you excuse me, I have some loose ends to tie up.”

“Wait!”

Against his better judgment Minho lingers to hear what Jonghyun has to say. Sure enough Jonghyun is frowning, his lips twisted in a grimace and glaring at the floor.

“Thanks for your help,” Jonghyun says, lifting his head to look at Minho in the eye.

Minho smirks. “It must have been painful to say that.”

This had Jonghyun huff and turns away and Minho chuckling under his breath. Saving some face for the angel, Minho takes his leave.

There is a reason why he didn't eradicate all of the evil essence from Key in order to preserve them for tracking purposes. With the card he receives from Jonghyun, he finds himself at a high rise company building. The offices are empty and dark with everyone calling it a day.

In another hall there is light and sound coming from an office room. With the essence as a guiding tool, Minho made his way there and trickles of the conversation reaches his ear.

“So useless but at least he serves his purpose.”

“We did what you asked, now let us go!”

“Tsk tsk, who says we're done here?”

The conversation has Minho frowning. He opens his senses to get some clarity to what's going on in that room. He finds three people in the room, two of them have an empty-like presence while and one of them is dripping with the essence he extracted.

“I have another plan in motion, bring the one who can teleport and the one who can heal. Boss wants to have a word with them.”

“What?! What do you want with them?!”

“Nothing that concerns you unless you want to be involve.”

“We're already involve ever since you brought us here!”

Engrossed listening in on the conversation, Minho didn't realize someone is near him until a tap on his shoulder.

“Boo.”

Instinctively Minho slashed at the intruder but the man disappears before him like an afterimage. The intruder's cackle echoes in the hall, disrupting Minho's senses and concentration. Many times it seems like the perpetrator is behind Minho's shoulder only to disappear when Minho looks.

Finally Minho has the man pinned to a wall. The man has a cherub-like face and a mischievous smile even with Minho's hand on his neck with not a hint of worry. Like it's all just a game to him.

But with a whiff Minho realizes he's not dealing with a human, not even one of those things. The man can hide it under all the layers he wants, it doesn't hide the fact he is the originator who use his essence to control Key.

“It's rude to eavesdrop, Minho,” the man playfully scolds lace with a dark undertone. “Office hours are closed.”

Minho's eyes widen at his name causing him to grip the man's neck tighter. “Who are you?!”

The man chuckles, not the least affected by Minho's grip. “Boss said not to let my presence known but since you're here, it couldn't be helped.” He taps on Minho's hand holding his neck. “Can you let go now? It's hard to talk like this.”

The faux-innocent countenance is enough to irritate Minho to crush this man's throat. The man can pretend all he wants, he can easily remove himself from Minho's grip with the power he's hiding underneath. He take his time pealing back the layers as painfully as he can, to find what he is really hiding.

Minho doesn't slacken his hold, causing the man to sigh. “Don't you want to meet boss? He should still be in the office at this hour. How do I take you there if you're holding me like this?”

Minho narrows his eyes. “If you run...”

“I won't,” the man raises both of his hands to show its bare.

It doesn't make Minho feel at ease but he releases his hold. The man makes a show of rubbing his neck as though it hurts and walks with Minho following him.

They came up to opulent doors and the man knocks to announce their presence. He doesn't wait for a reply and enters. The door opens to a spacious office and opulent décor that marks someone in a high position.

“Did I tell you to enter, Nickhun?”

Nickhun shrugs, sauntering his way in and making himself at home. “I figure you needed a break. Besides, I have a visitor for you.”

Minho makes his way in and his eyes zeroed in at the person Nickhun is talking to. He's seen the man around Taemin, even in the photos Taemin have at home. He would be the last person to suspect to be involve.

Taecyeon glances up from his laptop. He doesn't look the least surprise. He takes off his glasses and closes his laptop. “Can you give us some privacy, Nickhun?”

Nickhun pouts, he had propped himself on the counter as though he got a seat to a good show. “But boss~”

Taecyeon only glares making Nickhun sigh dramatically, making a big show of forcing himself up to leave. “You won't let me have any fun.” And shuts the door.

Now it's only just Minho and Taecyeon; opting to stare at one another waiting for the other to make the first move. Finally Taecyeon sighs. “You want anything to drink?”

Minho only glares, watching Taecyeon move to the liquor cabinet for a glass.

“We have all types,” Taecyeon says, moving through the motion to get his drink. “Wine, scotch, cognac, even soju. It's well stocked and mostly for important guests. I don't drink during work.”

Taceyeon has already poured two glasses of wine, intending to hand one of them to Minho who didn't take it, keeping his eyes set on Taecyeon. He only shrugs and sets one of the wine glass down. “So straight to business?”

There's a lot of questions Minho has on the tip of his tongue and even more if he were to ask in Taemin's stead. He's seen the man around and by Taemin's account Taecyeon would have been the last person to suspect something from him. But as a demon, Minho shouldn't expect much from humans. What they show on the surface may not be true in their hearts.

Behind Taecyeon he sees a picture of Taemin and Taecyeon on the desk; both with matching eye-smiles and grins. What he sees before him is someone unrecognizable to the picture's counterpart.

“I'll get straight to the point; go back to Hell and leave Taemin alone,” Taecyeon says. “Whatever your price, I will compensate if it's within my means.”

“Looks like you know what I am,” Minho replies with a side smile. “But I'm afraid sending me back to Hell and leaving Taemin alone comes with a price that you can't afford.”

Taecyeon takes a sip from his wine glass. “Do you think I wouldn't know what is going on with Taemin? I'm telling you to take the offer, otherwise I will use other means to make you leave that are far more painful than it has to be.”

Minho scoffs at the threat. “You think you're capable of such?”

“I am resourceful and capable,” Taecyeon flatly replies. “Taemin can attest to the fact. Everything that happened so far is within my mechanism.”

Minho narrows his eyes, that's correct. Taemin extols about Taecyeon's good qualities, proud for having a successful and reliable brother with no fault to be found. But for all his praises there is a hint of self-depreciation that never sits right with him.

“Was it through your mechanism that your brother has been put in multiple life-threatening situations?” Minho asks, rage simmering underneath his tone. "That you allowed all this to happen?"

“Well I can't claim all the credit,” Taecyeon raises his glass to Minho. “Don't think I wouldn't notice your lateness to save my brother. Is it on purpose? But I digress, I should thank you for that.”

“What do you mean?”

“If it hadn't been for your appearance, those things wouldn't have shown up to attack Taemin,” Taecyeon says like he's explaining a simple concept. “The timing coordinates, something you can't deny.”

“If that were the case then the fault lies with Taemin,” Minho replies with a smug look. “After all, he's the one who summoned me in the first place.”

“Do not presume what you don't understand,” Taecyeon doesn't rise to the bait. “Their unwanted interest in my brother is due to your presence. And as the big brother, it's my job to clean up his mess. That includes getting rid of unwanted pests.”

Minho has killed for lesser offense than a loose tongue, especially coming from a human. The confidence and pride Taecyeon adorns like an armor has no holes or weaknesses. Minho has encounter many humans who puts up a false bravado when their time has come. Their bodies would never lie no matter what their mouth spews.

But Taecyeon is on a whole other level.

“I haven't always been a good brother,” Taecyeon confesses as he takes a sip from his wine glass. “I was garbage.”

The unwarranted confession has Minho watch Taecyeon warily.

“We're only five years apart.” Taecyeon swirls the wine glass in his hand, his eyes glazed. “There's just something about Taemin. When he was born, everybody's attention is always Taemin. Our parents, teachers, children – everybody. I was young at the time but Taemin is even younger. One day I took Taemin somewhere secluded – where there's no one around and told him to wait there. I never intended to come back. Longer time pass – and there was a huge storm, before I knew it I was running back for him and he's still in the same spot waiting for me! That brat – tried to shield me from the rain with his little arms, never mind the fact he was cold and soaking wet for who knows how long!”

Taecyeon throws the glass against the wall, loudly shattering into pieces. The look in his eyes as he spoke slowly changes from mad to somber.

“And he looked at me with such precious eyes and smiles at me. He was only seven,” Taecyeon thinks back on the moment wistfully, his head tilted back. “Had I known... Taemin still believes that I was the one who found him, doesn't remember being abandoned. His big brother – his hero.”

It took all of Minho's might not to sneer, not to strike even though his whole being is vibrating from unfounded anger. “So you had a change of heart?” he says, close to spatting. “To be the best big brother to make up for your mistake? Why are you telling me this?”

“I'm telling you this because there is nothing I wouldn't do for my brother,” Taecyeon says, turns to look at Minho in the eye. “Look around you, Minho. How I manage to attain all this is short of nothing to what I can do to you.”

The moonlight shining in the window gives Taecyeon's eyes a cold gaze with shadows stretch to his very soul. “When I went to college I asked our parents for Taemin. When I graduated I ask for Taemin again. When I finally became independent... I stopped asking.”

The words uttered has Minho tense, drenching him with something unidentifiable for even a demon like him.

Until Taecyeon smiles, eyes crescent like the innocent picture he has on his desk. “Just kidding.”

It doesn't calm him down.

“Oh don't look at me like some monster,” Taecyeon playfully says, raises an eyebrow. “They're not dead. Our parents are on an extended work trip. Jeju I think. They travel for work, haven't been back for quite a long time.”

Minho couldn't help but feel this was partly due to Taecyeon's design. Taemin's smile had a hint of loneliness when his family was mentioned in any way. No matter how much affection he holds or how well cared for, it's not something that can be easily overlooked and denied. It's probably why he held his brother on such high esteem because he is the only one to care and raise Taemin when their parents are absent.

“Taemin belongs to me,” Taecyeon declares, his voice is firm without a hint of hesitation. “Do you think he would listen to a demon over his own brother? No matter what contract he makes with you or whatever he promises you, his place is right by my side. His mind, body, soul, all belongs to me.”

He's heard enough. “I met a lot of humans but never met anyone quite as messed up as you,” Minho grins unkindly, the dark flames twists and turns in the palm of his hand. “What will Taemin think about you saying things like this? That his own brother harbors such thoughts.”

Taecyeon smirks. “You think Taemin is the only one who can summon a demon?”

That was the only warning Minho got before he gets attacked from behind by Nickhun.

How was it? Thanks for sticking to this story. I promise this story is coming close to the end with only a few more chapters to go so hopefully will be finish next year. Don't forget to check out and support Minho's new MV Heartbreak on Youtube. Happy holidays and I'll see you all next year