The neon lights of Seoul were mesmerizing, a kaleidoscope of colors reflected in the rain-slicked streets. Hana pulled her coat tighter around her, but the chill seeped in anyway, gnawing at her skin like a quiet warning. She had always loved nights like this, the city alive with whispered stories, hidden corners, and shadows that seemed to stretch longer than the night itself. But tonight, the air felt heavier, charged with something unseen.
She glanced at her phone, though she knew no message would be waiting. Most nights, she wandered these streets alone, her thoughts louder than the sounds around her. Her friends worried about her habit of late-night strolls through Seoul's heart, but she had always found solace here, away from the noise of her apartment, away from the expectations that clung to her like wet fabric.
A sudden movement caught her attention. Across the street, under the flickering glow of a lone streetlamp, a figure stood still. He didn't move with the flow of people passing by, didn't even seem to breathe. And then, their eyes met.
Hana froze. Crimson. His eyes were a color no human should ever possess, glowing faintly against the darkness of his hooded figure. They were like coals burning in shadow, pulling her in with a force she didn't understand. Her pulse thundered in her ears, drowning out the quiet hum of the city.
And then he was gone. Just like that, swallowed by the shadows between buildings.
"Must've been a reflection…" she whispered to herself, shaking her head. Her hands were trembling. A trick of the light, a trick of the rain, nothing more. But deep down, a whisper told her otherwise. Something was calling her tonight. Something dangerous.
Hana tried to shake off the unease as she continued down the street. Her heels clicked against the wet pavement, each echo a drumbeat of her growing anticipation. She had always had vivid dreams, dreams that felt more real than waking life, but tonight, her dreams had nothing to do with sleep. They were here, in the neon-soaked streets, breathing in the same air as she was.
Turning a corner, Hana stumbled slightly and caught herself on the railing of a bridge that overlooked the Han River. The water below reflected the city's lights in a shattered dance of colors. She leaned over, watching the ripples chase each other, and for a moment, the world seemed to slow.
Then came a voice, low, smooth, almost melodic.
"You shouldn't be out here alone."
Hana jerked upright, spinning around, but the street behind her was empty. Her heart raced, her breath catching. She could feel it again, the same magnetic pull from before, a presence that was impossible to ignore.
"You're not real," she muttered under her breath. "You can't be."
And yet, she could feel him, like the air itself had weight, like the shadows leaned closer. The hairs on her arms stood on end.
"I am real," the voice said again, closer this time. Hana's eyes widened as a figure stepped from the shadows, a man, impossibly tall, his dark hair glinting with streaks of red from the neon glow. His eyes, those eyes, pierced her soul, scanning her as if he were reading her thoughts, her fears, her desires.
Hana wanted to turn away, to run, but her body refused. She was frozen, caught in the gravity of his presence. There was danger there, yes, but also something else, a strange warmth, a pull she couldn't explain.
"Who… what are you?" she asked finally, her voice trembling.
He tilted his head slightly, a faint, knowing smile playing at the corner of his lips. "Someone who has been waiting for you," he said, and the words made her shiver despite the heat rising in her chest.
Hana's instincts screamed at her to leave, to run back into the safety of the bustling streets. But curiosity, or perhaps something deeper, kept her rooted. "Waiting for me? Why?"
His gaze softened, though the crimson in his eyes never dimmed. "Because you are not like the others. You see beyond the city lights. You hear the whispers that most ignore. And soon… you will understand why our paths have crossed."
The wind picked up, whipping her hair across her face. The rain began again, light at first, then heavier, drumming against the pavement and the river below. Hana pulled her coat tighter, her mind racing. Who was he? And why did her entire being feel as though it recognized him, even though she had never seen him before?
"You speak in riddles," she said, taking a cautious step back. "I don't understand."
"You will," he replied, his voice low and mesmerizing. "In time, you will understand… and you may not be able to turn back."
Hana's heart skipped another beat. There was danger here, she knew it instinctively. Every nerve in her body screamed at her to leave, yet the pull toward him was irresistible. It was as if an invisible thread had connected them, invisible but unbreakable.
And then he moved, fast, almost imperceptibly, until he was standing right in front of her. The air around him seemed to shimmer, and for the first time, Hana noticed the faint aura of something otherworldly. Not human. Not entirely.
"What are you?" she whispered.
He studied her for a long moment before answering. "Some call me a demon. Others, a prince. But tonight… I am just a shadow, here to watch over you."
"Watch over me?" Hana laughed nervously, though the sound came out hollow. "Why would a… demon, prince, whatever you are, want to watch over me?"
"Because," he said, leaning slightly closer, "you are the only one who can save me from what I've become. And perhaps… I am the only one who can save you from yourself."
Hana felt a shiver crawl down her spine. His words were dangerous, intoxicating, and terrifying all at once. She took a step back, then another, her heels splashing through a shallow puddle. Her mind was a storm of confusion and fear.
"I don't understand any of this," she admitted. "I don't even know if I should be talking to you right now."
"Perhaps not," he said softly. "But some things… cannot be avoided. Fate has a way of finding those who try to ignore it."
Hana's gaze fell to the puddles at her feet. She wanted to run, wanted to leave this encounter behind, but a strange calm settled over her. Something about him, the danger, the mystery, the pull, felt inevitable, as though the city itself had conspired to bring them together.
The rain eased, leaving the streets glistening under the neon lights. The city hummed with life around them, unaware of the silent, potent tension on that lonely bridge. Hana's heartbeat slowed slightly, though her hands were still clammy.
"I don't know what this is," she said, voice barely above a whisper, "but… I feel like I've been waiting for you too."
The man's crimson eyes softened further, and for a fleeting moment, his sharp features seemed almost vulnerable. "Then perhaps," he said, "our meeting was destined from the very beginning. Seoul may hide many secrets, Hana, but some are meant to find their way to you, whether you wish them to or not."
The wind swept through the bridge, carrying a faint scent of jasmine and something darker, something ancient. Hana shivered again, not from the cold, but from the weight of his presence, the inevitability of the moment.
And just like that, he vanished again, as silently as he had appeared. One heartbeat, and he was gone. Only the lingering warmth of his gaze and the faint trace of crimson in the puddles at her feet remained.
Hana blinked, struggling to make sense of it all. Her heart raced, her mind spun, but a small, undeniable truth settled in her chest: something had changed tonight. Something had awakened beneath the neon skies of Seoul, and she was no longer just a passerby in the city's endless story. She was a part of it.
And the shadow with crimson eyes… he was waiting.