- Kim Jun-Myeon's POV -  

(PRONUNCIATION: Joon-Myon)

MY MOM JUST FINISHED working at a bank named the Asian Development Bank. And on her way home, someone snatched her bag. She tried to catch the thief, but the man was far gone. But unexpectedly, a stranger caught the thief and gave the bag back to my mother.  And yes, you guessed it, that was my father.

     As sweet of an encounter that can be, my father left us before I was even born. I didn't care about him ever since. I never asked about him, and I never wanted to know about him either, but my mother insisted that he had no choice but to leave us, and so, this ignorant child believed her.

    I grew up to be a greedy little boy who kept on asking money from his mom and would always have the urge to steal even though we had money. The doctors told me that I have a serious case of Kleptomania. Because of that, my mom was always afraid that maybe someday I'll be thrown in prison because of my sickness. 

     I promised her that I'll try my best to control it, so I did.

     Well...at times. 

     "This fucking early?" I complained as I tried to reach out for my phone on the side table beside my bed. It was only 7 in the morning, and it was already ringing like crazy. When I got a hold of it, I looked at the screen and sighed when I saw who the asshole caller was. It was Steve, one of my con-artist friends.

     "What?" I said with a sleepy voice.

     "We hit the jackpot last night!"  He shouted on the other line, making me move my phone away from my ear a little.

     "And why is that?"

     "Some random tourists came to one of our booths. He spent half of his money. Like...a lot of his money."

     My eyes widened as I heard the news. I quickly sat up from my bed and asked further, "How much?"

     "About a thousand bucks."

     I almost jumped off my bed when I heard about the good news.

     "That's fucking great! So have you distributed it to the other cons?" I then asked.

     "Yeah we did, and we still have a couple of hundreds for you," Steve told me, and I couldn't be even happier. This is the best birthday present so far.

     "So where do you want to meet up?" Steve then asked me.

     I thought about it first before answering, "Anywhere near the university. Be there before 9. I still have classes to attend to."

     "Roger that," Steve answered before hanging up.

     I placed my phone back at the side table and got off from my bed. I started dancing to celebrate, but it was immediately interrupted when I heard one of our maids knock on my door. She didn't have to explain what it was because I already knew what it was about. So I went downstairs with my hair still a mess.

    I went to the patio and saw the table filled with breakfast. I didn't sit down because I went to the pond first to greet my pet toad, Avaritia.

     "Where's mom?" I asked my toad who obviously didn't answer me.

     When I turned around to head back to the patio, I was surprised to see my mother holding out a cake as she greeted, "Happy Birthday Jun-Myeon!"

     I smiled and thanked her for the greeting. She then patted my back and both of us took our seats so we could start eating. As soon as I sliced my pancake, mom asked, "So, what time is your class today?"

     Without looking back at her, I replied, "8:00 AM."

     Mom didn't say anything so I glanced at her, only to see her staring down at me with her right eyebrow raised. 

     I chuckled and placed my knife and fork down, "I'm not lying mom. My class today really starts at eight." I told her again, and this time my mom didn't try to force me to give her an honest answer.

     "So what time will your classes end then?" She asked next.

     "Around five," I answered with no hesitation.

    She started tapping her long nails on the table. I was starting to feel nervous as beads of sweat streams down my temple, but she didn't interrogate me any further than that. Instead, she asked, "Do you have plans tonight?"

     "Actually I'll be meeting with my friends." This time, that was an honest answer. 

     "Friends? You mean your con-artist friends?" My mother asked with a serious expression, and I immediately stopped eating.

     There was silence between us. I glanced at her, and mom took a sip of her coffee before saying, "Can you meet them some other time? I want to spend time with you on your birthday."

     "I can't. We already planned to meet tonight," I persistently answered, and my mother suddenly looked sad, and I knew that she knew that if she put on that face then I won't be able to decline her. She was that important to me.

     "Fine. We can reschedule," I told her, and my mom smiled victoriously. She then stood up and went to the counter to pour herself another cup of coffee. I looked at my watch and was surprised to see that it was already 7:20. I should go take a shower.

     "Mom, I'll be taking a shower now," I told her as I stood up from the chair.

     Mom nodded her head, so I went to my bathroom and took a cold shower. After wearing my clothes for that day, my phone lit up again. It was a text message from my friend, or what my mom calls him, my con-artists friend.

     You might be wondering if I'm still a con-artist myself. Well, the answer is no, I'm not anymore. I mastered my way of fooling people and decided to train others and form a group. That way, I get to sit back while the money poured. My greediness never left me no matter how much money I make. I don't want to disappoint my mother, so this is the only possible adjustment that I could make for her.

     "I'll be waiting at the café near your university," Steve texted.

     I turned my phone off and went downstairs with my bag already hanging on my shoulder.

     "Mom! I'm leaving!" I shouted without waiting for an answer. 

    I opened the door, and a maid went to me and gave me my car key. I took the key from her palm, and she bowed as I left the house.

     "I'm on my way." I texted Steve back. I got in my car, started the engine, and drove my way to the café. When I got there, I saw Steve sitting on the table at the far end drinking coffee.

     When Steve saw me, he stood up and bowed, "Good morning boss."

     "Morning. So where's the cash?" I immediately asked as I sat down in front of him. Steve placed an envelope on top of the table and pushed it towards me. I took the envelope and opened it. Inside was a couple of hundreds and fifties. I placed the envelope inside my bag without saying anything.

     "So what time will I call the guys for tonight's meeting?" Steve then asked me.

     "About that. We'll have to reschedule." I informed him, quickly making my Korean raised American-friend look confused, "Why?" he asked.

     "Because my mom wants to hang out. After all it is my birthday today," I told him.

     "Of course we know that. That's why we're doing a meeting tonight, to celebrate your birthday," Steve suddenly revealed, making me hide a smile. It made me realize that even though they're con-artists, they're still good people.

     "Next time," I answered with an apologetic look.

     Steve sighed, "It's not like we can force you to leave your own mother. I'll tell the guys that our meeting will be rescheduled. But you'll pay the bill this time." He told me, and I chuckled and nodded my head in agreement.

     I checked my watch. It was already 8:25 AM. I have to head to the university before the bell rings.

      "Well, I gotta go," I said as I stood up from my seat.

      Steve stood up from his chair as well and bowed again. Before I exited the café, Steve called out for me, making me turn around to look back at him.

     "Happy Birthday Suho!" Steve shouted, making me chuckle since everyone at the café looked at him, but he didn't give a damn.

     Suho, which means guardian in Korean. I needed a fake name when I was still working, so some of my friends gave me that. I guess that stuck with me until now.

     "Thank you!" I shouted back before leaving completely.

     I reached the campus at 8:30 with thirty more minutes to spare. I drove my way to the parking lot and saw my friend Kwon Jiyong leaning on what looks like a brand new car. I laughed in amazement and parked beside him.

     When I went out of my car, Jiyong looked at me with his expressionless face, "Happy Birthday Suho," he greeted as he looked at me coolly.

     "Yeah. Happy birthday to you too Jiyong," I greeted back.

     It's funny how we share the exact same birthday. If that's not destiny I don't know what is.

     "Where's Sunggyu?" I asked as I stood beside him.

     "He texted me. He said we should wait for him inside," Jiyong answered.

     I raised an eyebrow and looked at him confusingly, "Why?" I asked, and Jiyong only shrugged his shoulder as a reply.

     We proceeded to the campus like what Sunggyu instructed. While we were heading to our room, we suddenly heard a familiar voice say, "Watch where you're going you glutton."

     His voice echoed throughout the hall, and the silence of everyone around us assured us that the owner of that voice is none other than our dear friend, Kim Sunggyu. His presence really is strong, but it's strange since I never got scared or felt intimidated by him even for a bit.

     We stopped walking and saw Sunggyu walking towards us with a satisfied smirk on his face. It looked like he made fun of someone again.

    "Happy Birthday guys," Sunggyu greeted as soon as he stopped in front of us.

     Yup, the three of us share the same birthday. Isn't that crazy?!

     The three of us have been friends since we were in middle school. Like any group of friends, our personalities are different. Jiyong's this arrogant guy who has everything and likes to boast about it. Sunggyu's been a bully ever since, and his temper is so bad people get scared of him. While I'm this cool and relaxed guy with fucking kleptomania. But even with our differences, the three of us never got into a big fight, and we've been solid ever since.

    *****

"Good Morning class," our professor greeted as soon as he entered the room.

     "Good morning sir," everyone greeted back. Then he took out a notebook and started checking the attendance like he always does.

     Our professor called us like normal, but when it was Jiyong's turn, he nervously cleared his throat, and his voice became softer, "Kwon Jiyong?"

     "Here," Jiyong answered, not even bothering to look back at him while his eyes was glued on his phone.

     I chuckled as the professor nodded his head and checked Jiyong's name. Jiyong is so rich and powerful that even our professors are afraid of him.

     "By the way, where's Lee Taeil again?" Our professor suddenly asked, making me surprised by the fact that we have a classmate with that name.

    Well, I don't know all of my classmates, but I seriously haven't heard of that name before. Is he always absent?

     "Sir, he's sick." A big scary-looking guy sitting on the back suddenly answered.

     Our professor nodded his head and wrote something down on his notebook. I leaned closer to Jiyong and whispered to him, "Who the fuck is Lee Taeil?"

     "He's our classmate who's always asleep at the back. You know, the short guy with the big glasses." Jiyong explained to me.

     I paused and thought about it. And it honestly took me a couple of seconds to remember his face again.

    "Oh! The nerdy guy!" I answered too loud, making everyone look at me, even the professor.

     "S-Sorry." I embarrassingly tell everyone who went back to what they were doing.

     The professor shook his head and eventually started the lecture. I looked at my friends and saw them trying their best to hide their laughter. I rolled my eyes and ignored them as I listened to the discussion in silence.

*****

"Hey, I better go," Sunggyu told us while he was looking at his watch.

     Our classes were over, and I found out that the three of us had plans tonight, so we all decided to leave immediately.

     "Sure, see you tomorrow Sunggyu," I said, and Sunggyu patted my back and went to the bicycle area where he usually parks his motorbike. 

     Jiyong and I on the other hand went to the parking lot. I went to my car and opened the door, then I looked at Jiyong who was just standing outside his car doing nothing.

     "Aren't you leaving?" I asked him.

     "I'll stay here for a couple of minutes," he answered, so I nodded my head and went inside my car. Before starting the engine, Jiyong knocked on my window. I pulled the window down and looked back at him, "Happy Birthday again Suho." He stated, making me smile.

     "You too Jiyong. Happy Birthday," I said back.

     Jiyong waved goodbye as I started the engine and drove my way to my house. When I got back home, maids opened the door for me and greeted me, "Good evening sir Jun-Myeon. Miss Kim is at the patio waiting for you."

     I nodded my head and went to the patio to see my mother feeding Avaritia at the pond. My mom saw me and stood up, "Welcome home son," she said while brushing the dirt off from her hands.

     We went to the table that was already filled with food. In the middle of the table was a small antique box. 

     "What's that?" I asked while pointing at the box.

     "That's your dad's birthday present," mom casually answered before taking a seat, surprising me.

     What does she mean by dad's birthday present? What the hell, did he visit earlier?

     "Can I open it?" I asked, my curiosity itching in my hand as I force myself not to take it then and there.

     "Later. After we eat," my mom answered, making me take a deep breath so I could ease myself.

     I glanced at the box again. I wanted to open it so badly so I sat down and quickly took my spoon and fork so I could start eating. But I couldn't eat that much because I kept on staring at the box. Why would dad give me a present? Why only now? And why the fuck is it an old box? He could have just given me money.

     "I'm going to talk about your father so listen carefully." My mother suddenly told me, making me stop eating in an instant. She didn't even wait for me to react. Instead, she reached for my hand and held it tightly before answering, "Your father's name is Mammon."

     "Mammon?" I repeated confusingly. 

     I don't know what race my father is but dad's name is seriously strange.

     Mom held onto my hand tighter and took a deep breath, "Mammon is the ruler of the realm Greed," she explained further, confusing me even more.

     "So my grandparents used a demon name to name my father?" I asked, now even more confused about what my mother was trying to explain to me.

     My mom drank another glass of wine and shook her head, "N-No...your father dear...he's a demon. He's the ruler of Greed. He wasn't named after Mammon, because he IS Mammon," my mom explained again.

     I stared at her with a blank expression. And the longer I stared at her, my mouth started opening from shock and realization. Words couldn't even explain what I was feeling right now.

     "Mom if he's a drug dealer just tell me. I won't judge." I tell her, and my mom looked back at me seriously. I was starting to get nervous now. My mother wasn't the type to joke around like this.

     "Alright. I'll ask one last time, and I really want a serious answer. Who's my father?" I asked again, but this time I looked back at her seriously too. Whatever she answers this time, I'll believe her without question.

      "Everything I told about how your father and I met is true, I never lied about that. The only detail that I wasn't able to give you was that your father was a demon. He left us for our safety, but he continued to look over us through Avaritia. He told me to tell you about his real identity only when you reach eighteen. This is why I'm telling you this now," she answered me without batting an eye.

     Holy shit.

     She's really telling the truth.

     "I know you're confused, but your dad told me you'll understand it better once you open the box," she added as she pushed the box closer to me. 

     I was hesitating at first. Nothing was sinking in, and my mind was just completely blank. But if my mom says that I'll understand this better if I open the box then what will I lose?

     "Okay. I'll open it," I answered as I opened the box. Inside the box was a golden ring and an old letter. I took the letter first and read it as thoroughly as I could.

Happy 18th Birthday Joon Myeon.

Since you're reading this letter, it only means that you are now aware of my true Identity. 

Yes, I am a demon. A demon of greed. This is the reason why you are obsessed with earthly things like money and jewels. My greediness has been transferred to you, which caused you great harm when you were young. But be warned, greater harm will soon face you.

In the box, there is a ring that I want you to wear. The ring will help you control your sin and suppress your other unknown abilities. And at the same time, it will unleash a weapon that is greater than any possession that you have now.

I'm telling you all this because someone is after you. Our kinds archenemies, the archangels. These archangels are just like you, they are human-angels. They are here on earth to kill and destroy you because of what we did. But you alone can't kill them. 

There are six more like you. They are also sons of the Seven Deadly Demons. The ring will also help you look for them, it will light up when someone like you is near. Unite with them and fight the Archangels. I know I can count on you my son. 

Please be strong and may the King of Hell be with you, and your spirit.

- Mammon.

    After reading the letter, I placed it back inside the box and took out the ring. The first thing I did was scan the ring. It was gold, and it had a stack of coins as a design. It looked quite expensive.

     "Do I really have to wear this when I could just sell it?" I honestly told my mom while still looking at the ring.

     "Does the letter say you must?" She asked back, making me pout, and nod my head as a reply.

     "Then you must wear it." 

     I looked at her with disbelief and showed her the ring, "But look at it! This can be worth so much!" I told her, and mom looked back at me angrily and scolded me.

     "Fine," I said in defeat as I placed the ring back inside the box. 

     My mom stood up from her seat and went to me so she could hug me from behind.

      "I know you're still confused about this, but even so, please try to understand it little by little," my mom told me with a gentle voice. Then she kissed my head and continued, "You should take a rest Jun-Myeon."

     She lets go of me and went back inside without saying anything else.

     I stood up from the chair and went to my room with the box at hand. When I got inside my room, I went to my desk and placed the box in front of me. Then I opened it once again and took the ring out.

     "I should really sell you, but my mom will be mad at me," I said with a disappointed sigh.

      And besides, I don't want my dad - A.K.A my demon dad - to get mad at me. I'm too pussy to fight with a demon.

      "Will all this make sense if I wear the ring?" I asked out loud while I continued staring at the ring. To my surprise, it suddenly lit up, honestly sending chills through my spine.

     "Was that supposed to happen?" I asked myself as I finally decided to just wear the goddamn thing.

     As soon as I slid it in my index finger, my surroundings started turning black, but I was sure that my eyes were still open at that time. What I didn't know was that I was already asleep, and the scent of money was everywhere. 

- END -