The New Devil [The Devil Judge]

The Day Yohan Decided

It was mildly horrifying and a little invigorating to listen to Gaon's acceptance speech.

Standing in the rafters, looking down at the brightly lit hall where cameras flashed and reporters stood in rapt attention, Yohan watched Gaon's movements like a hawk, taking in the familiar swagger that Yohan had mastered years ago. It was eerie how much Gaon emulated him, his movements, his mannerisms, his words. It was as if Yohan was watching a live show of himself but with Gaon's face.

And it broke his heart.

Because this wasn't what he wanted. This wasn't what he'd left for.

Gaon was supposed to be better. Gaon had already been better. Yohan had muddied his reputation for this, but it hadn't changed anything. Not the way Yohan had imagined it to change.

Handsome and suave with his movements, Gaon descended from the stage, having promised the people power. He'd been so good with it, so clear and concise. In a matter of months, Gaon had managed to perfect a stride that had taken Yohan twelve years to learn.

If he wasn't so envious and disappointed, Yohan would have been able to admit how turned on he was, watching the confident set of Gaon's shoulders and the delicate way with which he handled himself and his dance partners.

Maybe, in another life, Yohan could have been one of those partners.

Maybe he could have celebrated such a big win for Gaon's professional trajectory.

Yohan was proud of him. But he was also scared for him. Shiny, fluttering butterflies like Gaon were beacons of trouble. Whatever safety he'd had when he had Yohan's shadow to hide in was gone. He was out in the open, flaunting his success and power for admirers to see, for enemies to goad.

"He's good at this," Ko said, leaning on the railing and staring down at him.

"He's not supposed to be good at this. He's supposed to be honest," Yohan hissed as he made his way to the stairs with Ko running to keep up.

"You saw his plan. You know what he's doing."

"He's doing the same thing I did."

"Yeah, and you survived."

"In case you didn't know, Lawyer Ko," Yohan said, "Lightning never strikes twice."

"It's a good thing the plan isn't entirely like yours then, isn't it?"

Yohan stopped moving and turned to his friend with a frown on his face. "Do you support it?"

Ko's jaw hardened as he nodded. "I do."

"You realize what he has to do to make it work."

"I do," Ko repeated.

"He's going to kill someone. That will destroy him."

"If you hadn't noticed, Sir," Ko said. "He was going to kill someone last year if you didn't stop him."

"Yes, exactly. I didn't stop him then for him to turn around and commit mass murder."

"You did it," Ko said. "Why can't he?'

Yohan punched Ko before he knew what he was doing. As Ko stumbled back, Yohan regretted it but he held his ground.

"How fucking dare you?" he asked, feeling like everyone could hear them even though the guests were far away.

Ko leaned against the wall as he spat blood on the ground. From where they were Yohan could still hear the music, could still see Gaon moving on the dance floor, from one woman to another with a charming smile on his face.

A far cry from the man who'd nearly cried when a crowd of cougars cornered him.

"When are you going to stop pretending that that boy is some righteous angel, Sir?"

"Watch your tongue," Yohan warned.

"K was right. Even before he touched you, you were already seduced beyond reason."

"Shut the fuck up."

"He came into your home with ulterior motives."

"I'm warning you."

"He bugged your office and put your niece in danger."

"Lawyer Ko!" Yohan hissed as he grabbed him by the cuff and shoved him against the unpainted wall.

"He's always been like this," Ko said, looking Yohan right in the eye. "You've just been too enthralled by your brother's face to see it."

Yohan raised his hand to punch Ko, but Ko just closed his eyes, making no other move to defend himself. Not that he ever would. Ko wasn't violent and even if he was, he would never stand against Yohan. Not for anything, certainly not for something so heavy as this.

Yohan shook his head, as he said, "You don't know what you're talking about."

Gaon hadn't been like this. He'd been so bad at subterfuge that Yohan clocked his game from the moment they met.

At least, he'd thought he did. But what if he hadn't? What if this was all part of the plan? What if every action had been...

"Sunah hired him for a reason," Ko said. "She's clinging to him now for the very same reason."

"All the more reason for us not to support a plan that she has a hand in."

Shoving Ko away, Yohan continued down the stairs, unable to even look at his friend for another moment.

"Thinking like that will put him in danger, Sir," Ko called after Yohan, making no move to follow him. "You'll get in his way and ruin everything."

The fuck he was. Yohan knew what he was doing. Gaon wasn't some weak point anyone could use. Sunah had tried before and she'd failed. Yohan wasn't some enthralled fool. He was seeing just as clearly as he'd always seen. And plan or not, he was going to make sure that Gaon didn't make the same mistakes that he had.