Punishment Karma

*Find it.*

Hyeon's consciousness shifted in and out of sleep when he heard the whispering voice. It was annoying since it must be part of a dream.

*Find it.*

*FIND IT.*

That last one made Hyeon woke up abruptly. His eyes fluttered open as his sight became used to the bright red moonlight shining through the window. It was foreign to not see silver light instead. He rolled over on his back and looked at the surrounding room.

He was still on the couch in the same clothes. The last thing he remembered was reading the contract until his ability disappeared. What happened after that?

*I feel like I just had a really long dream. When did I fall asleep?*, Hyeon thought when he looked at the black, circular clock above the stove. It read 5:32 in the morning. When he attempted to read the contract conditions, it was early afternoon around 3:00 P.M. yesterday.

Shocked, he sat up slowly since his head formed a headache from either his healing wound or getting too much sleep. Did he really sleep for over 12 hours? It was rare to sleep for a long time without interruptions. Actually, he doesn't remember the last time he slept this long naturally without strong medication or being eaten by demons. Hyeon remembered having a lengthy nightmare, but it wasn't enough to force him awake. As usual, what occurred during his night terrors was long forgotten even though he had just dreamed it. Last night was abnormal.

Hyeon stood up gradually to avoid light-headedness and took a careful yet quick shower. Walking to the kitchen area with only a towel, he served Nammi her breakfast and made himself a small bowl of fiber-based cereal. Crunching away, he observed the seconds tick by on the clock. It now said 5:45 A.M.

Why was the time bothering him so much?

He dropped his spoon into the half-finished cereal. His stomach just plummeted to the floor.

*Son of a...!*

It was his first day of training today which started at 5:30 A.M. Since Hyeon passed out unexpectedly yesterday, he didn't set the alarm. What if his trainer was someone like Imoogi? Would he be aggressive and obnoxious as well? He didn't even have the chance to practice putting on his uniform!

Going into his bedroom while cursing himself repeatedly, he slammed open the closet doors and quietly screamed. It was packed with identical butler-styled clothes tailored just for him. The problem was the complicated layers. Hyeon threw one of the suits on the bed and attempted to dress himself. How did the other servants wear theirs? There was also a black necktie and a bow tie. Does it matter which one?

After throwing on the uniform in what he thought could be the correct order, he heard a knock at the door. It was 5:56. He checked his progress in the mirror. The overall presentation didn't feel right, and his necktie was certainly not correct. A TSSK escaped from his throat.

*There's nothing I can do about it now.*

Hyeon jumped to greet the guest. In the process, he stubbed his toe against the bedroom door frame and tripped over the kitchen bar stool. Fresh cat litter sprinkled the floor which definitely wasn't there before he got dressed.

*Nammi!*

He finally reached the door and opened it with a huff. The person patiently waiting for him was distinctive. Was he a fox or something like a husky? Their fluffy tail, pointy ears, and tousled hair had a beautiful, snowy white hue that would be noticeable from far away.

When close enough to see, his eye colors would have anyone asking if he was wearing contacts. His right eye was maroon red but the left side was a cold, light blue. Some scars collared around his neck which peaked out from the suit collar. Despite the gleaming fur and heterochromia eyes, their facial expression was the most noticeable. Many women complain about having a resting-bitch face, but this guy seemed to have a resting-somber face. Was he that disappointed in Hyeon?

Still catching his breath from sprinting to the entrance, Hyeon stated, "I'm so sorry for not being on time."

They didn't respond and continued watching him with that melancholy look.

Trying to avoid the situation from becoming more uncomfortable, he extended his hand out of habit to greet them. Just like Eli the freaking mountain sheep, the guest didn't return the gesture and stared at the lonely hand emotionlessly.

As Hyeon started to lower his arm, he told himself, *This is embarrassing—*

Swiftly, the visitor grabbed his hand before he could fully retreat it. They gave a strong, business-styled handshake.

*So people here CAN do handshakes.*

"My name is Haruma, Mr. Falken. I am your trainer."

Hyeon noticed Haruma's long canine teeth when he talked. "Please call me Hyeon. It's nice to meet—"

"You're late," Haruma interrupted in a sharp voice.

"I'm sor—"

Before Hyeon could finish, Haruma turned away and started walking out of the servant hallway. "Let's go."

Hyeon looked down at his uniform. *I know it's not right, though.*

Haruma was already far ahead. In a rush, Hyeon locked his apartment door and quickly hurried to catch up. Weaving through the corridors, the halls and rooms were bustling with other servants who have already started their work. None of them were Imoogi and Eli, thank goodness. Hyeon saw an interesting concoction of half-human, half-animal male and female assistants who resembled mammals, reptiles, and some insects. Some had more animal characteristics than others.

He remembered Blue the driver who turned into a whole pitbull with distending teeth and creepy spider eyes. Sani mentioned that the more powerful a demon is, the more human features they possess. Does that mean Blue isn't strong?

He heard a few sneers nearby. Turning his head to find the source, there were a few individuals who were dusting tables and eyeing him up and down. A man who had snow leopard spots along his face was leaning in next to a girl with wide ears and red eyes. The female demon had long bat wings with missing skin and fur patches, so the bone underneath was visible. She had one of her wings covering the bottom half of their faces so no one could try to lip-read their conversation.

They were secretly laughing and pointing at Hyeon.

As the two of them continued walking by, employees would stop their task to gaze at him. He could understand if they were just staring since he was the only one who was alive here, but something wasn't right since all of them jeered.

A small, male servant with antlers was sweeping the floor, but he didn't chuckle like the others. Sympathetically, he pointed to his own necktie and then did a thumbs-down sign.

Hyeon finally understood their behavior. His outfit was assembled hastily from earlier, so it was completely incorrect. It made him look like a moron.

He had been following Haruma since exiting the servants' quarters but hustled forward to be aligned with him. "Um, Haruma, is my uniform wrong?"

Keeping his eyes ahead, Haruma replied, "Yes."

"And, uh, don't you think we should fix it? Now?" he asked desperately.

"No. You were late."

Ah.

So this was a punishment. The trainer purposely didn't say or do anything to improve the obvious mistakes because of his tardiness. Humiliating!

As they passed by the intrigued servants, the number of people thinned out. Eventually, the maze of hallways and approaching dark atmosphere became all too familiar.

They were heading towards the Master's side of the castle.

"H-Haruma? Is this where I'm starting my training?" Hyeon's voice quivered slightly.

"This area is your responsibility."

*This fox-dude is too vague!*

"What will be my first assignment today?"

Haruma answered nonchalantly, "It's time to supply Master with your soul energy."