For a moment, neither of them spoke. The air between them felt too heavy, too charged.
Then, as if something inside her snapped back into place, she blinked, remembering what the hell was happening.
Right. Her boss just grew fox ears and this seemed far from a dream.
This was insane.
"This... this can't be real," she muttered, fumbling for her phone in her skirt. "No one's going to believe this…"
"M-Miss Han," Elias called, warningly, realizing too late what she was doing.
The camera light from her phone flashed, taking a perfect picture of his form as well as his flustered appearance.
She looked down at the screen. It was clearly there.
Her impossibly handsome, impossibly fox-eared boss caught mid-flush, eyes wide and lips parted in shock as his picture was taken.
This... Was evidence.
Her hand trembled slightly, not from fear, but from disbelief and excitement.
Whether this was a dream or not...
"I don't know anyway," she murmured.
Her breath hitched. The photo stared back at her and she looked up at Elias, only for her eyes to widen at what she saw.
His eyes were already on her and... The ears were gone.
What?
He was back to his composed self and was glaring at her with such malice and a dangerously low voice.
"Delete it." He demanded and her heart jumped.
"W-what?"
Where did his ears and tail go?
"I said delete it." He repeated but she was still cracking her head about what just happened and where the ears went.
Even if they had suddenly disappeared, one look at her phone and she could tell she hadn't been imagining it.
The only difference with him now was that he was wearing the rose brooch again. The rose brooch that had fallen before they kissed and his true form was revealed.
"You think I'm just going to pretend I didn't see that just because you asked?" She argued confidently and took a step back.
"Miss Han," he warned again, softer this time. "I told you to delete it."
Isabelle observed what was going on.
From his decomposed behavior, she could tell he was hiding something. A secret he didn't want anyone to find out.
That was why he was so agitated about the picture.
This... This was real.
Her hands trembled as she clutched the phone tighter.
"I'd be crazy to listen to your words."
This wasn't some prank.
This wasn't something she could unsee just from deleting it. She knew his secret and now had a fatal weakness against him.
He wasn't human.
But then, the weight of her actions began to dawn on her. Even if she had his weakness like this, he could fire her before she had a chance to bring it forth, and even if she did bring out the evidence, they could just assume she photo-chopped it since she had no way to prove it extensively.
She couldn't force his ears and tail out and he certainly wouldn't let her come close enough to figure out how.
She... She was doomed.
She began to tremble.
"Ah, this... I... I'm sorry." She apologized but then he moved.
Just one step forward, but it sent panic straight through her chest. She turned on instinct.
Her mind screamed at her to run.
So she did.
Who knew what this beast could do to her if he caught her?
Even if he had shown such an erotic and unsightly sight, he was still a beast. He was dangerous.
If he could bring out fox ears and a tail then he could as well bring out canine that could rip her to shreds or claws that could dig into her neck just to silence her.
"Miss Han!" She heard him call out aggressively but she ignored him and just kept running.
She went to her desk, scurried all the papers in her locker while looking out for him, and then rushed out without properly turning off her computer.
She was scared.
Her pulse thundered in her ears as she pressed the elevator button over and over, praying it would open while glancing back to see if he was chasing and while she was lucky not to see him, she heard his footsteps.
"Come on, come on," then the elevator finally opened, and she got in.
That was when she saw him hurrying towards her.
"Eek!" She quickly pushed the close button, so the elevator could close as soon as possible.
"Miss Han!" He called once again, and it looked like he would catch up, but the elevator doors saved her.
Once the doors closed, her knees gave in and she collapsed, her bag slipping down from her arm.
She panted heavily and in relief.
What was that just now?
She shoved her fingers through her hair, anxious.
What was she going to do now?
She was extremely agitated but knew she couldn't just relax now.
If he were this determined, then he would likely take the stairs down.
"As soon as the elevator opens, I'm going to run out like my life depends on it."
And so she did.
She fled the company like she was being chased by wild dogs and luckily got a cab on time.
It was only when she jumped into the cab and the driver started driving, that she felt she could breathe in peace. He couldn't get her now, he thought.
She clutched the phone in her hand, like that was her last life... the proof of what she'd seen was there so she was certain she hadn't gone crazy from the caffeine and imagined it.
She stared at the screen, just as she had seen.
"Fox ears…" she whispered breathlessly, and still in disbelief. "What the hell are you, Elias Yoon?"
There was no way to find this answer. No, there was no need to find this answer. Whether he was a human that had undergone genetic transmutation and gained animal abilities, or he was a mystical being like in the myths that was nearing extinction while mixing in with normal humans... The fact still remained.
Elias Yoon was a beast.