Demon Marks

by nexvici

Summary:

Huntrix finally managed to successfully defeat Gwi-Ma, trapping him for eternity with other demons after the Idol Awards. But is this really the end? How come others can see Rumi's tattoos, the dead seem to magically come back, all while demons are still bringing trouble to everyone? Maybe girls tried to plan a hiatus, but their life and responsibilities already have other plans, introducing a much scarier enemy than Gwi-Ma was, while revealing secrets from the past that should stay buried deep underground. Can they make it this time? And who will they trust, when everything they knew seems like a big, terrible lie?

Oh, demon with purple patterns
These people solved serious matters thanks to you
Your voice is like a siren imprisoning souls like a tyrant
Oh, demon with purple marks
When you arrive, everything gets dark
How could you betray us? Leave all you stand for? Just to crave even more?

Chapter 1: Prologue

Notes:

I will note here for future readers: I know the names of the bird and the tiger, but I didn't know them when I started writing this fanfiction (literally seconds after watching the movie), so I gave them my names, which became an important plot point. Do not worry, I solved this problem in further chapters

The three of them left the small alley just to walk up to their fans and start signing their merch and taking pictures. Really now, how long were they on hiatus? Fourteen hours? Fifteen? These girls really didn't know what break was, it was clear as the day in summer. Like this one. And yet, somehow, they still had the energy to do everything. They were as happy and as open as always, watching with huge smiles on their faces as more people come to meet them. It was unofficial, it was unplanned, it could even get them in trouble. But hey, Huntrix loved their fans too much to care about such trivial things.

Besides, their manager, Bobby, quickly spawned out of nowhere to set up a whole table so the girls would be able to sit comfortably. The small gesture to talk to their fans turned to a whole meetup, it really didn't happen often.

"I love your tattoos, Rumi!" The girl sitting in front of the girl exclaimed with a huge smile.

Rumi laughed slightly, still clearly not used to the marks on her body. "Thank you, I'm glad you like them."

"Yeah! And it was such a surprise to see them during the Idol Awards! Wow! Everyone was surprised! When did you manage to do them? How did you hide them? Especially those on your-"

"Hey, does anyone want a small spoiler for our next song?" Mira shouted suddenly, shifting the fan's attention.

Well-played. Rumi sighed with relief as the pink-hair girl winked at her. Amazingly played even. The fans now focused on Mira who handled a small paper note to one of them with just one sentence. Clearly, everyone who saw the sentence was very confused, but it didn't change the fact they were still happy. That's when Zoey leaned closer to the girls.

"I think we have to wrap the things up, we forgot about Rumi's demon marks and we didn't make up a story yet," she whispered. The girls nodded.

Then, they turned to Bobby who understood without any word being said. He only showed a thumbs up and quickly finished the meeting, letting the girls disappear as quickly as they showed up. The whole situation deserved an Oscar award, really. It was incredible how the team worked so well to be able to play off even as difficult thing as the demon marks.

But then the question was, how did it happen that everyone could see the marks? Shouldn't they be invisible to normal humans? Or maybe something weird happened during Honmoon? Was it possible that from now on even normal humans could see demons? Well, could if they were still alive. But if they saw Rumi's marks... It was really weird.

"If they saw Rumi's marks..." I whispered. "They might see mine."

I looked at my hands, not understanding why the marks haven't disappeared. That's not how it should've gone, was it? Why were the Huntrix so calm about all of that then? Rumi also didn't lose hers. Something was wrong, something was very wrong. At least I didn't hear Gwi-Ma's voice in my ear, but at what cost? And what if something else was in the shadows?

Hu put his claw on my shoulder and I sighed, closing my eyes.

"I'm just really lost..." I said out loud. "And what can I do? Just go to her like nothing happened? She'll think I'm crazy!"

It's pretty offensive when you not only get a side eye from a bird, but also it's a triple side eye. But it did made me laugh. "Yeah okay, you two are right, I should..."

Something passed very quickly. A shadow. I felt my muscles tensing all over again. And not only I was tense, my pets were now also wary. So I wasn't imagining anything, something was wrong.

I looked at the city, now getting up from the floor. The honmoon was fine. So what exactly was going on? How did I come back? How did Rumi's marks stay? And was any other demon alive somewhere? It couldn't be the end, could it? Four hundred years in fear and guilt, it wouldn't end so easily...

Again that shadow. I turned around quickly, already seeing Wu flying somewhere. I acted quickly, running after them both. The unknown object and my bird. I jumped on the roof, this something was now running away even faster. Ugh, what was going on? I shouldn't be putting stunts like these in the middle of the day, but I couldn't just leave it be. I clearly saw a shadow that looked like a human, but it was unnecessarily fast. So it had to be a demon, there was no other explanation.

I felt my body slow down after minutes of running. That's weird, I've never experienced such a thing... I stopped, leaning on the closest wall and catching my breath.

Catching my breath? Huh, maybe I was actually a human now? I looked at my hands. Maybe those marks were just a reminder, but Huntrix actually succeeded to kill all the demons? But if they did, why was I still here? I didn't get it...

Wu sat on Hu's head, both of them looking at me. "Can you two... teleport like you did before?" I asked. They didn't move. I sighed. "I take it as a no..."

So the demon realm was either destroyed or was completely cut off from the human one. That was good, great even. But that left me with questions and no answers. Let's say I survived, let's say even I became a human. What was I supposed to do now? How was I supposed to show myself anywhere when I was a part of the Saja Boys? But I needed to survive somehow, I needed a plan...

Chapter 2: Chapter One

We entered our apartment, I could still feel my hear beating heavily.

"How is it possible that the others can see my marks?" I asked.

"I have no idea..." the girls were clearly as surprised as me.

Of course they were. They should be invisible for normal eyes. And yet somehow they weren't. Everyone could see them.

"Well, we need to create a story for them now," Mira sat on the couch. "Hey, maybe I'll get tattoos so you're not alone in this mess!"

"This sounds like you're just looking for an opportunity to finally get those tattoos," I laughed and the girl shrugged.

"I wouldn't mind having one or two..."

"Or ten," Zoey added, sitting next to her. "So what's the story? How did our leader get those crazy tattoos on her own body?"

I felt the air leave my lungs as I dropped into a chair. How could an idol have such crazy tattoos? It was obvious there will be backlash and I'll scar our group's name now. I could already see the hate comments about it. I groaned.

"Don't you even dare blame yourself over stupid things again," Mira stopped my thoughts. "You didn't choose this, nor did you actually get tattoos for us to blame you. Now we will just have to make some crazy story about it. I still think you should just let me tattoo myself, trust me it'll be more balanced."

"How about I get a tattoo then?" Zoey smiled.

"You?"

"What? So it's fair. The three of us will have something."

"Those are not even tattoos!" I groaned. "Let's start with the fact those are demon marks, but we can't say that..."

We all went silent, trying to think of something. Suddenly, Zoey rose up. "I know! Let's say it's for the new album!"

"New album?" Mira raised her eyebrows.

"Let's create an album focused on hunting demons and explain that Rumi did those tattoos for this exact concept. We can create a story around it or something..."

"You know what..."

"It might work!"

"Girls!" That's when Bobby entered with his phone in hands, as always. He looked stressed. "Oh, it's bad! We need to do something about those tattoos of Rumi, the fans started to split into two teams, the lovers of her new look and haters..."

The three of us exchanged looks before Bobby could even finish. Mira got up and put her hand on Bobby's shoulder. "Don't worry, it's our new concept, demon hunters. I will also be getting tattoos."

"Mira..." I rolled my eyes as Bobby seemed like it was too much information at once.

"Well... what... I..." he breathed heavily. "Rumi, I understand you might... have wanted some new image... but you could've said so. And how did you manage to magically have tattoos during the show?! What kind of tricks were you tree using now? Ugh, this whole awards was a mess..."

"Yes, yes, it was a lot, wasn't it..." Zoey jumped up to join Mira in lifting up our manager. "But don't worry, you can go to sleep peacefully, we will drop a song for upcoming album featuring Rumi with her new tattoos and making it the main point. Of course, we might lose some fans on the way but trust me most will love it."

Bobby looked at all of us and then clearly gave up. "You three have a week to release the song for the new album. Oh, but the signing event helped a lot, fans find you accessible and nice, so many of them are on your side. We could do that again soon..."

"That's a great idea Bobby," I said. "But now we'll use this last day of our very short hiatus to rest, and you should too."

"I would if someone weren't messing around so much," he shook his head, but was already heading to the elevator. "Rest well, tomorrow you'll start another productive day. See you!"

As he left, the three of us laid down, faces down. What a mess... One would think everything would be fine after we got rid of the demons. Clearly, getting proper rest wasn't just in our life bingo. I heard one of the girls rolling.

"It's a good thing I have already a couple of songs about demons," Zoey said. "And we still didn't release "Takedown". I think it will be perfect for this new concept."

"Let's start with the song we sang to get rid of Gwi-Ma," I proposed. "We already sang it in front of the fans and that was the moment they probably saw my tattoos for the first time."

"Yeah, I bet they thought they're fake," Mira laughed. "You two realise I'll still be getting tattoos, right?"

"Well, it matches your image."

"Ha, perfect."

We all laughed. No matter how crazy the things would go, we still had each other and that was most important. I could still count on the girls, they were like my asylum, my safe space. Even everything that happened at the Idol Awards, they stayed with me. Accepted me. All of me.

I raised my hand to look at the marks. To be completely honest, I didn't really have much time to even properly remember how they looked, I was too focused at fighting demons and hiding part of myself. I wouldn't even be able to properly describe them till now, when I could finally see them. And actually look at them without worries.

"They look pretty sick, you know," Mira said, looking at me from the other side of the couch.

"They look badass," Zoey added. "And you seem even cooler since everyone thinks these are tattoos, you know how painful that would be?"

"Is there anything cooler than a part demon and a full-time hunter?" Mira scoffed.

"And a kpop idol!"

"Sick."

I shook my head in disbelief. "You don't have to do that," I said with a smile. "Also, I'm really sorry I hid it for so long. Actually, I really wanted to tell you, but Celine..."

"Rumi," Mira stopped me, "I'm also sorry. I should've trusted you a little more. And well, I can understand why you would hide such a thing. Or... be forced to hide."

"If it weren't for you, we wouldn't have survived," added Zoey with tears in her eyes. "Oh, I cried today already! Let's not do that again!"

"Quick, remote!" Mira shouted as I jumped the couch and grabbed it from the shelf.

Best medicine for sad Zoey? A comic kdrama. I quickly turned Netflix on, looking for her favourite one, as Mira prepared the snacks and food. Zoey was already in her comfortable clothes under her favourite blanket. Me and Mira sat on her two sides, kdrama turned on, snacks on the table.

"A perfect way to rest," the three of us smiled, grabbing huge bowls with snacks.

Unfortunately, with twelve episodes of the drama - each one-hour long - there was no way to finish it till tomorrow, even if we decided to stay up all night, so instead we just agreed on six. Perfectly in the middle, enough to feel satisfied, not too much to risk staying till the end. Our phones were on silent mode, just like they usually were to help us focus, so we wouldn't look at all the posts and statistics about our group.

It was especially Zoey's problem, who loved to surf the internet and find out our fans' hidden jokes to then use them against them. It was quite funny though, I had to admit.

Mira was banned twice by our company after replying to the hate comments. Very... intensely... But hey, it was Mira, and well, she wasn't wrong. She had a short temper, but we loved her for that too, it made her who she was now. I wouldn't change that for nothing.

I never had the chance to surf the internet, I didn't really use my phone, only to check the statistics to know if we're managing to protect everyone. That was the only thing that mattered. So now, after defeating the demons... What was I supposed to focus on? Our career, obviously, but... it felt weird, it felt like I will miss something from my life. Something that was a big part of me.

We laughed when the female lead tripped to perfectly fall on the male lead. I forgot how funny this scene was.

"You know, that reminds me a little when the demon band made Rumi trip," Mira said amused.

"Hey!"

"You're so right! And they were so rude about it?!" Zoey scoffed. "We should've known already then that something was wrong with them."

"Yeah..."

I closed my eyes, trying to stop the thoughts. There was no time to think about them. They were gone. All of them. Mira and Zoey eliminated four of them and I saw Jinu disappear in front of my own eyes. No matter how shattered I felt, I had to focus on actually important things. For example to sort out the mess with my demon marks.

Focus on the drama, just relax these last hours... My eyes opened to see the light somewhere far in our apartment. I squinted, realising I started having hallucinations. Did I really miss Jinu so much to see him walk towards me right now? No. I shook my head. I had to snap out of it immediately, or else...

The girls jumped from the couch, raising their weapons, which made me turn my head again. He was still there, now standing with his hands raised, looking at... me.

I tried to stop the tears from my eyes. There was no way. He wasn't real, someone was messing with me, my own brain...

"Rumi? Are you okay?" Zoey asked, waving her hand in front of me.

"Yeah, I'm perfectly fine," I smiled. "I'm just feeling a little tired."

"Maybe you should go to sleep earlier then," Mira proposed.

"I want to watch with you two," I shook my head.

We heard a bell and the girls turned to look at the entrance, quickly jumping, their weapons in their hands. This was the second time my brain was doing the same thing, it was starting to be irritating...

"Shouldn't you be dead?" Mira scoffed.

"What a great way to greet me."

I knew that voice. I heard it loudly and clearly. There was no doubt about that. My vision became a little blurry, but not enough for me to have any doubts about who was right now standing right in front of the elevator. No. No way this was real.

"What kind of trick did you use?" Zoey sounded genuinely surprised.

I was still on the couch, too stunned to even move a finger. I felt my heart beating faster, I felt my breath speeding up. But I saw how he...

"Listen, I didn't come here to fight..."

"Cause you know you have no chance?" Mira said.

"Touche. I came here to ask for help."

"Help? Why would we help you," Zoey laughed.

"Rumi?" I finally raised my head to look at him. Jinu. My throat tightened. But how...

"Rumi? Hello?" The girls turned to me. "Are you..."

Snap out of it, he's still your enemy. He may have saved you once, but he also betrayed you. Now he's alive. Who knows what stunts this man has up his sleeves. I rose from the couch, the sword quickly appearing in my hand, its end now near Jinu's throat.

"What are you doing here?" I asked coldly.

"That's what I'm trying to understand," he whispered, holding eye contact with me. His skin was that of a human, but it was like mine, completely lost in demon marks all over. "I have no idea how I survived and I'm worried that others might have too."

I turned to Mira who nodded. He was being truthful. If anyone could see through ten layers of a liar, it was her. If he was saying the truth then what...

Jinu smiled. "You look pretty with those marks, you know?"

"Whaaaaat?!" Mira and Zoey shouted from the back. I sighed. As if my demon marks being visible for humans weren't enough trouble...

Chapter 3: Chapter Two

Notes:

I have no idea how many chapters there will be, but definitely not little. Anyway, enjoy another one :))

Jinu stayed in the living room with Zoey while I ended up being pushed into the bathroom by Mira. I looked at her surprised as she was closing the door. She then leaned her back on it with arms crossed and looked at me as I closed my eyes to take a deep breath. This will be an interrogation.

"Ask away."

"Well... I would ask either way, but I wanted to wait a little since we all thought this dude got killed..." she started. "What exactly happened between you two during all that time?"

"A lot..."

"We need to know before we decide what to do with him now."

"Then why isn't Zoey here?"

"One of us had to stay there to look after this ex demon so doesn't give us any trouble."

I nodded. That made perfect sense.

"So?"

"Remember that time we had to fight water demons?"

"It's hard to forget," Mira scoffed.

"That's when Jinu found out about me being half a demon. He helped me hide the skin on my arm from the two of you..."

"Wait what?! He knew so quickly? And he helped you?!"

"It has been a really interesting ride okay?" I sighed. "He knew. He tied the material on my arm and then sent his pets to meet with me," thinking about his pets made me wonder... were they still somewhere there?

"Did you meet with him?"

"I thought it would be a good occasion to slay him, but... unfortunately I didn't manage to. He then told me his life story and how Gwi-Ma was always in his head, putting guilt on him. After that I tried to help him, I even thought he will help us win, but... you know the rest..."

"And then he betrayed you exposing your marks, and after that he saved your life," Mira finished for me. I nodded. She sighed. "What kind of kdrama are you having, Rumi?"

"What?! No! What are you even talking about?" I felt the blood in my face rushing.

"Let me ask you this, do you trust him?"

"I trust him partially now, I am also very grateful for what he did, but... I can't trust him fully after what he's done. Although I want to know what's going on. Did you see? He looks like a human but has his demon marks."

"I did," she nodded. "Alright, we'll let this guy stay here so we can keep an eye on him, and we'll see if he's trustworthy or not. One way or another."

I smiled. We left the bathroom quickly to find Zoey and Jinu on the couch watching the kdrama. Me and Mira exchanged looks of amusement.

"I feel betrayed," Mira jumped on the couch next to Zoey.

"I didn't know how long you two will take, what was I supposed to do?" I barely understood her because of the stuffed cheeks with chips.

"We are now less important than the kdramas," I laughed, jumping on my place.

I must've counted the jump badly, cause I almost jumped onto Jinu. He was sitting on my place, and I forgot about that. I quickly shifted on the side, brushing by his leg. Shit. Focus on the drama, Rumi.

"By the way, I get it we let him stay here," Zoey leaned over to me.

"He'll sleep on the couch," I said as coldly as I could.

"This one? Hm, I have no complaints," Jinu chuckled. "You three don't want to know what it is like to live in the demon realm. Basically no comfortable place to sleep. Ever. This is luxury."

"Wow, I'm so glad I'm not a demon," Zoey sighed. "It sucks to be one of you."

"Of course, they get their ass beaten by us on a daily basis," Mira laughed. "I wouldn't want that either."

"Ha, that's right. There's no force that can stop us."

"Wait a second..." after hearing Jinu's tone I immediately rolled my eyes. "Didn't we almost manage to beat you three? You even split up and all."

"Almost. That's a very huge difference" I said, looking at him now. Our faces moved closer, holding eye contact. Jinu looked unnecessarily smug. "And didn't we kill like, all your little helpers? And get rid of Gwi-Ma?"

"Yeah? And who risked his life to save you?"

"And who made you..."

"Alright you two!" I jumped back at Zoey's voice. "You want to banter so much, go on the balcony, I'm trying to watch my show here!"

"Actually, I'll be going to sleep, I might wake up early tomorrow," I got up. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

I didn't turn to even spare a look at Jinu. He was here for maybe an hour and he was already annoying me. And it was clearly on purpose, which was even worse. I closed the door in my room, sighing with relief. Being so close to him... I checked my pulse quickly, closing eyes. Unbelievable...

Just as I was about to lay in bed, my smile widened. I hugged a huge blue tiger in my room. It didn't even matter how these two got there, I was grateful there were just there. With me.

And also... he was just a room from me...

I looked at the tiger and the crow happily, feeling another wave of tears coming in my eyes. But I couldn't help it, I was too happy and relieved.

"He survived..." I whispered, "...and you two survived... oh, how happy I am..."

The tiger purred happily as my body finally started getting sleepy. I felt safe knowing we managed to keep the honmoon strong. I felt accomplished knowing we defeated Gwi-Ma. And I felt grateful Jinu survived. Even though I didn't want to admit how glad I was about it, I was. I really was.

I knew this night's sleep will be a peaceful one.

And it was one of the best nights I ever had, I slept like a baby. I sat up on my bed, seeing two pets sleeping on the floor. Well, the crow was obviously sleeping on the tiger. At least now we had another job to do, find out what exactly happened to Jinu, and if what he said about other demons being alive was true. Could it be possible? But he was alive. Although he wasn't a demon anymore, was he?

I went to the bathroom to refresh myself quickly, and entered the kitchen after. Bobby was sitting at the table, while reading some article. I peeked through his shoulder, realising it was part of our new album promotion. I nodded with a smile and stole one of his eggs on the plate.

"Rumi! You're awake!"

"Of course I am."

"You slept surprisingly long, we were all surprised," he chuckled. Excuse me, what? "Zoey is waiting for you at the studio to finish some lyrics, and Mira is either at a dance studio or signing up for a tattoo appointment..." I looked at the hour on his tablet, realising what time it was. I slept too well this night. How could I not wake up on my alarm? "Oh, and also, the Saja Boy went with Zoey, the girls explained to me what he's doing here, but I still don't get it..."

"Don't worry about him Bobby, he's not a threat!" I shouted, running to our closet to change my clothes quickly. "Ask someone to deliver me a light breakfast to the studio, okay?"

"Of course!" he was already calling the stuff, as I was putting on my shoes. What a mess...

"Great, I'm leaving, bye!"

I hated that elevator every time I was in a rush. Like today. I left the building like a thunder, and quickly ran to the studio that fortunately wasn't far away. Obviously it wasn't. I greeted quickly everyone at the reception. What a mess I created, I was supposed to wake up earlier to already start writing the lyrics. I was supposed to wake up earlier to start my voice training like everyday.

The door slammed as I entered, breathing heavily.

"Rumi! You're here, great!" Zoey jumped at me with her unfinished lyrics already. "I can't finish this song without you, especially since you started, and I don't remember everything."

I smiled, sitting at the table and looked at the lyrics. "I see you already perfected the lyrics you remembered."

"We can't be idle, we have a week to release this song," she said proudly, sitting next to me. "Mira also has most of the choreography, it's really going great. But we need an idea for a music video..."

"Shattered glass... Lies... demons..." I whispered. "How about we make the demons more... metaphoric? We will show them and sing about them, but they will be signs of mental struggles of people?"

"Genius! So let's make "what it sounds like" the last song on our album, and "takedown" first. It will be a journey like ours that sometimes you don't need to fight, you should let yourself break and some things will solve themselves."

"I love the idea."

We quickly got to work, completely focused only on our music. We still had to wait for Mira to discuss some things, and also we needed her approval of the album's idea, but we were pretty sure she will love it as much. Someone knocked on the door and it turned out that my breakfast finally arrived. I thanked the staff.

"And does the Saja Boy need anything?" the woman asked me. I turned rapidly to look at the couch, seeing Jinu piercing my head with his eyes. Shit, I completely forgot about him, I was too caught up in everything else...

"Do you need anything?" I asked.

"I'm okay."

The woman nodded and left. My mind was really slow today, I knew I should never wake up too late. How could the girls let him be seen by others, what about his marks?

"Surprisingly, nobody sees his demon marks," Zoey said, as if she was reading my mind. "So we don't have to worry about that. What we do have to worry about is girls giggling when they see him. His face needs to be fully hidden when outside, he's too handsome."

"Wait, did someone recognise him?"

"Some people, but not as much as you'd expect. What did you get?" Her head dived inside the paper bag which made me laugh.

"Hungry already?"

"I have to eat to have energy for our fans."

We put the lyrics aside and put out the whole meal on the table, obviously sharing it, since it was huge. Well, not huge for us. But this time, I was too aware of Jinu's eyes still being on my back. I could just feel him looking at me and I hated it. How was I supposed to focus, when he was there? But obviously we wouldn't let him be somewhere alone. Ugh, why was it so difficult?

"Count your days, I will have tattoos soon," I turned to Mira who just entered. "Hey demon boy."

"Hey pinkie."

I raised my eyebrows at surprising nicknames those two suddenly used. Since when? "I get it you managed to get an appointment."

"Of course I did. How are you, sleeping beauty? I think it's the first night in your life when you actually rested," she laughed.

"Ugh, don't remind me. I'm so mad I didn't wake up to my alarm... I don't know how that happened."

"Relax, it's not like we're behind in our timetable," Zoey smiled.

"We're actually perfectly on time," Mira nodded. "So, full me in with the most important stuff and let's get to recording our first release."

Then we explained to her the plan for an album and that although "what it sounds like" will be our first release, it will be last on the album. Mira was loving the idea and she even came up with part of another song for that album, that Zoey quickly wrote down to finish during the recordings. The soundtrack was almost done, since both Zoey and Mira worked on it today already. I really woke up too late...

I only got to do some finishing touches before it was time to record.

"Okay, Rumi will go first, especially since she starts."

As always. I nodded and entered the booth. I shouldn't feel stressed. It was an every day activity for me, I've been doing that since I could remember. And yet I had to tighten my fists so they wouldn't shake.

Reason?

He was watching.

Why would my body betray me in such a situation? Jinu was nobody, he was just a past demon that helped us in the last seconds. But he betrayed me before that, so which was the real him? I knew it was the one who saved my life, but yet... it still hurt.

And yet my heart was skipping differently, especially now, when he was looking. Why would he be looking at me? Was he doing that on purpose to play on my nerves again? Couldn't he focus on the girls? On the monitors? Anything would be better.

Zoey showed me to give a sign when I'm ready. I took a deep breath and showed a thumb up. My eyes closed, I focused on the music.

"Nothing but the truth now. Nothing but the proof of what I am..." I smiled, feeling great again. My body became lighter, my voice was stable. Singing was my antidote. "The worst of what I came from, patterns I'm ashamed of, Things that even I don't understand. I tried to fix it, I tried to fight it..."

I opened my eyes cause Mira was knocking on the glass. I looked at them surprised and they pointed to Jinu. I stopped singing. Was that...

Chapter 4: Chapter Three

"Was I hallucinating or was his soul just shining like a Christmas light?" Zoey asked when I left the booth.

"What the hell happened?" I was still shocked.

"But is it like that only when Rumi sings?" Mira asked.

"That would be so romantic!" Zoey exclaimed.

"No!" I stopped her immediately. "Let's see how it works. Girls, chorus on one, two, three..."

They started singing, while we all observed Jinu. The same thing happened. His soul just started shining, and it seemed like he also saw that. I saw that little smile of his. I bit my lip to not do the same. He had a soul. He finally got what he wanted. He didn't have to live with all of the guilt, his thoughts weren't rushing to blame him, Gwi-Ma couldn't torture him...

"I think I would understand it more if his soul only shined when Rumi sang," Zoey frowned.

I hit her on the shoulder. One more word and I'll start fully blushing there. I couldn't do that. Jinu smiled satisfied and made himself even more comfortable on the couch.

"I would also understand it more," he nodded. "After all, I gave Rumi my soul so she could fight Gwi-Ma."

"That's pretty romantic," Zoey whispered in my ear. I pushed her back annoyed.

"Sounds like a kdrama to me," Mira whispered in my second ear as I pushed also her back.

"Can the three of you stop?" I scoffed. "It's serious, our voices never worked like that and you are joking about it!"

"We're just trying to help."

"Help?" I turned to Zoey who had a big gummy smile on her face. I sighed. No point in arguing. "We need to try and see if it happens with everyone or if he's just different. I'm reminding you, this honmoon isn't golden like it should be, the Idol Awards went wrong in so many ways and now this..."

"Yeah, jokes aside, we do need to figure it out to know how can we protect others," Mira nodded. "But after that, you two can..."

"Don't..." I stopped her. "Even... Finish..."

The girls sighed but didn't say anything else, although I saw that expression on their faces. I hid my face in my hands. Someone help me, how can I focus on actually important stuff when this is who I'm working with?

"Okay, let's get back to recording."

The girls nodded and I went back to the booth. This time it went smoothly and without any interruptions. After I finished, it was time for Zoey, so I sat on her place and she entered the booth. I smiled seeing her excited face. She was always eager when we were recording new songs, no matter if we had a break between the albums or if we didn't. Zoey was always eager and ready for action. She was definitely our sunshine in the group.

"I'm going for some food so when this gremlin finishes she can sit in place," Mira said as I laughed.

"Call Bobby so he can help you carry all that."

"Ha, watch me."

I shook my head and the girls left the studio. Zoey gave me a questioning look as I pretended to eat with my hands. She immediately lighted up and locked in even harder. I listened carefully, noting where she'll have to fix mistakes, as I saw a chair next to me move. My hand was still writing, but my muscles tensed. Why was I so stiff every time he was close? Couldn't I just act normal?

"The part where it's "I'll be here by your side"," Jinu said, leaning closer to my notebook. I focused on the paper. "She needs to stretch the last part more."

"I know," I scoffed.

"I'm just saying," he chuckled. "Hey, are you..." I felt his breath on my ear, "nervous?"

I pushed him away quickly. "Me? Nervous? Are you kidding me?"

"You do seem a little nervous."

"I'm not nervous."

"Hmm..."

"Can you stop it?! Don't you see we're doing something important here? We have a week to release this song, you should know it's not simple."

He didn't reply which I took for a good sign. I went back to writing down the parts, as Zoey was finishing. I showed her to stay as she asked with her fingers how many places to redo. Not many. She smiled.

"I'm sorry," I stopped, hearing Jinu's soft whisper. "I'm sorry for everything. I know it won't make up for what I did, but I really am sorry. I really owned my role as a demon," he forced a laugh. "You only wanted to help me, you were the first one to believe in me and I..."

I grabbed his hand to stop him. He raised his head to look in my eyes. I really enjoyed looking in them.

"I know." I whispered. "I'm glad you apologised, but you don't have to explain more. You were the reason we're still here. And although I don't know how you survived, I'm really grateful you did."

"You are?"

I nodded. "And the fact you came to us so soon... I want to trust you fully, but I can't yet. What I can do though, is try to figure out with the girls and you what exactly happened, and why the honmoon isn't golden."

"I want to help you."

"Prove it."

"I will."

"I can't wait."

I felt his fingers holding mine. I didn't want to look down, I was scared to let go of his hand, I was scared to look away from his face. What if he disappears, what if it's all just a dream? I couldn't lose him again, I wouldn't forgive myself.

"They had a discount!" We jumped back when the door opened with Mira and Bobby walking in with six huge bags of food. "Oh, and I had to give out some autographs, but I'm not complaining."

She put the food on the table and Zoey jumped out of joy. I showed her four fingers to let her know we just needed to redo four moments. She groaned, making me and Mira laugh.

"We won't touch it," Mira shook her head.

"I see you're working hard girls, that's great!" Bobby smiled and looked suspiciously at Jinu who was again sitting on the couch. Our eyes met for a second before I turned back to look at Zoey.

Focus.

"We should have the song by today," I said. "Tomorrow we'll start recording the music video and learning the choreography."

"It's ready," Mira winked.

"You three are incredible," Bobby smiled and left quickly.

"Okay, let's finish this quickly so we can watch the kdrama," Mira said, pressing the button.

"Oh, I already had my little kdrama," Zoey laughed looking at me. Shit, she saw everything. "I'm hungry, let's quickly re-record and let me eaaat."

I nodded and we went back to work. Zoey managed to quickly fix the small mistakes and we decided to take a short break for food. We all sat on the couch and the four of us enjoyed the meal. I sat on the other edge of the couch to be as far as possible from Jinu.

Why was I so nervous? Nothing happened, we were just talking, that's it. Yeah, just talking. I just needed to figure out what was going on and if it was possible that some demons survived. We will have to observe if any people disappear suddenly again.

After the Idol Awards many people got "magically" found, which was great news for everyone, so if there are any suspicious disappearances again, we will have to be ready for the worst. I sighed. It was all crazy to think about now.

"You play with that food once again and I'll just steal it," I looked at Zoey looking at me worried.

"Sorry."

"What are you worrying about again?" Mira asked me.

"About demons. If it's possible some could actually survived. And how does it work. Also the honmoon, it's..."

"Not golden, we know," Mira and Zoey finished for me. I sighed.

"I know I should focus on the album right now."

"It's understandable you're worried," Zoey smiled. "A lot of weird things happened in such a short time."

"Yeah, exhibit one: your marks being visible," Mira showed at me. "And exhibit two: this guy," she pointed at Jinu behind her.

"And don't forget about the honmoon," Zoey laughed.

"Right, that's exhibit three."

"Okay okay," I chuckled. "Very funny."

"No matter what happens, we're together, so we'll handle it."

"Yeah! And you, demon boy, don't you dare worry our Rumi," Mira threatened Jinu with a plastic knife.

"I got the message," he said.

"Good."

I shook my head. They were right, no matter what happens, we were together and now, when I had no secrets to hide, there was no way we'll ever get separated like during the Idol Awards. And together we were undefeated.

"Okay girls, let's focus on the priorities," I quickly finished the whole plate. "Mira."

"Ready."

"Zoey."

"Just last sip of this soda!" She quickly sat on the chair with the cup still in her hands. I sat next to her and Mira entered the booth.

"Let's break our own record with this album."

We finished the whole recording in an hour, satisfied with the results and ready to rest on the couch. Zoey found a hoodie that could hide most of Jinu's face, and we also hid under our hats and behind glasses.

"Why can't I have a cool disguise?" He scoffed.

"Cause you're not privileged enough," Mira smiled. "Be glad we didn't leave you on the streets."

I laughed and Jinu raised his eyebrows. "Well, hoodie is better than chu chu trains," he shrugged.

"I don't know why would he need to hide his face," I said irritated. "It's not like he's attractive."

The girls looked at me surprised as we were walking back. "You better never say that out loud again," Zoey laughed. "Don't you remember our own lyrics? "So sweet, so easy on the eyes, but hideous on the inside." Can't deny their looks."

"Oh please," I scoffed.

"Don't act like you weren't checking me out the first time we met," I heard Jinu's whisper.

"I was not!"

"Right."

I rolled my eyes and just kept quiet. Why would I even try to talk to Jinu when he always tried to annoy me? I started walking faster, just wanting to go back and rest. Well, maybe not fully rest, but partially. I took some photos during our recordings so we can post a sneak peak on our social media. No caption, no nothing. No explanation. Sometimes being quiet was much better than saying too much. At least in the world of kpop.

The elevator opened and I hid my phone in the pocket. I sighed, seeing the tiger running around our living room after the crow that disappeared shortly after. Mira and Zoey stood surprised in one place.

"What the hell?!"

"Oh, these two are Jinu's pets," I explained, looking carefully if they damaged anything.

"Ugh, I hope Hu didn't destroy anything," Jinu sighed.

"They have names?" I turned to him surprised.

"Of course they do! What? You thought I just call them tiger and crow?"

I just shrugged. "Wouldn't be surprising."

"There's a crow too?!" Zoey exclaimed, while already hugging the tiger.

"Yeah... where is that troublemaker though?"

At that second, the crow entered the living room. Mira gasped. "Oh I'm stealing him!"

The crow looked at her and just sat on her shoulder. Jinu seemed confused. "You can't just steal my pet!"

"I just did. He seems to prefer me too," she said, while going to her room with the crow still on her shoulder.

"Then I'm stealing the tiger!" Zoey said, still petting the animal. Since the tiger seemed eager, these two just vanished somewhere together.

"Help?" Jinu looked at me but I just laughed.

"Even I can't help you with that. There is no force stopping them. Besides, you live here now, it's not like you'll feel the difference."

"I definitely will, your friends will be spending most of the time with Hu and Wu."

"Hu and Wu?" I sat on the couch, laughing. "Those are the names? Wow... you're so creative..."

"What? Like you would come up with better names?" Jinu scoffed.

"Of course I would! Everything is better than Hu and Wu."

That's when he leaned closer to me, putting his hand behind my head on the headrest. I pushed my back into the couch as much as I could, but it didn't help me much. Jinu was still too close. I looked at him surprised. I felt my heart beating dangerously fast.

"You think you're that good with names?"

"Of course I am."

I tried to stabilise my breath while trying to understand what was going on.

"How about giving us a name then?" He whispered.

I felt my throat tighten. What did he just say?

Chapter 5: Chapter Four

"What? Cat got your tongue?"

I looked at Jinu, frowning. I had to hear him wrong. I was just too tired, I had to be. There was no way he said what I thought he did.

"Worse, your stinky breath got to me," I replied as he chuckled.

I made him chuckle. It felt so good to see him smile. Jinu quickly looked at me, stopping somewhere on my face, and while one of his hands was still behind my head, the other softly brushed a loose hair strand. I held my breath, as his finger accidentally touched my cheek. Control yourself, Rumi.

His eyes wandered across my face while I tried to focus. Should I just get up, should I stay, should I say something? My insides were screaming, my breath was shallow, my heart was beating like crazy. What should one do in a situation like this?

"I didn't expect you would look so good with those demon marks," he whispered. "But then, it's clear one just needs a pretty face for them to look good."

"What, like yours?" I scoffed.

"You think I have a pretty face?"

My eyes widened. That was not what I meant. "I think you're annoying."

"You still didn't respond to me."

"Respond to what?"

"A name, Rumi. Giving us a name," he smiled.

So I heard him right. A name? A name for what? What could that even mean? What was he doing?

Jinu's head shifted a little to the side with a small smile. He raised his eyebrows, clearly waiting for my response. I didn't know what to say though. I needed to think of a way to exit this situation. I quickly pushed him aside.

"Very funny, Jinu. You're clearly too bored when you don't have to cause chaos among the people."

"I can cause different chaos," he said, as I quickly moved to the kitchen. I needed a glass of water.

I opened the cupboard, reaching for a glass that was grabbed by Jinu. He was right behind me. I felt his breath on my neck. His hand reached for mine, slowly giving me the glass. My hand was burning from this touch. I barely could hold the glass without worrying it will fall. It felt like his fingers were still on my skin although I knew they weren't.

"I can cause chaos in your head," he said softly. My heart just skipped a beat. "Or even in your heart," he whispered as my hand tightened on a glass, "like you did in mine."

"Excuse..." as I turned, he wasn't in the kitchen anymore.

I put the glass down, completely not interested in drinking anymore. It was a wonder how it was still intact. Could he be so fast as a human? Was he still a demon and he lied? But his marks weren't shining, even when we were close. Nor were mine. So did he actually move so quickly?

I closed my eyes, leaning my back on the countertop. My body needed to calm down and I had to clear my thoughts. Clear my thoughts? How could I even do that in a situation like this? I didn't even know where Jinu disappeared, or what was I supposed to say when I see him. How am I supposed to act?

Whatever he was trying to do, there was no time for that, we had other things to focus on. One of them being the case of Jinu surviving and his theory that some demons managed to stay here.

It was only now that I realised I forgot to even ask him why did he think that. He was so sure of the fact that some demons were still running free, I didn't even doubt it for a second. I was so focused to get him out of my head, and focus on our album, I completely pushed aside actually important things. Well, the album was very important, but there was also a case of the demons.

Could it even be possible for the human realm to be completely safe from demons? Why would we be hunters then? Wouldn't our ancestors already manage by now to get rid of all of them? How did it actually work? Maybe I should go to Celine to talk to...

No, that was a bad idea. I looked at my hands. She couldn't even look at me after I showed my marks. How could she even talk to me, help me? The only thing she wanted from me was to hide and get rid of half of my identity. She wasn't the solution. The three of us were. Huntrix had to be a solution, it was the only answer. We could figure it out, I was sure of it.

"Demon!" I heard Zoey's shout and soon after I saw a black shadow running through the living room.

I quickly grabbed my sword, jumping out the window with the girls right behind me. We couldn't lose him. I was so confused why I couldn't see his face, but it was clear as the night during full moon that he was a demon. The demon marks were on the body, shining in purple. It was one. Was it possible they changed their appearance after this honmoon?

"How did he even find us?" Mira shouted through the noises on the streets and the wind.

"I don't know! I just saw him in my room! I'll recognise those marks everywhere!" Zoey responded.

That didn't explain anything. "Why is he looking different?! Is it because of the new honmoon?!" I asked.

"Maybe! We need to figure it out!"

We ran even faster, jumping on the roof of some houses after him. He was surprisingly fast. Another shocking fact was that he didn't want to fight. If he did put up a fight, we would already get rid of him, but right now we couldn't even catch him.

"Let's split!" I said, and the girls nodded.

They immediately disappeared as I was still after him. We needed to catch this one. Maybe he knew what was going on. How did he end up in our place? Was it on accident or was it on purpose? But what rabbit would enter the fox's house being fully aware he's right now inside?

Too many questions and not even one answer.

I threw my sword, making the demon stop. That's when Mira and Zoey appeared, the three of us completely surrounding him. Our weapons landed on it's body, Mira being face to face with him.

"Talk! What were you doing in our house?"

"I didn't know it's your house! I just needed a soul to get back to myself! I'm an empty shell right now! I need to eat!" The demon cried.

We exchanged the looks. Empty shell? Was that the reason he was basically just a black shadow with demon marks? He needed to eat a soul to have any kind of shape? Was it really how it worked? Didn't Gwi-Ma feed on most of the souls?

"How did you get here, in the human realm?" Mira continued.

"I don't know! I just woke up suddenly on a street, completely starved and lost. I'm hurt all over the body because of the honmoon, but I'm still here," the demon continued. "You think I would suffer like that out of my own free will?"

"Did Gwi-Ma put you up to this?" I asked.

"Gwi-Ma? Who the hell is that?"

"Don't play dumb with us!" Mira pressed the weapon closer. "It's the demon king. Your king."

"King? We have a king?"

What... was going on? A demon who was empty, in the human realm, and didn't even know Gwi-Ma's name. I shook my head. Useless. We won't get any necessary information out of this one. The girls killed him in seconds.

"So demon boy was right," Mira sighed. "There are still some demons out here."

"But how? You heard him, they're suffering because of honmoon, but can't run away." Zoey hid her weapons smoothly. We did the same.

"And an empty shell? No souls no shape? I didn't even know something like that can happen," I said.

"Yeah, we have to interrogate Jinu."

"I agree."

"Mira, that's your task." She nodded with a smile and the three of us quickly went back.

Jinu was on the couch, sighing with relief after seeing nothing happened to us. We laughed.

"Come on, you didn't think one small demon was any threat," Zoey ran to the kitchen to get some food.

"It's not any demon," he frowned. Mira immediately sat in front of him in an armchair. I just stood next to her with my arms crossed. "I only heard about the demons without any shape in the legends. Those are the biggest beasts. They look like shadows cause they didn't feed on any human souls yet. They're starving, and because they're starving, they are dangerous, unpredictable, furious. It was a legend going around in the demon realm. Gwi-Ma was the one who changed them into peaceful and weak demons to control them better. He basically just gave every new demon a soul immediately, so they couldn't get stronger and he could feed on most of them."

"At least we know we defeated Gwi-Ma if the soulless demons appeared again," Zoey put the cups with ramyeon on the table that we all grabbed. Jinu turned his around to see the one with Mira's name on it. He wasn't very happy.

"You can always starve," she scoffed.

"No, I'm good."He quickly took a bite.

"Wait, but the demon said he's constantly in pain because of honmoon, but he can't do anything about it," I said.

"That's because either the demon realm got completely destroyed or it got completely cut off from this one," Jinu explained. "I tested it by checking if Hu and Wu can teleport. They can't. But the fact those demons are in pain doesn't mean they aren't dangerous. This one might have been still terrified and confused. The longer they will be here, the stronger and angrier they will grow though, even if they're constantly in pain. But honmoon definitely is very helpful here."

"We need to release that album and break the records. We have a critical situation here," Mira sighed. "What kind of joke is it? I thought our demons from before were tiring enough. And now this?"

"Yeah, I preferred our Saja Boys," Zoey groaned.

"Ha, you're welcome," Jinu smiled.

"Shut up!" The three of us stopped him. The boy raised his arms in defence and didn't say another word.

I smiled unconsciously. Who would have thought I could ever sit in this living room with my marks perfectly on sight? Who would have thought Jinu would be so easily accepted by Mira and Zoey? But it did make me feel a little better about all of it. I looked at Wu sitting on Mira's head. These two really got along.

"Okay, let's maybe think of a plan how to catch these demons. We can't let them run wild on the streets."

"They will try to feed on souls, but as far as I know, it's more difficult for them to feed on souls, although I'm not sure how it works exactly..." Jinu sighed. "As I said, these demons were only legends, there aren't any books about them, nor did I ever meet one."

"Okay, but what did you hear?" Zoey asked. "If the legends said it's difficult for them to feed on souls, maybe they had some small details about that."

I nodded, while enjoying my noodles. Maybe it would sound crazy if I said it out loud, but the fact that we still needed to hunt demons, and that there were still some out there made me feel safer. They made me sure about what to do. That was what I was good at, I knew what to do and how. I didn't know what I will do after we get rid of all of them. After the honmoon becomes golden. I'll just... focus on being an idol probably...

"Because they are growing stronger even without souls, I know they usually don't even go after normal people, they go after... more meaningful ones..." Jinu stopped for a second. "Maybe that's how this one ended here. He felt how strong your souls were."

"Wait a second..." Mira put down her cup. This didn't happen often. Not when she still wasn't finished. "You want to tell me this bastard might have wanted to eat our souls?"

Jinu only nodded.

"Ha! He didn't know what awaited him! He was shaking out of fear when we caught him!" Zoey laughed.

"But if he went after us, it might mean the demons go after other musicians," I said. "Maybe that's the thing. They need the souls that are connected to music, something that usually defeats them."

"It might actually be true... After all, what is more reliable than fighting fire with fire? Even we tried that..." Jinu thought out loud.

"So we have to protect other musicians? But there are so many out there! They can go after smaller ones so it's easier," Zoey exclaimed.

"Ugh, this will be difficult," Mira laid down, burping. "Sorry."

"How about... making a contest?" I proposed.

"A contest?"

"To know more musicians, to be aware where they are. We need something."

"A reality show! So we can get them in one place!" Zoey jumped up. "Let's close the musicians in a house and give them tasks for a couple of weeks. There will definitely be demons who will try to attack them. That's how we'll start catching them. After that, we'll figure more ways to stop them, after all they can't just clone."

"I'm calling Bobby."

Chapter 6: Chapter Five

Notes:

I just want to say that yes, I slept a full night, I wrote 2 first chapter right after watching the movie and now I'm writing the rest (it's another day). I'm glad you're enjoying them, don't be worried, I just have this movie everywhere and I'm obsessed so the ideas just flood my head. <33

It was three days till our new song release, while we were preparing on the arena to perform in front of our fans as a small show. Bobby really knew how to organise everything quickly. Unfortunately, the reality show needed more time and work, but the agency liked our idea so they decided to use it. Now there was a whole team creating a survival show in which Huntrix will be hosts and the participants will be musicians with biggest potential. We didn't want it to be only for the ones who wanted to become Kpop idols, just musicians in general, to help them reach bigger audience. And well, with the controversies because of my "tattoos", every idea of us helping others was greatly appreciated.

It was the very same place where last time my demon marks started showing on my neck and I couldn't manage my voice. But now? Here I was, singing like I never did. I felt free, I felt like a heavy stone inside my chest just disappeared. It was an incredible feeling, the one I never expected to have.

The music faded slowly as Bobby applauded, as excited as always. We smiled. "That was amazing girls! You will make their jaws drop to the floor, I'm telling you!"

He quickly climbed onto the stage to give us water. "Thank you Bobby."

"No problem, no problem at all. So, do you feel ready?"

We looked at each other. Mira and Zoey smiled.

"We're ready," I said.

"Let them in!"

That's when chaos happened. The second the doors have been opened, the place was filled with our fans. I smiled. It was amazing. To see all of these people genuinely enjoying our music, what we create... I was glad to be given a chance like this.

The three of us were right now sitting on the edge of the stage. We decided to not do any huge openings, not this time. We were promoting a completely different album now, something we haven't done before yet. So we decided to change some things.

The barricade was two meters apart and the security really had to work to stop some fans from probably jumping through it. I smiled. There may have been many sudden haters and antis lately because of my demon marks, but we still had enough supporters. Fortunately.

When everyone finally got inside, the doors closed and the lights were turned off, only one lamp above the stage was on. Mira grabbed her microphone, swaying her legs freely.

"So much fans came today," she nodded.

"Are you ready for the show?!" Zoey squealed. The fans immediately reacted with excitement and a huge applause. "Yay! We are too!"

"But before that, let's talk about an album we're getting ready for you," added Mira. "This one is a special one, cause it will talk about topics we usually didn't touch in our music."

"Did anyone of you ever fought some demons?" I asked. The fans responded again. We smiled. "Of course you did. Every person here has their own demons that keep their lives more difficult, that maybe keep them at night, or stop them from finishing tasks."

"And that's what we want to touch," Zoey continued. "We want to make an album fully dedicated to those demons..."

"And that sometimes it's okay to let them be," as I said those words, I immediately thought of Jinu.

He was backstage with Bobby, either watching us or just reading another book on the couch. He surprisingly enjoyed reading since he found some of our books in the apartment. I bit my lower lip, I couldn't smile just thinking about him, that would mean I'm crazy.

"Sometimes letting yourself break down may help you get up even stronger," Mira jumped up.

Her and Zoey disappeared as I leaned on the stage, the music starting. It was time for the show. I heard a huge applause as I started singing our new song. It felt so much deeper now, when I was on this scene, when I could sing again. I could feel the tears in my eyes from the joy of my body being shown, my skin free and open. As I was now looking at my hands and my legs, I actually found some beauty in these demon marks. They weren't as bad as I thought. As I always believed.

I took slow steps to get up, hearing Zoey's and Mira's parts. I got up, walking to them as we continued the song. The fans already recognised the music, we sang it once live before, it was the second time. All of it while still unreleased. But we changed the ways.

The crowd started singing with us, that's when we saw every sound of them lighting up. I looked at the girls confused. They saw the same thing. It was the same thing that happened with Jinu in the studio. What was going on? Before when we sang, there was only honmoon that we saw, and now we could clearly see every single soul? We continued the song, observing carefully what is going on.

We could see the souls of other humans... how could this happen? It was as if we were able to control them, but... no, that was impossible. There had to be some kind of reason behind this. Was it just another talent of demon hunters? But Celine never mentioned the souls, those were parts of the demon's stories and jobs, not ours. And yet here we were, the stage was lighting up from all the souls only we could see.

Or maybe...

I looked behind me as if I could see the backstage. I was now hoping Jinu is watching. Could he see them too? Maybe he would know as an old demon what was actually happening? He knew the legends, he lived much longer than even Celine, he was more experienced.

But should I trust him to this extent?

"...I'll find your harmony, fearless and undefined..." we continued, knowing the song is slowly coming to the end. We still had two more to perform.

The honmoon was shining in many colours, it was incredible, especially when we also saw the blue lights inside of everyone. It was like a completely different view. Maybe it was a good sign. Maybe those souls were meant for us to see, to keep in check, maybe...

Perfectly as we started singing "takedown", we saw one light slowly disappearing. A demon.

Time for some crazy stunts during our performance. We immediately grabbed our weapons, not even thinking twice about what to do. Soulless demons, demons with souls, didn't matter. A demon was a demon and we definitely were going to take them down.

Zoey perfectly threw one of her knives to eliminate one. The soul immediately went back to the right person. But it wasn't the only demon there. I just now realised how perfectly they could blend into everything because of how they looked. These ones could imitate shadows of anything they wanted and even we couldn't question it. Cause how could we? Definitely on the first sight.

I turned around and slashed one that wanted to attack me from behind. They could hide anywhere. Well, we had our takedown. I smiled, while navigating another ones. The more of them I saw, the more used I was to finding them. The more obvious their marks appeared to me. They were shining by themselves, which made it easy to find them now. To distinguish between the blue souls and purple marks. Mira and Zoey managed to get into the crowd on the platform to stop three other demons, while I stayed on the main stage where five of them appeared. I smiled.

"You..." the demon whispered.

I quickly slashed two more, now struggling more with the three others. Now I understood what Jinu meant when he said these are stronger. And yes, they were definitely angrier, their eyes were in the colour of their marks, completely purple. I would be terrified if I never saw any demon before. They were much more dangerous than any other demons we fought. Maybe except for Gwi-Ma.

I barely dodged one attack, now regretting I didn't have any leather jacket on me. Or leather pants. My skin was exposed to attacks, which wasn't something I was used to. I slashed another one, while something held my wrist, pulling me back. I grimaced, seeing his empty black face with those eyes. Not very pretty.

"You... you made us like this, didn't you?" The demon hissed. I just realised they had fangs. Damn.

I quickly slashed him before he could say anything else and turned to the last one. The song was ending, but fortunately the fans were still singing along. Ah yes, the special effects. That's what they thought of it. Well, this song definitely matched this fight. I smiled and decided to end it before our last song. Mira and Zoey were running back, so I threw my sword to get rid of this one. Just as the song ended, he disappeared.

We exchanged the looks, as the lights changed colours and the backtrack for "Golden" started playing. Good thing we trained so much for breath control, this fight was actually quite exhausting.

But now we could just relax. One song, signing event and home. Easy-peasy.

We finally went backstage, were we got water and food, as Bobby explained how amazingly the performance went and that we're number one topic everywhere. Perfect. That's what should happen. We threw ourselves onto the couch, grateful for its existence.

"The special effects during "Takedown" were really something else!" Bobby continued excitedly. "I don't know how I missed them though, but it really passed the message of fighting demons, I must admit. Oh, but I still don't understand how you managed to make Rumi's tattoos glow, it was really amazing!"

We jumped up quickly. "What?!"

"Everyone was really impressed!" He turned his tablet to us. My marks were glowing blue... how was this possible... "They are all wondering how you did that, but it's great. The more they talk about Huntrix, the better for us! Anyway, you three better rest well before tomorrow. Mira, I heard tomorrow you'll be getting your tattoos."

"Hell yeah, I'm giving our fans a surprise for the new release. They will see them only in the music video," she said proudly.

Bobby nodded. "Perfect... See you in two days on the set then!"

He left and we were left alone. "What... the hell... just happened there..." Mira said slowly.

"No idea," me and Zoey shook our heads.

"How can you three control the souls?" Jinu asked surprised. He was sitting on a chair, looking at us carefully.

"We can't!"

"If you couldn't, you wouldn't be able to activate them. They were shining so bright I was surprised you three are not blind yet."

"Ugh... I don't understand anything..." Zoey groaned, rolling off the couch. "I need my comfort food."

"Your comfort food is anything that's edible," I scoffed.

"You should be glad I'm not high-maintenance."

"We would love you either way."

"Also, I don't understand these demons," Mira straightened up. "So who do they go after?"

"Maybe everyone connected with music in some way?"

"Isn't everyone connected with music in some way?"

"I don't know..." Zoey cried. "I just want to go home..."

I shook my head. We had just fought demons, performed, and had a hi-touch. We deserved a break. "Let's go back," I said. "We'll think about all of that tomorrow after we rest."

The girls looked at me surprised.

"What?"

"What happened to you that you are so cool with us resting for so long?" Mira asked.

"You make me sound like a workaholic," I laughed as the girls exchanged looks. "Oh, come on! I'm not that bad!"

"Nooo... No, no. Definitely no..." Mira and Zoey dragged these words for too long for me to actually believe them. They quickly left the room as I rolled my eyes.

"That's clearly an exaggeration," I murmured.

I got up from the couch, seeing in the corner of my eyes how Jinu also got up. Shit, I shouldn't be left alone with him, I still didn't know how to act after what happened. I basically ran to the door, but somehow he was faster, making me bump into him. I felt my heart going crazy in my chest. Oh, come on! My body was getting ridiculous!

"And where are you running off to like that?" He asked with a smile.

"I just want to join them."

"Join them or avoid me?"

"I don't want to avoid you," I scoffed. "I'm not a little kid, you know?"

"That's great, cause I wanted to take you somewhere," he smiled, grabbing my hand. Our fingers intertwined, making my chest heat up.

"Where?"

"That's a surprise."

Jinu pulled me right after him, quickly going to the backdoor to leave the place, as I was observing our hands.

He was wearing the bracelet all this time...

Chapter 7: Chapter Six

Notes:

This is the last chapter for today! Thank you so much for your kind comments, I hope you will like it too

We stopped at the stairs where I gave Jinu the bracelet. I looked at the city view, smiling. I felt his fingers slowly untangle and let go of my hand as he jumped on the wall, looking at me from above.

"I think you scared the rests of the soul I had that night," he chuckled, sitting down. I rolled my eyes, also jumping on the wall.

"You're being dramatic. That just proves you are an easy prey."

"Me?" He scoffed, clearly offended. "An easy prey? Ha, yeah right!"

I chuckled at this reaction. Nothing I didn't expect, but still made me laugh. His facial expressions when he got offended were really something else. I tapped his left shoulder, quickly hiding my hand behind my back. That did it. Jinu immediately jumped off the wall.

"Demon!" he shouted. I couldn't hold it in, I burst out laughing, swinging my legs dramatically and grabbing my stomach.

"What did I tell you?" I said between the laughs. "Easy prey!"

"That's not funny!"

"You're right, it's hilarious!"

"Ugh, I'm just wary of the demons, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah," I chuckled. "I have no doubts about that."

Jinu grabbed my leg and pulled me down, making me fall off the wall. Before I could react, he caught me in his arms. What-

"No doubts?" He asked looking into my eyes. At this point I should assume my chest will explode every time I'm with him. "Cause it seemed like you were making fun of me before."

"Me? I would neveeer..." I stretched the last word, still chuckling. I wasn't sure if it was because I was still laughing at how easy it was to scare him, or if it was just a nervous laughter. Or maybe both.

"Hm, right."

He flipped me through his shoulder as if I wasn't even weighing anything. "Hey! Jinu, put me down this instant!" He only laughed in response.

"And what now miss Hunter?"

"It's not funny!"

"Oh, so now you know what a one-sided joke feels like," he scoffed, walking somewhere. I didn't even know which way we were going.

I sighed. "Can you put me down?"

"I'm waiting for the magic word," he chuckled. I rolled my eyes. So annoying.

"Please?"

"Not this one."

"Oh, are you serious?" I scoffed. In a second, Jinu started spinning. "Ah! Okay okay! I'm sorry, put me down, please!"

My feet immediately touched the ground, while I was unconsciously holding onto Jinu's shirt. I felt his chest move slightly, just realising what I was doing. I quickly took a step back. He leaned closer, our eyes now on the same level.

"That's what you get for scaring me."

"I could kill you in a second," I whispered annoyed.

"But will you?" He took my hand again, brushing it's inside slowly. "Or would you rather I stayed next to you?"

Before I said anything, I looked down to see what I was holding. A blue bracelet, identical to the one I gave him... I tightened my hand feeling it shake a little. This all still felt unreal. I didn't even get enough time to grieve Jinu's loss, how I saw him die in front of my own eyes, how he gave his life for me, and now... How did he survive? How could he stand right in front of me, how could he touch me, how could he speak? What if those demons do something to him? What if they come for his soul? I wouldn't forgive myself if I lost him twice, I would...

My thoughts stopped when I felt his arms around my body. My breath started calming down, while I slowly hugged him back, slowly closing my eyes. How could I get so much comfort just from his body was beyond me and my imagination, but I decided not to question it.

"I want to be by your side, I want to help you get rid of the demons," he whispered.

"You're just a human now, you can't risk your life," I opposed. I couldn't let him get near any of them.

"You know I'm not made of sugar, right?" he chuckled. "I'll be fine."

"No. I lost you once, I won't..." I stopped, biting my tongue. "You can't risk your life again, do you understand me?"

He took a step back, his hands on my shoulders now. "Do you want to tell me you're worried about me?" He tilted his head with a smile.

I quickly turned around, feeling my face flushing. "I just think it's stupid when you don't even know how to catch demons. Besides, you can only help us from behind, don't you know?"

"I'm fine with that."

"Anyway, why did you take me here?" I felt his hand slowly grabbing mine as Jinu turned me around.

"This is where it started, isn't it?" He looked in my eyes with that small smile. I could melt just seeing him like that. Wait... no, what was I even thinking about? "This is where you decided to give me a chance. This is where you told me there might be another way," I looked down to see him slowly putting the bracelet I was holding all this time on my hand. Every smallest touch of his skin on my own was like a box of fireworks. "I wanted to thank you," he whispered. "For seeing something in me I didn't see myself. For helping me."

"You were the first one that let me open up about my marks... I also have something to thank you for," I whispered, playing with the new bracelet on my wrist. "You let me be... me. Fully, without any shame."

I finally built up the courage to look in his eyes again. My throat tightened again, trying to focus on Jinu's face. Why did he have to look at me so intensely every time? What was I supposed to do in a situation like that?

"Rumi, in the four hundred years of my life, I never met another person I would give up my life for so eagerly," he whispered. I felt my face flushing.

"What about..."

"Never."

He died for me... I sighed. But it wasn't what I wanted, it wasn't what I expected, nor it wasn't what I would ever dream about.

"But would you keep living for me?"

He smiled and nodded. "I will make sure every day I'm alive is the day you can smile and rest." I couldn't stop a smile appearing on my face. "I get it you are fine with that."

I was very fine with that. But I couldn't just let him have this, I had to play with him a little.

"It will be difficult for such an insufferable person like you to make me smile though," I scoffed.

"A what person?" Jinu raised his eyebrows. "Say that again."

I took a step back, realising where it was going. "You heard me. Insufferable."

"You so crossed the line," before he could catch me, I jumped on the side, avoiding his hands. "You won't run away."

"Are you sure about that?" I laughed.

I quickly dodged another attack, realising I will have to start moving around if I actually wanted to escape whatever plan his little head came up with. No matter what it was, I was sure it wouldn't be anything good. He was too unpredictable for me to risk it. I hid behind the tree as Jinu shook his head in disbelief. I smiled satisfied.

"You really want to play tag right now?" He laughed. I just shrugged.

"And why not? Do you have anything better to do? If I recall correctly, you don't even have a job."

"You little..." he tried to reach me again, but I was faster. "Fine."

I screamed when Jinu actually ran after me, I forgot how fast he could actually be. Or maybe I just assumed that as a human he will suddenly be as slow as a snail. I'm not really sure. I had to use all of my planning skills to avoid him somehow, since it turned out he was pretty much still faster than me. Maybe his skills were the same as when he was a demon, it's just that his body was now that of a human and he got his soul back? Or he was just talented as a human.

No matter which it was, I realised I'm pretty much on a loosing position and I got myself into some trouble. I felt my pulse rushing as I dodged Jinu again, just to get pulled back by my wrist. Just like that, I ended in his arms on the grass while laughing out loud.

"If I'm insufferable, then you're much worse," he scoffed, finally letting me go.

"Maybe I am, but you don't seem to complain," I fixed my clothes while standing back up.

"I would never complain."

I looked at him. Why did I always go back to his eyes? Why was I still falling for this little trick of looking into them and getting lost? My heart was beating abnormally, my body was betraying me, and yet I did it over and over again. Will I ever learn?

"Shouldn't we go back soon? The girls might worry," I said.

"You think so? How about staying for a little longer?" He asked while laying back on the grass. I rolled my eyes. I walked up to him and leaned closer. Now I was the one leaning, and it felt quite satisfying.

"And what do you have here that you don't have in our apartment?"

"Just lay down and see for yourself." I frowned. He wasn't making any sense. Jinu patted the empty grass next to him, as I sighed.

"Fine."

I laid down, looking up just like him. Whatever he wanted to show me, I still didn't see it. The only thing in front of me was a dark sky with a couple of small stars. It was really a shame we were leaving in the city where the lights blocked all the natural lights of the night. I always wished I could once see a clear night sky, with all those smallest stars on it. But the older I got, the less I believed I will ever manage to actually experience it. I could only dream.

Then I realised. The honmoon was right above us, and it was beautiful. It's colours, it's movement, all of them felt like the music itself.

"You freed me, Rumi," Jinu suddenly said. "And I don't mean now when I'm human. You freed me much sooner than that. Remember? I didn't hear Gwi-Ma's voices when I was with you. I still don't understand how it could happen, but it was..." he took a deep breath. I didn't dare to speak. Not yet. "It felt so unreal... I don't think you realise the impact you had."

"You did some work yourself, you changed, you saw you can be different, that there's a chance. It's admirable."

"You're a capable hunter. I hope you know that. Whoever raised you should be proud of who you are right now."

My throat went completely dried at the thought of Celine. Of her terrified face when she saw me that night. She wasn't proud, I knew it. She was probably still convinced I should have done what I had in so many different ways. But maybe... just maybe my parents were proud. Maybe my mom was still watching me from somewhere and smiling that I managed to save honmoon. That I showed who I actually am.

I sat up, looking carefully at my hands. I've observed I did look a lot at my skin lately, but I couldn't help myself, it was all still so new to me. Those marks on my body... they were also a part of me, and yet they felt like they just appeared. I've lived with them all my life, but it felt like they've been there for less than a week.

How could anyone feel so alienated in their own skin? To not even be able to recognise their own body? I sighed. There was a long way in front of me, and I was just now realising it. A long way as a huntress and as a half-demon.

Jinu grabbed my hand softly, slowly tracing the marks on my arm with his finger. I looked at his focused face.

"I really like them," he explained. "It feels like those marks have a much different meaning on your body than they do on the demons' bodies..."

I sat in silence, observing his long finger moving slowly, as if with admiration. He really made me feel differently than anyone ever did. But I didn't want to run away from these feelings, I grew to like them, which I realised just now. They were new, but they weren't scary.

I felt safe.

Notes:

Fun fact: I listen to the movie's soundtrack while writing every chapter. I choose one/two songs to play on repeat to get myself in the mood and it works like magic

Chapter 8: Chapter Seven

"But you had to kiss, right?" Zoey pushed again as I was trying to focus on the script for our music video. I hit her with a pen in my hand.

"Can you focus for three seconds?"

"I am! I'm focused to know where did you two go yesterday and did you two kiss!"

"Shh... be quieter," I looked behind my back.

Jinu was sitting on the chair in the kitchen while we laid on the couch in the living room. He was reading another book, while we were planning our music video. Today Mira was getting her tattoos, which meant we had only two days to record full music video and release it. I was sure we will make it, but I had to admit we didn't have a lot of time. The schedule was really tight, but I knew we could make it work.

Because Mira was about to be absent for a whole day, we decided to just stay in the apartment since going to the company would simply be counterproductive. It has been an hour since we laid down on this couch, and by far we managed to plan three more songs in our album and write the beginning of the script for our music video. Unfortunately, during all that time, Zoey was trying to ask me questions about yesterday evening while me and Jinu went out. It wouldn't even be anything necessarily tiring if Zoey wasn't so sure that the two of us kissed.

Me and him? Kiss? Was she crazy?

The second I even thought of his face getting close to mine I... my body became warmer and my thoughts were spinning around... but it didn't mean I wanted to kiss him!

"Uhm... Rumi..." I looked at concerned Zoey. "You broke that pen."

I looked at my hands, realising she was right. Shit. "Sorry, I didn't mean to..."

"No no! It's okay!" She quickly gave me a new one. "Was I that annoying?"

"What? No! It's not because of you, no!" I shook my head. "Zoey, if you were annoying, I would tell you immediately."

"You promise? You know I don't want to be too much."

My chest ached hearing those words again. But this was a part of Zoey. Just like me being ashamed of my marks, she was scared of being too much. Of someone getting sick of her. She didn't really understand that whenever she showed all of her, that's when she became the best version, the most lovely and creative Zoey. Every time she let herself show all of her, she was shining differently, brighter than the sun itself. She was beautiful in being "a lot".

I smiled, hoping she will realise that one day. That she will see how amazing she is exactly because there's a lot of her.

"You are not," I said, putting my hands on her shoulders. "I would tell you if you were too much, and if not me, it would be Mira. We wouldn't be able to hide this for such a long time."

"Yeah, you're right," Zoey calmed down and looked at the script again. "I'm wondering how is Mira's tattoo going..."

"Me too. But knowing her, she's probably having fun."

"Yeah, she wanted to get tattoos for so long," the girl laughed. "I bet she will come back with at least three today."

"I don't expect anything else from her to be honest."

We both laughed, as my hand stopped right before the ink touched the paper. After thinking about it, this song existed also because of Jinu. It was him who showed my marks, and even though it wasn't to help me, he still did. He helped me show the most shameful part, he made me stand up in front of the crowd with a raised chin and ready to fight Gwi-Ma. He exposed me, but I gained strength from it. I turned my biggest weakness into my own weapon. Against everything I believed in before.

"We broke into a million pieces and we can't go back..." I whispered. Zoey looked at me confused.

"Rumi?"

"Let's not make this music video about us," I looked at her.

"What do you mean?"

"Zoey, what is giving us strength? What is building honmoon?"

"Our voices."

"And?"

Her eyes lightened. "Our fans!" She exclaimed. "You want them to be in the music video?"

"What do you think? How about making something finally about all the voices that helped us defeat the Saja Boys? That let us defeat Gwi-Ma? Without all their voices, their souls..."

"...we wouldn't make it..." she nodded with a smile. "Let me call Mira!"

Zoey jumped to grab her phone, as I waited on the couch with a smile. I had to control every muscle in my body to not face the kitchen and see what Jinu is doing. I wasn't interested in that, I didn't care. I was completely focused on our project. Soon after, I heard Zoey's squeak and saw Mira on face time, sitting comfortably on a chair.

"So? What was so important that you needed to call me?" She asked.

"How are you doing?" I asked firstly.

"Great! I'm really having fun here," she smiled. "Oh, say hello to Harin," she turned her phone to show a girl in a huge black T-shirt with a drawing of a tiger, and was sitting on a small stool, while tattooing Mira's arm carefully. She looked up, smiling and waving to us.

"Hello guys! I can't wait for your comeback!"

"Hello!" Me and Zoey waved back. Zoey leaned closer to the phone, when Mira showed herself again. "She's pretty."

"I know," Mira whispered back as I chuckled. The girl definitely still heard that. "So? What's the news?"

"We are doing a music video about our fans, so... we'll appear for maybe a couple of seconds," I explained. "To show who actually got us where we are now, and who gave us strength in the most important moment."

"I love it! That also means we won't have to do much! But do you think we'll manage to find so many people in such a short while?"

The three of us smiled.

"Bobby."

"Alright, you two call him and I'm going back to my session," Mira nodded. "Hey, Harin, don't you want to be in our music video?"

"Can I?"

"Hell yeah!" Zoey shouted.

"Then sure!"

"That's so awesome! Okay, good luck with the tattoos, see you later!"

"Bye bye."

Mira hanged up, as Zoey was on another mission to call Bobby and introduce him to sudden change of plans. While she was busy explaining everything, I took a photo of a script with blurred letters and posted an announcement that we're looking for fans to appear in the music video. I knew this will work like magic. We had a huge fanbase, so we will definitely find enough people to make it work. And we had two days to record the full music video. It was just four minutes, we were definitely able to do it.

"Girls!" I turned to see Bobby ran inside the apartment. "Do you know how many fans already showed interest? If we managed to organise properly, we could start the recordings even today... let's say in... three hours?"

I looked at Zoey who looked like she will explode. I nodded, and she jumped on the couch to start the script from the beginning again. Challenge accepted.

"Can you organise everything in three hours?" I asked, knowing very well the answer.

"Can I? I can do it in one if I only had to!" Bobby laughed. "But you two need to get to work, and don't worry about anything else. Bobby got you!"

"Rumi, pen!"

I threw another pen for Zoey that she caught. We were locked in now. Three hours to come up with a script for a full music video including our fans. We had to plan how many fans we'll include and what theme exactly we were going for. But I knew we could do it. I sat down on the couch, seeing Zoey already writing down some ideas. I smiled, as I saw my phone lighten up. Mira texted a couple of ideas she also had. She loved the idea as much, and I was really glad about it.

"This has to break our records!" Zoey giggled, while writing down the ideas from Mira's message.

"It will, I'm sure of it."

We completely forgot about anything around us while doing the script. Thanks to that, it was finished in less than two hours, but both of us were exhausted. Fortunately, we had some time to rest and gain some energy. That energy was obviously take out.

I looked in front of me to look at Jinu slowly eating his part. If it wasn't for the fact he constantly brought us something to drink during our brainstorm of ideas, me and Zoey would probably be extremely dehydrated.

"You're staring at him..." I heard Zoey in my ear.

"I'm not!" I whispered back. Even though Jinu could obviously hear us whispering, I was hoping he wouldn't really pay attention to our conversation.

"Are you checking his lips?" The girl raised her eyebrows.

"What? No!"

"You know, we still have some time to show up in the studio..."

"Yeah, and?"

"I could leave you two alone for a while if you want me to..." she giggled.

I felt my face flushing again. "Don't be stupid! Why would I want that?"

"You know why..."

I quickly turned away from her and looked down to my plate. Focus, Rumi. Don't listen to your crazy friends and focus on actually important stuff. You will be releasing a new song soon, there's a whole music video to record, and you're running out of time. Also, after the music video, we'll have two weeks to finish the rest of the album, while also trying to catch these new crazy demons. There is a lot to do, no time for Jinu.

Then why couldn't he escape my head for a second even? No matter what was going on, I somehow connected everything with him. It shouldn't be like that, right? He wasn't the centre of the world, especially mine.

I heard another snap, as I looked at the chopsticks in my hand. Jinu and Zoey looked at me concerned. "Are you okay?"

"I'm totally fine, I'm just anxious about this music video," I chuckled nervously.

"If this continues, we'll have to only give you metal things," Zoey said, switching my broken chopsticks to the good ones. "Really, Rumi, you can't just go and break things."

"I know I know..."

"Is that the demon super strength or something though?" She leaned closer to my hand, her head now leaning on a table. "You broke a freaking pen as if it was nothing and now this. Jinu, what do you think?"

"How could I know?" He shrugged. "She's the first half-demon I ever encountered, I have no idea how that works. Like, are you more human or more demon, or are you perfectly half and half?"

"Right? That's what I'm wondering about too!"

I sighed, no believing in these two. But a small smile did appear on my face as I heard some crazy theories about how being a half-demon works. And to think I was terrified of the girls finding out. To think I wanted to hide this secret until my death...

My phone started ringing, as I fulled my mouth with the rest of the meal on my plate. I saw Zoey do the same. We showed Jinu to quickly get up cause we had to keep going. The alarm ringing meant we only had ten minutes, so the last minutes to get to the studio and still be on time. Jinu tripped while tying on his shoes, which made us laugh as we entered the lift. While the lift was going down, me and Zoey quickly swallowed whole meals and fixed our makeup. Jinu looked at us like we were some kind of aliens.

"You would understand if you were a girl," Zoey smiled. "Come on guys!"

She grabbed me and him by hands and ran as quickly as she could, dragging us behind. I laughed, while we were passing all the random pedestrians, some of which took our pictures.

As we entered the building, we heard Bobby say: "Right on time!"

We made it.

Chapter 9: Chapter Eight

"Is that Jinu?" we heard our fans whispering.

"That's Jinu..."

"It's Jinu from the Saja Boys..."

Shit. We forgot to hide him, we were in such a rush. Zoey quickly stepped in. "Everyone, this is our special guest for the music video for today! Everyone welcome Jinu from the Saja Boys!"

Me and Jinu looked at her surprised. Guest? Music video? That wasn't a bad idea, he should just be sitting somewhere on the side and minding his own business, and not...

"Oh my god! Jinu will be with us in the music video!" I heard many fans screech. I sighed.

Maybe it was the best solution out of all of them. Zoey smiled widely with her thumbs up. I just nodded. She did somehow explained everything, so what did it matter. So he will appear for a couple of seconds. Big deal.

"Okay everyone! Pay attention! We need to split the roles between all of you!" Bobby said through a megaphone. Nobody knew where he got it from, but it worked, so why question it. "Now, you all already signed the NDA so please keep in mind you might get sued if you talk about the music video to anyone before it gets released. And trust me, we won't spare you..." Even I shivered seeing Bobby so serious. He really knew how to protect us. "Since we have that cleared, let's get to work! You will be divided into teams and given a date when to come on set. You will not be let any other day, so better use the opportunity to work well. Good luck everyone!"

I passed the copy of the script to the director, while me and Zoey started assigning everyone to the characters and roles we prepared. It was a pretty simple job, since we knew exactly who we needed for what. It took us maybe half an hour to get everyone a role, after which more than half of the fans were asked to leave and come the day they were told. The schedule for these days recordings was already set, so everyone knew what to do. The team really worked smoothly, but they probably were already used that with us three they had to work on last minute and change the concepts quickly.

Since Mira wasn't here, we decided to leave the Huntrix's records for last day so we could do it together. And so she could rest for more than a day. It's not like we will be putting dangerous stunts for her tattoos to be in danger, but it will be better if her body still has a proper rest. So right now we focused on the fans and their roles.

"And where will I appear?" I almost fell off the chair after Jinu whispered that question in my ear. I hit him in the shoulder.

"You scared me!"

"Oh, I scared you? Wow, I wonder how that feels like..."

I rolled my eyes. "You're so petty..."

"And what if I am?"

"Then you might not get a role in our music video," I smiled. "It's not like you're needed."

"Ouch. You really know how to hurt someone's feelings," Jinu didn't seem hurt though, he seemed quite... happy. I raised my eyebrows.

"And why are you smiling so much?"

"I'm just wondering."

"Wondering?" I scoffed. What stupid thing was it this time? "Wondering about what exactly?"

"I can't say it here," he shook his head, making my blood boil. "Too many people around."

Of course. He just wanted to annoy me, like always. As Jinu walked away with that smug look, I focused on the script again, now thinking where should we squeeze him so nobody expects anything. And how will he explain himself later when the fans ask what about the Saja Boys? They disbanded? They separated ways? But why would they? Could he handle the sudden attention or will he just ignore all of it? And how will he even find a job some time later while still being known for all that happened?

Come on Rumi, focus. I looked down at the script again, realising in horror I have written down Jinu's name all over the page. How did I even...

I quickly took it the piece of paper out and crumbled it. No one could see it, why didn't I use a pencil? I could at least erase them then. Ugh, what the hell? How could he occupy me so much? It's not even like he was doing much, he was irritating sometimes, yes, but that was it. He also came to us to help and figure out what happened during the Idol Awards. He had the same goal as us, that was it. I looked around for any trash bin. Had to get rid of this paper as soon as possible.

I hid it quickly as Zoey sat down next to me. "You know, our fans are pretty talented! They're doing great on set!"

"Ha ha! Yeah, that's great!" I laughed nervously.

"Oh, and I thought that we can squish Jinu somewhere with us in the music video. You know, to make it seem like some kind of cooperation?"

"To make it a cooperation he would have to sing in that song at least for one verse," I scoffed. I watched Zoey's eyes get bigger as I started to shake my head. "No! Don't even think about it!"

"He knows the lyrics!"

"He will only appear for a couple of seconds, no singing."

"Fine..." my sad friend laid her head on the table right next to my script. "Hey, that's not the beginning."

"Uh no it's... I... I'm already looking at what we'll be doing tomorrow," I quickly explained.

My hand holding the paper under the table tightened from stress. Why was I so eager to hide it? It was nothing, I just... I just wrote a stupid name on the page, and so what? It didn't matter.

"Ha, typical Rumi," Zoey smiled. "I'll bring us something to drink, we still have some time to spare here."

I smiled gratefully as she disappeared. We promised to stay there until the end, because we were also looking after everyone participating in the music video. The fans could walk up to us to talk, as for our autographs, ask for tips. They were doing this for us after all, we needed to thank them somehow, so we decided to be there with them. Besides, it was our music video after all. Our song, our idea, our script. Of course we wanted to see the progress. I was getting really excited to see the results and it was just the first day.

Zoey came back with drinks and some company. This couple of hours passed pretty quickly, especially after we started talking more with the fans and opening up more. They were all very sweet, it felt like a private meetup, in the best possible way. We were quite upset when everyone had to go back home. Zoey had tears in her eyes that were quickly stopped thanks to the tissues from Bobby.

"I don't want to say goodbye yet," she said, her voice shaky as she was hugging one girl. "I had a really good time."

"Come on, we have two more days of recordings and you're already that miserable," I chuckled, knowing I was pretty much as heartbroken as her.

"I won't make it, Rumi. I can't do it. They are all too amazing."

As she was giving all those compliments to our fandom, me and Jinu took her and quickly left the studio through the backdoor. Before I would break down just like her. "The sooner we get back, the sooner we'll see what Mira got."

That did it. She immediately lighted up and almost ran through the street. "Come on you guys!"

We both laughed. "She's impossible."

"Yeah," Jinu nodded. "But you're definitely lucky to have friends like Zoey and Pinky."

I chuckled at the nickname he gave Mira. "Yeah, I won the lottery to have them in my life. I wouldn't change that for anything else."

Jinu didn't say anything, just nodded slowly. Zoey already entered the building, while we were still walking. If I could, I would just take him and walk around the area. Didn't matter where, what mattered was that it would be with him. Even if we stayed silent, it felt good. He made me feel good.

But all of that passed quickly in my busy life. We entered a light hall where Zoey was waving from the elevator. I shook my head and the both of us ran up to her before the lift closed.

"Tattoos, tattoos, tattoos," she was chanting. I leaned my back on the wall, looking as Jinu joined her. I smiled. Crazy. They were both crazy.

The elevator opened and Zoey disappeared in second to look for Mira. The girl was in the kitchen, her tattoo completely out thanks to a shirt with no sleeves. We stopped, looking carefully at how beautiful it was.

"Well? What do you think?" she asked, clearly proud of herself.

"It's amazing!" Zoey exclaimed.

And it really was. The tattoo reached from the back, through the right shoulder to the wrist. It showed branches of the Cherry Blossom tree that slowly bloomed its flowers. The art style of this tattoo was impeccable and it definitely matched Mira. I smiled and nodded, not even knowing what to say more.

"And the best part is, I should protect it from the sun and the rest for some time, so I will be cosplaying Rumi now," the girl said with a big smile as I rolled my eyes.

"Very funny." I scoffed.

"Girls, I can't go to the bathhouse with you, maybe next time," it was clearly a bad impression of me that Zoey enjoyed a lot.

"I did not sound like that!"

"You definitely did!"

"I should wear a turtleneck too, so it's more believable I'm you," added Mira, as Wu sat on her shoulder. "Ha, a crow sitting on the tree. See? I knew this tattoo is a good idea."

"This crow has a name," Jinu crossed his arms.

"The name is too stupid for me to use it," Mira replied. "Just like yours, demon boy."

"Could say the same about you, Pinky."

I smiled and just left the kitchen. I still needed to take a shower and finish writing my part of one of our new songs. And it was evening already, while I also had to wake up in the morning. I couldn't waste any time. Fortunately, my night routine wasn't long so I was soon in my pyjama, sitting on my bed with a lot of papers around me. Nothing really felt right, and I was going crazy. The song was almost finished, while I couldn't even do as little as come up with a couple of verses. What was going on with me? It was important, after all, this was for our new album. We needed to strengthen the honmoon since it didn't turn gold, and the demons were still walking free. We couldn't let any mistakes happen. Not anymore.

I heard a knock on my door. Well, maybe I should take a short break. I walked up to open the door, stopping midway surprised. My breath became more shallow as I saw Jinu in front of my room. What was he doing here?

"Uhm... can I come in for a second?" he asked, tilting his head to see what was inside.

"Yeah! Yeah, of course," I quickly opened the door fully.

"Are you very busy?" He pointed at my bed that was a huge mess right now. I jumped to sort the papers and hide them somewhere.

"No, not really I'm just trying to come up with some lyrics, but it's not going well," I explained quickly. "And... what did you want?"

"Huh? What?"

"You came here for a reason, didn't you?"

"Uhm, yes. Yes, right." He quickly showed his hand. I looked at this, recognising with terror the piece of paper. "You dropped this on a set and I didn't have time to give it back. I saw you walking with this paper for so long, I assumed it's something important so..."

I snatched it from him quickly. "Did you look inside?"

"No," he laughed. "The shape of this paper isn't really inviting to look what's there. Why? Should I?"

"No! No, no, no," I threw the paper in my drawer. "It's good you didn't."

"Okay..." he smiled, looking at me carefully.

"What? Is there something on my face?"

"Let me check," before I reacted, he took quick steps forward and lifted my chin, looking closely at my face. I felt my blood rushing. "Hmm... no, it looks just as good as always," Jinu smiled, still looking somewhere.

My eyes wandered around his face as well. I really liked his eyes, I think it was my favourite part. I looked more, stopping on his lips. I guess they were pretty as well, and they were quite big. My breath slowed down, as Jinu's face got even closer. I looked in his eyes again, drowning under that intense look of his. He didn't say anything, which didn't really happen a lot. Usually he was speaking too much for his own good.

I focused on his lips again, not even realising my eyes went there. His hand landed on my waist, which made my chest warm up again. It was a gentle, very slow move, but it burned the skin under my shirt.

Jinu's lips slowly lifted in a smile. That annoying one, the one which I saw when we first met. It always reminded me that I had to think more out of a box to win with him, that the usual things don't work on him.

"Rumi..." he whispered. "You're staring..."

I bit the inside of my cheek. I was staring. My head was spinning, my breath was out of control. I didn't even understand what exactly was happening with me, it was as if I didn't control myself anymore. As if I wasn't in control.

No. I couldn't let him have it.

"I can do something much worse," I said, grabbing his shirt and pulling him closer. I felt his fingers tighten on my skin. It was the first time I felt the butterflies in my stomach.

"What are you..." I stepped on my toes and just kissed him.

I had to prove I was the one in control.

Notes:

Sooo this chapter is longer than I expected, but oh well, the words just couldn't stop

Chapter 10: Chapter Nine

Notes:

I have exam tomorrow, wish me luck hsvsgs

My hands wrapped around Jinu's neck as I felt him deepen the kiss. Both of his hands were now on my waist, holding it tightly as if I was to run away. My stomach was going crazy and my thoughts were spinning all over my head. But I didn't run or push him away. I wanted it. I wanted him.

I suddenly opened my eyes, as we stopped. Jinu looked as lost as me, seeing how both of our demon marks started shining blue. I looked at my arm that was still on his shoulder. It was a very similar glow to the one that happened when we were performing live two days ago. But why now? And how did Jinu's marks also glow? He was a human now, why would they do that? Also, shouldn't they glow in purple, if anything? Why would they have the same colour as mine? What did all of it mean?

"What..."

"I have no idea..." he whispered. Our eyes caught as a smile entered Jinu's face. I sighed.

"Don't say a word."

"How about three?" He chuckled.

"You're so stupid..." I almost took a step back, when Jinu pulled me even closer to him, making my breath stop for a second.

"Should we see if our marks shine every time we kiss?" He asked in a lower voice. I bit my lip, not really knowing how to react.

"We... definitely will have to figure it out..." I said slowly. His eyes were piercing through my own. They were basically seeing my soul with how intensely he was looking at me. "But... I bet it's nothing serious to worry about right now..."

"Are you sure?" I nodded. I felt his hands slowly let go off my waist as one of them grabbed my hand, and before I realised what's going on, Jinu kissed the back of it. "Good night then. See you tomorrow," he said and left my room quietly.

I stood in the same place for a little longer, trying to comprehend what just happened. Rumi, what have you done?

I hid under a blanket on my bed, as if anyone was still inside of my room. I did not just kiss him, this did not happen. No, it was all a crazy imagination of mine, it had to be...

"Who am I kidding..." I sighed, sitting up. I looked at the open drawer with the song's lyrics. "I'm so stupid..."

I grabbed the paper and pen, feeling the motivation to finally finish the song.

"The river flows between our souls,
How long until I let you close
This distance between us?"

I started tapping my pen on the paper to continue the rhythm. My lyrics will change the meaning of this songs a little, but the idea will stay. And that's what mattered, right? After all, this song was about running away from our shadows, so a little twist in the lyrics would be nice.

"Those fingers are my poison,
Let me taste it, savour the sweetness.
My feelings slowly deepen
As my heart sinks deeper.

(...)

Underwater, no control, just us two and this mess we made.
Don't you dare disappear, I won't let you get hurt from the blade."

I put the lyrics back on my nightstand, satisfied with the results. I'll show the girls tomorrow what I came up with, hopefully they will accept this version. It was really the best I could do this time. This felt the most real. I turned the lamp next to my bed off and went to sleep, my thoughts still around the kiss and the glowing marks.

This time I woke up even before my alarm, so I could patiently wait for Mira and Zoey to wake up, carefully listening what was going on on the corridor. Since I decided to not have any secrets from them, I won't. No matter what. I smiled hearing the girls talking and leaving their rooms. It happened pretty quick, I just opened the door, grabbed both of them, and pulled them inside my room, closing the door.

"Rumi, what the hell?" Mira yawned. "I just woke up, what is it this time."

"I..." the words disappeared from my brain. Cause how exactly did I want to tell them what happened yesterday? Hey, I kissed the ex-demon that almost got us all killed? I really didn't think this through. "I uhm... I need your help, but... I don't know how to say it."

"Just get straight to the point, that's the easiest way," Mira shrugged, while sitting on my bed next to Zoey. I groaned. "Okaaay... so I'm guessing it's not easy."

"Well..."

"Maybe try to describe it more... metaphorically?" Zoey proposed.

"Yeah, make a poem while you're at it," Mira laughed.

"What would you do if your marks suddenly started glowing in a very weird situation?" I said quickly. The girls looked at me surprised, still clearly not knowing basically anything, which made me panic even more. "I mean, the situation wasn't necessarily weird, but it was weird for anything magical to happen. And, uh... what if not only you started glowing...? What would you think?"

"Rumi, I wish I could help, but I still have no idea what are you talking about."

Zoey nodded. I closed my eyes. I couldn't look at the girls, I felt my face burning. "What would you do if your marks started glowing after kissing a post-demon?"

"You kissed Jinu! I knew it!" Zoey jumped, while I tried to silence her. Then, the girl put her hand in front of Mira, who only sighed and took her phone.

"Damn it, Rumi, couldn't you wait five more days?"

"Excuse me?" I blinked surprised.

"Someone owes me money," Zoey giggled and looked at her new notification satisfied.

I hid my face in my hands, not believing what was just happening. "You betted on us?!"

"I mean, it was obvious you two will finally kiss, it was just a matter of time," Mira explained, hiding her phone again.

"Yeah! So we wanted to have some fun with it!"

"Unbelievable..."

"But let's go back to the important details," said Rumi.

"How was it?" Zoey jumped in.

"No!" Mira hid her mouth. "You mentioned your marks?"

"Yeah. They started glowing. And not only mine."

I saw Zoey opening her mouth as her eyes turned to hearts. She was getting too excited about all of this.

"Okayyyy..." Mira stopped our friend from exploding. "That is really weird."

"I know! And I have no idea why did this happened. Especially since Jinu's marks started shining in the same colour as mine. They weren't purple, but blue."

"Woah."

"Does that mean you're basically soulmates?" Zoey squeaked.

"What? No! That means I'll need help figuring out what's wrong with me and what exactly is going on."

"First of all, nothing is wrong with you," as Mira said that, her stomach growled. "But something is wrong with me. I'm starving."

I chuckled. To be honest, I was too, but I didn't feel the hunger because of all the thoughts inside my head. "Yeah, let's eat something. I don't like to think on an empty stomach either."

"Rumi, we are here for you. We will help you figure this out, okay?"

I nodded. "I know you will."

"Good."

"You need to remember you can count on us," Zoey hugged me. "But you will still have to tell me everything about that kiss later."

"Please no..."

We left my room, seeing Jinu cooking in the kitchen. The three of us exchanged looks surprised. What exactly was going on? He turned to us, giving us this beautiful smile of his. "Good morning."

"Good morning."

"What are you preparing?" Zoey sniffed.

"Better question is why would he do that," Mira crossed her arms, as I just sat down with a glass of water.

"I was feeling very kind today, so I decided to do something nice."

"Something nice."

"Exactly."

"Does it mean you slept well?" Zoey gave him this huge smile and innocent eyes, while I almost choked on the water. Mira quickly tapped my back.

"I slept sooo good this time," he chuckled. He chuckled. Was it because of our kiss? Was he remembering it all the time like I was?

Rumi, get a grip. It was just one kiss. Stop constantly melting at the single thought of it, you're a grown woman and you can handle such things. I observed Jinu slowly as he was putting the scrambled eggs on the four plates. I definitely preferred him in tighter shirts, this one was also nice, but it was pretty baggy. He was pretty capable in the kitchen, I had to admit. How much was he cooking when he was still a human? Considering his story, I would guess he didn't have much experience in the kitchen. Then how did he manage to be this good?

The smell finally got to me too, making my stomach growl. Mira, the only one who heard it, laughed. I rested my chin on my hands, finally feeling the hunger from not eating for so long, while I was out. Suddenly, I realised I completely forgot about the lyrics. I ran to my room again, grabbing the pieces of paper.

"What was that?" Mira asked me surprised.

"I finally finished the song," I put down the papers.

"Perfect, I'll check it in a second, just let me go treat my tattoo first," the girl proudly pointed at the huge tree. The foil was already coming off, so now she needed to wash it three times a day and lotion it properly. She even wrote all the instructions from the tattoo artist on our group chat to not lose them anywhere or forget about them. "Zoey, new lyrics!"

The girl turned around as Mira disappeared, and grabbed the papers. She sat down on a chair, reading slowly what I added and smiling like a Cheshire Cat. "I like it," she sang. "It's also very interesting."

"What is?" Jinu turned around, but Zoey quickly turned him again.

"You focus on the sausages," she quickly explained.

I breathed out. If he saw those lyrics... Maybe he wouldn't realise what they are actually about, maybe he wasn't good at interpretation. But even if, I wouldn't dare risk it. Zoey smiled again, lifting her eyebrows while looking at me. I shook my head. I knew what she insinuated, but no. It was one kiss, nothing else. This situation won't happen again, and I was pretty sure of it.

Mira came back, reading the full song, while giving me the biggest side eye I have ever seen. That was when Jinu put down all the plates on the table, sitting down in front of me and next to Zoey.

"You are the reason I'm behind seventy thousand won," she looked at me with a disapproving look. I just shrugged.

"Shouldn't have gambled on something like that."

"But I like it," the girl put the lyrics down and dived into the breakfast. I did the same.

It was really delicious, I couldn't believe this meal actually was made in our own kitchen.

"This will definitely give me energy for the whole day," Zoey said with her mouth full.

"I need three portions of it, maybe then I'll feel full," added Mira.

I smiled, while basically swallowing the whole meal at once, finally realising Jinu was observing me all this time. Did he have to focus on unnecessary things? Couldn't he just eat? "It's pretty good," I nodded.

The girls looked at me surprised, but then just shook their heads. They didn't say anything else, just constantly gave me weird looks, while pointing at Jinu who didn't even seem to realise that something was going on. But I realised. I realised and I hated it, it was embarrassing.

"Alright!" I stood up quickly. "Time to get going, we have a full day on the set before us!"

"I'll see our fans!" Mira nodded satisfied. "That's actually a good reason to leave the couch alone for the day."

"You will love them, we spent such a good time yesterday," Zoey exclaimed, as we watched her getting melancholic.

"Okay, that's enough," Jinu sighed, giving the girl tissues just in case.

"Thank you."

I smiled seeing them getting closer and closer as the days went by. It was a blessing Jinu was here with us. With me.

No. No thoughts about the two of us, what I needed to think was the day at a studio today and another private meeting with our fans. Okay, and maybe...

"Demons!"

Yeah, that too.

Notes:

Also, I apologise for the fake lyrics, but I'm not a musician, so I'm aware they're not as good as they could be. I hope you still enjoyed the chapter though

Chapter 11: Chapter Ten

Notes:

Exam finished, time for fanfiction

I turned to look around me after Zoey shouted. I frowned, realising nobody apart from us was inside.

"Not here!" she sighed while pointed outside the window. "Look!"

My eyes went after her finger, where I could see two shadows standing on a far away roof, their marks shining purple. They seemed as if they were looking at us, but was it possible? The distance between us was too long for them to see anything. Right?

"How did you even manage to see them?" Mira asked surprised, while stealing the sausages from Jinu's plate who was too focused on the two shadows outside. I hid a smile under my hand.

"I... have no idea," Zoey said. "I just knew that they're there, so I looked where exactly."

"You knew?"

Zoey nodded. I tried to understand what this meant. Maybe our powers were stronger now, maybe we were more aware of the demons around us. But was it just thanks to the honmoon or was it also something else?

Too many questions.

"So you can control the souls and now you also feel the presence of demons around..." Jinu concluded.

"I don't know about the souls..." I sighed.

"Who here has experience when it comes to controlling and stealing the souls?" His eyebrows lifted, as I tried to focus on his eyes.

"But we're not demons, we're hunters."

"Well, you are a half-demon," Mira said.

"But you two are just hunters, how do you explain all of that then?"

"We're special."

"Like superheroes!" Zoey made a funny pose. "We gained some magical powers during honmoon and now we will be undefeated!"

"Yeah!" Mira got up from her seat. "Now let's kick their..."

Before she finished, my phone started calling loudly, showing Bobby on the screen. The three of us groaned. I was actually getting excited to see if we have any more of those cool "superpowers". I picked up the call. "Hi, Bobby!"

"Rumi, darling! How did you sleep?"

"Very well, thanks," I laughed. "What's up?"

"I just wanted to ask if I should I let the fans on the set earlier? They're already all here waiting in front of the building, so I thought maybe..."

"Let them in. We'll be there soon."

"Great! See you then, bye bye!" I turned off my phone, sighing in misery. The three of us looked through the window to see the same two demons on the roof. "Kicking demons' butts has to wait..."

"But our fans will not wait!" Zoey ran immediately to our room with all the clothes. "And look at these two! They look like they're waiting for us to kill them so we can drag it in time."

"Zoey's right, our fans are more important,"Mira said, also leaving to quickly change.

I turned to look at Jinu who was frowning while looking through the window. I put my hand slowly on his shoulder. "Is something wrong?"

"I... it's stupid..." he sighed.

"No no, tell me. I want to know."

"I feel like I know them."

I turned to look at the demons far away. They were definitely acting differently then even the soulless demons we've already encountered, but I wasn't sure what it meant. I nodded slowly. "Maybe you do. We can figure it out."

"I don't need that," he smiled, while turning to face me. "I don't want you to have too much on your shoulders. You're already busy enough and I'm only adding more."

"What? No! No, you help, you told us about the soulless demons and you might help us figure out this weird situation with the souls and our voices," I looked in his eyes. "You're helping us. You're helping me."

Jinu just smiled, not saying a word, which I took for a good sign. He grabbed the hand that stayed on his shoulder and kissed it slowly, while not breaking any eye contact. I felt my heart jump to my throat. "How about I help you get ready?"

What?! I looked at him, completely shocked from what he did and said to even process my own thoughts. That's when I heard him chuckle.

"Yes!" I said quickly, realising in terror of what I just said. "I mean no! I uh... I'm..."

"Rumi! Get your ass here or we'll be late!" I thanked Mira in my head.

"I got to go!"

I ran to the room with our clothes where Mira and Zoey were leaning on the door with those smug faces. I acted like I didn't see anything and just grabbed my outfit to quickly change into it.

"Well well..." Zoey giggled, closing the door. "You two are really..."

"Disgustingly adorable," Mira finished.

"We are not!"

"Maybe if we let them spend more time together, you will finally stop overworking yourself and us."

"Mira!"

"What? I'm just saying."

"I think if you two just stayed for a whole day together, you wouldn't even realise a couple of hours have passed," Zoey said with a huge smile on her face.

"Can we please stop talking about that?"

The girls just laughed, but they fortunately dropped this topic. I managed to change quickly and the four of us left the building, going to the studio. The fans and staff were already working hard and managed to shoot two scenes, so we were ahead of the schedule, which was a good sign. Today Mira was wearing a black leather jacket to not spoil the fact she got a tattoo yet. She was clearly very excited about it, seeing how much she was grabbing her right arm and just smiling.

The fans were quite focused on the set, while we were arranging everything so it's just like we planned. The place was full of energy, which gave me a lot of motivation to finish it as soon as possible. And make it our best song by far. The best music video, best rankings. Something they never had before.

I heard laughter coming from the changing room, so I knocked on the door. "Come in!" I heard a voice. I entered the room, seeing three girls with makeup already finished. "Rumi! Oh my god!"

"Hey guys, how are you doing?" I smiled, leaning on the door.

"It was my first time when I got my makeup done by a real professional!" One of them squealed. I laughed.

"Yeah! And we'll be in your music video!" The other said.

"I'm so excited!"

"I'm happy to hear that," I smiled, feeling a lingering warmth inside my chest. Every time we had an opportunity to meet our fans I felt like that. They were our stable place whenever Huntrix had doubts. Those people weren't even aware of how much they were helping the three of us.

"Oh! Are you in a relationship with the cute boy from the Saja Boys that's on set?" One of the girls asked suddenly, taking me off guard.

"What?"

"Don't worry! I won't tell anyone I promise," she gave me a big smile that reminded me of Zoey. I think I knew who her bias was.

"What even gave you that idea?"

"Oh, it's pretty obvious," the other girl nodded. "He's always looking at you, no matter where you go."

"Yeah! His eyes never leave you, it's so romantic!"

"We are not together, he's just helping us," I shook my hands. "There is nothing going on between us, really."

All of the girls seemed pretty disappointed, as I sighed quietly. I couldn't let myself any dating allegations, even if it was with Jinu. Especially if it was with Jinu. What if we actually got together? It would be a complete disaster! The fans would go completely crazy!

I raised my head again, feeling my blood go faster. The chair's shadow... it wasn't one. I saw the marks. It was a demon who was only waiting for it's prey. I was really glad now that I decided to disturb them, who knows what would happen other way?

"Girls, I think they're already calling for you," I said, as the three fans stopped fixing their hair. I smiled, seeing one of them trying to stop her shaky hands. "I'm sure you'll be great there, I believe in you all."

"You really think so?" They looked at me with soft smiles. I nodded.

"The Huntrix chose you, didn't we? Now come on, better to not keep the director waiting."

The girls got up immediately and I let them through the door, waiting patiently for them to exit. One of them stopped for a second and showed me to lean closer to her. I did. "If you ask me, I think you two would be really cute together. You seem to like him as much."

My face flushed as the girl quickly ran away. Focus.

I closed the door with a key inside and grabbed my sword with a smile. "Let's not play anymore games, come out."

The shadow quickly turned to a long black figure with purple eyes and marks all over. He was looking pretty annoyed. "How did you even know I was here?"

"Oh please, your marks are like those annoying LED lights on the walls, it couldn't be more obvious," I scoffed.

"You can see them?" He sounded genuinely surprised.

"We can always see them. Now, I really don't have time for a chitchat." I swinged my sword, but he quickly dodged.

"Come on! You don't really believe you have a chance with me?" The demon laughed, while I attacked again.

"I don't believe. I know." The demon laughed, jumping above me.

I turned around quickly, pushing my sword out. He realised I locked us inside, and before he even managed to look for the key, I cut out his arm. He screamed. Before the demon had another chance to jump, I swinged the sword down, so it cut him in half. As the demon disappeared, I heard knocking on the door. I quickly vanished my sword and opened the door to see worried Bobby.

"Are you okay? I heard some weird noises inside," he asked, looking around the room.

"Yeah, I was just..." I looked around. "Zoey asked me to bring her some makeup to touch up, but I couldn't find the one thing she needed."

"Should I help you?"

"No, don't worry about that, I already succeeded," I smiled widely, grabbing powder. "See?"

I quickly left the changing room and walked up to Zoey who was right now sitting on the floor with two of our fans. The script was in her hands, as she gesticulated energetically to explain something. I smiled and walked up to them, taking out the powder and showing it to Zoey. She looked at me confused.

"Here you go, I found it."

"Uh... thanks..." she grabbed the powder, as I pretended to fix my hair, touching my demon mark. She understood immediately. "Rumi, I love you! I really needed that! Sorry guys, I need to leave you, I hope everything is already clear."

"Yeah! Thank you Zoey!" They nodded. Zoey quickly jumped on her legs, dragging me with her to the private bathroom.

"There was a demon here?" She asked, stopping to check herself in a huge mirror. "You know what, I might have actually needed that powder."

"He was hiding as a shadow in the changing room. I think he wanted to attack our fans again."

I observed Zoey quickly touch up her face and close the powder box satisfied. "Am I getting paranoid, or are those demons more fearless than the ones before?"

"I think so too. They are really acting weird. As if they have no fear."

The door opened with a loud noise as Mira entered. She looked at us and then smiled. "I just fought a demon. This bastard was trying to imitate a table."

"You too?"

"Yeah, he started blabbering something about the fact that I shouldn't see him. It's as if he didn't know that we see demon marks as hunters," she scoffed.

And suddenly, I felt like I just experienced a moment of eureka. "And what if that's the thing? What if these demons don't even know who we are or what we do?"

"Woah, that's pretty offensive."

"No, but it makes sense!" Zoey nodded. "Firstly the demon that entered our place, then the ones at our concert, and now this. The previous demons weren't so stupid, cause they knew what awaited them. What if those don't know at all?"

"They don't even know who Gwi-Ma was," Mira started nodding slowly. "It's as if they came from the times when demons weren't yet known or when hunters didn't exist."

"That means they are a bigger danger too," I said.

"Since they won't limit themselves or work in the shadow..."

We groaned. "So much work ahead of us..."

"Girls!" We heard Bobby's voice. "The director needs to discuss with you two scenes!"

"So much work..."

Chapter 12: Chapter Eleven

Notes:

Another chapter since SOMEONE is asking me for more of them (that someone is my bestie)

"Couch! Couch! Couch!"

As the week ended and our song got released, the three of us had a full evening for ourselves to rest before working on the rest of the album. Mira and Zoey grabbed enormous amounts of food and laid on our couch comfortably. Since I had approximately four hours of rest, my mind was already occupied with other responsibilities, one of them being demon hunting. I looked through the window to see honmoon shining strongly.

And yet the demons stayed.

They evolved, while the demon realm got completely cut off. That was the only thing making me worry less. What I did think about a lot now was the case of us being able to... do something to all the souls with our singing. Could we actually control them? And if yes, would that help us defeat the demons faster? I groaned. Why wasn't there a book on demons and hunters or something like that? The only knowledge we had was passed on us by Celine, that was it. How could we work with only that? Especially now, when everything we were taught was crumbling under our feet, when all that we were doing before had such different effects now.

I heard a weird music coming from Zoey's phone, looking back at the girls snacking and watching something. I smiled, glad they could enjoy their rest.

Me? No matter what force would try and get me to actually rest, I was sure it wouldn't succeed. There was something inside of me that always pushed me to do more and more, to always think carefully about everything and not let myself fully relax.

"Bobby just texted that we're breaking off the charts," Mira said.

"Huntrix for the win!" Zoey screamed happily.

"We are on fire!" I jumped happily.

"Rumi, remember that we're taking a hiatus after releasing this album to focus on our hunter responsibilities," Zoey looked at me, as I nodded. "Pinky promise?"

"Uh, I don't think..."

"Pinky promise!"

I jumped quickly to entangle our fingers, completely giving up. "Pinky promise this time I won't push you to make more music until our hiatus ends."

"If you break that promise you owe us a week at the spa," Mira smiled.

"I won't break the promise," I scoffed.

"Great! So we won't worry about anything. Except for demons."

"Why do I have the feeling that mostly these demons are after our souls?" Zoey caught a chips that Mira threw in the air for her. "Cause they still didn't change their form, but they're everywhere we are."

"I told you they're after powerful souls," Jinu stood next to me with his arms crossed. "Although that's not good news. You might be safe since you're literally demon hunters, but there are many artists who won't be."

"The reality show! Bobby said that they're working on it, but still need some time."

"We don't have the time..." I groaned. "These demons are clearly slowly starting to get comfortable in the human realm. We need to do something about it."

"We will kill them, like we always do," Mira shrugged between the bites of food. "Shouldn't you be calmer knowing that the three of us will be protecting everyone? We're great as hunters, there's nothing to worry about."

"Yeah! We're unstoppable!" Zoey threw her hands in the air.

"Yeah!"

I laughed. "Yeah, we're unstoppable. You two are right."

The girls smiled and I joined them on the couch, stealing one of Zoey's bowls. They were right. I had to relax more and believe that we can handle everything like we always did. Not even Gwi-Ma stopped us. Nor the Saja Boys. Nor my marks. We were unstoppable.

I laid on Zoey's knees as she tilted her phone so I could also watch the "boring" turtle videos with them. They actually were quite interesting. And pretty educational. After an hour, we decided to order a takeout, but it turned out the restaurant we were craving wasn't delivering that day. Mira quickly grabbed her phone to call Bobby, but Jinu stopped her.

"I'll go and pick it up."

"You can do that?" Zoey lightened up. Mira looked at him up and down.

"You better not try any tricks, demon boy," she threatened him which only made him laugh. I loved this sound so much.

"I'll be right back. It would be good for me to finally do something more than mostly sit or lay. I'm not used to that kind of lifestyle," he explained. "You just need to show me where I'll have to go."

"Here, take my phone, I'll put on navigation," Zoey gave him her phone and just typed the place in the maps.

"What? How will we watch the turtles then?" Mira scoffed.

"On your phone!"

"My algorithm will be ruined because of you."

"You're enjoying the turtles, I don't see the problem."

Jinu took the phone, looking carefully at the navigation. Then, he put his fingers in his mouth and whistled, making Hu and Wu immediately appear next to him. How did I not know he trained them? "Okay then, I'm going. I'll be back in... twenty minutes. More or less."

"Have fun demon boy!" Mira waved her hand at him.

"Thanks Pinky," he laughed.

His eyes stopped on me, as I realised I was staring for much too long at him. What the hell was wrong with me? I should focus on the turtles! Jinu didn't say anything, he just winked and entered the elevator. Wait... he winked at me?! The elevator closed and that's when Zoey and Mira looked at me weirdly.

"What now?"

"I'm thinking we should have made you go with the demon boy."

"Yeah, how can your relationship develop if you two don't spend time together?"

"I'm sorry, whaaat?" I looked at them surprised. "Relationship? Ha! No! No, no, no. What relationship?"

"You are completely hopeless if you keep that mindset," Zoey sighed.

"Even our fans are totally obsessed with you two," nodded Mira. "Maybe you two should get closer to... promote our album."

"Yeah! We can ask Bobby tomorrow if this idea is a good one," Zoey immediately agreed.

"You two don't really think that me and him... that we..." I wasn't sure what to say. Did a thought of us two together ever cross my mind? Maybe once. But it wasn't a very good idea to use Jinu to promote our album, especially since there wasn't much between us. Something happened, but... it still felt like we had a long way to go... "I will not be using anyone just to promote our music. We can do that ourselves."

"If you say so..." Zoey sighed. "So you two should get together to be together."

"Zoey!"

"Listen, I couldn't get my own demon boy, so I need you to at least get yours," she looked so serious that I didn't even know how to respond to that.

"You mean the one with insanely long bangs?" Mira raised her eyebrows.

"Yes! But believe me, he was so cut under those bangs... It's such a shame I had to kill him..." the girl sighed. "Oh well, I'll find another cute demon."

"How about just a normal human guy?" I scoffed.

"Hm, yeah, that's also an option," she nodded. "But you have to admit, the demons had something no human boy can."

"The abs," Mira nodded with agreement. I slapped a hand over my face, not believing what I was just hearing.

"Or maybe the thirst over literal human souls?" I sighed.

"Nobody is perfect, Rumi!" Zoey almost jumped at me. "Look at your own post-demon before you say that. He also wanted to just help Gwi-Ma at first."

"I... Well, that's true... Hey! We're hunters, shouldn't we hate all demons?"

"I mean, that's not possible even if we tried," Mira pointed at my body. "That would mean we would hate half of you, and we can't do that."

"We love all of you!" Zoey hugged me tightly.

Even though this hug was pretty suffocating, it did feel good to hear those words. It did feel good to know that they could look at my body and see me. Not the demon marks, but the actual me. I was just Rumi, a half-demon huntress who was working as a kpop idol. Rumi, a workaholic with unhealthy obsession about food. Rumi, who once she picked a sword, couldn't ever change her weapon of choice. That was who I am. Not the marks on my body. My eyes blurred as I felt the tears in them. Not now...

"We wouldn't be Huntrix without you," Mira added after Zoey let me go. How did she have so much strength inside of this body? Maybe our diet to eat as much as possible was working?

"Well, I wouldn't be who I am right now without you two," I smiled.

"Never again will I let us split, I pinky promise!" Zoey almost cried.

Mira quickly pinky promised with her, and I did the same. The bond that built between us was only growing stronger after the Idol Awards, and I was confident we were ready for whatever challenges awaited for us. Crazy fans, rumours, demons, didn't matter.

We were Huntrix. We were undefeated.

Mine and Mira's phone lighted up with a notification from our group chat. It turned out to be a photo of Hu and Wu holding the bags with food, while Jinu was smiling and making a peace sign. I smiled, saving the photo in my photo gallery.

I almost fell off the couch when I realised Zoey's face is millimetres from mine. "What the hell?"

"I saw that," she said with that huge smile on her face.

"The tiger and crow look very cute on the picture," I quickly explained.

"Right... The pets..."

I rolled my eyes, pushing off the girl's face from being so close to mine. I turned off my phone quickly and put it on the small table standing next to the couch.

And that's when I felt something was wrong. I wasn't really sure what was it, but something in my brain just shouted "danger". I looked around, wondering if maybe I'm mistaken. But I couldn't be, it was almost like I heard muted sounds of a voice trying to warn me. Something was definitely wrong.

"Eeee... Rumi..." Mira whispered.

"What?"

The girl pointed at something on me. I looked down, realising what she meant. My marks. They were going crazy, lighting and fading every second. What the...

"Jinu!"

"What?"

"Jinu is in danger!"

"How do you..."

"You think that's what it means?" Zoey asked, while observing my body.

"I'm not sure, it just feels like that's the answer," I explained. "I felt that something was wrong before my marks were going crazy, and I have no reason to think it's about him, but..."

Mira and Zoey nodded, putting the food on the table and quickly getting up. "Let's go then."

"I can go alone."

"We're not leaving you alone!" Zoey opposed. "We don't even know what's going on."

"Yeah, you two will kiss after we save the damsel," Mira nodded. "Come on girls!"

I laughed, running after them to the balcony. We could use an elevator. In theory. But why do that, when it was already getting dark, and jumping off the building was much faster? And it's not like we were risking anything. There was no height that was too much for us. We jumped a couple of roofs, looking around for any sign of Jinu. My marks were still acting strangely, which I didn't take for a good sign.

What id something actually happens to him? What if a demon gets him and I lose him? I couldn't even think about that. I will not let anyone or anything take him from me.

I mean, from the human realm.

"There!" Zoey pointed somewhere.

I saw it. Three demons tried to attack Jinu as he just slapped one in the face. I couldn't believe he did that. He, out of everyone, should know very well it won't help him much.

Mira was the first to jump and attack one of the demons, as me and Zoey followed her, each for one of them. I stood right in front of Jinu, grabbing my sword and slashing the demon that wanted to now jump on me. Soon after, he disappeared into thin air. I turned to look at Jinu.

"Are you okay?" I asked, checking him. He only chuckled.

"I am now," he said softly.

Chapter 13: Chapter Twelve

Notes:

Help, I'm forced to write chapters locked in my bestie's basement /j

We were sitting in our meeting room, while Bobby was turning on the projector to discuss the rest of the album's promotion while we're recording the rest of the songs.

This time I didn't sleep well, since this whole situation that happened with Jinu. I just... I couldn't close my eyes peacefully knowing that I could have lost him. He was pretty surprised we realised something was wrong before he even managed to send a message that he needs help. So the girls explained everything to him, alongside with my marks shining weirdly, which surprisingly made him smile. Zoey started joking about us being deeply connected, but I closed her mouth before she would say too much.

The way back was peaceful and quick, but after we finished the dinner and the girls decided to go to sleep, I just hid in my room, not really knowing what to do now. Not only the inside of my body was betraying me whenever I was with Jinu, but now it was also the outside. The only thing that I still had any control over was my own mind, although... did I?

"Alright!" I jumped after hearing Bobby clap his hands. Only Mira sitting next to me saw, but I showed her I'm fine. "Let's analyse what we have and create a plan for future moves."

"Ooh, it seems to be going well," Zoey said, observing the charts Bobby prepared. He smiled.

"It's better than good, girls, it's going incredibly good. You are breaking off the records, and it's still going! So many fans opened up about their experience on the set of the music video! All of their stories are really heartwarming and positive, so the song after that blew up even more!"

"Yay!"

"So knowing that, there is only one solution, which is," he switched the slides in his presentation. "A signing event a day before album release!" I nodded, hearing Mira's quiet "Sick", and Zoey's "Perfect". Bobby continued. "It will be enough time for Mira to already have more energy after getting her tattoo, and I believe you three will do a great job as always."

"You don't have to worry about that," I smiled, as I felt someone's leg leaning on my knee. I looked surprised under the table, rolling my eyes. My eyes focused on Jinu who sat opposite from me, but he acted as if he wasn't doing anything. I tried to kick him, but unfortunately I missed. His foot slowly tapped my leg, while I tried to focus on what Bobby was saying.

"And while we're talking about the tattoos, I have even better news," he was smiling from ear to ear, switching to yet another slide. "Your plan worked!"

I wanted to say something, but Jinu just pulled my leg, making me slip on my chair. I tried to kick him again, but unfortunately still missed. Mira gave me a questioning look, and I just shook my face. Nothing to worry about, just an ancient dumbass. I looked at him annoyed, which didn't help. He rested his head on his hands, while looking at me with a smug face. Since when was this table so small? I never remembered there was so little personal space while sitting there.

"The fans not only are loving Rumi's tattoos, complimenting the delicate colours and interesting shape, they obviously loved Mira's," Bobby continued, not being aware that I was being distracted. Good. "So many comments under your music video are about Mira's tattoo and how incredible it is. Most fans even say it's weird Rumi got one sooner than Mira, which... I guess makes sense." The three of us exchanged looks, knowing very well Mira did, in fact, have a tattoo before me. "But it doesn't matter! What matters is that many fans are loving the more "mature" concept you three are clearly going for and they can't wait for the full album."

"I told you all the tattoo will be a good idea," Mira smiled, clearly proud of herself.

"It was an amazing idea!"

I felt Jinu lifting my right leg up and putting it on his knees. I tried to show him with my eyes to stop whatever he was doing, but he only smiled at me. Why was he being even more annoying than usually?!

He held my leg with one hand so I couldn't even move it back.

"And the last thing!" I turned to Bobby, trying to ignore the burning feeling on my skin under Jinu's hand. "This one surprised me, I won't lie to you," Bobby switched the slides, while I was trying to get Jinu's attention so he would stop playing. "Jinu and Rumi!"

"Huh?" I turned to see the presentation and gasped at the amount of fanarts of the two of us. Mir and Zoey chuckled. "What is that?!"

"That's what your fans have been doing for the last twenty four hours," Bobby explained. "I must say, they're quite fast... But anyway, my point is that surprisingly the dating rumours only helped you grow more. People want to see more of..." he squinted to read the title of his own slide. I sighed amused. "Rujinu... Yeah!"

"I was right!" Zoey got up from her chair, pointing at me. "See? And you thought I'm crazy!"

"Wait, but how did that even happen? Jinu appeared for a couple of seconds in the music video," I shook my head, not believing what was going on right now.

"I knew you would ask," Bobby was clearly proud of the work he put in this presentation. Well, the slides looked really nice, I had to admit. "I searched the internet to understand it myself, and I found the reasons. Starting with the fact that Jinu appears after Rumi in the music video and fans took it for a sign."

"That doesn't even make any sense!"

"These people are more delusional than I thought," Mira whistled.

"But that's not everything!" Bobby continued. "They connected the places where Jinu and Rumi appear in the music video are opposites which could show that they were "music rivals drawn to each other"," Bobby read, while I felt my face warming up again. "And then some people started sharing the stories from the set and how Jinu couldn't keep his eyes off of Rumi for even two seconds."

Mira and Zoey gave him a side eye, at which he just shrugged. He seemed too calm about all of it. I felt his fingers drawing small circles on my leg, as I was nervously playing with my bracelet.

"And my favourite one, a cherry on top!" I turned to Bobby again, already scared of what was it this time. "The fans realised you two wear matching bracelets! And that did it, you're a full-time ship now. No escape." I laid my face on the table, feeling the air in my lungs escape. Unbelievable. Completely unbelievable. "So, to summarise, we will organise a signing event, I'm proposing we make one version of the album with your tattoos as a theme, and we should use the... Rujinu ship somehow since the water is still boiling hot."

"Uhm... about that, I don't think..."

"I could come to the event as well," Jinu suddenly said, making me turn my head quickly to him. "There are still some fans of the Saja Boys, so why not. Maybe that will be enough to keep this whole thing fresh."

"I agree!" Zoey jumped into the idea immediately.

"Well, the Saja Boys split up, so it won't be a threat of any kind," Mira shrugged. "So why not."

"I think we should focus more on our album then on whatever this is," I said quickly. "I'm all in for those two first ideas. I'm sure they will get a great response. But to keep the ship... that's just lying to the fans..."

"Is it?" Mira whispered, at which I hit her in the arm.

"It will be much better to just focus on the songs and actual promotion."

"You're right, Rumi," Bobby nodded, as I sighed with relief. Even if anything was to happen between me and Jinu, I would not let it be public. It would be a disaster, to say the least, I was pretty sure about that. "I'll leave the ship for another meeting when I come up with a better plan," I shook my head. That was not what I meant at all! "Right now, you three girls go and focus on recording the rest of the songs. Good luck today at the studio! Call me if you need anything!"

Bobby quickly turned off the projector, closing his laptop and leaving the room. I closed my eyes, not believing what had just happened. Why was everything so complicated?

"Okay, time to go to our studio and record our next song!" Zoey got up, stretching her arms. "What are we doing today?"

"I'd say "Shadows under my bed", since that one is also finished," Mira said.

Oh no. Oh no, no, no. I collected all my strength to quickly stand up. "You know what Jinu, maybe you should go to the apartment sooner, like maybe... now?"

"What?"

"What? No!" Zoey opposed quickly. "Who will I talk to about the different dynasties fashion with?"

"Since when were you two even talking about things like that?" Mira asked surprised.

"Since Zoey asked me about that four days ago," Jinu explained.

"Yeah! I need him to stay, he knows so many interesting things."

"Zoey..." I sighed.

"Rumi..." the second I looked at the girl, I saw the puppy eyes she was making. Ugh, it was impossible to win with her, the power of being a maknae was too strong.

"Fine."

"Yay!"

Zoey left the room in a second, dragging Jinu with her as I shook my head. Mira didn't comment, she just chuckled and also left the room to go to our studio. I bit my lip. I had to drag my part, I was too scared to let him hear it. Why was I so nervous anyway? It was just a small part of lyrics, it was nothing. And who said it was about him? The song was just about the shadows, nothing else.

Oh, who was I kidding?

I dragged my feet to the studio, where Jinu was already comfortably sitting on the couch, while the girls were discussing the soundtrack. That's right, the soundtrack! We had a little more to do today and a little less time because of the meeting, so I had higher chances of actually postponing my part till tomorrow. And then I could wake up earlier, go to the studio and record it myself. Or get one of the girls, but without waking up Jinu.

Yes, that was a perfect plan. I sat down on a chair between the girls, trying to not look at Jinu. My leg was still tickling whenever I thought of his hand on it. No! Focus!

"I would add violin in the chorus," Mira said, as we both turned to her. "What? It would bring more of that spooky energy."

"Hmm... it might work..." Zoey nodded, while we decided to experiment on that.

Time in the studio passed differently, so I never knew how much time we were stuck in there. Sometimes I could sit inside alone even twelve hours, and it felt like two. There also wasn't any clock on the wall to check the time, while my phone was too far away to grab it. And I really didn't care that much about the time to move so much.

Finally, we managed to finish the soundtrack, deciding to text Bobby to get some food to the studio. We were starving, just like always. But tomorrow we planned a whole day of dance practice for "Takedown" and "What it Sounds Like", so the energy will be very much needed.

"I can go first," Mira got up.

"Okay, then we'll start from your part first," Zoey nodded, while sorting everything. I just sat there, carefully watching the girls. "Okay, everything is ready."

Mira entered the recording booth as the door from the studio opened rapidly.

"I am so sorry!" We heard a woman's voice.

"That's okay, you are not late," I said, not even turning back.

"I didn't manage to stop them they were too fast..." she continued.

Wait, what? This time I turned around to see who the hell did the woman meant.

Notes:

I JUST found out the tiger and the bird were officially given names, but too late, I'm leaving my own names here, should have announced it sooner

Chapter 14: Chapter Thirteen

Notes:

I only wanted to start this chapter and go to sleep, but I wrote the whole thing on accident

The woman was leaning on her legs, clearly out of breath, as the two uninvited guests were still standing in the studio. Zoey almost dropped her pen, while Mira opened the door from the booth to make sure she's not hallucinating. I blinked a couple of more times to give myself time to realise what is going on right now, while Jinu stood up slowly, observing the "guests".

"How did you..."

"Jinu! Here you are!" Romance was the first one. He just smiled and walked up to the surprised boy. "You know how difficult it was to find you? We would never expect for you to hide with the hunters."

"Wait a second..." Baby tilted his head and squinted his eyes, observing Jinu. He slowly took two steps forward. "Are you... a human now?"

"I am."

Both of them gasped surprised and started walking around him, asking how he's feeling and how did it happen. I showed the woman that everything is okay, so she left with a relieved expression, while me and the girls stood there, observing the whole situation.

"Guys, guys!" Jinu stopped both of them, holding their shirts. "I'm human not sick!"

"Isn't that the same thing?" Romance scoffed.

The three of us rolled our eyes. What a nice guy, really.

"How did the two of you survive?"

"Well these two only really attacked Abby and Mystery, so we were almost untouched," Baby explained, pointing at Mira and Zoey.

"Fuck!" Mira swore, as I gave her a reminder. "Sorry."

"Okay..." Jinu started massaging his head, clearly tired already of these two. I smiled. It was funny to see him like that. This time it wasn't me who was annoyed, but him. I really enjoyed it, not really understanding why. "And how did you know I am alive? I myself am pretty confused about it."

"Oh, right, I forgot how young of a demon you are," Baby chuckled, while sitting on the couch comfortably. Jinu young? How ancient was this one then? "Gwi-Ma was defeated right? That means every demon he "killed" and every soul he has ever stolen came back. The demons rise again, mostly as their first form, and the people come back to life, their souls returned."

"Whaaaat?!" The four of us said surprised.

"Yeah!" He looked at us confused. "What the hell did you guys thought happened?"

"We had no idea, we were trying to figure it out," Zoey said.

"Okay, so wait, those soulless demon in human realm are just the demons killed by Gwi-Ma?" I asked.

"Basically, yes," Baby nodded.

"But there are some demons like us who were just lucky enough to stay here before you sealed the honmoon this year, and somehow we weren't thrown down again," Romance smiled, sitting next to Baby.

"Yeah, that part is confusing for us too, especially since this honmoon is the strongest it has ever been. I don't really understand how can we be here."

I needed to sit down again. It was so much information at once that I needed a minute to process it. Honmoon was the strongest it has ever been, and yet the demons weren't stopped by it.

"Can it be because the demon realm got destroyed maybe?" Mira asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Let's say that theoretically we destroyed the demon realm. Is it possible that this is the reason some demons weren't banished by honmoon and instead suffer here, on earth?"

Baby thought for a second, after which he nodded slowly. "It is possible... We did lose connection with the demon realm after all..."

"Wouldn't that mean that the honmoon is useless then?" I sighed. "It exists to keep you demons away. If it can't keep you away without the demon realm, it's practically useless."

"Hey, I'm not a hunter to know these things," Baby raised his hands defensively. "I told you what I know already."

"Why do you seem so helpful though?" Mira asked, as Zoey stopped her from getting her weapon.

"Cause if I had a choice, I wouldn't even bother stepping in your human realm, nor feeding on those dirty souls."

"You watch whose souls you call dirty!" Zoey snapped, as I grabbed her to not jump onto this demon.

"Yeah, if it wasn't for Gwi-Ma who was forcing everyone else, I wouldn't show up here either," Romance yawned. "Well, actually being a kpop boy band was fun, but our "king" really ruined the fun."

"You cannot be serious," Mira scoffed, her arms crossed, but ready to attack.

"Listen, if I was that obsessed with eating souls or becoming powerful, trust me, I would take this second chance to hide in the shadows and avoid the three of you as much as possible," Baby said. "I'm not stupid, you know. I know we don't have much chances with you, and I definitely don't want to end up like Abby or Mystery."

"Wait, what exactly happened to them?" I asked, predicting the answer.

"They're most probably dead-dead," Mystery responded.

"Ugh, why did we have to kill the best ones..." Mira groaned, as Zoey nodded. Jinu shook his head amused, bringing my attention back to him. He looked quite happy to see these two again. So maybe they were okay?

They were demons, what was I even thinking about?

"Why were the two of you looking for me anyway?" Jinu finally asked.

"What? Isn't it obvious?" Baby asked surprised.

"We want the Saja Boys to be back of course!" Romance explained.

"What?!" I screamed.

"Not again..." Mira groaned.

"There's no way!" Zoey opposed.

"Think about it carefully," Baby said as he put his arm around Jinu's shoulders. "All of us enjoyed being a boy band, and although you're not a demon now, you still remember everything, so you would do well as a leader."

"There's only three of us, so it will be even easier to organise everything," added Romance, smiling right after. "And, we can have as many cute girls as we want, isn't it great?"

"Disgusting..." Mira murmured.

"Uhh..." Jinu looked at him weirdly. "I don't really need any cute girls."

"Oh, right. We forgot," the pink guy chuckled. I raised my eyebrows, now curious what he meant. "But pursuing a music career would be nice, don't you think?"

"It's not like you can just go to normal work, you missed too much to keep up with everything perfectly," Baby added.

"Wait a second, you two stop this instant," Zoey stepped up. "You are not taking him anywhere, he is now staying here, with us."

"Ha, to do what? Sit in one place and look pretty?" Baby scoffed.

"How old are you exactly?" I couldn't help but ask.

"Almost eight hundred years old. Or maybe I am already eight hundred years..." he thought for a second, but then just shrugged. "Doesn't make that much difference really."

"You're basically archaic at this point!" Zoey exclaimed, as shocked as me and Mira.

"He's seven hundred years, I don't see the appeal."

"Abby was the youngest from our group, while Jinu was second youngest," Romance explained.

"What about Mystery?"

"Perfectly in the middle."

"So not that bad..."

"Zoey!" Me and Mira couldn't believe her.

"I know, I know! He's dead-dead, I remember."

"That wasn't really..." I tried, but then just gave up. "Never mind."

Baby and Romance quickly went back to business, focusing on Jinu. He looked at them, still pretty confused, as they were waiting for his answer.

"You could be our second manager!" Zoey said quickly, shifting his attention to her. "Right?"

"I mean... I see no problems," Mira shrugged. "I think he might be good at that."

"Do you think Bobby would agree?" I asked, thinking if this was a good idea.

Nothing that included Jinu in the plan was a good idea. Jinu as a whole person was the worst idea, especially for me.

"Why not? He seems overworked, he would have some help."

"I bet he would warm up to him, they just need some time," Zoey smiled widely.

"Come on, we can't make music without you," Romance tried again.

Jinu looked at the two demons, and then at Mira and Zoey. After that, his eyes stopped on me, as I felt this tingling feeling in my stomach. I really didn't want him to leave already. It seemed stupid, but I was still anxious I might lose him in a second. And even though being with two demons seemed also quite safe, what if they actually wanted to kill him? Or what if they wouldn't protect him? Or what if they would just start the rivalry with us all over again and Jinu wouldn't have as much time as he know had?

I was becoming egoistic...

"Right now I'm on holidays, so I'm not thinking about any kind of work," Jinu finally said, making my chest ten times lighter. "So I'll stay with the girls until I decide to do something with myself. And even then, I can't promise anything."

"Very well then," Baby stood up. "Just so you all know, I will not give up so easily."

"Nor will I," added Romance.

"Ha! Good luck!" Zoey showed her tongue at them.

"Don't forget to close the door when you leave," Mira smiled.

And as suddenly as they appeared in the studio, they also disappeared. I looked down on my notebook laying on the table. Surprisingly, I was glad we had the chance to talk to these two, since they answered some of our most important questions. I was guessing the fact that Jinu still remembered everything was thanks to the fact he was not a demon anymore when he got "killed" by Gwi-Ma. But the rest of the demons obviously didn't have such luck, and now we saw the consequences. Basically the demons being too careless, while hiding right under our noses.

It dod make the job easier though...

"I'm going back to the booth then, let's finally record this song," said Mira, entering the small room again.

Zoey quickly sat down on a chair next to me and prepared the soundtrack, while the girl inside was also getting prepared. I took a deep breath to focus on the job right now. I didn't have a deadline considering defeating the demons, as opposed to our album release. So the priorities were pretty obvious.

Mira was doing surprisingly well, and mid time her recording time, we finally got the food Bobby organised for us. That motivated the girl even more and she really focused on her parts. Mira didn't have many lines, since she wasn't really a fan of singing or rapping as much as me and Zoey. She preferred to dance and always asked to sing less, so we respected her wishes. That was also why her recordings took the smallest amount of time. It was much shorter than mine or Zoey's.

The four of us sat down. Zoey and Mira jumped on the food immediately, and the only reason I didn't was the fact that I was very aware of Jinu's presence. Probably too aware. The table next to the couch was so small it barely fit all the meals we ordered without stacking up any plates. But the drinks had to land on the floor or were just held by us, since there was no other room for them anymore. We swallowed the food just as quickly as usually, very happy bout the little treat we got and motivated to do more. Zoey definitely gained a lot of energy, since she was like a kid after three cups of black coffee now. I was pretty sure that if she wanted to, she would be jumping from wall to wall like spiderman.

"Come on, we still have a lot to do," I said, dragging the girl inside the booth.

I prepared the soundtrack, putting on the right moment for her to start, waiting for a sign I can play it. Zoey showed thumbs up, and I pressed the play button. Me and Mira started wondering what was in the food, that Zoey managed to do so well, but obviously we were happy about it. Her voice was perfectly stable, while her rap was flowing effortlessly. I smiled, listening to the recording, really proud of how she did.

"I think you really outdid yourself there," I said when Zoey left the booth. She smiled proudly.

"Am I the best or what?"

"Or what," Mira replied, turning to me with a weird smile. "Rumi, now it's your turn."

"I'm going, I'm going. Better to have it finished already," I got up from my chair and entered the room.

I flipped the papers inside to the beginning, freezing in a second. Right. It was my turn. I know realised why Mira was smiling like that. I looked at the girls who were showing me thumbs up. I took a deep breath with my eyes closed. I could do this. It was nothing. Nothing serious.

As the music started playing, I couldn't help myself but look at Jinu who's eyes were already at me. My chest warmed up again.

My feelings were rapidly deepening...

Chapter 15: Chapter Fourteen

I was now sitting behind a kitchen counter, while most of the lights were already turned off. Maybe I was going crazy in a way, but I couldn't help it anymore. I realised that I won't get a peaceful sleep until I see Jinu falling asleep safely on the couch, so I decided to just make sure he does. But I wasn't really sure how should I do it so I just... decided to hide and listen carefully for his breath to stabilise. That should be enough for me to go to bed peacefully.

The recording went pretty peacefully, although I was blushing all over after I saw Jinu smiling while listening to those lyrics. I did write them myself, but I wasn't ready to sing them in front of him, especially since I couldn't take my eyes off of him, which only made matters worse. Fortunately, he didn't say anything, but unfortunately, Zoey and Mira were smiling at me like stupid. It was probably the craziest recording day I've ever experienced by far. Actually, since Jinu appeared in my life, a lot has happened in my life. A lot of new things, emotions, situations. He was like a hurricane that entered through all the windows and just stayed inside.

I looked down on my knees where my phone was peacefully waiting for me to pick it up and finish another song. Just three more to go and I'll be finished. I could do it, I knew I could. There was still time, and I knew I will make it.

This album, these songs... they were meant to help our fans, to help them feel seen and heard, but they also helped us. They let us speak up and show our true colours. It was really an incredible medicine I never knew I needed. This album was our katharsis.

I turned on my phone, entering the notes app where I had the draft of the lyrics. Three more songs, I could do it. Even if my thoughts were mostly occupied by other things I could...

That was the perfect idea for a song. My thoughts always running to places they don't belong. My head spinning and keeping me awake at night.

"Like a rabbit trying to escape,
A fox waiting for its prey,
I'm all of that at once
My head split in half."

My fingers stopped, as I tried to form a rational thought. I needed to make full understandable lyrics, it wasn't just a case of "whatever comes into your head is good". I turned off the phone, tapping my fingers on the screen. I hated those moments when I couldn't write down a lyrics. It wasn't even a problem of me not knowing what to sing about, it was a problem of me not knowing how to sing about it. I entered the notes app again, reading what I wrote down all over.

"The calendar on my wall is screaming
While I can't meet..."

"What are you doing?"

I could swear my own soul just left my body for a couple of seconds, that's how scared I got. I looked up, seeing Jinu laying on the counter on his stomach and looking down at me. Since when was he even there and how did I not realise? Jinu smiled, seeing my reaction.

"I should be the one scared. You're curled up down here like a murderer or someone with bad intentions," he chuckled.

The only light that enabled me to see anything in the kitchen was from a huge standing lamp in the living room that had a nice warm colour. It was right now perfectly defining Jinu's body, shining perfectly from behind. It made him look more approachable, the warm tones crashing on his purple marks and changing the colour of the white shirt he was sleeping in. He tilted his head to the side, looking at me with raised eyebrows and an amused look.

"Hello? Rumi?" Jinu waved his hand in front of me as I realised that I haven't spoken a single word yet. Get a grip, girl!

"I didn't want to scare you," this was the best I could come up with right now. It wasn't anything good. If I could, I would just hide under the ground.

"I think I scared you more a couple of seconds ago, so you have nothing to apologise for," Jinu smiled, as I still looked at him carefully.

I couldn't even describe this feeling anymore. It was as if every time I saw him, I just didn't want him to disappear. My eyes couldn't leave him, no matter how much I tried. He was like a siren song, trying to bring me to my doom. Trying to break my spirit. I took a deep breath to calm down my pulse.

"So? What are you doing here?"

"I'm... uh..." what the hell was I supposed to say? I'm waiting for you to fall asleep? Who does that? "I'm checking the floor."

"Checking the floor?" Jinu raised his eyebrows again, completely not buying my story. To be fair, I wouldn't either.

I quickly got up, fixing my pyjama. "Yeah! It's quite comfortable, I might go here more often."

I closed my eyes, hearing myself how ridiculous that sounds. Jinu quickly came off the kitchen counter, now standing right next to me. He looked down, examining the floor. "Is it that comfortable?"

I closed my mouth annoyed, knowing very well he was making fun of me right now. I crossed my arms, leaning my back on the counter. "That's not funny."

Jinu chuckled and looked at me again. Now, when the light was falling right on his face, his eyes seemed to glow in this beautiful warm brown. Was there any place that could imitate exactly this colour so I could drown in it? "Will you tell me what were you actually doing here?"

" I was... looking after..." I said slowly, looking around Jinu so I wouldn't have to see his face right now.

"After what?"

"Well, I just wanted to stay here for an hour maybe to make sure no demons will attack. You know, lately they've been really unpredictable and..."

I gasped when Jinu leaned both his hands on the counter behind me. I looked around his face confused, as he was again piercing me with that look. My breath was shallow again, as my heart started beating faster. How could I still react in such a stupid way to his shenanigans?

"You mean to tell me..." he started slowly, his voice lower and deeper again, "that you were sitting hidden on the kitchen floor to protect us all from demons while the rest peacefully sleeps?"

"Maybe..." I whispered slowly.

"Then why would you need to hide down here?"

"I..." I sighed, already giving up. "You will not let me have this, will you?" Jinu shook his head. "I wanted to make sure you fall asleep safely, because other way I won't be able to sleep myself. After what happened when the demons attacked you I'm constantly thinking about that, and knowing you're not really good at combat doesn't make it any easier, and..."

His hands grabbed my waist, as he put me on the counter, leaning even closer now. The words stopped midway in my throat, as I tried to continue but couldn't. I was only opening my mouth like a fish or something similar. He was so close, standing between my legs and still having his hands behind my back, as I had to control ever cell in my body. I forced myself to look only in his eyes, which didn't really help me, but I didn't have any better idea. I couldn't look around, it would just make everything more difficult.

"You know that if Pinky found out you can't sleep because I'm worrying you, she would literally beat me?" He asked quietly with a small smile. How could he smile now?

"It's not your fault though..." I said. "I just..."

"Worry?"

After Jinu said that word, I felt my chest tightening again. I was worrying, of course I was. But admitting this to his face was much more difficult than I expected. Should he know that I care about him that much? Maybe I should ignore him more, keep him on distance?

But how could I keep him on distance, when these eyes were calling me every time I looked into them?

I nodded slowly. Jinu looked around my face, not saying a word, which only made me more anxious. How stupid of me to even come up with such an idea? Was I completely losing my mind?

I saw Jinu smiling slowly. "I don't want you to sacrifice your own health for me," he said, his voice soft and low.

"I'm not sacrificing, I'm just..."

"Rumi," he stopped me, putting his finger on my lips. My eyes widened, as I felt the tingling feeling again. I tried to focus on his face, but it was almost impossible. Jinu sighed suddenly, then looked at me again. "This one time you can stay and make sure I'm safe. But this one. You need sleep."

I looked at him, now even more confused. "Wait, really?"

"But please don't sit on the floor," he chuckled, and quickly put me down on the floor again. Every time Jinu touched me, my body was burning. "It's not very comfortable."

"I just told you it's pretty comfortable," I crossed my arms, but still walked to the living room.

"How comfortable can a floor be? Especially when you have so much comfortable furniture to sit on around. Besides, I like the idea you'll be the last person I'll see before I fall asleep."

I turned my head to look out the window, feeling my face burn after what Jinu said. Why did he have to always say some stupid things like that? How could I even try to be calm around him, when he was acting like this? I jumped onto the armchair next to the couch that was already prepared for Jinu to sleep on it. Actually, why did we have an apartment with no place for a guest just in case? The three of us never thought about that and now he had to sleep in our living room.

I crossed my legs, holding my phone and curling in the armchair like a ball, hoping he won't look at my face. "Just act as if I'm not even here."

"Ha, that's impossible," he chuckled, sitting on the couch. "Didn't you hear? I can't take my eyes off you."

I grabbed the closest thing to me, which turned out to be a candle, and threw it at him. "Can you stop being so annoying already?" I stopped. "Very funny."

"Ouch."

"You deserve it."

"Hey, I wasn't the one hiding in the kitchen like a creep."

"A creep?! A... a creep?!" I scoffed. "Ha, you wish! Why would I... no!"

Jinu laughed. "What was that then? Isn't this similar behaviour to what saesangs do?" He tilted his head. "Are you a fan of the Saja Boys too then?"

"Oh, please! Now you're being ridiculous!" My blood was boiling already. "A fan? Of what? One hot that got forgotten after a week? Yeah, right!"

"And yet I heard some of your fans on set still humming our song."

"That's it," I got up irritated. "Never mind, I am leaving, I..." I stopped, feeling Jinu's hand on my wrist. Ah, the deja vu...

"I'm sorry. Stay please," he whispered. "I won't be joking anymore, I promise."

I turned to look at him. How could I say no? I just sat back down in the armchair, looking at Jinu slowly laying down. Ugh, why was I being so odd lately? To need to see him fall asleep so I could go to bed peacefully? And how could he just accept it as if it wasn't one of the weirdest things he probably heard from another person?

Well, he did live for four hundred years, but I doubted anyone ever acted as weirdly as me. And me... I was just... really intoxicated by his eyes...

*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚

I smiled, seeing Rumi fall asleep in a minute after closing her eyes. My heart was still beating unnecessarily fast, especially when she was right in front of my eyes. I got up from the couch, sitting quietly on the carpet right in front of her. She was obviously exhausted, especially if she had some sleepless nights lately. I sighed, realising that the only way to take any weight off her shoulders was to ask either Zoey or Pinky for help. I wasn't maybe as skilled in combat, but nor were the demons, if they would just teach me even the basics, it would make me safer and Rumi's mind more peaceful.

But the thought that she was so worried about me was... I closed my eyes to stabilise my breath. No, no. I had to focus.

How could one focus when she was right there? She was like an endless charm that made me crave all of her. I craved the smallest feeling of her skin, I missed looking into her eyes, and I needed to hear her voice. This siren voice that made my mind go completely blank every time she spoke, or, god forbid, every time she sang. She was like those colourful and beautiful flowers. But she was a flower that bit, she was a deadly flower, the one that could eliminate me in seconds.And yet she was the one who gave me my life back.

I slowly stood up, listening carefully if Rumi was still sleeping. She was. Without even thinking much about it, I put my hand on her hair, observing it carefully. I was wondering how long was actually her hair, considering how long it was even in a braid. Maybe one day I'll be able to see them down.

Maybe one day I'll get her trust back.

She looked so beautiful, her marks barely visible in the light of the lamp standing close to us. I preferred it when I could see them clearly though. Demon marks always reminded me of shame, of guilt, but hers immediately made me think of freedom. They were like a beautiful river running through her skin and giving her more power than she thought. I remembered the Idol Awards, I remembered her voice. She was strong, much stronger than she imagined, and I wanted to help her realise.

Jinu, focus.

I slowly lifted her up, walking into her room. I would never let her sleep in such an uncomfortable position. After slowly putting Rumi in her bed, I placed her phone on a night stand, and crouched down, right next to the edge of the bed.

"If I had to chose one person to see for the last time," I whispered. "It would always be you."

Notes:

Hopefully I'll manage to write one more chapter today, but unfortunately I have to take a break and go study (I prefer my fanfic but what can I do)

Chapter 16: Chapter Fifteen

Notes:

I am slowly realising how little lore was actually explained in the movie so I WILL DO IT MYSELF

"Soo... How exactly do we get the weapons?" I asked, sitting in a pretty comfortable chair, still looking at Celine.

To be completely honest, I was still pretty sceptical about the whole being demon hunter thing. I mean sure, it did sound fun, and I wouldn't really expect such a kpop star like Celine to just get two random girls and prank them that there are demons stealing humans' souls. Especially after a longer conversation with her. And well, it would explain why my uncle from my mother's side suddenly disappeared one day from his work and nobody realised. Not that I mourned him, cause he wasn't really a person I was on good terms with, but I did felt better knowing what happened. I felt better, cause my parents would never get the answers and I just got the on a silver plate.

But still, me, a demon hunter? With these two? I turned to my right to see an excited girl with black hair tied up in two buns. Zoey, was it? I saw her lyrics yesterday, when I decided to take a peek inside her notebook. They were actually very good, which surprised me. The way she described it, I was expecting a complete trash, or at least something similar. She was getting all nervous when I and... Rumi, wanted to see something made by her. And then I found the best ever songs I have ever seen. Unreleased. That was a crime, I must say.

Also I remembered hearing something about her winning a rap battle with another kpop idol, which was how she blew up in the media and was found by Celine.

Me? I just dropped university, since no matter if I even finished medicine with straight A's, I would still not be enough for my family, and started dancing, posting it on social media. Then a couple of smaller artists asked me to be their background dancer, for which I agreed, cause I wouldn't waste a chance like that. And now I was supposed to become a full time artist. Maybe my voice wasn't bad-sounding when I was singing, but it was definitely nothing special, I was sure they would easily find dancers with more musical talent than me.

"Oh, it's simple really," Celine smiled, standing up from her seat. "See, the weapons are connected to you," to prove that, she grabbed a weapon that appeared out of nowhere. "And, most importantly, to your norigae."

"Norigae?" I scoffed.

"You mean these hanbok accessories?" Zoey asked.

"Exactly, they are necessary for you to get your own hunter weapon and control it without any problems."

"Wouldn't that mean anyone could become a hunter?" I raised my eyebrows.

"It's not that simple," I turned to Rumi, who spoke this time. "You know the story of the hunters already and you're aware that honmoon is sealed thanks to the music sang by the hunters. To become a hunter you need to have a very deep connection with music, to turn it into a shield, into your strength. It's not just about singing whatever we like and slaying demons sometimes, it's much deeper."

I nodded, starting to understand why they might have found me.

To be honest, I never really cared much about basically anything. Whatever I did, it was somehow wrong. I read my first book when I was four, my brother did it when he was three. I got an A minus on a test, my brother got perfect scores. I played piano, but my brother was already in an orchestra. Besides, even when I tried to pick up things which my brother never touched, I still wasn't good enough. I wasn't perfect. It didn't really take me a long time to act just like my family expected. An imperfect child, a problematic kid. And it all started through dance and music.

That was exactly what freed me, that was what has given me the strength and courage to go against all of the family values I was taught by far. Those tenth birthday when I got my first MP3 from grandma was the last time when my family saw me trying to fit in. Since the day I started listening to punk rock, grunge or alt-rock, I dropped everything that was suffocating me before. It wasn't really difficult, since I wasn't really connected with the people I shared the house with. I wouldn't say I could ever call them my family. They were just people who shared genes with me and which I had to listen to for eighteen years of my life. That was it. They were feeding me, complaining, buying me things, expecting. Nothing more, nothing less.

As it turned out, my rebellion was easier than I prepared myself for. Nobody was surprised, not even realising they were a huge reason behind me turning out like this. Now I wasn't surprised either, I studied psychology for two years before dropping university, so I learned some interesting stuff I didn't even realised before. And although I didn't regret completely changing my life like that and risking it all for dance, I was still using what I learned on a daily basis, catching patterns and reading people pretty easily.

"Besides," my thoughts stopped, as I turned to look at Celine. "To create a norigae that will stabilise your control and deepen your connection with the weapons, you need to set your intentions straight. You have to be fully aware of what purpose it will serve you, while creating it yourself."

"We get to make them ourselves?" Zoey's eyes widened with excitement.

I had an opportunity of spending a day with her already, and, as much as I wanted to deny, I grew pretty fond of this girl already. She was full of life and energy, which usually annoyed me a lot, but it made me actually like Zoey even more. I wasn't really sure why that was, maybe it was about how she used that energy differently from others I met, who seemed similar at first. Or maybe it was just because of how warm her whole personality was and simply genuine, without any masks, any walls.

My eyes unconsciously went to Rumi. Unlike Zoey, this girl had put like hundreds of walls around her, which was not as surprising, considering who raised her. I would get a tomato thrown in my face for saying that publicly, but I wasn't a fan of Celine. Something about her just screamed "biased", and not in a good way. She reminded me too much of my own family. And I guess I felt drawn to Rumi, because despite those walls, she was genuine towards us. She was welcoming, and seemed even relieved to see us when we met for the first time. So even though this girl had a secret or two, I knew I can trust her with my life.

"Yes, every hunter makes their own norigae, that's how they are so powerful."

"Does that mean that when I create my norigae, I will automatically get my weapon?" I asked.

"Basically yes, that's how it works," Celine nodded. "Although it's not like the weapon will magically appear the second you finish your norigae, you still have to... hm..." she thought for a second, "call for it."

"Call for it?" Zoey frowned confused.

"That's some witchcraft if I ever seen one," I added.

"You can interpret it however you want," Celine reached out both of her hands to me and Zoey. "So? What do you say?"

I looked at Zoey, who seemed pretty excited and then at Rumi who was waiting nervously.

And that was how Huntrix was made. A kpop girl group who was now being trained to become demon hunters. Who would have thought life could get this crazy? Definitely not me. But hey, it happened and I didn't really have any complaints, since it turned out to be the best decision of my life.

A week after the conversation with Celine and signing a contract with the company, we got our small flat with a shared room, nice and cozy living room, a little small kitchen, and a pretty bathroom. And that same day, when we were moving in, Celine dropped the materials for us to make our own norigae. The three of us sat on the carpet that evening, still tired from the budy day of moving in and idol training. We were too excited to wait with this anymore. We were about to connect ourselves to magical weapons, we were about to become actual demon hunters.

Ha, that sounded so cool, even in my head.

I looked at many materials that were right now in the centre, suddenly realising one very important thing I forgot about before.

"How exactly do you make one?" I asked, looking at Zoey and Rumi.

"Uhm..."

"I know!" Zoey almost jumped with her phone out. "I was watching youtube tutorials this whole week to learn! Don't worry about a thing, we can definitely do it!"

Even though I knew this girl was crazy, it did make me calmer to know she spent her free time on learning how to do an ancient accessory. I smiled, looking around for the things I wanted to include. That's when I also understood that making one norigae will not be an easy one-hour activity, but this small thing will take us a couple of days, especially knowing our busy schedule.

"Celine said we have to take our time to make them, so they're perfectly like we want them to be," Rumi said, almost reading my mind. "This way the connection with our weapons will actually be strong and stable."

"As if being a kpop idol isn't enough work," I sighed.

Although it did seem like a lot of work, I was still happy about this whole thing. I was excited for our first song to come out, I was motivated to do my best with the dance choreography. And I was definitely impatiently waiting to slay my first demon. This part was probably my favourite right now. It was like some kind of movie with those characters with great fashion sense and amazing combat skills that were basically undefeated when together, so everyone tried to turn them against each other, not managing to.

I looked up at the girls again. Was it possible for the three of us to become so close? Would I finally, after all these years, experience what the word "home" actually feels like? Could these two girls be my family? An actual, real family, that felt like it?

"I want mine to be pink," I said out loud.

"I want a yellow one," Zoey smiled.

"I want purple."

The three of us picked our colours, taking a piece of paper to experiment with shapes we would like. I had to admit that Celine was really prepared. Not only were there usual materials to do a basic, simple norigae, but also a lot of accessories we could add to them to personalise them. Hm, pretty modern for a woman who clearly obsessed over tradition. Cool.

Unfortunately, I underestimated the "art" of making ancient accessories. We spent a whole evening only planning how we wanted our norigae to look like, which was pretty much it, and I still had to fix some things, knowing this was not my final design. Our room became a mess because of those little bastards, but we didn't really have as much time to clean it if we still wanted to rest for some time and get any sleep.

Those next three days we were training intensely, while trying to plan our norigae's in the evenings. Both the trainings and those evenings really brought us closer to each other. I started opening up and talking more, finally seeing my real personality show. It felt as if something really heavy started slowly disappearing from my chest every minute I got to spend with the girls. Every other night I was going to sleep, my body became more relaxed.

So the evening when I finally finished the draft of my norigae and how I wanted it to look, I knew that I needed to add some accessories.

Most important of them being small figurines of Zoey and Rumi.

Chapter 17: Chapter Sixteen

Notes:

I'm getting closer and closer to twenty chapters, and yet the plot of this story is just beginning...

I felt something very heavy on my body, immediately waking up. It was Hu that laid on my legs and started purring, although I wasn't sure how he got in my room.

Actually, a better question. How did I get in my own room? I didn't really remember what happened after I decided to stay with Jinu until he falls asleep. Did he fall asleep and I went back to my bed? How could I not remember anything about it then?

I turned on my phone to see the time, when I frowned, seeing a small note under it. That definitely wasn't there before. Without even checking the hour like I first intended to, I just grabbed the piece of paper, curious what it was and where it came from.

"Did you know you snore?"

The note crumbled in my fist. I knew that handwriting too damn well. I looked at Hu again, who didn't really have any idea what is going on. I quickly got up from my bed, leaving the room and waling straight to the living room. Jinu was laying on the couch, while reading a book, still dressed in his pyjama. I stopped for a second, realising this was the first time since he started living with us that I saw him with messy hair and looking just out of bed.

Rumi, focus on the actually important stuff.

"I do not snore!" I said, walking closer and bringing his attention to myself.

"Good morning to you too," Jinu laughed, closing the book, which turned out to be a notebook.

Where did he get that from? Oh no. It was our shared notebook for lyrics, I think I forgot to give it to Zoey yesterday and I just left it somewhere on the shelves. But why did he have to grab this one, out of all the things? I walked to him, wanting to snatch the notebook quickly from his hand, but Jinu turned out to be faster, standing up immediately and raising his arm, so I couldn't reach it.

"Can you stop acting like a kid?" I put the hands on my waist, already irritated.

"I'll repeat myself," he leaned closer, making our faces just centimetres apart. It was definitely too early for me to control myself. "Good morning."

Deep breaths, remember. "Good morning," I said finally. "Can you give back the notebook? We have a lot of our lyrics there."

"Well, it was laying here, so I thought there is no fragile information."

"There is none, just some songs. Still, I would rather you didn't just take the things that aren't yours."

"You told me I can take whatever I want from the bookshelf though, and that's where I found it."

"Okay... everything but not notebooks of any kind. What if you lose it?"

"I lose it?" Jinu scoffed, taking a step forward, making me take a step back. "From what it seems like, I would assume you almost lost it by placing it there and forgetting."

I opened my mouth to oppose, but almost immediately closed it. "And how do you know who left it here?"

"I'm guessing by your reaction," he smiled, taking another step forward. I took another step back, not really thinking much about it. I was just trying to keep a distance between us. "Seeing your flustered reaction and how aggressively you attacked me about this simple notebook... I may be wrong, but your reaction would be different if one of the girls left it somewhere. You would ask where I got it from first, wouldn't you?"

"What? You think you know me that well?" I scoffed, crossing my arms, while still walking back, since Jinu didn't stop. "How about the fact that every time we talk, you are trying to annoy me and get as much attention as you can get, even if it means I will be angry at you. Oh, and you love to enter my personal space, while at it, obviously. You think I don't know what you're doing?"

My back bumped into a bookshelf behind me. Shit, I really didn't think this through... Wait, wasn't this similar to those kdrama scenes Zoey was watching? Oh my god, what was I even thinking...

Jinu leaned one of his hands on the bookshelf behind me, coming even closer than he was before. No, it was definitely like those kdrama scenes, I was now pretty sure about that.

"If you know what I'm doing, why aren't you stopping me?" He asked in a lower voice, as I felt my heart skipping a beat.

I blinked, thinking how was I even supposed to answer that question. He got me. "I just..." I stopped, not knowing how could I continue. I just what? I'm just curious what you will do this time? I just don't mind whatever you're doing? I just like you being close to me voluntarily? All those answers sounded ridiculous.

"Is it that maybe..." he leaned closer to my ear, making me close my eyes. If someone tried to check my pulse now, they would think I am sick or in danger. "You like it?"

I put my hand on his chest, wanting to push Jinu away, but now I was considering if I should do that. Did I want to push him away? Also, were those his muscles?

Rumi, stop it!

"I just like seeing you try to get closer to me so desperately," I finally said, pushing him back a little. It wasn't really a strong move, but enough for Jinu to take a step back. He smiled.

"Is that why you kissed me?"

I felt my face flushing. "I kissed you because I wanted to!" I scoffed, trying to distract him from my probably red face. "Besides, you didn't seem to complain."

"Should I be?"

"You're so stupid," I said as I tried to walk away. I felt Jinu putting the notebook in my hand, while pulling me closer to him, now my back almost touching his chest. Oh no, no no. He was too close, I could feel his breath on my neck again, our bodies were barely apart, that was not a good idea. Especially not for me. Not for us.

"But you did snore this night," he whispered, quickly walking away.

Why was he so annoying?! I tightened my fingers on the notebook, crumbling some pages on accident. "I did not!"

I turned, seeing Mira and Zoey enter the room. "You did not what?" Mira asked confused.

"Nothing," I murmured quickly, putting the notebook in Zoey's hands. "Here."

"Thanks?" The girl looked at me carefully. She then leaned closer to me, while peeking at Jinu, whom I didn't even want to look at right now. "What happened between you two again?"

"Nothing," I shook my head.

"Nothing as in we were just talking or nothing as in we almost kissed?" Mira joined, whispering the question. I didn't reply to that, completely done with everyone already. "So I'm guessing the second one."

"Definitely the second one," Zoey nodded.

Okay, time to distract them. "What do you want for breakfast? I think we could order something today, especially since we need a lot of energy before our dance practice."

"You're so right! How about our usual then?" Zoey proposed, taking out her phone from Mira's pocket in the hoodie. "Or maybe something new? Or maybe..."

I heard my phone ringing so I quickly went back to my room. Only three contacts could call me no matter if I had a "not disturb" mode on or not, which meant this was important. "Hi Bobby, what's up?" I picked up the call.

"Girls, I have bad news..." he started, making me immediately go back to the living room and turn on the speakerphone. "Unfortunately we will have some delays, cause you three can't go to the studio today."

"Why? What happened?" Mira asked.

"Nothing bad really, just some technical problems," we heard his nervous laughter. Something bad happened.

"Okay, okay, we will focus on our songs then," I said to calm him down. "Are you in the studio right now?"

"No, no! I'm at the company. We have a meeting soon, so I will have to run. I hope it won't be too big of an issue for you three."

"Not at all, Bobby! You know we can handle such small issues with ease," Zoey tried to calm him down.

"I know, I know. You are incredible. I believe in you, I'll call in the evening, okay? Just... take a rest today."

"Of course, Bobby."

"Great, bye bye."

"Bye!" I hanged up, putting my phone on a shelf next to me. "We're definitely going to check that."

"Of course we are!" Mira and Zoey replied excited. "Demon boy, can you handle staying alone a couple of minutes?"

"Obviously not, I have separation anxiety and I'll explode the second you three leave," Jinu scoffed.

"Perfect. See you soon then."

We ran up to the elevator, when Jinu's voice stopped us. "Wouldn't you rather wear some normal clothes? In case, I don't know, any fans spot you?"

We looked down, realising we're still in pyjamas. Shit, he was right. We quickly went to change into normal clothes and put small makeup, then left the apartment quickly, running to the studio's building. It was a huge surprise when we saw a yellow tape surrounding basically the whole building. What happened?

Zoey walked up to one of the police officers that were present there. She blinked innocently, explaining who we are (he immediately recognised us), and that we were about to have our practice today, so now we're worried and confused.

"Unfortunately, your practice will have to wait, cause we have a case of about twenty people missing all at once," the police officer explained. "I probably shouldn't be telling you this, but... it's a really weird case. No blood, no signs of attack, nothing on cameras. Just twenty people who disappeared in a second. On cameras! Really strange..."

Demons...

"That is really weird," Mira nodded. "Well, since we can't practice, I guess we'll go home now. Thank you for your help and good luck."

The man waved at us, while we pretended to walk away, hiding behind the wall instead.

"Twenty people being attacked at once?" I whispered.

"And in daylight?" Zoey added. "I understand demons being cocky, but this is just too much, even for them."

"I agree," Mira nodded. "We need to find them and teach them a lesson."

"How? We have no idea where they..."

"I think I know," Zoey said suddenly. "Fourteen demons, they're three streets away from here."

Me and Mira looked at her surprised, confused how could she know that. Zoey just shrugged, while we decided to leave that for later. It was reasonable to try, it's not like we had any better ideas. Zoey was leading us to those demons, and after three minutes we were standing on the roof, seeing a group of shadow demons together. She was right.

"How did you do that?" Mira whispered.

"I don't know, it just happened."

"Well, let's hope this weird new talent of yours stays, cause it's really helpful."

Zoey just smiled widely. I analysed the situation below us, thinking how strong could these demons be. They seemed like wild demons that were just bloodthirsty and stupid. Even better for us, these kind was usually the easiest to fight. I showed the girls what they will do and who will they attack. The demons were split up in four groups, but one of them was perfectly in the middle so I didn't include them. We handled much bigger numbers, so I was sure we will handle these too. The only problem was that we needed to be fast so nobody would see us. We couldn't be caught in the act by normal people.

I counted to three on my fingers and all of us jumped off the roof, attacking the demons. Surprised was an understatement. I quickly slayed one without any problem, as two other tried to jump at me. They were pretty slow, so I easily handled them.

"Hey, the human souls are still there!" Mira suddenly shouted.

"What do you mean?!" I shouted back surprised.

"Don't you see it? The souls they ate, they're still alive, we can just..." suddenly, Mira pushed her hand inside of one of the demon's stomach, which made the rest more afraid of that than us with weapons. A second later, she was holding a shining soul that soon after just flew through the streets somewhere, probably to its owner.

"How did you do that?" Zoey asked surprised, killing another demon.

"I just did, it needed to escape," Mira explained, cutting the demon in half. "You really didn't see the soul?"

"What kind of crazy ability is that?" I was genuinely shocked.

"I have no idea, but I like it," the girl smiled. "So? Which demon wants to be next?"

Chapter 18: Chapter Seventeen

Notes:

I just wanted to thank everyone for their comments, they really keep me motivated and stop my imposter thoughts that these chapters aren't really good enough. Anyway, enjoy! <3

Mira managed to save seventeen souls and get them back from the demons during the fight. It was still a great score, usually we would just get rid of the demons, knowing very well we couldn't do anything more. But now? Somehow, now it changed. We walked peacefully back to our apartment, Mira still pretty excited about her weird new talent.

"Hey, how did it go?" Jinu asked, not even turning to look at us.

"It went great! We smashed those demons!" Zoey exclaimed. "Oh, and I guess we have some new abilities of some sorts."

"Abilities?" He turned around, seeing Mira's evil smile.

"I can grab the stolen souls from demon bodies!" She shouted, excited.

"Whaaaat?!" Jinu jumped from the couch surprised. "What kind of power is that?"

"The coolest one, obviously," she scoffed. "I just put my hand in their stomach, grab the souls and set them free, then boom! Seventeen people saved and came back safely home."

"It's really cool," I nodded, pouring myself some water.

"That's really creepy," Jinu murmured, touching his stomach as if he was about to get attacked by the girl.

"And why are you scared, demon boy? You're a human now, it won't affect you."

"I have been a human for what, a week? I still think I'm a demon most of the time."

Mira raised her eyebrows, smiling widely and reaching her hands towards Jinu. "Then maybe let's check if my talent would work with you!"

"Get away from me, Pinky!"

I looked how the two started running around the living room while I just sat down at the table and took out my phone to continue the song I started an evening before. Zoey sat next to me, laughing at two dorks who seemed to enjoy themselves in this childish manner.

"Since we don't have dance practice today, I'm guessing we're getting a smaller breakfast?" Zoey showed me the app for food orders, as I nodded.

"Even though we managed to save most of the people thanks to Mira, it's still a case ongoing, so I don't think Bobby would let us go to the studio," I said.

"How unfortunate..." Zoey murmured while choosing meals for one of the five places we loved the most. "Hey, since me and Mira have some weird talents as hunters right now, does that mean you have one too?"

I shrugged. "No idea. Maybe."

"That would be really cool. Also, I think that it will be easier to defeat all those crazy demons since we also, let's say, upgraded."

"That's true," I smiled. "I still think it's because of the new honmoon, but I can't even check if my theory is right. There are no chronicles of hunters or anything to know."

"Maybe we should do something like that?" Zoey said, as Mira and Jinu already got bored of their little "game" and also sat down.

"Do something like what?" Mira asked.

"Like hunters' chronicles."

"Hm. That makes sense," the girl nodded. "I won't lie, I feel like Celine didn't explain pretty much anything while telling us about the hunter's job. Just told us to sing, fight, and despise demons."

I sighed, nodding. Only now I was opening my eyes about many things I didn't yet want to say out loud about Celine. I still wasn't ready to face the full truth, I couldn't possibly... I felt Zoey's hand on mine, which made me smile.

"Hey, we're here for you."

"I know."

"I'm sorry," Mira sighed. "Maybe I shouldn't mention Celine yet..."

"No no, I don't have a problem with that," I shook my head. "I just... I can't talk about her... myself. But I don't mind if you do. I just need a little more time."

"We get that, don't worry. Take as much time as you need."

"Thanks."

"On the side note, how about..." Mira stretched out her arms again, trying to reach Jinu who quickly got up and hid behind me, putting his hands on my shoulders. I felt my face flushing under the sudden touch.

"Don't you even dare, Pinky!" He scoffed, still holding onto me. I didn't even dare look up at Zoey or Mira, guessing their reactions. "Rumi, protect me from your crazy friend."

"From her?" I scoffed, trying to appear unaffected. "You know it's impossible."

"Aren't you a leader?" Jinu asked, leaning closer to my face, making me even more tensed now. "Shouldn't you be able to control your members in some way?"

"Ha! She can't even control her emotions!" Mira laughed.

"Mira!" I hissed.

"You know..." Jinu started, resting his chin on my shoulder, making me panic even more. "I also had some problems when training the Saja Boys, but there was four of them. Four completely clueless demons who I had to turn into kpop idols. You have just two friends... It can't be that hard."

"You're saying that as if you didn't just ran away from Mira in fear of her new talent," I scoffed.

"And tripped," the girl added.

"He tripped?!" Zoey laughed.

"I didn't trip!" Jinu opposed as I started playing with the empty glass in my hands. "It was... a tactic..."

"Pft! Yeah, right," Mira chuckled. "A shitty tactic then."

"Oh, shut up Pinky."

Zoey immediately got up from her place after hearing the intercom ringing. That was most definitely our food. In a second, Jinu sat down on a chair where seconds later was the girl sitting. I rolled my eyes, but didn't say anything. I was too focused on slowing down my breath. I felt Mira's eyes being on me with that amused look, but I really didn't want to confront her about that now.

Ugh, why did this stupid demon-turned-human have to mess with my head so much? Couldn't he just... sit and look pretty? Or, I don't know, share fashion facts with Zoey and argue with Mira? Why was he so...

"My favourite part of the day!" Zoey put down the paper bag on the table. "So, what's the plan for today? Since, you know, we're kinda stuck here?"

"Actually..." I looked around the living room, analysing the space in it carefully. "We could still have a dance practice if we're stubborn enough..."

"Yes!" Mira said happily. "How?"

"We would need to move the furniture from the living room, and wait till it's a little darker so the windows can act as our mirrors."

"Genius! So we can divide today's activities than," Zoey said, putting the plates on the table, as we started eating the food. "Maybe I should have ordered a bigger breakfast then..."

"It will be enough," I laughed. "We will only practice approximately half of what we always do, so we don't need that many calories."

"Ugh, what a difficult life..." the girls groaned.

I just focused on eating, thinking that we could even try to practice our song while we were at it. Maybe we should make this dance practice more intense since we had such a delay? Yes, finishing writing the songs was as important, but I knew we were able to do that in between the practice during breaks. Hm, we had to finish all the songs today, so tomorrow we will have a full dance practice, no matter what. Although, the plan to already start wasn't as bad. We could just focus on our album, I will hide our phones like I did at the beginning of our debut and...

My thoughts disappeared immediately, breaking in million pieces, as someone distracted me from my plans. Jinu leaned over the table, grabbing the bottle with juice. I tried to get away, leaning back, but I realised his second hand was now grabbing the back of my chair. I looked at him annoyed, as he smiled, backing away slowly.

"How did you say it?" He asked, wondering for a second. "Ah, I know. You like seeing me trying so desperately to get closer, was that how it went?" he asked, whispering.

I pursed my lips, not believing how cocky one could be. "You are... ugh," I just scoffed, not being able to find enough words to offend him.

"I am what?"

"Just go away, would you?"

"Hmm... but didn't you like it?" Jinu continued, our faces now close to each other.

"I like when you're a clumsy loser, not when you're a cocky brat," I said through my teeth, trying to stay calm no matter what.

"A loser?" He scoffed.

"Yeah," I immediately lightened up, seeing his reaction. "You know, the one who gets scared easily and trips on anything, especially when nothing is around."

I watched slowly as Jinu was gritting his teeth to not get mad. Ha, I got him. I saw his tongue slowly move from left cheek to the right one, as he calmed down. Why was this kind of... Actually, the more I thought about it, the more I realised I really enjoyed his angry face. Or his demon marks even. Or...

"I may be the loser, but guess who is now blushing," I raised my eyes to look at his satisfied face. I rolled my eyes irritated, turning away.

"That's because it's too hot inside, I forgot to turn on the AC."

"Is it? I think it's..."

He stopped after we heard a very loud and dramatic sigh. I turned to look at Zoey who seemed like she was slowly losing her mind over something. "I cannot do this anymore!"

"Yeah no, this is torture," Mira nodded, looking at me and Jinu.

"What the hell are you two talking about?" I raised my eyebrows confused.

Both of them rolled their eyes. "Nothing, we're just complaining about the general stupidity and emotional blindness among some people."

I shook my head, even more confused now. "What?"

"So what about the schedule for today?" Mira asked, completely ignoring my question. Excuse me?

"We have four hours to finish writing all the songs, after that we'll take a break and eat some bigger lunch, then we'll move the furniture, and by the time the living room becomes empty, it will get darker."

The girls nodded, quickly getting up and starting to clean around. Jinu did the same thing to help them. "Yeah, that's a good plan."

"Give me your phones," I said, throwing out the trash.

"Noooo!" Mira and Zoey cried. "Not again!"

"Yes, again. We really need to focus and use this time as much as we do. No phone breaks, no social media, no listening to other artists."

"Rumi, I'm begging you to have mercy," Mira asked with her hands together.

"No mercy this time."

"But... but my videos are motivating me to work more!" Zoey tried, but I just shook my head. Suddenly, the girl grabbed Jinu and held him in front of her. "I will not give you my phone again, I can't survive a whole day without it."

"And why am I here?" Jinu asked, clearly as surprised as me.

"So Rumi doesn't try to take my phone away, obviously."

"Zoey..." I sighed. "It's just one day. You can survive, don't be like those ipad kids. Look at Jinu even, he still doesn't have a phone and he's perfectly fine."

"That's cause he never got the opportunity to explore the endless internet and social media with short dopamine," the girl explained, still holding Jinu as her shield.

I massaged my nose bridge, thinking how to solve this quickly. "Okay... after we release this album, I'll take you to aquarium to see the turtles, since you never had time to actually visit it."

Zoey quickly pushed Jinu aside, making him almost fall and gave me her phone with no more complaints. I sighed with relief, turning to Mira. She just shrugged and did the same thing. "I actually really like the idea of visiting aquarium, so I won't be complaining anymore."

"Perfect," I smiled.

I quickly went to my room with those three phones to hide them in the usual place. After once I have been outsmarted by the girls and they managed to find the phones, I decided to step up my game. I cut out a small hole on the side of my mattress. The one that was facing the wall, and that's where I always put them. I didn't really affect the comfort of my sleep, and neither Mira, nor Zoey managed to find them there yet, so I was really proud of myself. After hiding the phones, I went back to the girls who were already in the living room with the notebooks, fully focused. Perfect.

I sat down next to Mira, taking one pen and the notebook that I usually used.

"Hey girls..." we turned to Jinu who was holding a piece of paper that looked like a torn page of a book. "Where should I put this?"

I quickly got up, taking it surprised. This definitely was not ours. "Where did you get it from?"

"It was on the table under the vase of flowers. It seems like from some old book, so I'd rather ask where exactly you keep old things like that."

Zoey and Mira stood right next to me, looking at the page as surprised.

"Is that..." Zoey whispered.

"What the hell?"

Chapter 19: Chapter Eighteen

"It was always a well-known fact among the people that a soul is a source of life of one's body. The people protected them since beginning, using herbs and spells to heal themselves. When a person was dead, it meant their soul escaped their body, never to come back. No matter how much the most skilled doctors and herbalists tried desperately to somehow stop or reverse this process, they never succeeded. Until witchcraft started developing, and along with it, a deeper understanding of human's bodies and souls. The spells used by those practitioners were rooted in basics, connected to the nature and earth itself..."

The rest of the page was blurry, making us unable to read anything more. "Let's see the other side," Mira proposed, as I turned it.

Unfortunately, the other side was in even worse condition than the first. But there was a small fragment of text.

"...giving beginning of creatures that were later called "demons" by humans. But those demons weren't always bad, their legends didn't describe vile monsters attacking villages. Since..."

"Oh, come on!" Zoey groaned at the sudden end of the sentence. "That's it? This basically told us nothing!"

"Wait, I have so many questions concerning this," I said. "Starting with where the hell did it come from? Cause I am pretty sure we never had a book this old, and I would remember, especially since it seems to be telling the origin story of demons."

"How is it possible that we didn't even know a book like that exists?" Mira raised her eyebrows.

"Maybe Celine even didn't know?" Zoey wondered.

I looked down at the paper. I still tried to understand and connect the dots somehow, trying to see how could the demons be good at first. What did they do, where did they come from? Was it possible that somewhere in between the passing on stories from older to younger hunters some of them were forgotten? But how could it be? Shouldn't the origins of the demons be as important to us as the origins of the hunters? To help us with our job?

"Wait, what do you mean demons weren't always bad?" We jumped at the voice of Jinu appearing suddenly right next to us. "What? I can't be curious like you? So it's not yours?"

"We have no idea where it came from," I shook my head.

"But we have to find out!" Zoey grabbed the page from my hands, basically putting it on her face to see the details we might have missed. Seconds later, she sighed, giving me the object back. "Nope. Still no clue."

"But how could it end up here? None of us put it here, so what the hell happened?" Mira asked, sitting tiredly on a couch. Suddenly, she grabbed her weapon, looking around. "That means someone broke into our apartment and we didn't even realise."

"Do you think it was a demon?" Zoey gasped.

"Why would a demon leave something like that here?" I scoffed. "Shouldn't they hide everything from us so we have more trouble in catching them?"

"Yeah, but like... didn't the Saja Boys kind of help us, explaining how Jinu survived?"

After Zoey pointed at Jinu, the three of us gasped. "The Saja Boys!"

Zoey and Mira immediately ran to the elevator, until I grabbed their shirts. "No no no. Not today, we have a deadline for our album, and we're already behind."

"What?! But what if they actually know more than they were telling us? We need to find out!" Zoey exclaimed.

"They won't run away nowhere, they are trying to get Jinu back, this can wait," I shook my head. "We need to focus on the album."

Mira and Zoey groaned, slowly sitting back on the couch and grabbing the pens again. I smiled with satisfaction, also sitting down. Although I also really wanted to know what was going on and who left this weird page in our place, we needed to set the priorities straight. Album came first, the demons came second. It wasn't like they will suddenly all disappear anyway, so we wouldn't miss anything.

I opened the notebook, looking at the beginning of the lyrics I wrote the evening before. I had to focus and feel the story I wanted to tell. I took a deep breath, closing my eyes, and going back to the feelings I meant to describe.

My thoughts being always occupied by things they shouldn't be, spiralling over topics I wanted to push further away... They were like a repetitive song with a small change of sounds every time. It was like a memory that haunted my dreams every time I went to sleep, like a shadow I tried so hard to get rid off, knowing very well there was no way to achieve that.

All of this was caused by one person.

I looked at the page again, flipping my pen between my fingers, while trying to organise my thoughts to create a proper sentence. Especially the one that could become a part of the song.

The couch moved next to me, immediately bringing my attention to Jinu who just sat down on my left side. I felt his hands slowly grabbing my left wrist with one of his hands and lifting it up. I didn't say anything, confused about what was he doing.

"Wouldn't you prefer to put this some place safe?" He asked, pointing at the page I was still unconsciously holding.

"Oh... Yeah, I forgot about it," I nodded. "I was just focusing too much on the songs we need to finish today..."

"We can keep it in our closet," Mira proposed. "We have a safe there after all, so I think it will be the best place."

"Should we hide it that much though?" Zoey asked. "I mean, it's only one page..."

"But it is important, isn't it?"

"That's true."

"If we want to figure it out, I think we should definitely keep it somewhere safe. Maybe someone who put this page here will come back for it, what then? Or another possibility, they might come with another page... although it would be much more respectful if the book didn't get damaged like that."

The girls nodded. "Yeah, then the safe makes sense," Zoey smiled. "I can hide it there quickly."

"Perfect," I smiled, feeling the other hand of Jinu slowly touching my hand and moving peacefully from my wrist to the ends of my fingers, grabbing the page. I don't really know why, but I slowed down my breath, as if I was afraid it would make him stop. He didn't break eye contact when he passed the page to Zoey.

"Okay..." she said slowly. "I'll be right back then."

"I need to go back to the songs," I said, as if to myself. Obviously, it was towards Jinu who still held my wrist and was looking at me.

"Do you need any help?" He asked.

"From you?" I scoffed. "Definitely not, I'm fine."

"Are you? Cause you've been sitting with an almost empty page for a while now and it doesn't seem like you are about to make any progress soon."

"I don't need your help," I repeated stubbornly, while Jinu still held my wrist. "Now, can you not distract me?"

"How exactly am I distracting you?" He raised his eyebrows. "You can still write perfectly fine. It doesn't seem like you're left-handed."

I wanted to say something, but I just scoffed, looking at my notebook again. Just try to ignore him Rumi. Again, he was only trying to provoke me, I couldn't let him succeed. The lyrics...

I don't know how long I spent, writing down the possible lyrics and almost immediately erasing them annoyed. I was so caught up in the work, I really didn't realise that this whole time Jinu was still holding my left wrist, tracing some shapes on my arm without saying any word. Finally, Zoey sat next to me, offering to help. I started explaining her the concept of the song and that I only had problems with putting it into words, as if my brain forgot how to make normal sentences.

"Hmm... how about... "The calendar is running after me / While I can't see what's happening around / Completely lost in my mind / The thoughts blind. / I'm not waiting for a miracle, / We're not the princesses you're looking for, / We are hunters whose life is a constant war."? What do you think?" Zoey smiled.

"How do you do that?" I groaned impressed. "I couldn't make two verses and you made a whole part!"

Zoey laughed, obviously proud of herself. She should be, she was one of the best lyricists I have met in my life. And I have met a lot, my life was surrounded by artists since I was a kid, I knew many people who wrote songs, and yet I've never felt as much emotions and authenticity as I have from Zoey's lyrics. It was as she was made for it.

"Okay, I need your help with the rest, I can't do this, I'm so sorry," I sighed. The girl didn't seem to be mad or tired. She happily sat comfortably on the couch with legs crossed and took the pen from me.

"Don't apologise! I already have an idea for chorus, trust me, we will soon be finished with all of them!"

I smiled, immediately focusing again on the song. This time I actually had less trouble while coming up with lyrics, and a whole second part after the chorus was already made by me. Zoey only added a rap moment in between, while Mira came up with the bridge after the second chorus. She quickly became also pretty invested in the song, which was pretty surprising. I was a little shocked that they understood what I wanted to say in this song so easily, since I mostly wanted to make it about, well...

Jinu...

But the girls caught the idea in seconds and helped me to finish the song I only managed to start. I smiled, remembering how I loved working with the two of them. It made me feel at home, like I could finally breathe, not having to look after my every step.

"If we ever do a music video to this song, we should borrow Jinu to be a part of it," Mira said after we just finished.

"What? Why would we need him?"

"We all know why," she smirked, making me lower my head closer to the notebook.

"How many songs do we still have?"

"Only one to go! This will be easy-peasy," Zoey smiled, flipping the pen from her right hand to the left. "I already have an idea for it, we can make it a small transition between fighting with demons and finally giving in and breaking."

"Oooh, I like that," Mira nodded. Zoey quickly wrote a full verse, as if she was possessed by some music god or goddess. Me and Mira exchanged amused looks. What would we do without her?

Finally, we were finished with everything, being pretty ahead of the schedule I planned, which was surprising, considering there was an unplanned break for reading a mystery old page that came out of nowhere. But that work deserved a huge lunch we planned before, so we decided it will be a great idea to go out somewhere. It wasn't healthy to stay so much inside. Zoey quickly ran to her room to touch up her makeup, as I grabbed my wallet, getting ready to pay for us all.

Mira looked at Jinu critically. "I won't let you show up with us if you look like a homeless man," she scoffed.

"No homeless man would be this attractive," he rolled his eyes, but quickly left to change.

After we decided to let him stay, Zoey asked Bobby on the second day to get some clothes and other necessities for Jinu so he actually had something to wear. Obviously I decided to pay for that, since I was probably the one who wanted him to stay with us the most. Besides, I didn't really complain about that, it wasn't that much, since Bobby kept it simple.

I heard a muted sound of my ringtone. Ha, it was as if I predicted he would call. I quickly went to my room, taking out the phone and answering.

"Bobby! How is it going?"

"The situation in the studio is going pretty well, but we have another issue," he said quickly.

"Is it really bad?"

"Well, no, but the three of you might not like it as much."

Oh no, what was it this time? We really didn't have time to handle another issue in such a short time. I was only hoping it wasn't another demon attack. "Just say it, we can handle it, I'm sure."

"Our company just signed a contract with the Saja Boys."

Notes:

By the way, one of my headcanons is that Zoey is ambidextrous

Chapter 20: Chapter Nineteen

"How dare you?!" I left the room after hanging up with Bobby, immediately walking up to Jinu. I tried to punch him, but he was faster and avoided it. "Really now, first you say you will take a rest and now suddenly you sign a contract?!"

"Woah! What are you talking about?" He looked genuinely confused while dodging again my punch.

"Can you stop moving?!"

"So you can hurt my face? I'm not risking it," he chuckled, still successfully avoiding my hands.

"What? So you can still our fans again?! Really now, how can you be so selfish and just..."

"Woah, hold on," suddenly, he grabbed my wrists. I tried to free them, but he was stronger than I expected. He pulled me closer, making me only angrier this time. "What contract are you talking about? Also, I'm not trying to steal your fans, why would I do that?"

"Don't act stupid now!" I scoffed, still trying to back off, but without any results. "When did you decide to go back to the Saja Boys? And why on Earth would you sign the contract with our company? You have so many other options!"

"Wait... what? The Saja Boys signed the contract?" I calmed down, seeing how actually surprised Jinu seemed to be. "What the hell do these two dumbasses think?! They don't have more than half of the group!"

"You didn't know?" I whispered.

"How could I know?" He looked at me with that look again that made my heart melt. "You thought I would just go behind your back to do that?" Jinu sighed, closing his eyes. I felt the grip on my wrists become lighter. "You really don't trust me much, do you?"

"I..." my throat tightened as I felt an aching feeling in my heart. "I want to trust you, I really do, I just..."

"I get it, I really do," he whispered. Why did it hurt so much?

"Jinu," I said, while putting one of my hand on his cheek. "It's not that I don't trust you at all, it's just that I'm aware of the shenanigans you pull sometimes," he scoffed at that, which I took for a good sign. "To be honest, I would expect you to go back to the Saja Boys suddenly if it meant to get on my nerves more, since you seem to be enjoying it a little too much."

"I can't help it," he smiled, grabbing the hand on my cheek. I felt my chest warming up under his look again. It was so... hypnotising, so... "You look really adorable when you get mad. And besides, those moments are one of the not so many when you stop being so stiff for a second and let go."

"I am not stiff!" I opposed.

"You so are."

I rolled my eyes annoyed. "You're doing that again."

"Doing what?" Jinu tilted his head to the side, making me bite my cheek to calm down myself.

"Making me mad on purpose."

"Is it working?" He smiled, as I sighed irritated. A second later his expression softened. "Just so you know, I will never go and do something behind your back again. I really care about you and I want to be someone who you can turn to. Someone you can trust."

I felt the butterflies in my stomach again. It was still something I really wasn't used to. I tried to look around so my body would calm down, but it really didn't want to. A little more and I would soon fall...

No, I couldn't even think about it, much rather let myself get such strong emotions.

I slowly took off my hand, suddenly remembering how close we were. Deep breaths, Rumi. It's not like he occupies your thoughts whenever they have a moment of rest, or like you want him close to you because that's when you feel safe. No. Definitely not. And it's not like you wish you could somehow get his eyes only for yourself, afraid that someone else will drown in them as much as you, trying to claim him for themselves. It's not like the only reason making you oppose the idea of Jinu going back to being an idol is that he will have thousands of fans going crazy about all of him. Just like I was right now.

I was such an egoist.

"If you liked being a kpop idol, I can't really forbid you from doing that," I said, lowering my gaze. I didn't have enough courage to look in his eyes right now. "I would rather you didn't, since I don't really like the idea of you having less time, and well, becoming popular again. It was enough to see our fans drool over you, I don't even want to remember what it looked like when the Saja Boys were still active as a group. But I also don't really want to be the reason you are limited in any way. I wanted to give you your soul back, I wanted for you to be free, I can't be another one who..."

My heart was at the edge of flying away, as my face heated up. Jinu's hand fell on my waist again, as he pulled me even closer, kissing me.

He kissed me.

I immediately closed my eyes, feeling fireworks in my stomach. My arms wrapped around his neck, as my thoughts were spinning. If I could, I would just start jumping out of joy. He kissed me. He wanted to kiss me.

My fingers grabbed the back of his shirt tighter, as my knees started feeling weaker. I was really grateful Jinu was holding me, cause I don't know if I would be able to stand straight right now.

We slowly stopped, although still not breaking the distance, our lips almost touching again. I opened my eyes, seeing that smirk without looking down. His eyes were enough for me to know every smallest emotion he felt, I observed them for too long not to know.

"You know," Jinu slowly whispered, "if you start saying things like that, I might actually not resist anymore."

My breath was shallow, and I was uncomfortably aware of how close he was, realising our marks were glowing like the first time. I looked at my arm. I think that I was slowly growing to like them. Slowly, but still...

"Resist what?" I asked, completely not focused on what he was saying.

Jinu leaned closer, whispering to my ear: "I might not resist you, Rumi."

I felt my heart stop for a second. Or maybe it was just my imagination? Why did he have to be so confident? Couldn't he be the type of guy who doesn't talk a lot? I was now doubting the idea of Jinu staying with us, since the longer he stayed, the more we... I...

"So, should we think about what to do with my unfortunate demon friends?" Jinu suddenly asked, making my spine shiver. He was still so close.

"Yes! Yes, we have to make a plan to somehow stop whatever they're trying to do," I nodded, taking a small step back. That was the only thing I was able to do right now. I watched Jinu smile slowly, as I was still thinking how to slow down my breath. Could he feel that before? Was he aware every time he closed the distance between us my body went crazy? "And we should also try to find out why our marks glow."

"I am starving!" We immediately pulled back, hearing Zoey's voice. "Are we going? I need my energy for the dance practice!"

"Yeah, me too," Mira smiled. Then, she looked at me and Jinu, squinting her eyes. I quickly walked up to them, trying to act as normal as I could. Unfortunately, I wasn't an actor, I was a kpop idol, so I was probably not very convincing.

"Uhm... yeah, by the way, Bobby called," I said slowly.

"Oh yeah, we heard. Is everything all right?"

"Considering the demons and the whole situation, everything is under control already," I nodded, finally feeling my body calming down. "Unfortunately, we have another problem. Baby and Romance signed a contract as the Saja Boys with our company."

"Whaaat?!" Both Mira and Zoey seemed as mad as I was when I first heard about it.

"I already asked Bobby to set up a meeting with them tomorrow. We need to figure out what exactly they are trying to do as soon as possible."

"And stop them!"

"And stop them!"

"Demon boy, that's all your fault!" Rumi scoffed, turning to Jinu.

"Mine? How is that my fault?"

"Well, you made them kpop idols and now they like it too much. What does it matter that they don't attack people, if they cause other trouble? Really now, how insufferable are demons exactly?" Zoey said.

"Have you not seen this one right here?" Mira pointed at Jinu. "I think it's in their genes or something. You just became incredibly annoying the second you become a demon. No soul, no good personality."

"Wow, thank you for so many compliments, Pinky. Really now, you shouldn't have," Jinu rolled his eyes, as I chuckled. Maybe I should learn how to annoy him before he can even open his mouth, so that I won't be the one getting mad. I thought I could do it.

"All right, you can do that when we finally go for our lunch. We still have a full practice ahead of us, we can't waste any more time," I hurried them, putting on my shoes and entering the elevator. I checked the pockets to see if I had everything. I did fortunately.

The rest quickly joined me and we left the building two minutes after. The way to the spot Mira chose was not that long, so I predicted a five or six minute walk. Assuming that placing an order will take another three to five minutes, and preparing the meals might take approximately fifteen to twenty five minutes. Then eating everything might...

"Stop!" Zoey straightened our her arms, while stopping in the middle of the sidewalk. "Two demons are again following us," as she was saying that, she grabbed her knives.

Me and Mira groaned, completely tired of those annoying shadows. "Why now?! I need my protein and carbs!"

"You think I'm happy about it?" Zoey cried out. "But can we ignore that? I feel like those are the demons we already met."

"Could it be Baby and Romance?" Jinu asked. Zoey shook her head.

"I don't think so. Really now, I don't know how this weird talent of mine works exactly, but I'm pretty sure it's not them. But I also recognise their energy already to know they're not complete strangers."

"Can't they choose better times?" Mira whined dramatically. "Like when we're sitting in our studio for the whole day, or maybe when we're having a completely exhausting practices that Rumi forces us to do?"

"Hey!"

"I really need that lunch..." Zoey said with a devastated expression on her face. "Maybe you're right, maybe we should just let them be."

"No!" I quickly stopped them. "If you recognise them then it means they had to stalk us, we can't just leave them be. Zoey, lead us to them."

"Here, so you're not completely defenceless," Zoey gave two of her knives to Jinu. "Can you fight with them?"

"Better question is can you just give me a hunter's weapon," Jinu said, trying to give them back.

"They're my weapons, so I see no problem. We can't leave you here, but you can't just constantly be a demon prey."

"Wow, thanks."

"No problem," the girl smiled. "Okay, come on! The sooner we get them, the better chances I will actually have a nice meal."

The three of us ran after Zoey, who led us through smaller alleys. After passing three streets, I saw shadows running away from us. Again? Why couldn't they be like the demons from before? Waiting to fight? It was getting annoying.

"I can catch them," Jinu said, while we were running after them.

"Are you sure?" I turned to him. "They're fast though..."

"I can. Trust me."

I felt a tingling sensation in my chest after these words. Jinu could run much faster than us, even as a human... I nodded, giving him a free hand. A three seconds later, he disappeared at the same corner where we saw the demons turn. After we turned the same way, Jinu was already blocking their way. We surrounded them.

The three of us walked closer, as I quickly jumped above the demons to join Jinu on the other side. It would be better to divide the group fairly, so we had bigger chances. I faced the demons, immediately frowning.

"Ha, so they were right," one of the demons laughed. "You really are a half-demon."

I looked at them confused. They weren't like those shadows. They had a similar shape to Jinu's demon form. Their eyes yellow, their nails long, their marks perfectly visible. But these demons' skin was slightly blue, their marks similar to mine. How was it possible?

"What are you?" I asked.

"We're demons obviously. Can't you tell?"

"Quit playing," Mira snapped, her weapon already pointed at them. "What kind of demons are you exactly? And why were you following us?"

"You're hunters, shouldn't you be demon experts?" The other one asked, clearly confused.

"You're the same demons that were looking at us from the roof far away!" Zoey suddenly exclaimed.

"Ha, bingo."

"This girl is good," the demon nodded.

"So? What do you want?" I asked, my sword also pointed at them.

"Justice. But we clearly can't get it from hunters that don't understand their job."

"We don't understand our job?" Mira scoffed. "I would say we are doing an amazing job as hunters."

"Really?" The demon chuckled. "Then can you tell me why your honmoon didn't get rid of us? Can you name all the types of demons? Can you tell us where the demons came from? Where the hunters came from?"

I blinked surprised. Who were they? Why were they not attacking us, not trying to run. I looked at Mira, silently asking if they had any souls inside. She shook her head. What the hell?

"You don't know, do you?" The demon scoffed. "Wow, I wonder when the hunters stopped practicing what they were actually standing for. I guess we don't have much to talk about yet. We'll be back when you're ready for the truth."

"What are you even..."

They disappeared.

Chapter 21: Chapter Twenty

Notes:

I was about to go to sleep, but my brain couldn't stop writing, so I came with the last chapter for today

I was laying on the couch, not being able to sleep. The girls already disappeared in their rooms, completely exhausted after the dance practice and many questions about the two stalker-demons we met. Also they have been dancing even more intensely because of the contract somehow signed by the Saja Boys. And with all those things happening at the same time, the only reason for me to be wide awake was Rumi. I watched the ceiling as if there was anything interesting there, still remembering her lips on mine. I could get drunk on them, I could feed on them, I could live just for them.

There was no escape for me anymore, I was perfectly aware. No matter how much I tried to stop myself, I knew I couldn't. I craved her. I needed to feel her soft skin, I needed to see her beautiful eyes. I needed to hear that siren voice.

I turned to my right side, trying to close my eyes. It wouldn't help me. I couldn't get Rumi out of my head, my mind, my thoughts. She became my everything.

Useless, everything was useless. After what I have done today, I was hopeless. How could I fall asleep now? And even if I did, I knew I would dream about her. There was no escape anymore, at least not for me. I smiled, remembering her words today. She said herself she wanted to see me a lot. That she liked I wasn't busy, that I was around. That had to mean something, right?

I sat up, seeing Hu sitting on the carpet. I started petting him, smiling at his purring. "I'm surprised you're not with Zoey," I laughed quietly. "What? Did you finally remember who your owner actually is?"

Hu just continued purring, obviously not saying anything. I just continued petting him, knowing I have nothing better to do. I didn't even want to check the time, knowing very well it wouldn't make me any more tired than I was. Which was not at all. I looked at the tiger who seemed very satisfied. At least he had a good time, since I was unfortunately going crazy. "You know what, I'm pretty jealous of you," I continued to whisper. "You just eat, sleep, get petted, and everyone loves you even though you're pretty stupid."

No reaction. Of course. I didn't really understand why I liked to talk to Hu so much, since I was fully aware he won't really know what I'm saying. Or maybe that was exactly the reason. I just wanted to feel like I'm talking to someone without being judged. And well, if anyone was judging here, it was definitely me. I got up, going to the kitchen, while showing Hu to stay. I took a bowl and poured some water for him, while I got some juice for myself. Who would think this simple drink would be so tasty? I came back to the couch, sitting down and putting the bowl in front of the tiger. He opened his mouth, suddenly revealing a notebook that I quickly caught before it fell to the water.

I rolled my eyes, looking at Hu drinking the water calmly as if nothing happened. Of course. I looked at the notebook, confused why was it there. It had a small sticky note on the cover.

"So you have something more to do than reading books and looking at our Rumi."

I smiled, immediately knowing it was from Zoey. Even though there was no signature anywhere, it was obvious Pinky would't write something like that. If she ever did, it would be more offensive.

I opened the notebook, realising it was one of the lyrics notebooks. I frowned, confused. Zoey wanted me to write lyrics in my free time? Why would she even think about that? I flipped through the pages slowly, recognising some of these songs. I made my research before even introducing the idea of rivalry with Huntrix. I took some time visiting the human realm from time to time, slowly listening to their songs whenever and wherever I could. It wasn't a very difficult thing to do, since they were everywhere. I knew at that moment already that it will be a difficult challenge, but a possible one.

Well, even if the Saja Boys lost, I felt as if I just won on a... how was it? A lottery. Right. I didn't really understand now how could I ever be obsessed with money, realising how many much more important things I have missed on before.

Or maybe I didn't. After all, I wouldn't meet Rumi if not for my mistakes before. And I couldn't imagine never meeting her now. She wasn't only the one who gave me my soul back. She was my soul.

I stopped flipping, focusing on one unfinished lyrics. Was that... I started reading slowly.

"I tried to hide but something broke
I tried to sing, but couldn't hit the notes
The words kept catching in my throat
I tried to smile, I was suffocating though
But here with you I can finally breathe
You say you're no good, but you're good for me..."

That was... I couldn't stop a smile from showing on my face. Some places were empty, but if it wasn't for them, this song was almost finished. And I knew this song a little too well.

I looked around for a pen. I needed to fill in those lyrics, it was as if...

Something moved behind me. My intuition was never wrong for me to doubt myself. I listened carefully, not getting up from the couch yet. I was sure it was a demon, it was impossible for anything else to get inside without any of us realising. Unfortunately, I didn't have any weapon around me, so I knew if I get attacked, it will be pretty much over for me. Ugh, being a human was too exhausting, I was now rethinking getting my soul back.

I observed the silhouette of a demon slowly walk to an armchair in which he sat down. It was one of those demons from today. "Why did you come here now?" I asked immediately. I wasn't really in a mood for any small talk with him.

"To talk to you of course," he replied. "That's a pretty adorable tiger, does he have a name?"

"None of your business. What do you want?"

"You know, when I heard some rumours there is a demon who fell in love with a hunter, I thought it's that old story from thirty years ago." Thirty years ago? Could it be that he meant Rumi's parents? "But it turned out the DNA test isn't really needed. Like mother, like daughter."

"Rumi isn't in love with me," I scoffed. Although I wish she was. I wanted her to be.

"Do you really believe that?" The demon raised his eyebrows. "How blind can you be?"

"You still didn't answer my question."

"Right... What am I doing here... Well, I guess I'm doing what I'm ordered," the demon shrugged. "I'm told to keep an eye on the hunters, I keep an eye on the hunters. I'm told to give them a small piece of paper, I give them a small piece of paper."

"It was you then? You put this torn page on the table?"

"Of course it was me. Who else could it be? That manager?" The demon laughed. He was starting to get on my nerves. Was that how Rumi felt when talking to me?

"And now? Are you also here cause you were told?"

"I am."

"Okay, then let's have it over with as soon as possible. What do you want? Attack them? Steal my soul? Which is it?"

"Steal your soul?" The demon burst out laughing. "Jinu, you don't really think you actually have a soul, do you?"

"Excuse me?"

"You can't possibly, I mean that would be ridiculous."

"I got my soul back! I saw it myself, when the Huntrix started singing, my soul..."

"You gave up your soul," the demon interrupted me. "Ugh, you're as clueless as most of the demons now, and the hunters themselves. Was that what Gwi-Ma was doing? Keeping you all in such shadows you don't even know yourself?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Never mind, I don't have time to explain all of that to you tonight," the demon waved his hand. "I just came here to pass on the message, nothing else. Also, it's pretty rude to assume I have bad intentions just because I'm a demon. You especially should know better."

"What do you mean I don't have a soul?" I tried asking again. He had to be lying. He couldn't deny what I saw on my own eyes. And not only me. The girls did too.

"If I have a free time in my schedule, I'll visit you to explain this nicely, how about that?" He was clearly making fun of me right now. "All right, all right. I'm really not here to get on your nerves, although it is kind of entertaining, I must say..."

"You seem to have a lot of time since you're saying so much useless stuff," I scoffed.

"Right, the message," the demon nodded. "Tell the hunters to look carefully what demons they attack and to check if they actually stole any souls. They can't just go around eliminating every demon they encounter."

"Isn't that the whole purpose of hunters? That they eliminate all the demons?" I raised my eyebrows.

"Not quite," the demon smirked. "Anyway, it was a great chit-chat, see you soon probably."

And just like, he disappeared. I laid down on the couch, Hu putting his head right next to my head and closing his eyes. I started petting him, trying to analyse what had just happened. Who were those demons exactly? It seemed like they had an authority of some kind, just like we had Gwi-Ma in the demon's realm. But they weren't from the demon's realm, I would recognise them, and I didn't. There were no demons with such soft features and blue marks. Those were the first ones I saw. And it wasn't really possible for new demons to suddenly just appear, was it?

So where did they come from exactly? How did they get there? What did they know that neither me nor hunters did?

I looked at the ceiling again, feeling a sudden heavy feeling inside my head. I didn't really want to tell Rumi about that encounter, since I knew how much more stressed she will be. And also how much she will start overthinking yet another thing. But I wouldn't really dare to hide it, this conversation was definitely important for the hunters to know, and I also promised to not do anything behind Rumi's back. That also meant no hiding anything from her.

But this demon mentioned I didn't have a soul...

What if what he said was true? What if I actually didn't get back my soul? I didn't really want to think about it, terrified at the simple thought of it. That would mean I didn't really redeem myself, right? Was that why my marks were able to shine when kissing Rumi? But they didn't shine in purple colour, they were blue... What did that mean? And if, let's assume, I didn't have a soul, why would the hunter's singing seem to "activate" my non-existent soul?

I sighed, realising I wouldn't really want to be a hunter. It was definitely too much stress and work for me to handle. I would rather enjoy a simple life, for example staying on Rumi's side and just enjoying her. All of her.

Immediately, the memory of her appeared in my mind. I couldn't stop it, she was just everywhere where I turned my head. She followed me, patiently waiting for me to slowly let my guard off and start drowning in those overwhelming feelings I had towards her.

"Four hundred years and I folded for a huntress..." I shook my head. "Unbelievable..."

My lips automatically turned up slowly, reminding me that I would never change it for anything else. Those feelings may have been overwhelming, but I would rather feel too much than not feel anything. Especially if it was her...

Soul or no soul, at least I knew one thing for certain. I loved her. I loved Rumi like I never loved anyone.

Chapter 22: Chapter Twenty One

Notes:

I wrote this chapter so quickly cause I was afraid of my friend who threatened me

"What are you two trying to do?" I asked coldly with my arms crossed.

Right now the four of us were sitting in one of the meeting rooms with Baby and Romance to solve at least one problem out of all that appeared yesterday. Not only did I not have a good sleep this night, waking up every two hours without a reason, but also it turned out that I probably shouldn't have gone to sleep that quickly at all.

Because what do you mean one of the demons from the alley "visited" us to pass the message to Jinu? Why would he even do that? And what kind of authority did these demons have?

When we sat down during breakfast, Jinu already seemed pretty nervous which was surprising to see. "Oh, spill it demon boy," Mira scoffed. "We don't have all day!"

"One of those stalking demons visited at night," he started, completely making us forget about food. "He wanted me to pass a message for you that before you slay any demons, look if they stole any human souls first and don't just go around attacking every one."

"What?" Zoey scoffed. "This demon is so... ugh! Who does he think he is?"

"A... puppet probably. He said he just does what he's told to."

Well, this just got more complicated again, as if everything wasn't complicated enough. I tried to think about everything that happened after the Idol Awards, connecting what I could, but there was still so much I missed and didn't understand.

And then Jinu pulled me aside to also tell me how that demon told him he didn't get his soul back since he gave it to me. But it was impossible, he did have his soul, we saw it. It was clear as day, it had to be his soul. I smiled, holding his hand in mine.

"Soul or no soul, you're still my Jinu," I whispered. I saw him smile, which made my stomach flutter.

"Yours?" He repeated. And I panicked, realising how it sounded.

"I mean uh... the one I know, uh... you know?" I stuttered.

"I know," Jinu laughed. Why was I so flustered because of the stupid question? "Do you actually think I still may be a demon?"

"Maybe, who knows," I said slowly. It's not like it wouldn't make sense. Even the fact how fast he could run, it wasn't really something humans could do. Especially not the humans who just became ones.

"We're obviously trying to get Jinu back to our group," Romance explained, making me stop the thoughts of today's morning.

"Surprisingly, your company was pretty eager to sign a contract, being aware of our rivalry. And also that the group split," Baby nodded.

"Those money grabbers..." Mira scoffed.

"We just need Jinu as our leader and we're good to go."

"I told you already," this time Jinu spoke up, already sounding tired. "I am not going back to the Saja Boys..."

"Come on, man! You were the one who was most into all that idol stuff," Romance said. "You kept us locked in the practice room for three days once!"

"You did what?!" The three of us turned to Jinu surprised.

"They had to perfect the choreography."

"That's inhumane!" Zoey said.

"We are demons, but I still agree with the buns," Baby nodded.

"I have a name," the girl scoffed.

"I can imagine."

"You also wrote the lyrics to both "Soda Pop", and "Your Idol". People are still asking for us to release "Your Idol" after the Idol Awards," Romance continued.

"Guys... I will not change my mind..." Jinu massaged his temples. I smiled, seeing him this stressed and annoyed. So that's how he acted as the leader of the Saja Boys? "I am taking a rest, and if I ever came back, I would rather consider a solo career."

"Oh, come on dude!"

"You heard him!" Zoey smiled proudly.

That's when we heard the door opening, as Bobby entered the room. He was breathing heavily, leaning on the table to rest for a second. "I'm glad you are all here already, that means we can start discussing the plan."

"The plan?" I raised my eyebrows.

"To make Huntrix even more popular of course. Oh, and to help the Saja Boys I guess," Bobby explained, trying to turn on the projector. "Can this thing work properly?"

Baby stood up, helping Bobby with the projector, making me turn to Jinu surprised. Since when could demons use technology as well? He just shrugged, not really interested. I rolled my eyes annoyed. Could he care a little more about little things like that?

"Thank you," Bobby smiled at Baby who sat down again. "Okay, let's talk about the plans. The schedule for the album is still the same, the release date will stay untouched, as I believe even though we had a little setback yesterday, you girls can still make it."

"We're doing great Bobby, don't you worry about us," Mira said, squinting her eyes at the two demons. "What I would worry about is these two troublemakers."

"Yeah, well, we will talk about that soon..." Bobby sighed, switching the slides. "We will have two signing events, one to promote the Saja Boys again this Sunday, and the other just for my girls right before album release."

"The Saja Boys aren't even complete!" Zoey scoffed.

"Yeah, we're missing our leader," Romance sighed.

"But we have a month to get him back," Baby nodded. "So I believe we can make it."

"You're missing half of the group," Mira raised her eyebrows.

"Okay, okay, let's focus on the plan first, all right?" Bobby interrupted the conversation. "Unfortunately, today I'm in a hurry cause I still need to get them a manager... But anyway! The team already has a couple of album ideas and how they should look. I believe fans will love them and they will sell out quickly," he said, showing ideas for our album. We loved them.

"They're incredible!"

"I'm glad you like them," he smiled. "Remember you have a photoshoot on Friday."

"We do, don't worry Bobby."

"Perfect," he nodded, switching the slides again. "And another thing. Our Rujinu." I felt my face warming up, as Jinu's eyes landed on me. Not again. "We came up with a perfect plan to not completely deny the rumours but also not ignore them. Rumi and Jinu will have one song in the album together. Isn't this a perfect idea?"

Bobby looked really proud of himself, as I saw Zoey immediately take out one of her notebooks and putting them on the table. "Bobby, you're a genius! And I already know what song will we do!"

I looked down on the table now, knowing exactly what song she meant. I started writing her after our last meeting with Jinu right before Idol Awards, but it wasn't finished since...

"You do? Zoey, you're the best!" Bobby showed his thumbs up. "Perfect, so we have that settled. You two will have a song that we'll put somewhere at the end of the album. It will be a special surprise for the fans."

"Wait..." I wanted to oppose, but at the same second Jinu moved his chair so close to me that our shoulders touched, making my stomach do a flip inside.

"Yes?" Bobby looked at me, but I gave up.

"Nothing," I shook my head.

"I really like that idea," Jinu smiled, putting his hand around me.

"Oh, I love this idea," Mira smiled at me, making my face even warmer. "I will definitely enjoy that song."

I looked at her warningly, being well aware it won't really help. Was I the only one who was still pretty much hesitant towards the idea of me and Jinu being together? I felt my heart beating faster after the single thought of us... I grabbed the notebook quickly, flipping through the pages to the song Zoey mentioned. Finally, I found it. It was still...

Finished?

"Oh, the time goes by and I lose perspective
Yeah, hope only hurts, so I just forget it
But you're breaking through all the dark in me when I thought that nobody could
And you're waking up all these parts of me that I thought were buried for good..."

When did he... I looked through all the lyrics, realising the song was already finished. And it was finished by Jinu...

"Now, concerning the Saja Boys," Bobby's enthusiasm immediately disappeared which made me smile a little. "You have a month to get your leader to agree to come back and release at least another single. I should find a manager by today for you, and if not, by tomorrow. Is everything clear?"

"Of course," Baby and Romance nodded.

"Great. Okay, that's it, the Saja Boys can go back cause you don't have much to do here, and I'm guessing girls will occupy the dance studio today."

"My time has come!" Mira said, looking dramatically up. I smiled, seeing her excited.

"Good luck girls!" Bobby smiled. "I will get someone to deliver some food and drinks to the studio later. But generally, the room is ready for you."

"You're great Bobby, thank you!" We said, as he quickly left the room, trying to warn the Saja Boys before. The second the door closed behind him, we decided to go back to the conversation from before.

"A month is quite a short period of time to get Jinu back," Zoey said with crossed arms.

"I think it will be enough," Baby responded, getting up. "Although I must say a month to release a single feels like not a lot of time."

"Ha, cause you're clearly inexperienced," I scoffed.

"Well then maybe you would like to give us any help as our senior colleagues?"

"Help you?" Mira rolled her eyes. "After you tried to kill us and the whole humanity? Sure, give me a second and let me make some notes for you."

"Okay okay, I get it," Baby sighed.

"Also, how did you even manage to make the company agree for this contract? You're a split up group," I said. "Not only you don't have your leader, you also don't have other two members. You can't just suddenly come back with half the members and hope the fans won't criticise you for that."

"Don't you worry that little head of yours about that," Romance also got up.

"Well, since we don't have anything to do here, I guess we'll see each other at the signing event," Baby added. "I hope we can cooperate in the future, see you."

These two left, as the three of us groaned annoyed. "They are still so ugh!"

We also quickly left the meeting room, changing the buildings to get to our dance studio. Jinu was so nicely used by Mira that he was even carrying our bags with clothes for the practice. He didn't seem to complain, although I wasn't sure he enjoyed it either. But hey, I had to use that rare occasion of not having to carry anything. It felt great, I must say.

The first one to enter the studio was Mira, who felt probably that it was her second home. I remember when we were still starting and we were just meeting each other, whenever the girl couldn't fall asleep, she would sneak out and go here, practicing for a couple of hours. It was very unhealthy but I understood it was part of her way to escape. And I could really understand how that feels, so I didn't say anything at first. Until we got closer.

We quickly went to change our clothes, while Jinu already waited inside. He was again carrying two books with himself, but I also saw one of Zoey's notebooks in his hands. Since I knew how she always looked after them, I guessed she gave it to him herself, which was pretty surprising.

"Let's take a photo for our instagram!" Zoey quickly grabbed us right after we went back to the dance studio, already having her camera opened.

"Zoey..." me and Mira sighed, but didn't really try to move away. We let her do a couple of photos in the mirror before starting the dance practice. When Mira walked up to the speakers, I quickly grabbed Zoey's phone.

"Wait, Rumi, no!"

"Here," I gave Jinu the phone. "Don't you even dare give it to her, do you understand me? You have to look after this phone." He just smiled at me and nodded. How I loved those eyes... "Understand?"

"Loud and clear."

"Perfect."

I might have heard something wrong. No, I was pretty sure I did, cause it was not possible that Jinu just said "Perfect like you" when I was walking back to the girls.

He couldn't... Right?

Chapter 23: Chapter Twenty Two

"...also did you know that sharks don't have bones?" I continued, as me and Jinu entered the restaurant.

It was the evening before our photoshoot, and we decided to have take out dinner to have enough energy for tomorrow. Fortunately, these days there were no more demons interrupting our idol schedule, but it was still a time full of work. I only dreamt about the couch right now, but first, I needed energy to properly relax. Yes, rest was very much needed before the photoshoot, since we had to look as good as we could.

"Their cartilaginous skeletons are much lighter than true bone and their large livers are full of low-density oils, both helping them to be buoyant. And even though they don't have bones, they can still fossilise. Isn't this cool?"

"How do you even know all of that?" Jinu asked me surprised, as we waited at the counter to get our order.

"That's the beauty of the internet! Really, you should try getting a phone," I nodded energetically.

"Oh no," he shook his head. "I like when Rumi is telling you to follow my example and get off that phone. Besides, I really enjoy reading books, I didn't really have much opportunities to read a lot before. And some of those book are pretty interesting."

"Ugh, you're so boring..." I groaned. "Rumi isn't here, you can just..."

"No," Jinu quickly stopped me with a chuckle. "You will not drag me on your side, Zoey."

I sighed. Rumi really had this guy in a chokehold. I leaned my back on the wall next to me, looking around the place. It was pretty crowded for that time, making me feel relieved I thought about the disguises. We were hiding our faces under hoodies and masks. I saw Jinu look around, watching carefully everyone around.

"Number one sixty two! Number one sixty two!" I jumped excitedly. That was our order.

"Here, here!" I dragged Jinu to pick the bags.

"Zoey?" I froze, hearing this voice. Oh no. No, no, no...

"Celine!" I turned around, looking at the woman whom I didn't see for a long time. I felt this weird feeling in my throat. "Hi! How have you been?"

"Can we talk?" She asked.

It wasn't as if I had any choice and I knew it. Besides, it was probably better if I talk with her alone, without anyone around, especially Rumi. After all that happened during the Idol Awards...

"Yeah! Yeah, of course!" I turned to Jinu who looked at me concerned. I forced the widest smile I could to show him everything is fine. "It'll be a second, wait for me outside, okay?"

He just nodded, taking the bags and leaving the place. Okay, deep breaths Zoey, you can do this. I sat down at the table where Celine already waited for me. She looked like always, perfect hair, good outfit, a huge hat and a mask. Of course.

"So..." I started awkwardly. "What did you want to talk about?"

"How are you all doing?" Celine asked. "I can't really get Rumi to answer my phone lately, and I was just wondering..."

"Oh! Yeah, that's because we're really busy lately," I laughed nervously. "You know, we decided to release another album and we really are on a tight schedule, and you know Rumi, she is always working the most. She is completely caught up in all of the planning, and the songwriting and..."

"You didn't manage to make the honmoon gold," Celine interrupted me.

I felt my throat tightening. I started playing with my fingers under the table. No, no, Zoey. You can't do this right now. It's not your fault that the Huntrix had a fight, it's not your fault Zoey...

I should have trusted Rumi during the Idol Awards. I should have...

"Now it will take a lot of time and work to make honmoon go back to the state it has been before," Celine continued.

"The honmoon is the strongest it has been," I opposed. "It's not that long until we..."

"Zoey, the demons are walking freely around the city. It's not safe right now. The honmoon isn't really working properly, I need to finally meet with the three of you to..."

"Tell me, Celine," this time I stopped her, raising my head to look at her. Zoey, it wasn't your fault. Look at Huntrix now, you're the strongest you have ever been. Something is wrong, but it's not our fault. It's not my fault. "Did you forget to tell us about something maybe? You were a huntress before, you should know why the honmoon is like that now. You should also know why the demons can walk freely in the human realm although it's protecting the Earth?" Her eyes shifted. I frowned. It couldn't be... "Are you hiding something from us? Do you know more than you told us about?"

"Zoey, listen to me. I need to meet with Rumi, we have to figure out what to do now, how to fix her marks, how..."

"No," I got up quickly from my chair. "No, Rumi doesn't need to be fixed, haven't you seen her? Haven't you seen how good of a hunter she is now?"

"She is half-demon, but we can still..."

"She is not the one who needs to be fixed. You are, you still hate all the demons, don't you?" I asked, making her expression shift again. "How could you bare to raise Rumi then? How could you..."

I felt my hands shaking. I wasn't even able to finish, I got so mad. I was angry at everything that happened. I was angry at Celine for raising Rumi in guilt and shame. And I was angry at myself that I couldn't protect Huntrix in the most critical moment. I also was to blame.

"Zoey, I'm begging you. Just let me talk to Rumi once..."

"No. No, I can't let you do that," I shook my head. "Not after everything that happened..." I took a deep breath to calm down my body. "I hope you don't bother us anymore, Celine. You haven't really been helpful when we needed you the most and I don't believe you will ever be anymore. I'm sorry."

Before she could say anything else, I quickly left the restaurant. My legs were weak, my hands were shaking, my chest was aching.

"Zoey, are you okay?" Jinu walked up to me after I left the restaurant. I could barely stand.

"I'm... I really want to go back," I sighed.

"Okay, let's go then," before I could say anything, Jinu held my arm, probably realising I wasn't very stable on my legs right now.

"Thanks," I said.

"No problem. If you ever want to talk, I'm usually on the couch in your living room," I laughed after he said that.

"I'll remember... Although, can I ask you for one thing?" He nodded. "Could you not tell the girls about this? I... Especially Rumi, I don't really want to worry her about this again, and I don't think she's ready to meet with Celine again."

"Is that the woman who raised her?" Jinu asked.

"Yes, that's her."

He sighed. "I promised I wouldn't go behind her back, I don't want..."

"Jinu," I stopped, making him turn around. "I know that trust and honesty are important. Believe me, I have been as transparent as possible with the girls so we could actually create a good team, especially as hunters. But as much as I had the chance to get to know them, I am pretty certain it's not a good idea. I just hope this one time she will listen and won't try to pester Rumi, at least for some time..." I closed my eyes, feeling a raindrop on my sleeve. Was it about to rain? "I also screwed up. At the Idol Awards, I... I didn't trust Rumi, I turned my back on her when she needed us the most, I..."

"Zoey," I looked up at Jinu. "I don't really know you that well, in fact, I probably don't know you at all, considering how little we've known each other. But I am sure you always do everything to keep the hunters together, and I am also sure you were trying your best. Besides, everyone makes mistakes. Rumi forgave mine, she definitely forgave yours. Trust me."

"Thank," I smiled. "You know what, you might actually be useful sometimes," I laughed, hitting him in the shoulder.

"Thanks?" He scoffed. "Now how about we get going since the rain is getting heavier?"

"I thought you wouldn't say that. The one whose first at the elevator won't have to clean the kitchen!" I shouted after I started running.

"Dream on!" Jinu laughed, after easily passing me. Ugh, I forgot how fast he was!

"Hey! That's not fair!"

We finally got to the elevator. Well, I got there like a minute later, completely exhausted and breathing rapidly. I was wet, tired, and pretty annoyed I lost.

"Shouldn't have tried to outrun me," Jinu laughed.

"You cheated!"

"What? How exactly did I cheat?"

"Obviously because your demon abilities still stayed with you. There is no way you're that fast!"

The elevator opened as we walked inside, wet dripping down from our clothes. I might need to wash my hair today... there is no justice in this world. Jinu was laughing all the way while we were going to our apartment.

"Finally!" Mira stood up, looking at us amused. "I see the weather caught you two."

"Don't even tell me..." I groaned, walking to the fridge to get out the drinks. "Not only am I wet and I will have to wash my hair today, but also this bastard cheated!"

"Stop saying I cheated! I won fare and square!" Jinu put down the bags on the table, getting the plates and cutlery.

"How do you even know "fare and square"?" Mira scoffed. "Shouldn't you be ancient?"

"Ancient demons can still keep up with the changing language, okay?"

"And you know what demons can also do?" I asked, showing my most innocent look. "Cheat! You cheated!"

"I didn't cheat! Just admit I'm faster than you!"

"Just like kids..." Rumi sighed, sitting down. "Sit down and eat you two, stop arguing already. Why does it even matter who won? You were just racing, weren't you?"

"The winner gets to lay down and not clean the kitchen," I explained.

"He what?!" Mira scoffed. "Yeah no, demon boy definitely cheated."

"Excuse me?!" Jinu exclaimed.

I smiled, feeling a lot better now. This whole situation got me overthinking again, while I couldn't let myself do that. We were doing great as hunters, and we were doing great as idols. And I didn't fail, we were still a group, we were still together. We were together, and even stronger than before. No matter what troubles we will face in the future, I knew we will manage.

The demons, the fans, whatever was waiting us, it didn't matter. I will do everything to keep us together so we could be even more unstoppable. The lyrics I was writing, the songs we were creating, it was all to keep us as close to each other as possible.

"Okay, but before we eat, you two should change your clothes or you will get sick. And Zoey, you can't get sick right now," Mira said, looking at me up and down.

"Ah! I forgot!" I quickly ran to my room upstairs.

She was right, I felt like a waterfall with the amounts of water dripping from all of my clothes. Good thing I want out in leather boots today, at least my feet were pretty safe, but the rest? Completely useless. I changed into sweatpants and an oversized T-shirt, taking the wet clothes to the bathroom to get out all the water and put them on the radiator. I looked at my hair in the mirror with terror on my face. I looked like a wet rat!

I quickly went downstairs, seeing Mira and Rumi waiting at the table. Jinu was clearly still changing, so I took that chance to steal his fries.

"No!" Rumi stopped me.

"Oh, come on! Just two, he won't feel the difference!"

"Zoey..." after Rumi said that, Mira quickly grabbed the fries from Jinu's table and ate them. "Mira!"

"He doesn't need that much energy, does he?" the girl said with a satisfied look.

I smiled, seeing the two of them bicker now, trying to convince one another if he does or doesn't need to eat a lot. That was the whole point.

Us three. Together.

Chapter 24: Chapter Twenty Three

Notes:

This fanfiction has officially reached 50k words, which seems completely unbelievable to me. Don't ask me how, I have no idea how can I write this story so quickly and easily either. But I'm really glad I am. Thank you so much for your comments, they really make my days, and I hope you will enjoy another chapter as much as I am

We were sitting in the changing room while the makeup artists were taking care of us right now. Since we decided to mention a lot of mental struggles in our album, we decided to go for a darker concept. I looked in the mirror, but before I could see anything, the woman grabbed my face and turned it again.

"Please don't move right now," she said, focusing again.

"I'm sorry," I whispered.

I guess I will only get to see the results when she's finished. To be completely honest, I was probably more nervous than usually, but I did have a reason, and that reason being Jinu.

Why did it feel like lately the only source actually stressing me and making my body go crazy was him? I was a hunter, a kpop idol, I was taught how to manage many emotions, it wasn't a big deal for me usually. But on the other hand, a lot has changed since the Idol Awards. Actually, even before the Idol Awards my life started changing and he was one of the main reasons, which I was really grateful for. He made me see the things in myself I tried to hide so desperately, not realising it was nothing to be ashamed of.

But even after everything Jinu has done, I was a nervous wreck around him, and I really wanted this to change. How could a demon hunter have such a silly weakness? Or was it a weakness? I didn't even know how to name it, but I was pretty sure that being close to him didn't help. And yet I still needed him next to me, I wouldn't bare the thought of him being far away. I sighed, realising I was completely torn.

"I'm so excited!" Zoey squealed, her makeup artist quickly closing her mouth before she goes on a full rant. I smiled a little, fortunately not bothering mine this time. I really didn't want to make their jobs more difficult, sometimes the urge to move was just stronger. To look, to turn, to shift a little.

"Now close your eyes please," the woman said, as I did what she asked.

She was already doing my eye makeup, which I took for a good sign.

It was a simple plan, we had two days to do full photoshoots for three versions of our album. Two normal albums, one being a "golden" version, the other "takedown" version, and one limited edition, which will be a mix. The "takedown" version meant to represent first half of the album where we're trying to fight the demons, not even realising that we're slowly breaking apart. The cover was an art of Mira's tattoo, but reversed, a white tree on black background. The "golden" version will represent the second half in which we're slowly breaking apart to then built ourselves from scratch, becoming even better versions of ourselves. This cover will show the art of mine "tattoos" on a white background, it was about to be a very soft version, especially compared to the other one. And then there was the limited edition, where the cover was an art of Zoey's side profile but without much details. It looked incredibly cool, and the best thing was that this version was about to be mixed, with the best photos from each photoshoot.

The worst thing about it was that Bobby and director decided to have a "great idea" concerning the limited edition and he just entered the room to tell us about it.

"Girls, I sent Jinu to another room to get him ready as well," he said with a big smile.

"What?!" I got stopped by the woman putting my makeup from turning my head. "I'm sorry."

"Wait, why?" the girls asked surprised.

"We were thinking how to make the limited edition's album sales higher and we decided to make Rumi and Jinu have a couple of pictures together," Bobby explained, as I felt powder being put on my face. Great, it was the end already. "It will be four or five photos, we will fit it on two pages, but after fans realise, they will definitely want it even more."

I could finally turn around, now looking at our manager, feeling my heart beating faster. "Did Jinu agree to that?"

"Immediately."

Of course he did. How could I even hope he would say no to such a thing? He was always eager to be everywhere, wasn't he. "Wait, but how do you even... what exactly..."

"Oh, it's simple. Since we will be adding a surprise song that's a duet between him and you, why not give the fans a little bit more. But just a little, not too much, that's also not good," Bobby smiled widely. "He's right now getting prepared, he should be ready. You three are doing photoshoot mainly for the "golden" version, and obviously for the limited edition album, so the concept is that Jinu today will be styled more in "takedown" vibes, and tomorrow you two will switch. We need things to stay interesting."

"That is so cuteeee!" Zoey squealed, looking at me excitedly. "I can't wait to see that!"

A photoshoot? With him? How could I even do that? "What kind of photos were you thinking about?"

"It's simple, Rumi, don't you worry about it too much," Bobby waved his arm. "We just need chemistry and tension between you two. You know, to feel that something is happening there. And that's it, nothing too difficult," he said, looking at the three of us. "Oh, you're ready? Great, come on, let's start the photoshoot! The more we manage to do today, the better!"

"Just chemistry, nothing much," Mira teased me while we were going to the main room. I gave her a warning look.

"Yeah, just a bit of tension, as if you two are not always looking like there's unresolved tension," Zoey giggled.

"Girls..." I whispered. "You two are not helping."

"We will be standing on the side and cheering you on! That should be helpful enough, right?" Zoey said, wrapping her arm around me.

"But if you really want to, we can try to help you two kiss," Mira smirked, as I lowered my head.

"I don't think they need any help with that."

"You're right."

Spirits, previous hunters, whoever, please help me. Give me strength and whatever that can help me survive this day. And tomorrow. We entered the main room, where everything was already prepared. Today, our outfits were very light and flowy to match the theme well. They were surprisingly comfortable too. The clothes were mostly white and featured lots of lace and small details. I was wearing a white corset top, a very light skirt that was longer in the back, and simple heels. Mira wore an asymmetrical short dress with pants and leather heeled shoes that reached above her ankles. Zoey was dressed in a beautiful dress with ruffles at the hem and short sleeves, paired with black Mary Jane shoes and white lace socks.

We were supposed to look angel-like, and I was pretty sure the stylists achieved that. I couldn't stop looking at the girls, amazed how well they looked. Even Mira, who wasn't a fan of softer style, really liked her look. It still had some accents that perfectly showed her personality, for example the longer eyeliner, the heavier jewellery and obviously the shoes. It was clear the team did an incredible work, and now we had to do the same.

"Okay, who wants to go first?" The photographer asked, already prepared.

"I can!" Zoey jumped first. We smiled, nodding.

"Perfect. Okay, let's start then..."

Me and Mira sat down and observed how the shootings was going. The best thing about photoshoots for albums was that we had quite some time for rests, since we could switch whenever one gets tired. The photos together were usually done in between our single ones.

Zoey was doing amazing, she immediately understood the concept, and perfectly showed it. Before the shooting, her hair was let down, which was something we also agreed upon doing during this shooting. My braid had also already disappeared, my hair reaching my thighs, as I decided to cut most of them off today morning.

I don't even know why I decided to grow them that much, they were only a problem, not a help of any kind. Washing them was literally torture, brushing them was the same. I usually had to ask the girls to help me every time after a shower, because other way it would take me an hour at least. But I had to let them down sometimes, they couldn't be stuck in a braid all the time. And not only that, but I realised that my hair was never mine to begin with. This braid I always had, it wasn't mine, it was Celine's. It was something I carried since my childhood, just like the burden of shame of who I am. And I didn't want that. I wanted to understand myself like I should have a long time ago. I wanted to become Rumi, the real Rumi. And to do that, I needed to let go of every weight from the past.

The hair being one of them.

Besides, it was still long, and I enjoyed it a lot now. I could freely walk with it completely down and my head felt lighter. I never expected cutting one's hair could be so... so wonderful. It really felt like I was just starting my authentic journey as a demon hunter. Like we all were just starting. But this time it was all real, without the lies.

"Okay... perfect!" The photographer said, while taking more photos. "Yeah, yeah, this is going great."

I smiled, feeling movement somewhere on my left. I turned to the side, stopping my eyes on Jinu who just entered. I couldn't really keep my eyes off him. He was wearing a black shirt with ruffles on the collar and sleeves with simple black pants and leather shoes. But that wasn't the best. He had an eyeliner. And yes, every time I looked in his eyes, it felt like I was seeing them for the first time, but this time it was... even better. He looked so unnecessarily good, I started wondering if he won't steal our fans if we get him even one page in our album.

Zoey whistled. "You know, you kind of look like a vampire right now," she said looking at Jinu.

"That's what the concept is for tomorrow, so we tried our best," the makeup artist said, clearly proud of her work.

"What kind of idea is that?" I whispered to myself. To get him on this album, and to make us... I mean...

"Okay girls, let's do some group photos and we can jump to this young gentleman with his lovely lady," the photographer said suddenly.

Before I could even correct him, Mira took my hand and dragged me into the set. She also let down her hair, which was probably even a rarer view than when I did it. To be honest, no matter what she wore, she could always pull it off, and no matter what hairstyle she was wearing, it was the same. After all, she wasn't our visual without a reason.

"All right... let's try bringing it to the ground first," the photographer said. "Laid down, we need to experiment her a little, but... hm..."

I completely forgot how fun photoshoots could be. The second we started posing and thinking about how to perfect the photos, I felt much better. It was something I knew and enjoyed. Especially if we were doing it together. I forgot even how quickly time passes for me in the studio, but it did went on quickly. I didn't even realise, when the three of us were finished, and after a five minute break, I was dragged there again, this time with Jinu.

"Now, I need the two of you to really show me some passion," the man started explaining. "I need fireworks, I need chemistry, I need people to see the two of you and immediately fall in love."

"How are we..." I gasped, when Jinu grabbed my waist from around and leaned over, holding my body so that I wouldn't fall on my back. I was held by one of his arm, now hypnotised by how close his face was to mine.

"How about this?" Jinu asked, not even once breaking the eye contact. I could feel my heart again.

"Yes! I like your way of thinking, young man!" The photographer gasped amazed. "Now, Rumi hold his face with one of your hands."

I slowly put my right hand on his cheek, trying to focus on what I was told to do and not on Jinu. If I focused on him too much, I might...

"Perfect! Oh, the people will love this!" I heard the shutter of the camera. "Yes, keep that look, it's exactly what we're looking for! Oh, I gotta say, I love the brush on you, Rumi. It really looks perfect here."

Blush? I didn't have that much blush on my face though... Jinu smirked, making my face even hotter. How could I focus, when I was wasting all of my energy to focus on the photoshoot and not on his lips.

I couldn't kiss him. Not with so many people around...

Notes:

Also, I apologise if I'm not good at planning album concepts, the only experience I have is being a kpop stan myself, which is none. Still, I hope you don't mind

Chapter 25: Chapter Twenty Four

"That was perfect!" The photographer exclaimed when the two of us finally finished. "Mira, are you ready for your part?"

I didn't hear anything else, my mind was still spiralling, my thoughts in complete disarray. My skin was burning, my stomach was going crazy. Before I knew it, I went after Jinu who was already asked to change back into his own clothes, since his part was finished. I closed the door of his changing room, leaning my back on it, not really understanding myself. Jinu turned to me surprised.

"Something happened? Do you want to talk or..." before he finished, I grabbed his shirt, pushing him into the wall next to us. "Rumi? Are you okay?"

I looked at him, blinking surprised. Why was he so calm when I was going crazy here? How could he be so collected when I was losing my mind? "I... you... ugh..." I groaned, not really knowing what I wanted to say. "How dare you be so calm?"

"Rumi, what are..." I didn't let him finish, kissing him.

I gave up. There was no way of me to push Jinu away, when my body was screaming for him. How could I ignore him, how could I act as if nothing is going on, when my head was occupied by him? I felt him deepen the kiss, as I already closed my eyes. This whole photoshoot was just a torture for me, it was a test to see if I can resist him, and I knew I couldn't really do that. My mind wasn't as strong as I thought it was. Or at least hoped for it to be.

He deepened the kiss, pulling me even closer. My stomach was dancing, my lips were in heaven, while my mind couldn't even form one word properly. It was blank like canvas, focusing on him. His body, his hands, his mouth. Everything. That was the only thing I needed right now. I needed Jinu.

His hands tightened on my waist, turning us around and making my back lean on the wall where I pushed him seconds later. I breathed out, slowly stopping the kiss, seeing that little smile. Rumi, you're playing a dangerous game. I subconsciously turned my head to see our marks shining again. Soon it will become our norm and not something unordinary if I keep it up for a little longer. I observed the beautiful blue colour on his body now, completely forgetting how close we still were. We still had to figure out what exactly was going on and why did these patterns react in such a weird way. Maybe it was actually a type of soul connection?

No, it couldn't be. What was I even thinking?

"You're aware it was our third kiss already, right?" Jinu whispered, not breaking the small distance between us.

"Yes," I replied quietly. Third kiss. Two of them happened because of me... It was over, I couldn't really deny it at this point.

"Well..." he continued, observing me carefully. "I don't know how this works now really, maybe some things have changed, I mean, I am quite old, but I just want you to know that I wouldn't kiss just anyone," he said. I blinked, not really knowing if I should say something. My head was spinning, my lips were still tingling and if I could I would just kiss him again... "Actually, you're the only one I want to kiss, Rumi." I felt my heart stop. My eyes immediately lifted, looking at him. "I like you... No, actually I... I love you," he stuttered. "Well, actually, I don't think love is enough to describe everything I feel when I even look at you, not mentioning when I'm close to you or when I'm with you..." I felt the warmth in my chest spreading. "Although I don't want to scare you, if you don't feel the same way, or, I don't know, you... uh... just like kissing... I mean, I wouldn't mind... Well, if you wouldn't of course..."

I couldn't help but smile, even though Jinu's words seemed too good to be true. But he was there. He said those things, I heard them loud and clear, right? I looked carefully in his eyes, making sure that yes, he did in fact say all of that.

"I..." My mind was completely blank, I was too hypnotised by his eyes. How could I say anything right now? "I... ugh..." Jinu chuckled, making me even more nervous. "How can you laugh right now? Can you let me focus? I'm trying to say that I... well... I also like you..." I breathed out, closing my eyes.

My spine tingled, when I felt his breath on my neck. "Just like?"

Calm down Rumi, you can do it, I know you can. "I think I also..." why was this so difficult? "I need you," I finally said. "I need you, I love having you by my side, I can't bare the thought of you disappearing again or leaving me, so I guess I... I love you... I want you."

"I think that means we're officially dating now," he whispered in my ear, as my legs just got ten times weaker. "Since these feelings are mutual... am I wrong?"

"No, no, I think you're right..." he chuckled. How could I talk to him when he was so close?

"You think?"

"I know."

After saying that, he kissed my neck, making me tilt my head to the other side. His hands were still holding my waist, while mine were on his shoulders. I bit the inside of my cheek, when he deepened the kiss.

Wait, no.

I pushed him back. "I still have a photoshoot," I said. Jinu raised hi eyebrows.

"I know."

"I... we can't do that," I continued.

"Do what?"

I closed my eyes, realising he was again teasing me. I leaned my hair on the wall behind, looking at the ceiling. "Ten minutes, Jinu. Can you try to be serious for ten minutes?"

"You know me pretty well already," he laughed. "Tell me, can I?"

"You can't..." I sighed. "Anyway, I uh... I will go already, I think I stayed too long. Uhm..." why was I still so nervous? Shouldn't I be at least a little calmer now? No. Not with him. I don't think my body would ever stop going crazy when it came to Jinu. "You should just change, and I'll go back to the girls."

"I can change even now, I don't mind," Jinu smiled, as I immediately jumped to the door, completely panicking again.

"See you later!"

I left the changing room. Did I just say see you later? Really? Rumi, get it together, will you? How could I say something so stupid? I quickly went back to the rest, sitting next to Zoey and observing how Mira was doing. She was definitely feeling herself.

It made me remember our first photoshoot for our mini album, and how surprised I was when I realised that Mira was basically a natural in front of a camera. Not many people would go there and know what to do, especially without any experience. Yes, I was aware she performed as a dancer on many scenes and recorded her own videos on social media, but it still wasn't the same. And yet Mira immediately handled it so well that Zoey ran up to her that day to ask for as many tips as possible, as impressed as I was with her. So after years it was only obvious she would get even better at that, making her a perfect ambassador candidate.

"By the way..." Zoey leaned closer to me, smiling widely. "What were you two doing just now? You were absent for quite a long time, I must say."

"I... we..." I felt my face warming up gain, as Zoey's eyes widened from excitement. "We may have... started dating?"

"What?!" Everyone turned to us, making me even more embarrassed, as I tried to calm Zoey down and showed everyone to just carry on. Mira was looking at me with a questioning look, probably already expecting a couple of possibilities why Zoey had a reaction like that. "Really? You're not joking with me right now though?"

"I'm not, we really are," I nodded. "But this must stay between me, Jinu, you and Mira. Nobody else can know, do you understand me? Nobody."

"Yes yes, of course. We need to protect your privacy from others, but oh my god!" She squealed, now quieter than before to not bring as much attention. "Rumi, I'm so happy for you! You can't even imagine how exhausting it was for me and Mira to see you two constantly flirting and still not doing anything about it... It was torture."

"It couldn't be that bad..."

"It was worse, trust me," Zoey said with a very serious look. "Be glad you didn't get to experience it, I wouldn't even wish that on my worst enemy."

"You're clearly exaggerating," I rolled my eyes.

"I am definitely not!"

"So? What happened?" I turned to Mira who just sat down next to us. "Cause I know it's definitely something veeeery interesting."

Zoey leaned closer, hiding her mouth behind her hand so nobody except from us would hear her. "They are dating!" she whispered.

"Finally," Mira nodded. "If I had to watch another scene of demon boy being all touchy and you just blushing like stupid without anyone making a serious move, I think I would start looking for a new place to live in."

"Oh, come on!" I rolled my eyes. "It couldn't be that bad."

"It was that bad."

I sighed. It was clear I couldn't win with them, I already knew that.

"So who confessed to whom?" Zoey asked, still excited.

"He did," I said, now realising that I wasn't the only one stuttering there. I smiled, remembering it. "And he stuttered so much, it was actually pretty adorable. He started a whole rant basically."

"Excuse me?" I jumped, hearing Jinu's voice right next to me. It turned out he was standing behind for who knows how long. "If you want to make so much fun of me, maybe you should add how you stuttered probably even more than I?"

"You're both so stupid," Mira scoffed.

"Aw, but they're stupid together!" Zoey said with enthusiasm. "I'm so happy for you two!"

"Mira! Are you ready to continue?" The photographer asked, making the girl stand up. Suddenly, she grabbed Jinu by his clothes, leaning very closely.

"Now listen to me carefully, demon boy," she whispered. "If you ever dare to hurt Rumi even half as much as you did during Idol Awards, you can trust me I will find a way to get rid of you for good in the most painful way possible. Understood?" Jinu just nodded. "Great," she said, then smiled towards the photographer. "Yeah, I'm ready!"

Jinu quickly sat on Mira's place, straightening his shirt from wrinkles. "To be honest, I was always the most terrified of her from the three of you."

"Excuse me?" I scoffed. "I mean, I know Mira is scary, especially at first, but I was the one trying to kill you like, all the time."

"But were you actually trying to kill me?" Jinu smiled, leaning closer.

"Yes! Why did you think I agreed to meet in the first place? I was hoping I would get rid of you for good!"

"Hm... I don't know then, I guess I didn't feel threatened."

"You didn't feel... Oh, I can't believe this! I literally thought I was cutting off your head when you pulled that mannequin stunt, but you still didn't feel threatened? Unbelievable..."

"I was too busy focusing on the part that you came there to meet with me to bother with such trivial things," Jinu said with a smirk. I rolled my eyes, crossing my arms and slowly moving closer to Zoey. What a joke! He didn't feel threatened by me! What was he thinking I was doing then? Playing pranks on him?!

"You know," Zoey whispered to my ear. "You two are not only adorable together, but also pretty hilarious."

"I don't see anything funny about him," I scoffed, still offended.

"How about seeing something tasty?" The girl smiled.

"Zoey!" I warned her, but she only laughed.

"What? I'm just asking," the girl widened her smile as if nothing happened. "But it does make me wonder, how many times have you already kissed? And did it ever go further than a simple kiss?" Before I could say anything, she quickly added: "actually no, don't tell me! Not without Mira."

I already knew that an interesting conversation awaited me after we go back from this photoshoot.

Notes:

So many chapters while we still barely touched the lore

Chapter 26: Chapter Twenty Five

Notes:

I had such a busy day, that I unfortunately didn't have much time to write today

I counted the chairs again, realising I wasn't wrong the last eleven times. Eight chairs. I looked at the girls and Jinu who looked as confused as me. The signing even was about to start soon, but Baby and Romance didn't even appear. Also, who prepared this many places? Everyone knew the Saja Boys plot and our company was definitely aware, that if they will succeed to come back in a month, there will be only three members.

"Okay girls, it's only ten minutes until we open the doors but it's fine," Bobby laughed nervously. "Just sit like you did during the first signing even with the Saja Boys and let's hope they show up soon."

"Bobby, I think..." Mira probably wanted to comment about the number of seats when the Saja Boys finally arrived with their assigned manager.

One, two... Abby and Mystery were alive?! I looked at Jinu who was as surprised as me. I decided to see the girls' reaction and well... they were completely lost in looking at the abs. Again. I massaged my nose bridge, not believing it's actually happening. How was Abby's shirt always barely holding on?

"The Saja Boys!" Bobby clapped relieved. "Come come! Sit down! We still have... eight minutes left! That's perfect!"

I went to sit at the table already, watching Bobby start a conversation with the Saja Boys manager. It was a young boy who I recognised. Just a year ago he was still an intern at the company, running errands everywhere it was possible. Look at him now, he had a whole group to take care of. I was wondering how he will manage. After all, there were not many people like Bobby.

"So Jinu," I turned to see Baby sitting next to my boyfriend. Ugh, this guy again... "How about now? Will you come back?"

"I thought you said they were dead-dead," Jinu scoffed.

"Well, I did think they're dead-dead."

"Then how?"

"Fortunately for both of them, Mystery can use his brain. It was enough for both of them," Baby laughed. "The second they landed in the demon realm, they went back to the human realm, afraid they might get trapped in there. They were right to do that of course, although they lost all of the energy, so for some time none of us had idea they are here."

"Mystery and brain?" Jinu shook his head. "Those two shouldn't even go in the same sentence."

"What do you mean?" I asked, now interested.

"Well, Gwi-Ma had this way of controlling the demons by just... taking away most of their memories and their thinking skills," Jinu explained turning to me. "That's why the Saja Boys were so easy to get going, these four were complete dumbasses, their minds were completely manipulated by Gwi-Ma."

Baby only nodded. I blinked surprised. "Wait, so how were you not brainwashed?"

"He preferred to torture me with something else, fully believing leaving my mind untouched but with constant blame will make me a better soldier of his than if I was a mindless puppet."

Even though Jinu said it in a joking manner, my chest still ached, thinking about that. He had to survive four hundred years being controlled, manipulated and guilt-tripped by Gwi-Ma... I was so happy we managed to defeat this brute, but it made me think of actually demons are as bad as we were taught they are. But if they weren't evil and dangerous, what would be the purpose of us being hunters? Wouldn't that mean we're pretty much useless?

"So how did this dumbass manage to actually make a smart decision like that?" I heard Jinu ask.

"During the fight, Gwi-Ma was already losing control, I'm not sure if you also felt it, since you were focused on something else," Baby gave him an amused look. "But that's also why me and Romance managed to just hide from the hunters instead of fighting them, we started gaining some consciousness. Not much, but enough to save ourselves."

"Hm... so the same happened to Mystery..."

"Well, obviously not Abby."

"Obviously."

I raised my eyebrows. Abby couldn't be that stupid, right?

"Okay everyone, last five minutes!" Bobby said, pointing at his wrist.

I leaned closer to the table to see how the girls were doing. Zoey was enjoying the whole thing, clearly happy that Mystery magically appeared and now telling him probably about one of her favourite water animals. I only couldn't hear which one, but looking at how excitedly she was talking, I knew it had to be this. Mira on the other hand was being annoyed by Romance, while Abby was... looking at himself in the mirror. I rolled my eyes. This guy was really unbelievable, it's like he lived in another world that was just him.

"You know I'm right here, right?" I shivered, feeling Jinu's breath on my neck as he asked in a lower voice.

"Of course I do."

"Then where are you looking?"

"I wanted to see how the girls are doing, especially since it turns out all the Saja Boys are alive. And since I know how Mira despises them. I need to make sure she won't assassinate any."

"And why were you focused on Abby for so long?"

"Because..." I turned my head to look at him, smiling. "Don't tell me you're jealous."

"Maybe I am," Jinu replied, clearly annoyed. I couldn't believe this.

"I'm just looking. You can't really be jealous that I'm aware of my surroundings. I'm a hunter," I flicked him with my fingers on the forehead.

"I can be aware for you," he scoffed. I rolled my eyes. Unbelievable.

"You will right now focus on the event and the fans," I said, sitting straight again. "We'll discuss that after."

"So if any fans start flirting with me, you'll be completely fine with that?"

"I won't be fine, but there's nothing I can do, can I?" I scoffed. The thought of anyone flirting with Jinu did make my pulse rise, but I had to learn to control it. "After all, we are idols, it's a part of our job."

"Okay, we'll be opening the building soon!" Bobby said, clearly excited about the whole thing.

I felt Jinu's hand on my thigh the second I heard the door opening. I turned to look at him when he quickly lifted my right leg and put it on his own. "What are you..."

"Shh!" He quickly interrupted me, smiling proudly.

"We can't let the fans know we're together!" I whispered, hearing the steps.

"They won't see anything, this tablecloth hides everything," Jinu said, focusing on entering fans.

My skin started burning under his touch, as I tried to put my leg back down on the floor, but Jinu held it. I felt my face warming up, trying to calm myself down as I felt his fingers slowly move on my skin, circling around one place. I wanted to say something more to him, when a fan walked up to the table, making me immediately focus on them. It was a girl smiling widely dressed in one of our T-shirts.

"I love your new hair!" She exclaimed.

"Thank you so much!" I smiled, taking the poster to sign it. "I love your shirt!"

I decided to change the hairstyle, realising it's time for a change. Now when my hair was shorter it was so much comfortable and I felt much better, but I still wouldn't leave them just be. So the change wasn't really big, instead of one braid, I now had two, and I really loved them. The girls also said they look great, so I was pretty proud.

"I can't wait for your album!"

"We can't wait either!" I said. The girl moved to the side as another fan came up.

I started signing the posters, trying to focus on what I'm doing and not on Jinu's hand that was still on my thigh. Don't think about it, Rumi. Don't...

"You're blushing," Jinu suddenly whispered in my ear.

"That's your fault," I hissed, still looking on the poster I was signing.

"Thank you so much!" The fan smiled.

"How is that my fault?" Jinu continued, as I put down my pen.

"Jinu..." I whispered. "Don't push your luck..."

"You two are so cute together!" I raised my head, looking at the smiling girl. "Could I have your autographs on one poster? Pretty please?"

"Yes, of course!" Jinu replied, taking a poster with my photo. He passed it to me, leaning in even closer.

"Stop it!" I whispered, looking at what I'm signing. "Here you go!"

"Thank you so much!" The fan smiled, taking the poster. "I'll hang this on my wall!"

I turned back to Jinu, trying to kill him with my eyes. He seemed to pretend not to know what I mean. "Can you..."

"Aren't the fans loving it though?" His voice went deeper as his friend tightened on my thigh, making my heart skip a beat. "And could you actually lie to your fans? What if they ask..."

"Are you two dating?" We raised our heads, looking at a teenage girl. "I won't tell anyone, I promise..."

"Uh..." I didn't really know what to say, especially after I felt Jinu's fingers tapping on my skin under the table now.

"The Saja Boys are just huge fans of Huntrix," Jinu said. "And I admire Rumi as a leader and a singer. She's really amazing."

Don't blush, Rumi. Don't blush... "The Saja Boys are also admirable," I nodded. "To get such a huge fandom so quickly and write that good of a song? And all that without even any company!"

The girl's eyes widened, as I gave her the signed poster. Could this event already end? It wasn't a good idea to be here with him. Huntrix and the Saja Boys shouldn't appear anywhere together for longer than fifteen minutes. Or maybe the next time I will just get as far away from Jinu as I could, so he wouldn't distract me like he was doing now?

My leg was still laying on his, as I was hoping nobody saw that I was in a weirder sitting position than I should be. If I knew he would get so brave that quickly, I wouldn't agree for us to date so quickly.

I would. I knew I would.

I grabbed another poster, signing it quickly at giving it to the fan. I frowned, seeing a face I already recognised.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, already ready to jump into the demon.

It was again one of those two stalker-demons from the alley. The same one that came to Jinu at night and told him we shouldn't attack all the demons. And the one that told Jinu he still doesn't have a soul.

"Oh, I'm a big fun of you three," he smiled, showing his fangs. "Couldn't miss such an opportunity of course."

"Get out before I make you," Jinu hissed, now clearly mad.

"Aren't you glad to see me?" The demon chuckled. "Really now, how do you expect me to answer any of your questions when you're throwing me out, huh?"

"Go away," I said, pushing the poster in the demon's hands. "And leave us alone or I don't promise we won't assassinate you."

"You don't really think the three of you have a chance with me, do you?" The demon took the poster. "I came here to warn you about Bo-Ra. She came back."

"Bo-Ra?" I asked, surprised. "Who is that?"

"Bo-Ra? Bo-Ra, Bo-Ra..." Jinu murmured, trying to think.

Before I could hear any answers, the demon disappeared, and another fan immediately walked up to the table. I quickly went back to signing, looking at Jinu.

"Do you know who he meant?" I whispered.

"I recognise the name, but I can't remember where I heard it..." he sighed.

"Thank you for coming!" I smiled to the fan. "So is that another demon?"

"I think so, but what kind..."

"What's wrong?" Baby asked.

"Do you recognise the name Bo-Ra?" Jinu asked quietly.

"Bo-Ra? She was the most important prisoner of Gwi-Ma..."

A prisoner? How could we never hear about her?

Chapter 27: Chapter Twenty Six

"I only heard some stories," Baby started.

The eight of us were in our apartment, already after the signing event. It went pretty well, although the fans started talking about the ships between Huntrix and the Saja Boys again. But that couldn't be helped, and as Bobby said, it only made us more popular which was the good thing. At least that's what I had to believe. We were now sitting in our apartment, wanting to hear the story of that "Bo-Ra" the stalker-demon warned us about.

By the way, shouldn't we ask this demon's name finally? We already met him enough times to try to refer to him differently than "stalker-demon" title. Although, he was a stalker, so why would we even care to get to know him?

"Well, some stories are better than none," Mira said. She was right now sitting on the edge of the couch, keeping Romance away with her arm. The whole scene looked quite hilarious, even though I wouldn't dare laugh out loud.

"Okay then. From what I heard, Bo-Ra was one of the first demons, along with Gwi-Ma. And for a long times they were friends, until Gwi-Ma decided to betray her and trap her."

"What? What do you mean by trap her? How can a demon trap another demon?" I asked surprised.

"Well, I'm not sure," Baby sighed. "But I heard there was an ancient ritual to trap demons, just how the honmoon became an ancient ritual to trap demons too, but by hunters. From what I know, Gwi-Ma also used his voice to do that. He trapped Bo-Ra so she would be suffering for eternity, while he slowly gets control over the whole world."

"Woah," Zoey stopped the demon. "Wait a second! How come we never heard any of those stories?"

"Yeah!" Mira nodded. "I feel like we know shit about the one thing we should be the best at!"

"Who the hell trained you guys," Romance scoffed. "Cause it seems like they've done a shitty job."

I looked down on my knees, breathing carefully. My hands were shaking. How was it possible? How could we not know all of that stuff, how could we not know about the shadow demons, about some demon named Bo-Ra, about the fact how old Gwi-Ma really was... Could Celine really hide so much from us? From me? Or was she also as unaware as the three of us?

But then...

I closed my eyes as the memories from the Idol Awards came back. I tried so much to forget about them, to push them aside, but it was impossible. And now I was slowly realising she might have never actually wanted to train me. She never actually wanted me to become a hunter, did she? She just didn't have a choice...

"Yeah," I whispered. "We got the worst person possible to introduce us to this role..."

I felt the warmth of Jinu's hand as mine stopped shaking under his. My head was still lowered, as I was trying to calm down properly. Although having him close really helped me. Even more than I thought.

"Tell us everything you know about the legends of demons," I finally raised my head, looking at Baby.

"And what if I don't?" He scoffed, crossing his arms.

Mira immediately grabbed her Gok-Do, getting up. Me and Zoey jumped to stop her from attacking the demon in the last second. Baby was now hiding as much as possible in the couch, looking with a terrified face at the girl. "How about now?"

"Fine! I will tell you!" The demon sighed. "You are fucking crazy!"

"Hmm... I like crazy women..." Romance murmured, looking at Mira who sat down again. She stretched out her arm again to keep him on distance, which didn't disturb him at all. I looked at Jinu who just shrugged. I raised my eyebrows, but he just shook his head. I wouldn't even be able to say when exactly we started to communicate even in silence, but somehow we did. And the both of us understood everything perfectly.

"Okay, so about the legends," Jinu said, making everyone focus on that again.

"Right, the legends..." Baby nodded. "Okay, let me collect my thoughts quickly, I've been using my consciousness for a little longer than a week, my memory is still not the best..."

"Take your time," Zoey smiled.

Mystery turned to look at her and then back at Baby, after which he moved closer to the girl. Okay...

"I guess since I have lived the longest I know the most demon legends..." Baby sighed, massaging his forehead. "Unfortunately, I don't remember how demons really started existing, but what I do remember is that at first there were eight of them, and they are still considered the strongest ones of them all. One being Gwi-Ma himself."

"So this guy was insufferable since the beginning," Mira scoffed.

"Not quite. Although I'm not really sure about that, but the Great Demons, that's how these eight were called later on, were considered helpful, and not really threatening. Until Bo-Ra decided to rebel and started luring humans to let go of their morals. She stripped them of souls, trying to create a demon army and rule the world. But not for long. When the rest found out about her plan, the first to fight her was Gwi-Ma. Something happened during that battle which made him shift completely. Instead of defeating Bo-Ra and freeing the souls stolen by her, he trapped her in eternal hell, while stealing her army for himself. He decided he would be the one to rule the earth. He started craving the power he never knew he wanted..."

"Okay, but what exactly happened to the rest of those powerful demons? Couldn't they react in any way?" Zoey asked, now sitting on the edge of a couch, listening carefully to the story.

"They did," Baby nodded. "They tried to destroy him, but that's a problem with demons. You can't. You can trap them, but that's it. You can consider them dead only when they are somewhere where they won't ever escape. Like thousands of demons are now in the realm that was ruled by Gwi-Ma."

"So what did they exactly do?" I asked, trying to comprehend what I was just hearing. How could we not know anything about it? And the legend Baby was telling us matched the mystery page that was put here by the stalker-demon.

But why now? How could it happen that we were hunters for so long, and we didn't even get to find out any of it?

"Why do you think Gwi-Ma was basically a huge flame that was always burning? They trapped him in the eternal fire, punishing him with the pain he could never stop. And then the hunters appeared, creating honmoon and trapping him under the earth, where they thought he couldn't make any harm. Unfortunately, they were wrong, forgetting how strong he was," Baby said. "And that's basically it. That's the story of Gwi-Ma, Bo-Ra and six other demons I don't know much about."

"Well..." Mira sighed. "You still know much more than we did."

"Yeah..." Zoey laid down. "But wait, since demons are so strong and basically immortal, what happened to the six other great demons? Where are they now?"

"Most of the demons say they were also "killed" by the first demon hunters, trapped even deeper under the ground," me, Mira and Zoey looked surprised at Mystery. This was the first time we heard him say anything.

"Yeah, I heard that too," Jinu nodded. "Although I still think those legends were just created by Gwi-Ma to make everyone more afraid of him."

"Trust me, Jinu," Baby said. "Those legends are more true than you think."

I closed my eyes, trying to analyse all of it. So the hunters appeared only after this Bo-Ra and Gwi-Ma decided to mess things up? And they banished all the rest of the demons too? Why? So maybe nothing similar would happen again? Also, how could it all just disappear completely from the hunters' job introduction? Were the hunters before us, including my mom, also as clueless as us, or did Celine just hide basically everything?

Or maybe Baby was just lying to us, trying to mess in our heads? But why would he even do that, it seemed genuine that he wasn't interested in hunting the human souls and just wanted to become a kpop group. Did that mean demons could easily control themselves and the hunger for human souls easily? Were they actually much more aware of everything than we always believed?

These four were probably a perfect proof that demons were in fact much smarter than we fought, they were just... manipulated. Could that mean they weren't completely evil? That maybe the worlds between humans and demons had a chance to connect and live together?

What was I thinking about? The hunters didn't create honmoon just to stop Gwi-Ma, they created it to keep all the demons away. That's how it was supposed to work. At least that was what I had to believe in... There were too many things crumbling right in front of me lately, and I wasn't sure if I was ready to see another seemingly "stable and sure" situation become a complete opposite of what I believed in. No. My life has been built on enough secrets, there couldn't be more. There couldn't.

"Are you okay?" I opened my eyes to see worried Jinu. I smiled, nodding. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm just... trying to think what to do now..." I sighed. "We need to know how to act, what should our plan be. If we want to still eliminate the demons or if we want to try and find out the truth. And if yes, how can we do that..."

"How about..." Mira suddenly appeared next to us, "...eliminating demons while trying to search for the truth?"

"Ooh! I love that idea!" Zoey joined.

"Do you think it will work?" I asked, still hesitant.

"We could just listen for a while to this creep-demon and assassinate for a time being only the demons that actually steal the souls. We still should protect the people, after all," Mira shrugged. "And if the truth turns out to be "demons are totally evil, and there is no hope", trust me, I will eliminate him with my own bare hands."

I heard Jinu swallow loudly, which made me smile. "I believe her."

"See? That's probably the best plan to have right now, when everything seems to be completely upside down," she looked really proud of herself.

"And can we have Jinu back while you three try to go on your little adventures?" Baby asked.

"No!" The four of us immediately opposed. Baby sighed.

"Oh, come on! You can't keep him forever!"

"We will keep him for eternity and one day longer," Zoey said, sticking out her tongue. "You four better accept it and just work yourself to create music if you care so much to become idols."

"Yeah! I will not just give you back my punching bag!" Mira nodded. The three of us looked at her.

"Excuse me?" Jinu raised his eyebrows. He then leaned closer to me, so only I could hear him. "Should I take it as a compliment or..."

"To be honest, I have no idea myself," I whispered back. He only nodded.

"Okay..."

"Come on now," Romance spoke out. "He can be your punching bag and our leader, it's not like he needs to sleep."

"Uhm... I'm a human now..."

"What? Humans actually need sleep?"

"What the hell? Did you think we go to sleep because it's our hobby?" Zoey scoffed.

"I mean, why not. It seems like a good idea for the time to pass when you don't want to do anything really."

"Huh..."

And before I even realised, the boys and girls started arguing about Jinu and with who he will stay from now on. I looked at him with a questioning look, while he shook his head, making me smile. If he wanted to stay with us, that was what mattered the most for me. They could try all they wanted to, but as long as Jinu didn't, I knew there was no space for discussion. Huntrix were a perfect example of stubbornness, but sometimes it felt like this one was even more talented at this than us. And even though right now I was very glad about it, usually it made me go crazy because of how annoying he could get. But right now I could just enjoy the show, being perfectly calm about Jinu staying. And that's all that mattered.

We heard a shattered glass, which made the whole room go completely silent. The eight of us turned to see a stone with a piece of paper tied to it. How could anyone even reach so high? I slowly got up from the couch, picking up the object. I took out the note, reading it carefully.

"Count your days."

Chapter 28: Chapter Twenty Seven

The sun was setting slowly, as I looked out the window, waiting patiently. The demons loved to go out and attack at night, that's when people were asleep, that's when Gwi-Ma tried to manipulate innocent people into selling their souls to him and becoming his puppets. Even though the honmoon was extremely strong, sometimes there were some cracks the demons used to get to the human realm again. I really couldn't understand how exactly it worked. I was sure my mom and her two friends were the strongest people walking on this planet, they were perfect for protecting the world, their songs quickly strengthened the honmoon everytime they performed. But somehow, it wasn't enough, they still had to work constantly, fighting with demons almost daily. I sighed, resting my head on the windowsill. My goal was to become like her, to be a great hunter she was raising me and my sisters to be. To cary her legacy.

I looked at the norigae in my hands, smiling. It has been two months since me and my sisters finally crafter our own norigae's with a careful guidance of mom. She has been preparing us to become hunters since we've gained consciousness. And since I was the oldest, I obviously was the most experienced. The day I learned how to form full sentences, my mom taught me to sing. When my voice was stable enough, she introduced me to martial arts. And when I started learning calligraphy, she told me all the stories of her beginnings and how exactly they became hunters. She told me about demons, about Gwi-ma, the demon realm. She taught me the importance of souls, showed me the beauty of music.

Then, when I was six, my sisters were born. Twins. That's when I also started helping mom to introduce them to the role of becoming a demon hunter. She was teaching them to sing whenever she had time, but when she was needed outside of our house, I was the one to help them get their voices right and remember the lyrics. She trained them in the same weapons and martial arts as me, but later on I carried out those trainings, taking both of them at first quite easily. Util they started to improve enough for me to have to fight them separately. That's when I was sure I'm doing a good job as their master. And because mom had less and less time at nights, when the cracks were most common, I was the one to introduce them to the demons and their hunters. I told them our values and our future promises. The responsibilities we will have.

When I was fifteen, our father passed away in a terrible accident. And even though my sisters were quite grown, they were still children, so I took care of the house and I was raising them, while learning everything myself. I have become their mother, since unfortunately they haven't been as lucky as me to experience the warmth of our own mom like I had in their age. But it didn't matter. Mom was a huntress, she was saving the world, it was much more important then raising the three of us, especially since I was grown enough to take care of the house.

Many people in the neighbourhood were helping me, the women gladly taught me how to cook delicious meals or how to sew new clothes, since we were still growing. Before, it was our father's job, but after he died, I knew I had to take care of all of that. I only taught my sisters how to clean the house, so they could be of any help, especially after they were always crying about how much they wanted to help me. So I let them, but not to the extent where they would lose their childhood. They were still running around with other kids in the area, while I was sitting with their mothers, discussing ways to perfect the skirts for all of us or how to properly take care of the herbs so they won't die even when colder season comes. And, of course, in the evenings, I made sure that all of us will still prepare to one day inherit the role of becoming demon hunters.

That's what mom always repeated. Every time she spent time with me, she said: "Ae-Jung, you are my legacy. You and your sisters will become history one day, you will become legends people whisper about around the world. You will be the ones they ask for help and the ones they welcome with open arms. That's because you are all special."

So I knew what awaited us. I knew and I wanted for all three of us to be as prepared as possible for the day it happens, especially since I didn't really know when exactly will it be. And we had to be ready, we had to be ready to carry what the first hunters have created, to keep the honmoon strong, to keep the people safe.

I never slept much at nights, which was one of the main topics every time I left the house. The women were always worried about me, asking if I'm okay and if I need help with anything. I always calmed them down, explaining that I'm really handling the house perfectly and the three of us are growing healthy, strong and happy. It wasn't my responsibilities at home that made me stay so long at night, it was my hope to see mom fighting the demons. Every night after putting my sisters to sleep, I sat at the kitchen window, looking out and hoping that one day the crack in honmoon will finally show up close to our house. Hoping I would see my mom fight. Hoping I would hear my mom's mesmerising voice.

Then, one day, when I was already almost twenty, she suddenly appeared at our door. The second I saw her there, I ran up to hug her. It felt so good to finally feel the warmth of her body and be trapped in her strong arms. I felt so safe at that moment, not realising yet that something was wrong. Only after I started seeing the signs. My sisters unfortunately weren't as welcoming, explaining they really didn't have any memories with our mom, so they didn't even recognise her. I knew she was mostly absent, but how could they be so cold towards her? After all the hard work she was putting in keeping everyone safe, they didn't even come to greet her properly? I didn't understand where I had made the mistake that they acted like that, but unfortunately I couldn't change it already.

Since all of us were much older already, we shared the responsibilities of taking care of our house and learning to become hunters. Fortunately, my sisters still cared about hunting demons and protecting everyone, so I was still proud of how I managed to raise them. Surprisingly, mom told me she will stay with us for some time and that the hunters are taking a short break from their work. I was surprised and a little worried about the safety of everyone else, but also couldn't stop the feeling of excitement that she was now with us. I could ask her all these questions I wrote in my notebook through these years when she wasn't present about demons. I could listen to her stories about how she travelled the world and managed to keep Gwi-Ma under the ground. I could get to know all the new songs they have written through these years and were performing everywhere they could.

The people in the neighbourhood didn't really welcome my mom very enthusiastically, which was completely disrespectful in my opinion. They always seemed to judge her every time she went out with us, and whispered behind our backs. But mom didn't seem to care about it as much as I did, so I didn't comment. I never said anything, keeping it to myself.

Finally, one day she took me and my sisters, asking us about the preparations to become hunters. I proudly watched how even my sisters get excited and tell her all about what the three of us learned through all these years. While they were telling her all the details, she was genuinely smiling. She was smiling. That meant I actually did a good job, and it was the only thing that mattered. That meant there was hope for the three of us to become worthy hunters and continue what my mom started. It was all that mattered.

She started teaching us a song. It was a beautiful song we learned day and night. We were singing it when we were cooking, cleaning the house, planting the herbs. Everything. It became a part of our routine, as I slowly watched our mom to become more worried. She never explained anything to me, clearly thinking I wasn't ready yet. But unfortunately I was worried sick, making me unable to fall asleep at nights. My eye bags have grown even bigger than when she was absent and I stayed at the window, looking hopefully to see her once. And now she was there, helping us and teaching us all the things I didn't get to know before. Preparing us even more seriously to finally become hunters. And every time I thought about what awaited to me, my stomach was twirling in excitement.

Then, she disappeared for a while again, firstly introducing us to the philosophy of the hunter's weapon, which was norigae. She showed us the materials that were best to create one, she showed us her own norigae she alwasy carried with herself, and let us even touch it. We have been trying to create one for five days, sitting every evening at the kitchen table and continuing from the point where we last finished. After those five days, she disappeared again, telling me it was something very important and that she didn't know how much it would take her to come back. I was about to be twenty two in three days. She didn't show up yet. I celebrated my birthday like most of my life, with my sisters and closest neighbours who taught me everything. With my sister's friends. It was a beautiful day, just like all of them. In the evening, the three of us sat at the table, already finishing our norigae's, feeling very proud of each other. We even managed to materialise our own weapons, getting even more excited. Us becoming hunters was getting closer and closer, and I couldn't wait for our mom to go back and tell us that we're ready and we will now carry the responsibilities she had all this life.

And now it has been two months after we finally got our own norigae's and our own weapons. I was sitting at the same window, the girls were getting ready to go to sleep. They were grown enough that they didn't need me to tell them any stories or sing any lullabies anymore.

That's when I saw our mom running inside. I turned to jump in her arms, but she was faster. She grabbed my shoulders, looking at me with a terrified look. My chest ached, anxious about what happened.

"Are Mi-Sun and Young-Sun asleep already?" She asked. I shook my head, as she breathed out relieved. "Ae-Jung, listen to me carefully now. You will go to your sisters and the three of you will start singing the song I taught you. Under no circumstances can any of you stop, you have to finish it, no matter what happens. When you finish, the three of you will officially become the next hunters. Do you understand?"

"I understand."

"Perfect," she smiled, turning away.

"Wait! Where are you going?" I asked, now confused.

"I can't stay with you," mom whispered. "Ae-Jung, I can't stay here when the three of you become hunters, I'm really sorry. But I know you will handle it, you always managed to perfectly handle everything. I know you will be the greatest hunters of them all."

"But..." I felt the tears appearing in my eyes. "Does that mean... Will we see you ever again?"

She shook her head slowly. "I love you, Ae-Jung. Please tell that your sisters. I love all of you. I'm proud of you. But you have to sing the song tonight. Can you promise?" I nodded. My mom smiled and left the house.

Okay, Ae-Jung. Pull yourself together. You heard mom, the three of you have to do this now. I quickly dried out the tears and went to the girls' bedroom. "Girls, today it's the night when we will officially become hunters."

"Really?!" They asked excited. I smiled. Focus.

"To carry on mom's legacy, we have to sing the full song she taught us. Can you do it now?"

They nodded. I took a deep breath and began the song. They slowly joined me, as we watched the honmoon glow. It was the first time we saw that, and it looked beautiful. I looked outside the window, almost stopping the song.

But I couldn't stop.

I saw mom outside, barely hidden behind the trees in our garden. She was holding her Ssang-geum, as I anxiously watched what she wanted to do with it. Ae-Jung, don't stop singing, remember. The three of you have to finish the song.

I couldn't cry when I saw mom stab herself in the stomach.

Don't stop the song.

I couldn't scream when I saw her body drop to the ground.

Don't stop the song.

I looked at the honmoon around her body glowing beautifully. Just don't stop the song...

Notes:

This chapter is a little different, and I know there's not much dialogue, but I hope you still enjoyed it

Chapter 29: Chapter Twenty Eight

We entered the coffee shop we always visited every other week with Bobby. He already saved our favourite spot under the window in the corner of the room, waving at us happily. I loved when we met with him like this. Just to chat and catch up, nothing too much, not talking about our work, the charts, the fans. It really let us relax more.

"Hi Bobby!" We said, sitting down.

"Hello girls! And Jinu," he smiled, getting up from his chair. "Okay, I'm going to get us the drinks. I know all your orders, but I don't know yours..."

Jinu blinked confused. "Um... I never tried coffee..."

"Oh, you'll love it! Trust me!" Zoey nodded energetically.

"Take something sweet at first," I showed him the menu. "You might not survive black coffee."

Only after I said those words did I realise what have I done. I completely forgot that Jinu's brain worked a little differently than the one of a normal person, and that instead of listening to me, he will take it as a challenge. Even Bobby sighed after my words, probably getting to know the boy enough to know what will happen now. The only one excited was Mira. Of course she was...

"I will take black coffee then," Jinu said. Bobby just nodded and went to the counter to order, while I watched Mira chuckle maniacally. Good thing she was quiet, other way she would definitely bring attention of others. "And why are you laughing?"

"Cause I can't wait to see you try it."

"We just went for coffee..." I sighed. It sometimes felt like I was just looking after three kids who loved to cause mischief. Well, one of those kids also loved to be very touchy, no matter where we were. I grabbed Jinu's hand that was already trying to move my chair closer to his. "Jinu..."

"My love," he smiled, making my stomach twirl. It was the first time he called me like that, and unfortunately I really enjoyed it. Jinu cunningly used my surprise to actually move me closer and put his left arm on the back of my chair. "I don't understand why you would be against, it's not like you don't like it," he whispered, making me lower my head to hide how nervous I became again.

"Ugh, I think I'm gonna throw up," Mira groaned, as Zoey hit her in the shoulder.

"Shut up! You will ruin my show!" She said.

"I'm reminding you all that this should stay a secret," I scoffed, trying to move my chair, but unsuccessfully. "And we cannot just go in public and be like that."

"Like what?" Jinu tilted his head. "I just needed a place to rest my hand, I don't know what are you even talking about, Rumi."

I looked at him, wanting to say something, when I realised what he was doing again. I just rolled my eyes and focused on the girls, not wanting to continue a conversation that will again just make me more annoyed. Zoey looked like she was just watching her favourite kdrama, while Mira looked like she just managed to make five more jokes to embarrass me and Jinu whenever she feels like it. I crossed my arms, trying to hide how nervous I became. Get it together, Rumi. You're fighting demons daily and you can't even handle having a demon boyfriend? Well, not a demon anymore, but still...

"Okay!" I turned to see Bobby with all the coffees on a tray he got from the barista. "Here you go, two black coffees, two caramel macchiatos, and one matcha latte for me," he sat down with a big smile.

Jinu grabbed the cup with black coffee, looking at it now terrified, which made me smile. In moments like this I really kept forgetting he was four hundred years old, since he really didn't act like it. Shouldn't he have some hidden wisdom by now? Me and Mira took our caramel macchiatos, as Zoey happily took the second cup with black coffee. I looked at Jinu again, that sniffed the drink carefully, wrinkling his nose immediately. I couldn’t help but chuckle.

"So what's new?" Bobby asked, after sipping a little of his matcha. "Of course, besides Rumi and Jinu dating."

"What?" I turned to him surprised. "We'e not..." I laughed nervously. "It's not..."

"Yeah you are," Mira said unfazed.

"Rumi, you don't really think I really wouldn't notice," Bobby smiled. "I mean, please, I've known you girls for so long. already. And besides, it's not like the three of you are really good at hiding, it was obvious since the day this rascal started living with the three of you."

"Oh, we weren't dating then," I waved my hands.

"But I knew already that you will."

"Wait, but you aren't against these two?" Zoey asked, already halfway through her coffee.

"I mean, you're grown women already," Bobby leaned on his chair. "I don't want to limit you or make you're lives more difficult. Being an idol shouldn't come with some things it does. Instead, I can just help you either cover it up or use it to get more fans. Just like we've been doing with Jinu."

"Bobby, you are a genius," Mira said.

"Oh, it's nothing really," he smiled, but it clearly lifted him up. "I'm just doing my job."

"You're the best manager in the world," I added. "And I'll try to be more subtle in the future, I promise."

"You don't have to! You two are already shipped enough that even the haters will just assume it's fan service and it's not serious. They won't believe you can actually be together with how openly we let the two of you interact," it was clear how proud he was of himself. He really predicted everything. "Even after the fan sign the only hate comments were about unnecessary fan service, and not any of you actually dating. Also, Zoey, what's up with you and this bangs guy? Mystery, is it?"

"Oh!" Now Zoey was surprised. "It's nothing, really nothing! He's just handsome," she giggled.

Bobby smiled, shaking his head. "Those damn Saja Boys really turned some things upside down. But I'm glad to see the three of you more... careless and happy."

"Are we?" We looked at each other surprised.

"Definitely. And I'm really happy to see that."

We smiled. I was really grateful we were lucky enough to get Bobby. I wasn't joking or exaggerating when I said he was the best manager to ever exist. Because he was. No other would be so considerate of us as much as he was. It was really a hidden blessing to have him. Everything was always easier when we knew we can just calm him and he will handle it, no matter what it was.

Suddenly, I turned to look at Jinu spitting the coffee into the napkin. Mira couldn't hold it in anymore and she just burst out laughing. I rolled my eyes, knowing it would happen. Another example of me being always right. "Why does it taste like that? How can you drink it?!" He asked with the most disgusted look I've ever seen on his face.

"Now you're just being dramatic. It's delicious," Zoey said, trying to not laugh. She wasn't really good at holding back though, so her face was not lifted by a huge smile.

"I told you you might not survive black coffee," I sighed, putting the full cup of coffee on the tray again. Zoey quickly stole it, very happy she had a chance to drink twice what she usually did. Unfortunately for her, Mira quickly took it back.

"If you drink another cup, you will start jumping on the walls, and we won't survive it in the studio, trust me," she said.

"Just a little..." Zoey looked with puppy eyes at her, but she shook her head again.

"No."

"Why is it so bitter?" Jinu was looking at the cup like he just experienced the biggest betrayal in his life. "I will never drink coffee again, this is the worst thing I ever had in my mouth."

"You can't just completely hate on the coffee only because you didn't like one type of it," I said, putting my cup in front of him. "Here, try it."

"No thank you," he shook his head. "There is no way I will ever trust this damn brown liquid."

"Why do you have to be so stubborn," I sighed. "You try it now or I will push it down your throat, so better choose wisely."

Jinu smiled, leaning over closer, as I tried to keep the distance between us. It was basically impossible. "And how do you plan to do that?" He asked in a lower voice, making me realise I really shouldn't have said that.

"I... Just..." I quickly pushed him away. "Just try it, okay?" I scoffed.

"I can't even drink my coffee in peace now," I looked up at Mira who lowered her glasses a little and was looking at us, clearly judging. I sighed. "You know, when you ever decide to take things a little further in this relationship of yours, please use Rumi's room and close the door. Don't you dare stay in the living room."

I immediately blushed nervously. "Mira! What are you... I... we won't..."

"No!" Jinu also started denying. He was now as flustered as me. "That's not... We didn't... we..."

"Right," the girl scoffed, sipping on her caramel macchiato, looking now amused.

"That was exactly what I meant when I said you seem happier," Bobby smiled. "Although I have to admit..."

Before he finished, a black hand with claws silenced him, and he was taken by a demon. The four of us got up, immediately rushing out of the coffee shop after the demon. How could we completely miss this demon? Did he just appear there? Was he waiting for a longer time? Why would he kidnap Bobby though? He didn't even take his soul, he just snatched our manager and left. I was honestly wondering if anyone in the coffee shop saw this, and if yes, what exactly did they see. Those demons were shadows, did they think it was some kind of heat hallucination maybe? That would probably be the best option out of them all.

We were running through the roofs, still trying to get to this demon. "Jinu!" I shouted. "Can you catch him?"

"I can try!" He nodded and ran faster, passing us quickly.

The sword materialised in my hands, as Zoey and Mira were also prepared. It was morning, the sun was already out, and I was thinking if anyone will see us. Why did those demons get more and more obvious? And why, on earth, would they pull these stunts during the day? Was that on purpose?

Two other demons appeared right in front of us. I quickly attacked one of them. "Mira! Run after Bobby! Me and Zoey will take care of these!"

"On it!"

The girl didn't stop, as I started fighting with the demon. They were really creepy-looking. Those purple eyes and purple patterns and claws... Also the black bodies. I hated them so much. I was attacking, hearing Zoey also fighting with another demon. These ones were better at combat, although I was wondering if it was their natural skill or something they learned. But when would they learn how to fight? Weren't they the demons Gwi-Ma tried to kill? How would they know all of that?

I jumped off the building into the alley and pushed the demon on the wall, finally cutting it in half, as it disappeared. Zoey also got rid of the other one, so the two of us decided to stay on the street and surprise the demon from underneath.

"Zoey, lead the way!" She nodded, immediately knowing where we had to go. This new talent of hers was really more useful than at first I expected it to be. I don't know how did she get it, but I was forever grateful she did.

We finally arrived, seeing Mira smashing the demon, while Bobby was held by Jinu with a terrified expression. We ran up to them. "Bobby? Are you okay?"

"Girls..." he started slowly. "You know I respect your privacy, but unfortunately I will need some explanations..."

Notes:

I love when characters have preferences that are "opposite" from their personalities, so in my head, Mira has the biggest sweet tooth

Chapter 30: Chapter Twenty Nine

Notes:

I have some brain fog today, because this chapter took me longer then I expected it to

I was guessing we will have to move our recording for the afternoon and evening, since we were now going back to our apartment to explain everything to Bobby. He was still shocked from all that happened and his eyes wandered around, as if he was about to be attacked again soon. Well, it was an understandable reaction after what happened. Also, I was still wondering how and why would a demon just... try to kidnap Bobby... It didn't make any sense now. Everything stopped making sense some time ago already. We entered the apartment, immediately pouring some water in the glass for Bobby who sat down on the couch. Poor guy was shocked, to say the least.

The four of us sat on the opposite side, preparing to explain everything. This will be difficult.

"This was a fun costume of someone," Bobby suddenly laughed nervously. "It was a crazy trick, I must say. And those weapon of yours? Are you thinking of still doing the fighting concepts? Was that some kind of rehearsal you forgot to tell me about?"

"Bobby..." I said slowly, grabbing the end of my shirt out of stress. "Those were not special effect..."

"What are you guys talking about?" He still tried to laugh it off, but it was obvious he was also very much aware it wasn't fake. "You did a lot of those stunts, you wouldn't really... I mean..."

"We should have told you sooner, but we really didn't know how," Zoey explained. "And especially lately, before the Idols Awards. So much has happened."

"Of course so much has happened," Bobby nodded. "You fought during Idol Awards, then Rumi got tattoos on her whole body, and all this mess..."

"Those are not tattoos, Bobby," I sighed.

"Yeah, those are demon patterns," Mira added.

"Demon... demon patterns... demon?" Bobby stuttered. "Girls, girls. Demons don't exist. Those are just legends, stories for the kids and..." He sighed. "I need a second before you explain everything." Zoey put the glass of water on the table for him. "Thank you."

We patiently waited, still very nervous about his reaction. And about what he will say after he finds out the whole truth. To be honest, I never really bothered to even think about Bobby when it came to our job. Although he was the closest person we would call family except for the three of us, somehow not even one thought appeared in my mind to reveal the truth about what we were actually doing. And now I felt extremely bad because of it.

Bobby put the empty glass back on the table, now a lot more calm. "Okay, you can tell me now, but please start from the beginning."

And so we did. Okay, actually, Zoey did.

"So the demons exist and they steal human souls, which means you die immediately after," she started, as even I tried to manage to understand everything. I wasn't sure if it was excitement or just nervousness but she was speaking quicker than when she was even rapping. "And obviously nobody want that, so that's why three woman with gorgeous voices decided to fight them and keep everyone else safe. And they got called the hunters, and they created this magical barrier we call honmoon that keeps all the demons underground. But the honmoon is only strengthened thanks to signing and music, that's why hunters have to be musicians. Since that time every new generation of hunters was just a pop-star trio who were singing on stages and keeping everyone safe from the evil demons. And we were trained by Celine to become hunters of next generation, cause she also was a previous hunter. That's also why she was so strict with us, we kind of had more responsibilities than everyone else thought," I listened carefully, looking at Bobby who surprisingly seemed to understand everything. It was still a relief, cause that meant we won't have to repeat anything after Zoey finishes. Jinu looked at me, also shocked about the girl's pace. I nodded that it's normal when she's nervous. "And so all those special effects that were happening weren't actually special effects, we were actually fighting demons. And that time when we were late for the concert was because the demons were controlling the plane and they wanted to attack our fans. We also were supposed to seal the honmoon during the Idol Awards to turn it golden and keep all the demons away from earth forever, but then the demons Saja Boys came to steal our fans and help Gwi-Ma, the really terrible demon king we killed. That's also when honmoon started having holes in it, thanks to these guys," she pointed at Jinu, "and there were more accidents about people missing. Oh, and we fought during the Idol Awards cause we found out Rumi is a half-demon and that she was hiding it all from us, so that's why she has the same patterns as other demons, but those only us can see. So, to be completely honest, Mira still got a tattoo first, we just can't really admit it, cause we would sound crazy. And then this little guy almost died cause he fell in love and tried to sacrifice himself to help us win and defeat the demon king, and now the rest has come back to drop the demon thing and just become kpop idols, since they liked it a little too much."

Bobby blinked when she stopped, me, Mira and Jinu were also pretty silent, as Zoey was smiling nervously and tapping her knees.

"So I guess I won't have to overpay the special effects team anymore," Bobby said slowly.

"And we managed to restore the honmoon, but it's completely different, and there are new demons we never knew about, and now we also started finding out many new things, so basically it feels like we're just starting as hunters, but without any guidance, because Celine turned out to be unreliable," Zoey added quickly. "And we have cool new powers."

"Right..." Bobby nodded. "So... when you were calling the Saja Boys demons, you actually meant it..."

"Yeah, of course," Mira nodded. "I mean, they were trying to make the whole world end."

"Okay, that's a little exagger..." Jinu tried to defend himself, but I stopped him.

"No no. You were trying to make the world end."

"And you Rumi fell for him... why?" Bobby raised his eyebrows, now looking at Jinu completely differently than before.

"Well... it just happened..." I whispered.

"They are attractive demons," Zoey nodded.

Bobby lowered his head, probably analysing everything he has just heard. Well, it was a lot of new information, so he definitely needed some time. Me and the girls exchanged looks, not really sure what was he even thinking about all of this. Would he be terrified, weirded out, mad that we didn't tell him before...

"I'm so glad we will not spend this much money on special effect anymore," he sighed smiling. "Okay, so now since everything is clear, are we going to the studio? You still have some recordings scheduled for today."

"Wait... you're not like... terrified?" I asked surprised. "Or mad?"

"Terrified? The only thing that terrifies me is when the profit is lower than the costs," Bobby said, getting up. "Oh, and also when the three of you aren't doing well mentally, but now, since I know everything about your responsibilities, it will be easier for me to help you and lift you up. Also, why the hell would I be mad?"

"You know... We did hide a huge thing from you," Mira said.

"That's okay, it's not something you should be just telling around anyway. Come on now, we still have some work to do," we also got up, now even more shocked than Bobby after what happened. "By the way, why did the demon try to run with me somewhere?"

"That's something we will be trying to find out," I nodded.

"That, and another couple of things," Zoey smiled. Bobby only nodded.

"You three really have it difficult... I should take that resort for your hiatus. You need to actually rest properly and not escape it all the time..." he was saying as we walked back to the elevator.

"By the way, Bobby," I started as we were going to the studio already.

"Yes?"

"How are the preparations for the reality show going?"

"Oh, they are developing much better now, but still the team needs to organise a couple of things before even proceeding to find a proper place and everything... Do you nee this reality show also because... of your second job?"

"The demons are attacking the musical places a lot, it would be good to see if they actually focus on musicians," Mira nodded. "If they do, we will protect them. And if they don't, then we'll try again with someone else."

"Okay, I'll talk to the ones responsible for it then. I'll tell them it's really important to make you blow out more," Bobby nodded. We entered the studio and went to our room, as always. "Before I leave, I have to ask. How old are you?"

Jinu blinked surprised. "More than four hundred years old."

"Four hundred? That means you're from the..." Bobby quickly counted in his head. "Seventeenth century?!" Jinu only nodded. Bobby turned to look at me. "I understand liking older guys, but don't you think it's a little too old, Rumi?"

"I..." he completely surprised me with this question. "Well, he doesn't really act ancient though..."

Bobby just shrugged. "I guess it could have been worse... Anyway, good luck today! And better take a proper rest at night, you will have a busy day tomorrow, even busier than today. Also I hope we won't have any surprises then..." he stopped to think for a second. "Well, if anything happens, just tell me! Bye girls!"

"Bye Bobby!"

He left the room, as I dropped to the couch, laying my head on Jinu's knees. This whole situation was so stressful that I was feeling exhausted right now. Good thing it wasn't my turn today to record the song, this time only Mira and Zoey were about to record, since we decided for them to also have a duet song. Although it would be more fun if they also were to sing with someone from the Saja Boys. I chuckled at the thought of it, feeling Jinu playing with my hair. Zoey would probably be in heaven if she saw Mystery was about to record a song with her. And if she was in charge of writing it? It would definitely be great, but I also felt like the lyrics would be... intense. And when it came to Mira, she would be only annoyed, but that was funny itself. Everyone clearly saw how Romance always sticked to her whenever Huntrix and the Saja Boys got together anywhere. It was honestly funnier than I wanted it to be, but I couldn't help it.

Mira and Zoey were sitting at the table, preparing the soundtrack and discussing the plan. They agreed that Zoey will go first, and after her Mira. The girl entered the booth, as Mira prepared the soundtrack the three of us prepared yesterday in the evening already. She waved her head to ask when Zoey's ready, and when the girl showed she is, the music started playing.

But it wasn't our soundtrack. The melody we heard was a kayagum. We never used such ancient instruments in our songs, especially since this also wasn't the rhythm of what the girls wrote.

"What the..." Mira looked confused at the screen. "It's under our name, someone had to replace it..."

Me and Jinu stood up, walking to the screen confused, as we heard a beautiful voice of a woman playing from the speakers.

You better hide your kids, your partners He's coming, will turn your life into a curse
Takes all you care about Leaves you with guilt and doubt
Try to run away, he will cut your legs Your head will be filled with unlimited threats
The mind will betray you seconds after he chooses you He's undefeated, and you just got cheated

Oh, demon with purple patterns
These people solved serious matters thanks to you
Your voice is like a siren Imprisoning souls like a tyrant
Oh, demon with purple marks
When you arrive, everything gets dark
How could you betray us? Leave all you stand for? Just to crave even more?

Once gave his soul to save the woman of his dreams His heart said to gleam from glory and purity
What happened that you dropped all you so desperately fought for?
Your backbone was clear, you were the one they asked for help The people at night slept peacefully when you were around
But you betrayed them, forced those broken hands to make you a fake crowned king
We are all bound together, but you will burn for the sins you made
They prayed to us, afraid

Oh, demon with purple patterns
These people solved serious matters thanks to you
Your voice is like a siren Imprisoning souls like a tyrant
Oh, demon with purple marks
When you arrive, everything gets dark..."

Notes:

Again, I know the song isn't the best, but I hope you don't mind

Chapter 31: Chapter Thirty

We were stuck in that studio till almost eleven at night, having to make the soundtrack for the song from the beginning, and also Mira and Zoey still had to record their parts to the song. We did save the recording of the song that replaced ours though. We were wondering who did that, especially since we didn't recognise the voice. It couldn't be anyone from the company, we were sure of that. Could it be that Bo-Ra we heard about? The demon that was freed now, after we defeated Gwi-Ma? But her voice... it sounded more like a huntress' voice than a demon's... It was so hypnotising I had to stop myself a couple of times from repeating the song. And also, were the lyrics about Gwi-Ma? It would make sense, the story connected to the one Baby told us about.

Although the part "Once gave his soul to save the woman of his dreams His heart was said to gleam from glory and purity" was occupying my thoughts right now. Especially the first half of the verse. How could anyone give his soul to anyone else? Or was this just a metaphor? But this song wasn't really something that needed deeper interpretation, it was pretty straightforward with the message.

But what was this song exactly and why would someone not only record it in our studio, but also completely delete our own soundtrack? Were they trying to sabotage our album? Was it another warning? What was it exactly?

I tapped the table in the rhythm of the mysterious song, trying to magically uncover the truth. Today Huntrix had a last fan meet before the album release that went great and smooth. At least that's what Bobby said. And the girls also seemed excited and motivated for tomorrow, when our album not only was releasing, but we were supposed to have a live in the afternoon with album unboxing and q&a. Although nobody realised, I wasn't present at today's fan meet at all. I knew I talked to fans, I smiled, I even joked with them, but my mind was singing the song about Gwi-Ma over and over, and I couldn't even remember anything that happened today. My memory was like a torn page from a book, disappeared completely right after we went back to the apartment.

I was right now sitting on the couch, completely lost in my thoughts again, as Jinu was reading a book next to me, Zoey disappeared somewhere, and Mira went to take a shower first. I heard her footsteps on the stairs, as she walked to the kitchen. I wasn't even sure how I could become so disconnected, just repeating the lyrics over and over again, and the music playing in my head all the time...

"Who ate my chocolate bar?!" I turned to see furious Mira with a towel on her head and already in her fluffy pyjama. I smiled, realising her scream did help me get back to the reality. She looked at me, but immediately realised I definitely wasn't guilty. The only one left was... "You!"

Jinu jumped up from the couch in seconds. "Now, how was I supposed to know it was your chocolate? It was just laying there for like a week!"

"So you stole it?!"

"I didn't steal it! I just took it!" He scoffed, crossing his arms offended. "I thought neither of you will touch them. I mean, come on, how long can one wait to eat a chocolate?"

"I was saving it! And you ate it!" Mira tried to catch Jinu, but he was faster and avoided her and her punch. "You damn parasite!"

"Excuse me?! Parasite?! I will buy you a new one!"

"Yeah? And how will you pay?"

"Maybe with the money we earned with our single and we're still earning?"

"You better buy me that chocolate now then!"

"Now why would I... Ah!" Jinu screamed, barely avoiding the kitchen knife thrown at him. "But with a knife?! Couldn't you at least use a spoon?" That's when he had to avoid the wooden spoon. "Or a fork?" A fork was thrown. I rolled my eyes, realising he clearly enjoyed pissing off Mira even more than she was.

Well, unless the building is burning, it's not one of my problems. "You two just don't end up in a hospital or underground," I said, picking up a book Jinu was reading, interested which one was this.

"He won't need either after I'm done with him," Mira scoffed.

"Good luck with that," Jinu laughed.

I heard some footsteps and a couple of louder sounds that were a proof some other things have been thrown. "A Crane Among Wolves" by Jun Hur... It was probably one of the books Zoey bought, but didn't have the opportunity to read yet because of how busy we were all this time. I looked at the cover, carefully examining it. Was it about Korean history? I flipped the book to look for any kind of description.

"Zoey went to the store, since she didn't come back yet, you can just ask her to buy you new chocolate," I heard Jinu say. So that's where the girl disappeared?

"You're lucky," Mira said, grabbing her phone and calling Zoey on a speakerphone. Jinu sat down next to me, as I passed him his book, realising he was already finishing it. So quickly? Didn't he start it right after he came back? "Hey, Zoey?"

"Mira! What's up?" We heard the girl sounding pretty tired on the phone. I looked at Mira concerned.

"Are you okay? You sound like you've been running away from something," she asked.

"Oh yeah! No, I'm totally fine!" Zoey laughed. "Uhm... and what did you need?"

"Well, are you still in the store? Or somewhere close? Cause someone ate my chocolate so I need a new one."

"Oh! Right, the store! I am close actually, so don't worry about it! Anything else?"

"No, that's it," Mira said, suddenly realising something. "Actually, Zoey, why did you need to go to the store? We are not missing anything, we literally went shopping three days ago."

"If that's it then I'll be going now, bye!"

Zoey hanged up, as Me and Mira exchanged looks. She was definitely hiding something. But what? "How long it takes from this building to the store?" I asked, as Mira immediately checked.

"Six minutes since we're talking about Zoey."

"She said she's close, so let's assume three in one way and six in the other," I nodded. "And approximately how long will it take her to buy the chocolate?"

"At this hour? Four to five minutes. That means she should be back in around fifteen minutes."

"So if she takes longer..."

"She wasn't going to the store at all."

Mira sat down right next to me on the couch, as we started wondering of why would Zoey just randomly disappear, trying to convince us she's going to the store. And I had to admit her plan would work if it wasn't for Jinu. I was completely out of it before, not even realising where she disappeared, and Mira went immediately to the shower, not having any reason to question Zoey out of all of us. After all, Zoey was usually the most genuine and open person from all of us. Mira took off the towel from her head, putting it to dry on the side of the couch. She then took out a mirror from one of the drawers in the table.

"Hey, we should definitely do face masks when Zoey comes back," she said.

"You're right," I smiled. "We need to look as good as possible for our fans."

"Demon boy, you also will join us."

"I don't even know what the hell are those face masks. I think I heard it somewhere, but I can't remember what it is..." Jinu said.

"Don't worry about it," I waved my hand. "It's nothing scary. It will help you look even prettier."

I watched Mira brush her wet hair slowly, as I tried not to let this damn song occupy my mind again. I had to be present. I had to focus. How could I be a hunter who is trying to follow the truth behind all of what is happening if I'm constantly drifting away to one melody? What kind of spells was in this song that it managed to make me so absent constantly?

Fifteen minutes passed, and Zoey still didn't come back. Twenty minutes, still nothing. Twenty one, twenty two...

We heard the elevator. Zoey rushed in, breathing heavily, as me and Mira exchanged looks. She smiled, giving Mira the chocolate.

"And where were you?" She immediately asked, taking the chocolate.

"What do you mean? I was in the store, but the queue was terribly long today, so it took me longer than I expected," Zoey replied nervously.

"You were clearly running back here, which means if you kept your normal speed, you would be at least two to three minutes later. Even if it wasn't such a late hour, which means there are never queue's at stores, it wouldn't take you more than twenty minutes to run to the store and back for one thing. Even better, you said you were close. So either something stopped you on the way back or..."

"Or you didn't intend to go to the store in the first place," I finished.

Zoey laughed nervously, realising that she was busted. "Okay okay... I just went for a small walk and that's it. You know, to get some fresh air and move around a little. I mean, I can't just sit inside and watch the videos about sea life, right?"

"You definitely could do that," I said, getting up. And that's when I squinted, looking at Zoey's arm. I pointed at the bite mark. "And what is that?"

"What?" She looked at the place I was showing, immediately blushing. Wait a second... don't tell me... "Oh! That was a pretty funny story actually, you won't even believe it!"

"Funny story about how you were sneaking out with a demon?" Mira asked, also getting up to look closer at the mark. "Don't tell me you were meeting with that Mystery dude."

"What are you even talking about, don't be ridiculous," Zoey tried to laugh it off. "I mean, I know I always say he's my type, but we all know nothing would really happen between the two of us..." Jinu appeared out of nowhere, stealing Zoey's phone and unlocking it. "Hey! How do you know my password?"

"Oh, I saw how you were unlocking your phone a couple of times already," he said, looking for something. He then smiles satisfied. "So I'm guessing this chat with someone named "My Saja Boy" is definitely not about Mystery, and the fact you were planning a meeting today after the fan meet is just a coincidence, right?"

"What? Give it back!" Zoey jumped, but wasn't quick enough to get her phone back. Me and Mira sighed.

"Zoey... We can't believe you actually went to sneak out with this guy..."

"How did that even happen?" I asked surprised. "When did you two have a chance to talk at all?"

"During the fan meet with the Saja Boys of course," she said, finally getting her phone back. Zoey looked at Jinu warningly, but he only smiled. "I started telling him random things, I was pretty talkative that day, and before I realised, he took my hand and wrote his phone number on my hand under the table. And then... one thing let to another..."

She was all smiling and giggling, while me and Mira looked at her completely shocked. I probably shouldn't judge her that much, I mean, I wasn't better myself. I looked at Jinu who wasn't even surprised hearing that. He probably got to know Mystery pretty well while they were demons. Well, I got myself a demon loser, and Zoey got herself a demon... dog? I wasn't really sure.

"And why didn't you just tell us?" Mira asked.

"I wanted to see how Rumi felt when sneaking around to meet with Jinu," she smiled innocently.

"Woah, it was a completely different thing!" I opposed. "We were meeting to manipulate one another not to... do I even want to know what the two of you did tonight?"

"Depends if you like those freaky topics," Zoey said. Unbelievable...

"You can tell me later, I'm actually pretty curious," Mira nodded. "I'm still judging you though."

"I know, I know... Also, you two were totally meeting for dates, you just were in denial," Zoey looked at me again.

"Yeah no, I completely agree," Mira smiled. "At least Zoey is honest about the purpose of her meetings."

"You are aware that we have a live tomorrow? You will have to hide that one and anything else if you have more," I said, trying to ignore the girls' comments.

"I know, I know. Don't worry about it, the fans won't find out."

"Well, since we have all of that settled, how about doing our face masks?" Mira smiled, as Zoey jumped.

"My favourite time! Let me get them!" She quickly ran upstairs and came back with four packets. "Skin care time!"

Jinu looked at them, now scared. "You know what, I might actually refuse, you three go ahead, I will just..."

"No backing out now, demon boy," Mira stopped him. "You have to take care of your face as well. Unless you want to look old and ugly."

He rolled his eyes. "Gimme that."

"Yayyy!" Zoey jumped out of joy.

Notes:

Last chapter for today

Chapter 32: Chapter Thirty One

I was walking through a corridor in our company. It was quite late, so nobody was here anymore, everyone already went home, including the girls. The sky was almost pitch black outside, only the lamps in some rooms helped me navigate through the building. My footsteps echoed, as I slowly walked to the exit. The album was a huge success, even bigger one than we expected, the surprise song was immediately loved by the fans, and, of course, Rujinu ship became even more popular. But it was helping us break the charts again, and rise on top, so we really couldn't complain. I looked around confused. I'm pretty sure there should be an elevator somewhere here, and yet I don't see it. Was I just too tired and took a wrong turn?

The girls already went to our place and were waiting for me, since I stayed a little longer to practice. I needed to clear my head, to forget for a little about everything that was happening lately, just a short break from the worries. The time unfortunately passed even more quickly than I expected, and now it was almost midnight, as I had million of phone notifications, to which I already replied, of worried girls. Obviously I was fine, I just forgot to watch the clock while practicing. Happens to the best, you know?

I turned right again, stopping in a corridor where I should see the second elevator. My heart stopped for a second, as I looked at the white wall now dirtied with a red paint. "You're not enough". What kind of a sick joke was this? My legs moved subconsciously, I didn't even realise when I left the place, entering the same corridor I already visited. It's not like there was the elevator I was looking for, just the text. The lights flickered around, which usually wouldn't really make me react, but now I was more wary then even minutes ago. There were three elevators in the building, one of them still had to be there, right?

"Why aren't you in your room?" I stopped, hearing this well-known cold voice. No. How could this be? "I'll ask again. Why aren't you in your room?"

I turned my head slowly, hoping my brain was pranking me. But it wasn't. There he was. An already older gentleman in a perfectly crafted black suit sitting on one of the chairs at someone's working desk. His hair was already fully grey, and the wrinkles around forehead showed pretty clearly now. He was carrying a cone that he ordered specifically from the best craftsman to have it customised. His face was the same, always that unsatisfied expression. Never enough. I was never enough.

"I'll count to three, and if you don't finally tell me what you are doing here, I..."

"What the fuck are you doing here?" I asked, stopping him immediately.

"You watch your language!" He immediately shouted. "That's not how me and your mother raised you!"

"Raised me?" I scoffed. "Yeah, right. Leave this place right now and never show up in front of me ever again."

"Is that how you greet your father, Mira?" The old man scoffed, slowly getting up with the help of his black cone. "Shouldn't you be happy I actually went to such measures to see you after so many years? To talk to you after what you've done to the family?"

"How about talking about what the family has done to me?" I asked, hiding my hands in the pockets, so they wouldn't betray me. After all these years, I still wasn't as strong as I wanted to be. I was only a little girl when confronted with him.

"What have we done? We have given you life, money, resources," the man started saying. Always the same talk, the same formula. I could still probably perfectly recite everything I've heard through those first eighteen years of life. "Mira, you were a child with great potential, you could have become a doctor, a lawyer, you could have inherited my company, my business, you could have had the legacy."

It was incredible for me that he still had enough will to try and gaslight me that I ever had a chance. That I could ever actually become someone in his eyes, that I could make him proud. My fists tightened in my pockets, while I was trying to slow down my breath. Breathe, Mira...

"Legacy? All that legacy was my brother's since I remembered. And don't you even dare try to manipulate me with that soft talk again, I was never enough for you. I was always a failure!"

"Your mother failed!" He snapped. Ah, there we go. I squished my eyes to stop the tears and looked at him again. Ever since I found out the truth, everything started making sense. But it still hurt. It still hurt that I had to pay for the mistakes of my own mother, who didn't even care about me. "How could she cheat on me?! As if I hadn't given her everything! Without me, she would still be nobody, but this ungrateful woman decided to have an affair with some pathetic youngster from the street?! How dared she come back..."

"Come back with a bastard, you mean?" I scoffed. "That didn't even resemble her at all so you decided to put all your bitterness on that child? All this anger, the sorrows, everything?"

"I still let you stay, didn't I?" He said, his voice ice cold again. Just like I knew it.

"Right. You are so merciful," I gritted my teeth.

"Since you understand it, go back to your room and put actual work this time. Don't embarrass this family again," he said, pointing through the corridor. What was he even saying, what room? What embarrassment? I escaped that family long time ago.

"You know perfectly well this will never happen," I whispered, completely out of energy already. "You just love to burden me with guilt. I must admit, you were really doing a good job."

"Don't you dare talk back to me, understood?"

I didn't respond, I just left, hearing how he shouts after me, but doesn't even follow after me. I still remembered the day I left for college. It was always a wonder for me, if I was actually finally being free from my family, or if my family was finally free from me. Because the fact they never even missed me and called only when they heard I don't have a perfect score told me they were even happier about me moving out than I was. So I decided to block all of them, I stopped using the account that had their money, I created a new one, and went to work. I still studied for a little, but later resigned, knowing this was not what I wanted and this would not make me happy.

And after I cut them off, I never heard from them ever again. I was terrified for so long to do that, afraid they might pester me, completely forgetting how worthless I was in their eyes...

The corridor didn't want to end, as I walked to finally get to that stupid elevator. I was passing the walls that were painted red with the huge sentences that appeared out of nowhere. How will the company handle it when they see it tomorrow morning? Also, who the hell did that? I don't think anyone working in the office would be stupid, courageous and angry enough to decide to do something like this. Besides, all those texts seemed like they're for just one person.

"You did this to yourself".

I walked faster, getting even more annoyed at this fucked up building. Maybe I should start looking for stairs instead?

"You don't deserve a family, what have you ever done for them?"

Where was that damn elevator?

"Hard work? When have you ever actually worked hard in your life? You're lazy and ungrateful".

My pulse was rushing, but I decided to blame it on the fact that I was almost running at this point.

"You were born just to remind your family that they're not perfect. You're only a tool".

I was looking around, as my head was spinning. It felt like the floor started moving, but I was sure it wasn't. I knew myself and my own body long enough to realise what was happening to me. I sat down under a wall, curling myself and hugging my legs, trying to calm down. My thoughts were rushing through my mind. The voices of all the family members of mine were shouting at the same time, telling me I should finally put some work and try. I closed my eyes, as my mind went louder and louder, all those voices still inside. I wanted to leave, I wanted to hide. Why was this happening again? Why were they still in my head? How could they haunt me after all those years? I was working, I was working hard, I actually learned how to become a dancer, a kpop idol, they weren't right, they were...

*DING!*

Everything went silent as I lifted up my head to see an open elevator in front of me. I sighed relieved, going in and pressing the button for the ground floor. Calm down, Mira. You are not to be blamed for anything, you were not the problem. And your family... your family is waiting for you in a huge apartment that looks down on all the city. That's your family. One and only.

I rested my head on the mirror behind me. My body was still week, and my pulse was still abnormal, but I was definitely feeling better already. It was so late, and I just managed to enter the elevator, what if the girls start worrying again?

Suddenly, I heard a beautiful voice that echoed through the whole building. I recognised it.

"We are hunters, voices strong," the voice sang slowly, "slaying demons with our songs... Fix the world and make it right, when darkness finally meets the light..."

It was the same voice we heard on the recording. I looked around. "Stop hiding yourself!" I shouted in the void. "Who exactly are you?!"

I saw a purple smoke in front of me, and a beautiful woman appeared in its place. She was pretty tall, her skin and demon marks were purple, her eyes were blue. It was the most hypnotising colour of blue I have ever seen. She had delicate features, especially when she was smiling, and her hair were long and black. She was also wearing a white hanbok with golden details. "So that's one of the three hunters now, huh?" She scoffed, her voice soft and captivating. "I'm not sure what exactly I expected, but this definitely surprised me."

"Who are you," I repeated sharply.

"You know exactly who I am, Mira," the woman said. Although delicate, she still had that terrifying darkness around her. "I am obviously the hunters' worst nightmare."

"So you're Bo-Ra?"

"I am."

"And what do you want? What exactly are you trying to do?"

"I..." she stepped closer, "am trying to scare you of course. Show you than nothing can stop me, especially not you three. You can't fight with someone who even Gwi-Ma was scared for."

"The same Gwi-Ma that trapped you?" I raised my eyebrows.

"The same Gwi-Ma that was so close to destroying the Huntrix," she smiled. "But see, he didn't have the abilities that I do... and I... can get into your young little heads," Bo-Ra whispered in my ear. I tried to grab my Gok-Do, but it didn't appear. She laughed. "You don't really think you can kill me in your own dream, do you?"

A dream? Now it all made sense, the clock, the corridors, my father... I looked at her, even more furious than before. "You did all of this, didn't you?"

"That's right," she nodded satisfied. If I could only cut out that smile right off her face... "I must admit it was pretty fun creating this whole script and seeing you face all those fears you buried deep inside. It was really something I was missing while locked out of the whole world."

"Get out of my head!" Even though I couldn't use my weapon, I still tried to punch her, unfortunately missing. Bo-Ra disappeared in a purple smoke, just like she appeared.

"You won't catch me, I'm much stronger than the three of you can ever be!" I heard her voice echoing. "How about the three of you just give up and let me do my thing?"

"Never! We will destroy you!"

"Ha ha ha! I want to see you try!" She replied, suddenly singing again. " We are hunters, voices strong, slaying demons with our songs... Fix the world..."

Mira, wake up. Don't let this crazy demon control you through your head and ignore her singing. Come on, you can do this, just wake up...

I opened my eyes, sitting up in my bed.

Chapter 33: Chapter Thirty Two

Notes:

I should probably mention it earlier, but if there is not much chemistry or tension between the characters, please forgive me, I am aroace and I have no way to gain that experience (I know, I tried and it didn't work)

Since it was Monday, we could peacefully go to the aquarium during hours it was completely crowded on the weekends. I sighed, realising we are actually going on hiatus now. At least for what, two weeks? But if the reality show works, we will show up there. Or maybe we will do a small collaboration with the Saja Boys when Jinu finally decides to go back to them. Not that I was very sad about getting rest, I was very happy. There was nothing better than not having to wake up in the morning and having a full tight schedule...

I didn't know how to rest.

"Derpy! Give it back!" Zoey shouted after the tiger that came running into the living room with one of her makeup brushes. "Oh, come on!"

"Derpy? That's not his name," Jinu raised his eyebrows. He was right now sitting next to me at the table as Mira was finishing making breakfast.

"Yeah, I changed it, cause the name you gave him was terrible," Zoey smiled widely. She was clearly in the middle of her makeup routine, her blush still needed to be blended. "Derpy! give me back my blush brush!"

The tiger quickly avoided Zoey's jump, as Jinu scoffed. "You can't just change his name however you like. He's not your tiger."

"Uh, yes he is. You live here, so everything you have is ours," Mira said, putting the plates on the table. "Zoey, come on, breakfast is ready."

"It doesn't work like that," Jinu opposed.

"I can't eat yet! My makeup!" Zoey cried, trying to catch the tiger.

"Just take my blush brush," Mira rolled her eyes. "Also, it does work like that. I renamed your bird too."

"It's not the same, your blush is weird."

"Can the two of you stop changing names of my pets?" Jinu groaned, as I laughed.

"They wouldn't if you had at least a little talent in naming them in the first place," I said amused. I turned to the tiger. "Derpy! Come here you troublemaker!" He listened to me immediately, sitting down near my legs. I reached out my hand as he let go of the now wet brush. "Good kitty," I petted him. "Here you go, Zoey. You have two minutes to finish that blush."

"Thank you so much, Rumi!" She said, already running up the stairs again. "I'll be right back!"

I shook my head, sniffing the breakfast Mira made with a smile. She was sitting on the other side of the table with a very satisfied smile. "You have to admit, I cook better than demon boy."

"It's not a competition," I laughed.

"Of course not," Jinu agreed with me. "Because if it was, I would win."

"Ha! You wish," Mira scoffed as Zoey walked down again. Now she was just missing some eye makeup, but she probably was too hungry to finish the full look without eating first. She sat down happily.

"What a great day to have roommates who like to cook," Zoey said, immediately starting to eat.

We all quickly finished breakfast, and I decided to clean after it this time. Zoey went back to finish her makeup, Mira still had to change into her outside clothes, and me and Jinu were ready to go. I put the last plate in the dishwasher, feeling his hands on my waist as he hid his face in my neck. I smiled, putting my hand on his hair. "We will be going out soon, I hope you remember," I said, feeling my stomach twist again.

"Of course I remember," Jinu whispered softly. He quickly turned me around, lifting me to sit on the kitchen counter. I heard my heart skipping faster, as I felt this deja vu feeling from that one evening he caught me basically spying on him. "But if I remember correctly, girls take some time to get ready..."

"Well... they do, but..." I stopped, when Jinu's hands slowly moved from my waist to my thighs, slowly moving them so he could stand even closer. My eyes wandered around his face, as my thoughts rushed again without any order. "Remember what Mira said? We shouldn't do anything if it's not in my room," I blabbered nervously. Seriously now, what was wrong with me?

"Oh?" Jinu smirked. "I just wanted to kiss you," I felt my blood boiling after he said that. That annoying... "What are you thinking about, Rumi?" He leaned in even closer. "I didn't know you can have such..."

Before he finished, I put my hand on his mouth, completely panicking. Not only was I flustered, but now also mad at his clear teasing, so I wasn't even sure if I should shout at him or just let him kiss me. I was still looking at him, seeing how amused he got. Why did I chose to have such an annoying boyfriend?

He slowly grabbed the hand that was holding his mouth, taking it away, while still looking at me. "So should we go to your room then or..."

"How can you be four hundred years old and act so shameless?" I asked, still battled about what to do. "Shouldn't you be like..." I sighed, completely giving up. His touch was burning my skin, his face was distracting me from anything important, his voice tried to stay in my head forever.

He slowly lifted my chin with his two fingers, making me focus on his eyes again. "I just can't control myself when I'm with you, Rumi. You're all I need."

I felt the butterflies in my stomach. My eyes were already hypnotised by his. I didn't need anything more, I just needed Jinu. And I guess I did have him. I did, didn't I?

"In the kitchen? Seriously?" I almost hit my head with a shelf if it wasn't for Jinu. I turned to Mira, as Jinu quickly moved on the other side of the kitchen. "You two really can't survive long without affection, can you?"

"Oh, let them be," Zoey's eyes were much bigger than usually as she was jumping excited.

"We didn't do anything!" I said quickly, jumping off the counter.

"Whatever, at least I didn't see anything I didn't want to," Mira shrugged. "Come on, we have like three hours to spend at the aquarium before people get there after work and school."

"It's quite a distance though."

"Bobby left us his car, since he stayed at the hotel for... a week I think? Or maybe two?" Mira smiled, showing the car keys. It was obvious she was the one driving.

"Yay! I'll see my turtles!" Zoey jumped, rushing to the elevator.

I smiled, quickly going after her, trying to ignore the tingling sensation I still felt after what happened between me and Jinu. The car was waiting outside, and we established that me and Zoey sit on the back, leaving Jinu with Mira. One would think it was a bad idea to make them sit next to each other when in a car, but we knew they wouldn't do anything too stupid when it comes to everyone's safety, so there was really nothing to worry about. The worst they could do is banter, which was already normal. We got there in less than thirty minutes thanks to the fact there was no traffic, and also how fast Mira was driving.

I went to buy the tickets for us, when suddenly Zoey stopped. "Uhm... you guys come in, I'll wait here for a moment."

"What? Why?"

"I'm just... waiting for Mystery," she said with a small smile. Me and Mira exchanged tired looks, as the girl shook her head.

"No way am I leaving you here alone," Mira said. "Rumi and demon boy can have a date right now, I guess I will join you later."

"Okay," I nodded. Before I could even turn to Jinu, he grabbed my hand, going inside. I smiled, walking faster. "Woah! I didn't know you are that excited!" I laughed.

"You know, I didn't really even had a chance to know what an aquarium is, and now I can even visit one," he said, his eyes wandering everywhere around with that little spark. "It looks..."

"Incredible..." I finished, as we stopped in front of a huge glass with many sea animals on the other side.

I watched the fishes swim past, as Jinu's hand was still holding mine. At that moment, I felt like I could just forget everything for a moment and focus on what is right here and right now. My phone vibrated, announcing a new notification. I took it out of the pocket in my jacket and looked what the girls sent.

Mira: Zoey screwed up and all the Saja Boys are here
Mira: I guess I won't join you guys
Zoey: I didn't screw up, they just all wanted to come!

She also sent a photo of the six of them together. Zoey was smiling wide, having Mystery's arm around her, Mira was already looking annoyed at Abby and Mystery smiling next to her, and Baby was just showing a peace sign. I showed this photo to Jinu who laughed.

"Yeah, that was actually predictable. I mean, they also never went to places like that, so why wouldn't they take the chance to," he said. "But since these troublemakers already came here, I think we should run a little farther if we actually want the date to work."

After that, he tightened the grip on my hand and ran through the corridors. "Jinu! Wait, I'm not so fast!" I said, trying to catch up with him. He quickly stopped.

"You're right, I'm sorry."

"Besides, I don't think we have to..." I squeaked when he lifted me up. "Don't tell me..." He just ran with me in his arms, as I hugged him tighter, afraid I'll suddenly fall. I laughed because of how ridiculous he was acting. "Did I ever tell you how stupid you are?"

"Hm... I don't think so," he laughed back. I looked at his face that was very close to mine now, trying to control myself. The aquarium was actually more empty than I expected, we only passed maybe five people, and they probably didn't even see who we were since Jinu was extremely fast. They definitely thought we're crazy though.

Finally, he stopped and put me down on the ground again. Although I was standing comfortably, I still didn't move my hands from around his neck. Jinu raised his eyebrows, leaning in closer and making me nervous again. How could I want him to be close and then panic when he actually did get close to me? I felt his hands on my waist, while I was trying to focus.

"Maybe..." I said slowly, barely keeping my voice stable, "we should check what is swimming here. I mean, I was hoping to see Manta Rays."

"I guess we're at the right place then," Jinu smiled, turning me to face the glass wall, as I looked amazed. I could already count like ten Manta Rays around us, and I saw there were even more. They were really beautiful... "You like them?"

I nodded, not being able to look away. "Did you know that Manta Rays aren't poisonous and you can peacefully swim next to them? Oh, and also their spot pattern is like a fingerprint. It's impossible to find two the same ones. Zoey once went through the whole internet probably to research as much as she could about them, telling us everything later."

"They are really beautiful," Jinu said, but I could feel he's not even looking at them. I turned to him, completely flustered under his gaze. "But you're so much more beautiful."

I was too afraid to even say anything or to get closer. I was too afraid that if I took a step forward, I would try to drown in him. That if I take a step forward, I wouldn't stop myself. Jinu softly grabbed one of my braids, looking at it carefully and smiling. My heart skipped a beat. "You know, I really love those braids, I think they look much better than the one you had before," he whispered, his hand slowly moving to my cheek as he closed the distance between us. "But I still love you most with your hair down. And your patterns visible... Rumi, you are... you are so beautiful that I can't even find enough words to explain it. You take my breath away. I'm happy I came here, but I'm happy the most that I'm here with you. If I'm about to try new things, I want you to be on my side."

My mind didn't work properly, I couldn't even stutter a word, no matter how much I would try. I just put one of my hands on his face, tracing with my thumb his own demon marks and focusing on them. Jinu was the one who taught me they don't have to be disgusting or scary. He was the one who showed me how beautiful they could be, even on my own body. "I will always be on your side..."

His right hand grabbed me from behind, as he slowly kissed me, making our marks glow again.

But they were glowing together. Everything magical that happened, everything beautiful. It was all with him.

Notes:

Also, how did I already get to more than thirty chapters?? I almost called this one "Chapter Twenty". What the hell-

Chapter 34: Chapter Thirty Three

Today we planned to go shopping, because the girls got pretty exhausted from laying on the couch three days straight and decided they need to go outside. Since we actually haven't been shopping for a long time, I thought it was a pretty good idea. I actually wasn't really thinking about myself, I wanted to extend Jinu's wardrobe. It was pretty obvious the girls would still drag him, he was already destined to do things like taking out the trash, killing the bugs so Mira doesn't make another hole in the wall, answering the doorbell when we were all sitting down, carrying the bags with groceries and all those things we did by ourselves before. To be honest, the longer he stayed, the more Mira and Zoey enjoyed the fact he was there. I was actually starting to think if maybe it would be possible to share my room with Jinu, so he doesn't sleep on the couch anymore, since I was starting to feel bad. But maybe I should first discuss it with the girls if it's a good idea? Just to be sure. Then he would also finally have normal space for his clothes, since I had theoretically two closets.

I was thinking about that solution only because he was probably really uncomfortable on the couch. No other reason. It was just pretty unfair that he still didn't really have any real place in this apartment. That's it. That was the whole purpose of me sharing my room.

"Hello? Rumi, are you there?" Zoey waved her hand in front of my face, making me shift my focus to her. "You completely disassociated."

"I'm sorry, I was just thinking..." I sighed. "Do you girls think it's a good idea to maybe get Jinu to move to my room?" I barely saw how Mira stops pouring the tea completely shocked and Zoey almost jumps up to the ceiling. "I feel a little bad that he is still cramped on our couch in the living room, and I mean, my room is big enough for the two of us. I think..."

"You want to tell me you were completely absent from here because you were thinking about Jinu sleeping with you in one bed?" Mira raised her eyebrows, putting four cups of tea on the table. I felt my face warm up.

"I... No, it's not like... I mean..." I stuttered.

"I think it's a good idea," Zoey said with the widest smile I have ever seen. "I mean, it won't be even weird, since the two of you are dating. And it's not like you are kids for us to worry about anything."

"No, you're right," Mira laughed. "One is a completely stupid demon boy and the other is our lovely workaholic Rumi. Oh, and also they are barely keeping their hands off of each other even in more public spaces. So I guess we will have to include condoms in our grocery shopping list from now on."

My face turned completely red, as I saw the plates with lunch appear. "Mira! It's not like this! I... Why would you even... How could we... Ugh..." I lowered my head embarrassed, not wanting to look my friend in her face. Her honesty and straightforwardness was sometimes too much for me.

"It's better to be protected. We don't want any problems," Zoey nodded, completely unaffected.

"We will not! I mean... not now, I..." I gave up. No point in trying to defend myself here. "Where is Jinu by the way? The food will be cold soon."

"I think he went to the bathroom to style his hair," Mira said. "Maybe you should go and see how he's doing."

"Unbelievable..."

The only reason I actually went was because if either Zoey or Mira said anything else about the two of us, I don't even know what I would do. Jump off the balcony maybe. Ugh, why was this so embarrassing for me? I mean, it was a normal thing, I shouldn't be that flustered whenever the girls talked about it, should I? And yet I was, and I couldn't help it unfortunately. Especially the thought of me and Jinu... Us being... Rumi, don't think about it right now! Pull yourself together!

I stopped before the bathroom door, knocking. "Jinu? Hello?" Silence. I tried again. "Hello?" Again nothing. I decided to go in and see if he was okay, and if he was even still there. I quickly entered the bathroom, stopping suddenly.

How could I focus, when I was just standing in front of my boyfriend who was wearing only black boxers, while his hair was still wet? I didn't even control my eyes when they went down to look at his well-defined abs. When did he even have time to take a full shower? Didn't he enter the bathroom like five minutes ago?

"I'm sorry, I din't hear you," Jinu smiled. "Did something happen?"

"The food, it's hot," I said slowly. What?! I shook my head quickly. "I mean the food downstairs! Ugh, come downstairs, or the lunch will get hot. I mean, cold!"

I could feel my face heating up again as Jinu laughed. I bit my cheek, enjoying the sound of it. Jinu had that smooth voice, that not only sounded nicely when he was singing, but was even more enjoyable while he was genuinely laughing. "So is the food hot or cold?"

"Very hot..." my eyes again focused on his abs. Come on, Rumi! He can see that! "But not for long! So come downstairs as soon as possible, okay? It will be a waste if..." I was about to press the door handle, when Jinu basically skipped the whole distance between us, leaning one of his hands on the door and completely blocking my exit.

"You know," he whispered to my ear, as I closed my eyes, trying to control myself. My stomach tingled. "I'm actually confused if you're still talking about the food."

"What else would I be talking about if not food," I tried to laugh it off. "I mean, I admit, you are attractive, but it's not like..." I shook my head. "I shouldn't enter without hearing anything from you, I'm sorry."

Just don't look at him, Rumi. If you look at him from such small distance, you might actually... I shivered, feeling a water drop onto my back. I knew it was from his still wet hair, and it definitely wasn't helping my case.

"I mean..." Jinu's voice lowered. Control yourself, girl! "We are a couple, so I don't see why this would be a problem. At least I don't mind."

After saying that, he grabbed my waist, turning me around so now my back was leaning on the door. I didn't even control it, I automatically opened my eyes, immediately regretting it. Why was he so good looking?! "You don't mind?" I asked.

"No."

"At all?"

"At all."

"Good."

I quickly grabbed the back of his neck to kiss him. How was I supposed to control myself in a situation like that? I mean, I probably shouldn't, but when Jinu was teasing me even more... I really wasn't that strong. I felt him smile during the kiss, while he pushed me harder onto the door, deepening the kiss. How I loved those lips on mine, how I craved those hands that held me so steadily. And the warmth of his body when it was so close...

I loved Jinu.

He lifted me up, not even stopping the kiss, while placing me on the empty shelf next to the sink. I wrapped my legs around him, completely letting go. Maybe the idea of him sleeping in one room with me wasn't actually as smart as I thought? If that's how we acted around each other... Mira could actually be unfortunately a little right about the grocery shopping list...

We stopped, my eyes still closed, as I could feel Jinu's face slowly moving to my neck. I shivered, feeling his lips slowly pressing on my skin. "How can you expect me to control myself when you are so..." he whispered between the kisses. "You are so perfect, Rumi..."

My breath was now completely out of control, my heart beating rapidly, my body tingling, my blood rushing. I could feel some drops of water on my shirt on the back and front, while Jinu continued to kiss my neck slowly. I couldn't believe it was actually happening, it was as if taken out from one of my dreams when Huntrix and the Saja Boys were still sworn enemies, fighting about the honmoon. While me and him could never be a thing.

Jinu stopped, resting his forehead on mine, while I looked in his eyes. They were now shining with that little playfulness I already knew. I rolled my eyes. "You are an annoying tease," I scoffed, as he chuckled. It was melody to my ears. "I know you, you're doing it on purpose. You're teasing me and waiting so I can make the first move."

"Cause I don't want to cross any boundaries or make you uncomfortable," he whispered, still looking in my eyes. I smiled. The drops of water were still slowly falling on my body, which felt like another way of testing me. No. Not now, I still took much too long in getting Jinu downstairs.

"Well then, wear some shirt quickly and finally show up in the kitchen, cause I bet the food is already cold and it's your fault." I jumped off the shelf, opening the door.

"My fault?" Jinu scoffed. "And who started the kiss?"

"And who wanted that to happen?" I quickly closed the door after myself, running downstairs. My stomach was already growling, as I entered the kitchen where Mira and Zoey were looking at me with those smug looks. I sat down, squinting my eyes. "You two set me up, I know it!"

"Did we?" Mira looked at Zoey surprised. The girl just shrugged.

"No, I don't remember anything like that happening. We were just worried about Jinu's meal."

"That's right," Mira nodded as I scoffed. "But I think instead of chicken, you offered him a better meal."

I blinked. "What meal?"

Zoey leaned over the table, moving one of my braids to the side, and pointing on my neck. "This meal. I mean, I know demons have fangs, but what is he, a vampire?"

"Eh, who knows," Mira laughed. "Your little demon boyfriend definitely enjoyed himself up there, didn't he?"

"Well..." I started. "Nothing much happened really, we're not Zoey and Mystery."

"Yeah, you two do seem a little more normal."

I turned my head, hearing footsteps. Jinu just walked down with a very annoying smile. He sat down, and the four of us finally started eating. Obviously, I had to listen to many more comments about how the two of us probably ate before we ate the lunch, and all that stuff. I really didn't think about the consequences of dating someone who is living with me and the two most annoying and straightforward girls in the world. I would never ever change Mira and Zoey for anyone else, and I could not imagine living without them, but right now I was considering if I shouldn't just get Jinu a separate apartment, cause maybe that would be a better choice. Although would it really work?

Jinu's bird had the tendency of sitting on Mira's right shoulder every time we were eating, and that's when she was feeding it. She also named him Sussie, which really annoyed Jinu, who was very offended at the fact his pets got new name. Well, it's not like he could change anything at this point, so I knew he will accept it sooner or later. To be honest, it also did feel like Mira and Zoey shamelessly stole his pets, but I would rather say he had to not take proper care of them if it was so easy to do.

"Okay, even though we're a little bit behind the planned time, we still have a lot to go shopping," Zoey said, looking at the hour on her phone. "Besides, I like being a wingman, so I am not going to complain."

"I will," I scoffed, as Jinu leaned closer.

"Will you?" He asked with a smile. I really had to think about that shared room all over again.

"This time I don't want to see any more of those damn Saja Boys," Mira threatened Zoey, while grabbing the car keys. "We have demon boy to carry our bags, we don't need no more. Understood?"

Zoey looked pretty sad, but it was obvious Mira won't change her mind. I smiled.

It was actually the longest time I had been relaxing. I was waking up an hour later than usual, I didn't go to studio or company every day (the girls forbid me), and my head started to get clearer, while I stopped worrying about everything as much. Was this how peaceful life looked like?

Maybe I would actually grow to like it...

Notes:

Okay, that's the last one for today, hope you all have a good night <33

Chapter 35: Chapter Thirty Four

Notes:

This chapter appeared a little later, because I saw my favourite youtuber (Danny Motta) post a video about him reacting to Kpop Demon Hunters, and well, I have priorities

I was sorting my closet right now, trying to make it halfway empty, so Jinu could move to my room on the weekend. We talked about that during shopping, and he was obviously liking this idea, while I will sleep better knowing he's not suffering on the couch with a pillow and a blanket. Today's shopping took us longer than I even expected, but was definitely successful. I didn't really buy that many things, just two T-shirts and one pair of pants, but Mira and Zoey really went on a shopping spree this time. Jinu was obviously forced to holding the bags, but it didn't really bother him. After two stores, he started enjoying it and turned into a whole fashion guru, helping both the girls in choosing their clothes. It was really good to see them like that.

"Come in!" I said, after hearing knocking on my door. I didn't even need to turn to know it was Zoey, recognising her footsteps. "Hey, what's up?"

"Oh, you're cleaning?" She asked, playing with her fingers. I nodded, wondering why was she stressed. "Can I help you maybe?"

"Yeah, I'll finish sooner," I said.

"Great," she smiled, immediately taking some of the clothes.

It really did go much faster, especially with Zoey who was obsessed with cleaning and organising things. Even though I knew she came to me to talk about something, I was still grateful I had her help tonight, since I didn't even realise before how tired this shopping day actually made me. Zoey helped me sort the clothes, fold them neatly and even colour-coded them in my closet. Why didn't I ever think of that? I looked at my closet impressed. It never looked as good as now. I sat down on my bed with a smile, showing Zoey to also sit.

"Thank you for your help."

"Oh, it's nothing really," she laughed. "You know I'm always the first one to clean anything. And I love organising things, it gives me that feeling of accomplishment." I nodded, smiling. Zoey went back to playing with her fingers, looking down at them. "Listen, Rumi, I uh, didn't tell you something before. And just so you know, I was just waiting for our hiatus, so you can be a little more relaxed. I didn't want to burden you more, since I know how you are and that you would be overthinking that even more than I was," she started explaining.

I grabbed Zoey's hands. "Zoey," I said, making her look at me finally. "I get it. Well, I don't know yet what you want to say, but I know you too. You always do things in best interest of others, and not you. So? What happened?"

"Celine bumped into me once when I was going for takeout with Jinu," she said. I felt my heart stop. "Actually, I think she was waiting for one of us there, she immediately started asking me about you, and... and she started talking about the honmoon... She wanted to get to you, but I told her to leave you alone, and I'm sorry I didn't tell you then, but with everything that was going on, I was afraid how you would handle, when now we have free time, so..."

"What did Celine say about me?" I asked quietly. Zoey pressed her lips together as I sighed. "So the usual, huh?"

"Rumi..." I looked at the girl who had tears in her eyes. "I now why you didn't tell us about your marks before, but I still feel devastated you didn't feel safe enough to trust us. I'm sorry I couldn't be your support, I... when I heard Celine..." Before I could even say anything, she hugged me tightly. "Just so you know, I will always be on your side. I really want to be."

I hugged her even tighter, smiling slightly. "I know." I whispered.

"Are you very mad I didn't tell you immediately? Cause if you are, I understand, I really do."

"Should I be?" I asked. To be honest, I wasn't. I didn't feel any anger towards Zoey. It was just that weird empty feeling when I thought about Celine. The memories from the Idol Awards were still as clear as day, the sword in my hands, her words... "I just..." I sighed, resting my head on Zoey's shoulder. "I should finally confront her."

"You don't have to do that if you don't feel ready yet. Rumi, you don't owe her anything, no matter what you might think," Zoey said, grabbing my shoulders and looking at me seriously. "Besides, we will understand, no matter what."

"But what if she bothers you or Mira again?"

"Then she will be bothered. I told her to fix herself."

"You did that?" I didn't even know why, but this genuinely made me chuckle. The thought of Zoey defending me so eagerly... "Thank you, Zoey."

"No! No, no, no. You should be mad! You're really not mad?"

"Why would I be mad?" I scoffed, seeing her panicked reaction. "I mean, you did want to tell me and you did tell me. So I don't see a problem."

"But I also asked Jinu not to tell you anything..."

"So maybe I should just get mad at him for not telling me?" I laughed, making Zoey smile. "To be honest, I think you weren't that wrong with that telling me later, cause if I actually found out even a week ago that Celine is trying to get in touch with me, I don't think I would react so peacefully. I still... I still think I should finally confront her, and maybe now is the time, since we're a little less busy... you know?"

"If you feel like you actually need it, then you should," Zoey nodded. "But don't push yourself just because you're worried she will try to talk to me or Mira. I mean, I already told her some things that weren't nice, and thing what Mira would do," I laughed, realising she was right.

"No, I... I think I need it..." I sighed. Zoey smiled, hugging me again.

"Do you need my help with anything? Should I be the one to contact her, do you want to do that... Whatever it is, tell me if you need me. Or Mira. I know she will immediately jump to help too."

"I know," I smiled. Somehow, it did feel better, knowing how much the girls actually accepted and cared about me. Even the thought of facing Celine after all that happened wasn't as terrifying now. "But I will handle it myself."

"Okay," Zoey nodded. "I hope it goes well."

"Me too. By the way, did you already finish unpacking? We just came back."

"Oh no, I immediately went to you actually," Zoey chuckled. "I guess I will do it now."

"Do you need help? I mean, you helped me."

"Rumi, I love you, but you don't understand my system, so you won't be much of a help," the girl said, getting up. "Anyway, tell us when you're meeting with Celine so we can support you emotionally."

"I will," I looked as Zoey leaves my room.

Celine wanted to see me. I closed my eyes, knowing very well a conversation with her won't be easy. But I did need it. It still felt like there was too much to talk about after the Idol Awards, we really didn't establish anything. I just disappeared, trying to save everyone, and Celine... I didn't really want to know. Although if I actually wanted to move on and accept myself, I had to fully close this chapter. I took a deep breath, grabbing a hairbrush from my vanity table and going to the living room. Jinu was right now playing fetch with Sussie, which was a pretty funny thing to see. I sat down right next to him, crossing my legs and showing him a hairbrush. Jinu immediately grabbed it as I turned my back to him. Sussie gave me that annoyed look of his, which made me laugh.

"Sorry, little guy, but your time with him has passed, it's my turn now," I said, petting him after he sat in front of me. I closed my eyes, as I felt Jinu carefully brushing my hair. I loved how delicate he was while doing that, it never felt like all the times Celine did my hair.

"Is everything alright?" Jinu asked. "Zoey looked really worried when she was going to your room, and now you look like you're worrying about something."

"It's about Celine," I sighed. "Zoey told me she tried to convince her to help us meet."

"I'm glad she decided to tell you. Do you want to do something about it?"

"I want to meet with her and have an uncomfortable conversation I have been postponing for so long. I know I need that."

"When do you want to talk with her?"

"Tomorrow. I want it to be over with as soon as possible."

"Do you need us to come with you or do you prefer to be alone?"

"I'd rather do this alone," I said, smiling slightly. I knew I wasn't alone anymore, so I was more confident with facing the difficulties solo now. And it was clear that this should be resolved only between me and her.

"So I'm guessing you came to me right now for comfort?" I heard that little playfulness in his voice, at which I smiled.

"Hmm... I think I wanted to use you so I don't have to suffer trying to manage my hair."

"Right, I forgot I'm basically Huntrix's butler," Jinu laughed. He stopped brushing my hair for a second, as he kissed me on the cheek. "I don't mind that though."

*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚

I was walking around, nervous if Celine actually got my message. I decided to write to her, telling her a time and place where we can meet, blocking her immediately after so she couldn't reply. Now I wasn't sure if it was that good of an idea, but what other choice did I have? If I won't do it now, I will probably running from it for much longer than I wanted to.

At least the weather was nice. It was hot outside, the sun was shining peacefully as a small breeze lifted the leaves on a tree. Okay, Rumi. Breathe in and out. You can do this. Celine will show up. I know she will.

"Rumi?" My heart ached, hearing her voice. I turned to look at her. "Rumi, I'm so glad you showed up! I know you're probably confused about a lot of things, but it's okay. We can still repair the honmoon, make it work so that all the demons..."

"You never accepted me, did you?" I asked, my throat tightening. Celine stopped surprised. "You never treated me as your daughter either, I was just..." the tears appeared in my eyes. "I was just a soldier for you, wasn't I?"

"Rumi, honey, what are you talking about?" Celine got closer to me, but I stopped her, taking a step back. "Rumi, you are not a soldier, you are a huntress. You protect people, you fight demons, you..."

"And what's the difference? Isn't a hunter also a soldier?" I continued, my tears slowly falling down my cheeks. "You raised me to only do that, didn't you? To destroy demons and take care of honmoon. I was never anything else, was I?"

"I raised you so you can continue to protect everyone, including yourself."

"You raised me to hate myself!" My voice changed again, moving the honmoon and echoing around.

"This," Celine whispered. "This is why honmoon is so important. It also protected you from all of that. You are not a demon, Rumi. You're a human, and you..."

"Why are you still lying?!" I could barely stand on my legs, feeling my body shake. "Why do you still to try and make me into something I'm not?! I am a half-demon and I always will be!"

"Not if you act like a human!" Celine also snapped. "Don't you understand that you were doing perfectly fine?! It's that demon's fault, am I right? The one that was with Zoey when I met her? That's what it is? You suddenly think that what, not all demons are bad? That they're not just killers? Destroyers?"

"I think that demons and humans are just as flawed! And I am also trying to find the best solution so everything will finally make sense! Cause nothing is making sense right now, and we have to run in a completely dark tunnel, as if we never got any kind of hunters training!"

"That's because none of you listen to me! Nobody ever listens to me!"

"Because you are wrong..." my voice trembled. The tears were running down my face fully, as I was barely seeing Celine because of how blurred my vision got. "You only see how demons are bad and humans are good, you only want the honmoon to separate the two worlds and never talk about it. And you never even cared to listen to me, not even once... you never cared what I feel..."

"That's because you were never supposed to exist!" I felt my chest ache even more now. It hurt. Even though I was waiting for Celine to finally tell me what she actually thinks of me... it still hurt. I was just now seeing how unimportant my life was in her eyes, how I was really just a weapon against other demons. Creatures I had so much in common with. I was basically set for self-destruction by her, I saw that just now. "If it weren't for you, your mother wouldn't turn into a demon!"

Chapter 36: Chapter Thirty Five

Notes:

To be completely honest, I'm thinking if I should wish you good luck during this chapter

I dropped on my knees, not being able to control my muscles anymore. My body was too weak to hold me. I couldn't even look Celine in the eyes, not really understanding what she just said. She couldn't, she didn't. My mother was dead, she was dead. I was visiting her grave all my life, I knew the date she died, it was my tradition to visit her then. It couldn't be a lie. Not this. The tears were falling down on my knees, as I tried to stop this overwhelming feeling in my mind. Everything was spinning around me, and I tried to keep myself together. At least a little, at least so I could stand up. So I could...

"I never wanted to tell you the truth," Celine suddenly spoke. I didn't have enough courage to look at her. I didn't want to look at her. "You had a chance to become a great hunter, Rumi. You are only partially a demon, that was still enough for you to make it work. To act like the patterns aren't there..."

"My mother..." I whispered slowly between the tears. My voice was hoarse and shaky. "She's dead... You told me... Everyone knows..."

"Isn't this almost the same thing?" Celine's voice was soft, as if she wasn't just destroying everything my life was built on. She sounded warm, as if my world didn't shatter in little pieces just seconds ago. "Demons aren't alive, Rumi. They're just... demons. They don't feel, they don't spare anyone. They only want our souls, they are..."

"That's all demons do," I stopped her. I still couldn't bring myself to look up, my arms were supporting me so I wouldn't completely break down as I was looking at the ground below me. "Feel. Feel their shame, their misery. It's how Gwi-Ma controlled them."

"But that's all they are, they are creatures that never get to feel the actually important emotions," Celine whispered. "Like empathy..."

"And you do?" I finally managed to look at Celine. "Do you actually feel any of emotions at all? Can you feel at least a little bit of shame about what you've done to me or is that just too difficult for you?" I continued with a shaky voice. My clothes were already wet from the tears, but I couldn't stop them. Celine crouched in front of me, but I didn't let her touch me. I collected all the energy I had left in me to move away. "Don't!"

"Rumi, look at you. Look how high morals you already have," she still tried. "Look how dedicated you and the girls are to protect people. Do you really think that those patterns helped you in any way achieve all of that?"

I shook my head. It wasn't happening, all of it. It wasn't happening. "My mother couldn't be a demon. You can't just become one, it's not that simple..."

"It's not. But it's possible," Celine's voice turned ice cold. "There is one way a human can become a demon voluntarily and that is, to save a person's life. To give up their soul so someone else can live... it's an ancient method that has been long forgotten."

No. That was impossible. A human couldn't just become a demon, it was... Suddenly, I remembered the mysterious page. "Until witchcraft started developing, and along with it, a deeper understanding of human bodies and souls. The spells used by those practitioners were rooted in basics, connected to the nature and earth itself..." Could it be? "But those demons weren't always bad, their legends didn't describe vile monsters attacking villages." Could this be true? Could one become a demon by sacrificing their soul to someone else? But if so... "Who did my mom save?" I asked, this time my voice cold.

"You." It was like a stab of knife right in my heart. "When you were still a small child, eight months old, you and Yuna, the third member of the Sunlight Sisters, were going for a walk while me and your mother went to stop the demons a couple streets away. What we didn't know, was that you two would also be attacked," my heart stopped for a second. "As a half-demon you're not immortal, you can just live longer. But obviously not when your soul is taken. We came two minutes after. Even if we ran after this demon, it wouldn't do much, you two were..." Celine stopped for a second, as I watched her eyes feel with tears. "Your mother didn't even think about it, she didn't listen. She just..." her voice trembled. "I didn't even know she knew how to... I mean, yes, we did learn about that, but I would never expect..."

She stopped. I looked at her, trying to make any sense out of what I just heard. Celine didn't teach us to be hunters, she taught us to slay demons mindlessly, without much thinking. She didn't teach us ancient techniques, we didn't even have any idea something like that existed. She didn't tell us how diverse the demons could be...

"What did you do?" I asked as the honmoon trembled again. She looked at me surprised. In a second, I got in front of her, grabbing her shoulders. "What did you do to my mom?!" I screamed, as the tears started falling from my eyes again.

"I did what a hunter should," she said, looking in my eyes. No. No, it couldn't be. She wouldn't... This all couldn't be true, it was just a bad dream. My mother was dead, she died in an accident. There was nothing more to it, there was...

"Why did you raise me then?!" I cried, my body and mind completely out of control. "Why?! Why did you take me under your roof when you hate me so much?! How could you ever smile at me and claim me as your daughter?!"

"Because you had the blood of all the past hunters. Without you, it would be impossible to build any trio. The hunters need at least one person who is related to all of them, their voices are the ones leading, the strongest ones," I dropped to the ground again, seeing Celine taking a step back. "I needed you, Rumi. I needed you so the honmoon would be safe and the demons would be out of reach, imprisoned forever in the demon realm."

"Including my parents?!" The honmoon trembled again, as my voiced echoed. It didn't matter. Nothing mattered anymore. Everything was just a lie. Everything. I was a lie. I looked up at her again. "Where are my parents, Celine?"

She didn't say anything, just shook her head slowly. Gone. No. No, it couldn't be. Even Celine wouldn't be as crazy to make me trap my own parents in the demon realm, right? She wouldn't, my mom was also her friend, she...

"All the demons are bad, Rumi."

She did. I clenched my fists, breaking down. I didn't want to look up, I didn't want to see if she was there or what was she doing. I never wanted to see her again. Never. "If I see you again..." I whispered, getting up. "I can't promise what I'll do."

I only saw her getting genuinely terrified before I managed to teleport to the apartment.

I was now standing in the living room, while Mira, Zoey and Jinu were sitting on the couch, now looking at me concerned. I probably looked like a complete mess. Like a... failure.

I broke. I curled up on the rug, while letting myself cry like I never did. My whole life I was being fed a lie after a lie. My whole life I was fighting against myself. Against... my family. How could anyone possibly do that? How could she raise me, knowing she's setting me up against all that should actually be important in my life? How could she grow hatred for myself and my family without me even knowing about it? How...

I felt how Zoey hugs me. I let her, completely breaking down. Then I felt Mira and Jinu also joining in. What will they do when I tell them the truth? Will they hate me? After all, I brought them all into this mess, if it weren't for me, the hunters wouldn't exist. If it weren't for me, none of them would have to go through all that, including Celine...

"Maybe we actually should have gone with you," Zoey whispered. I shook my head quickly.

"I... it was a lie..." my voice trembled.

"What was?" Mira asked, still hugging me. I think it was the longest time she was actually initiating physical contact.

"Everything."

"You don't have to tell us now," Zoey added, but I heard her tone change a little. "If you're not ready, we don't have to..."

"She killed my mother," I whispered, the tears again falling on my cheeks. I could feel Mira and Jinu tense. "She... she killed her. And it's my fault."

"What are you talking about?!"

"I don't even know the story, and I'm already sure it wasn't your fault," Mira said sternly.

"She... I..." I couldn't finish, breaking down again.

"Okay, maybe right now let's not talk about it yet," Mira lifted me up and sat me down on a couch. "Right now we need to get you in a... functional... state."

After she said that, the three of them just disappeared for a second. Jinu brought a blanket he put on me, kissing my forehead lightly and sitting next to me. Zoey brought me my favourite tea and sat on the other side, while Mira brought makeup remover and cotton pads and gently removed my probably terribly blurred and destroyed makeup before sitting in front of me.

My mind was spinning, as I was sipping on the tea in silence, while crying all this time. The tears just couldn't stop, they seemed to be endless, no matter how much I wanted them to disappear.

How could it all happen?

Did that mean I would never even get to meet my parents, while having to carry on with my life, knowing they are alive? And I was basically taken from them against their will? At least from my mom. I still didn't know the story of my father. Actually, I didn't know anything. I didn't even think I could believe anyone at this point, cause how was I supposed to recognise lies from the truth when the one closest person to me turned out to be my biggest enemy?

She said it herself, if it wasn't for the fact I was the only one who could continue the hunters legacy, she probably would've just gotten rid of me. And maybe she should. Maybe a half-demon was never meant to exist, maybe I actually was just a mistake. If not for me, my mom would be alive, the Sunlight Sisters would never break, and Mira and Zoey would carry on with their lives without risking anything and without being included in this mess. How could I look them in the eyes now, knowing the truth?

But they deserved it as much as I did. I wanted to tell them, I just... My voice was betraying me again, my throat was tightened to the point I never knew it could, while the tears were still dropping. Zoey passed on the tissues time after time, cause they were never ending.

I looked at the cup of tea that was now half full already. Was it all worth it? Was it worth it? Saving the earth, restoring honmoon... just to get this?

But did I actually prefer to continue living in a tsunami of lies?

I didn't. I knew I didn't. And even though I was in shambles right now, I guess I was still glad I got to find out everything. I managed to know the truth, although it turned out the worst possible scenario.

Deep breaths, Rumi. I prepared myself to finally tell them. If anything could make me feel any better, I knew it was a conversation. I had to get it out of my chest, I promised myself I would never hide or bottle up again. I would never follow any rule, words or advice I heard from Celine.

My voice was still shaky, but I wanted to talk about it. "How can I be a hunter, when, at this point, I can't say what is, and what isn't the truth? What can I do as a leader of the team, where it turns out I never lead successfully?"

Chapter 37: Chapter Thirty Six

Notes:

I can't really leave you only with 2 pretty depressing chapters in one day, so here you have one more

"...And so I imprisoned my own parents in the demon realm..." Rumi finished her story after basically an hour of explanations stopped sometimes with her tears coming in again.

I could feel my blood boiling. I looked at Rumi, feeling completely powerless that I can't do as much as I wished I could. She looked completely in shambles now, and I wished I could just slowly put her together so she could feel like a completely new person. But I couldn't. I could only stay by her side and hope that with time, she will slowly get back her spark.

She saved me, and now I wanted to save her.

But first, I should eliminate any obstacles on the way. I got up from the couch at the same time as Pinky, the two of us immediately walking to the elevator, understanding without a word what we both wanted to do.

"Uh, guys?" Zoey asked after us. "Wheeere are you going?"

"Oh, we will take a quick walk," I said, as Mira nodded.

"A walk. Perhaps to Celine's house?" We turned to her. She was standing now, with her arms crossed and one foot tapping on the floor. It felt like we were about to get scolded by a mother.

"Where else would we go right now?" I scoffed. "We cannot just let her walk freely after all she's done."

"I'm planning to dig up a deep enough hole that even the demon realm will be above her," Pinky said with the most hatred in her eyes I have ever seen.

"And I will help her," I nodded.

Rumi turned her head to us, making us catch a quick eye contact. When I saw her face, my heart shattered. It broke into million tiny pieces and my will to do anything left me. This red face, these hurt eyes... How could anyone that's not Gwi-Ma cause so much pain and harm? If I could, I would just rip out my own emotions and choose only those good one to give them up her. So she would never ever again feel those negative emotions that were so suffocating on their own. If I could, I would give up anything I owned just so she would never get hurt again. Both physically and mentally. But mostly, mentally.

I was so distracted with Rumi, I didn't even see Zoey moving and suddenly stabbing my back with her finger. "You two are not going anywhere! Do you think you can just kill Celine who's still a well-known star? Like that would be very discreet!" She scoffed, pushing us back to the living room. "As much as I want to gouge out her eyeballs and sell them on the black market, unfortunately, we can't touch her."

"Hmm... Why didn't I think of that..." Pinky thought out loud while we sat on the couch again.

"And then maybe we could cut her open while she's still alive slowly burn her insides," Zoey nodded, sitting down with a wide smile. Okay, now I was getting scared even of this bundle of joy. She sighed, looking at Rumi again. "But we can't. Although there's one thing we can actually do and that is being with you now."

"I'm so sorry..." Rumi whispered, as my heart felt like it was just stabbed for the thousandth of time.

"You have nothing to apologise for!" Me and Pinky opposed.

"I brought you into this mess, I... the hunters wouldn't exist anymore if I wasn't here, and maybe if they didn't, everything would be better..."

Those four hundred years of constant mental manipulation of Gwi-Ma in my mind was nothing compared to what I now felt. It was something I've never experienced before. It was paralysing, heartbreaking, it was... it was torture.

"Rumi," I grabbed her hand slowly, afraid that if I grab it too hard I will break something. "Everything would be worse if not for you. Gwi-Ma would completely occupy the earth, the demons would rule, humanity would probably die. Me... I would still be a soulless killing machine that listens to him... I would never know that I can change... You made this. You made me who I am and who im trying to be right now," I looked at her face that lifted up a little. It was like a part of the stone just disappeared from my chest.

"Besides!" Zoey immediately jumped next. "If Huntrix would never come true, I wouldn't be here. You don't even know how the two of you helped me heal. I finally feel like I have my own place."

"And me," Pinky joined. "It's... as if I finally have a real family. If Huntrix never existed, I would be completely alone..."

Rumi looked at all of us, the tears in her eyes appearing again. "You guys..."

"All right, come here," the girls hugged again, while I stayed on the side this once.

It did make me a little more peaceful, knowing Rumi won't be alone even if something would ever happen to me. She did have people that cared about her, and I was grateful about that. I still wanted to viciously murder Celine though, but I was very much aware that it might be impossible for some time. But who knows? One day maybe?

We stayed together for an hour, slowly discussing many other topics and watching as Rumi was going back to life. Obviously, she still wasn't feeling perfectly well, which made my heart ache, but she was definitely feeling better. The girls then ordered dinner, which came really quickly, considering how much time it usually took. We ate in much better mood which I was very glad about, and then me and Rumi quickly cleaned, as the girls decided to go to sleep soon. Everyone knew Zoey will still have her three hours of scrolling on the phone in her bed.

I heard the door closing, as Rumi's silhouette moved quickly in the corner of my eye to sit on the counter behind me. "You know... I'm still thinking about one thing."

"Just one?" I smiled, putting the clean glass on its place and turning to face her. I didn't come closer though, I was too afraid of doing that. The longer me and her were together, the less I could control myself. And this was definitely not a good moment for that. I only wanted to be her support now.

"Very funny," Rumi scoffed rolling her eyes. "Well, not one, but this one is the one I'm thinking about the most."

"Okay, which is..."

"The becoming demon part," she whispered as I felt my muscle tense all over. To be honest, I was thinking about it on the bottom of my brain while mostly still worrying about Rumi. I didn't really want to even consider it, but after hearing the story I was realising that maybe what the stalker-demon said to me may have been true. "That you can become one when you give someone else your soul to save them... It sounds a little familiar, doesn't it?"

I lowered my head, knowing what she meant. "It sounds a little too familiar, yes." I didn't have to look up to see her softly jumping off to the floor again, and before I realised it, she was standing right in front of me, cupping my face in her hands. "I just don't understand how could something be inside of me where my soul should when I don't have one..."

"I don't understand either," she shook her head. "But we have a lot of time to figure that out."

"Right now, you will use that lots of time to rest and reset," I said. "You will not be going on some more adventures trying to look for more answers until you won't have a proper mental rest. You finally need to relax, Rumi. You really put too much on your shoulders."

"But the demons and..."

"There's no but," I stopped her. Before she could say another word, I quickly lifted her up. "You, my love, will now go rest, since you really need that."

"Wait, I'm not tired yet," she opposed, but I just ignored her, entering her room, and putting her in her bed. "Jinu, I'm really okay."

"We all know you're not," I sighed. Even the memory of her state when she came back was enough for me to feel that suffocating pain in all parts of my body. I looked at her, smiling a little. "Let yourself finally not be okay. Let yourself feel bad from time to time. You're not alone and you are not about to have the same responsibilities some witch pushed upon you. Okay?"

Rumi didn't say anything, she just nodded. I still took it for a good sign. After the Idol Awards, she was clearly changing. Slowly, but still. This meant she had now entered a time full of questions, self doubts and much more. And with all the shit she was now faced with? It will be even worse and definitely harder, so I promised myself to do everything I can to help her emotionally. To show her it's not as it was. Neither me nor the girls would ever even think of expecting or treating Rumi the way she has been treated her whole life. She didn't deserve it.

"I'll try to rest a little," she slowly said. I smiled satisfied. Suddenly, she grabbed my shirt and pulled me closer, making me trip and fall onto the bed. My heart stopped for a couple of seconds because of how close she suddenly was. "But did you know you still have fangs?" Rumi asked, lifting my lips. My chest warmed up, as I tried to think. Nothing special, I was just trying to make my brain work with her so close to me. "I don't know how I didn't realise it sooner. Or maybe I did, but it was just normal for me?"

"Rumi..." I grabbed her wrist, putting her hand aside. "That's not how you should be resting now."

Her right hand landed on my waist, slowly finding the waistband of my boxers. I shivered. "What do you mean? I think it would be quite a nice rest if..." she whispered, looking in my eyes. "If it was with you."

How I wished for that to happen. How I wanted her hands to explore my body, to feel how much I actually needed her. To dive in deeper in that beautiful scent of hers, to get completely lost in those eyes. To slowly and gently reveal her soft and beautiful skin...

But not know. I stopped her hand right before she took it too far, sitting up quickly. "You know as well as me that this is not a good idea. Not tonight." She sighed, turning her face away from me. "I know you want something to help you forget about what happened, but trust me, facing it immediately will actually be much less painful. I know. I tried to forget my mistakes for four hundred years, while all I needed was to admit and accept them." I leaned closer, kissing her slowly on the forehead. "But some time later..." I couldn't even control my voice deepening now. The thought of her next to me was enough for me to completely lose control. She was like the most beautiful siren song inviting me to drown in the cold ocean water. "I'll gladly keep you awake the whole night… Goodnight, sleep well."

Before she could even reply, I left the room, laying exhausted on the couch. If I was a little slower, I... we... This night...

Fuck.

"I see you finally realised how exactly you stayed a demon," I groaned hearing that damn voice from behind me. I sat up, looking at the stalker-demon sitting in an armchair. "Do you understand now?"

"You probably know very well I still don't understand much," I scoffed. "Also thanks for appearing after I found out the truth instead of explaining it to me. Really, you couldn't be a bigger help."

"Ha, what a nice gentleman you are. And you're welcome. I thought that if you heard it from me, it would be more likely you would doubt my words. Better for you to find out yourself."

"So I guess you will not explain to me why something that looks exactly like a soul is still inside of me?" I asked, as the demon shook his head. "Of course..."

"But I will congratulate you. It's not simple to redeem yourself as much as to shift from a purple-marked demon to a blue-marked."

"And what's the difference between them?"

"You really were all just hiding under a stone or something..." the demon sighed.

"Close, the demon realm."

"Right, that's even worse..." He nodded, but then, surprisingly continued: "the purple-marked demons are the ones who became demons because they commuted one of the seven deadly sins. The sins they committed also are important cause they decide what shape of demon they will turn into. These are the ones Gwi-Ma and Bo-Ra can control. The blue-marked demons are the ones who became demons because they gave their souls to save someone. Their marks don't bear any shame or guilt, so they cannot be manipulated. Also, their marks are blue because the honmoon doesn't recognise them as demons so they can freely walk on earth, helping our three hunters around the world to keep every country safe. We call ourselves the Guardians."

I blinked, looking at the guy completely stunned about what he just said. "Wait..."

"You don't really think three hunters would be enough to protect the earth, do you?" The stalker-demon scoffed. "But since there can only be three of them, they got another solution, and that's us. We perfectly blend into society, and well, there isn't much of us. In South Korea there are only five Guardians. Well, now six."

"Wait a second," I waved my hands. I hated how he once didn't say anything important at all, and the next visit he was just dropping a bomb at me. "But does that mean my purpose is to help the hunters?"

"It's not like you were doing anything else," the demon shrugged. Well, he was right.

"Also... does that mean Rumi's mom is also somewhere here? Could she maybe reach her? She's also one of the blue-marked demons, so she isn't trapped in the demon realm, right?"

He disappeared. Son of a bitch.

Chapter 38: Chapter Thirty Seven

Notes:

I was photosynthesising while writing this chapter, so I barely saw the screen even in sunglasses

I woke up surprisingly relaxed. The sun was slowly appearing in my window, as I already heard some noises outside of my room. Did I sleep that long? I looked around, my thoughts immediately going back to what happened yesterday. I clenched my fists trying to stop the tears. My parents...

Come on, Rumi, pull yourself together. You have to figure out the actual truth about demons and hunters. I needed to find out what exactly was our purpose, since it turns out that Celine only told us what she wanted, completely distorting the reality. Maybe I should have just killed her? Just like she killed my parents and raised me to trap them for eternity in the demon realm?

I shook my head. No. It wouldn't help me, and I knew it. I wouldn't feel even a little better if I did that. But what if she suddenly lost everything she owns? That would probably make me actually feel better...

Save your revenge for later, girl. I had to research more about the demons, learn all their types, find out the actual beginnings of first hunters, figure out who Bo-Ra exactly is and what she wants, and obviously establish what is my role as a demon hunter. And maybe, after I do all that... try to break the honmoon...

I heard Zoey's laughter through my doors, bringing me back to what was now and here. I took a deep breath. I wasn't alone, and I wasn't blamed for anything. So I should probably cut myself some slack. For example, I could go out today to try and get more knowledge about everything, but... slower? Will that work? It should work. Yeah, that was a perfect solution. I got up and left the room.

Zoey was still dying out of laughter when I entered a kitchen. "Hello, sleeping beauty!" She said. "Did you sleep well? How are you feeling today?"

"Much better," I smiled. It wasn't a lie. Compared to the state I was in yesterday,today o felt so much better. I felt stronger, my mind was again working properly, I didn't cry every time I thought about what happened. And it was all thanks to them. Unfortunately, I had to thank Celine for one thing. She created Huntrix. And without them, I wouldn't be who I was becoming right now. Without them, I wouldn't be able to get up today and have the strength to smile. But I did.

"I'm so glad!" Zoey hugged me. "Mira went to sign some papers with the new neighbours that will leave under us, and I'm doing pancakes."

Since the building was owned by Huntrix, we were obviously responsible for taking care of it. Finding the staff, security, checking if everything is still okay, even talking to potential buyers of the apartments here. But most of it was managed by Mira, who had the biggest experience in anything related to money thanks to her upbringing. She once told us that immediately after she turned five, her father taught her the basics of economics. Profits, losses, inflation, crashes on the market. She already knew all of that, forced to sit at the table with her older brother and understand things some student were still trying to take a grasp of. At first, me and Zoey tried to do most of the things ourselves, since we knew Mira wasn't even keeping up with her family. We thought that if we ask her for help about this, it would only trigger the bad memories. Turned out it was completely the opposite, she loved it. The moment she saw us struggling and grabbed the documents we were sitting at for three hours, trying to figure out how to manage all the costs while not stretching the budget that seemed too little, her eyes lighted up the same way they did every time she was dancing, and she solved all the problems in less than twenty minutes.

So after a long conversation about why weren't we asking her for help earlier, we realised we should have asked her first what Mira thinks. Since that time, not only the three of us learned to communicate better, but also Mira was basically a boss managing this whole building. Stuff shortage? Mira will solve it. New clients interested in living here? Mira will convince them to get the kore expensive place. Profits? Growing. Everyone working in the building? Satisfied. Everyone living here? Couldn't stop praising the place.

"You stupid tiger!" I heard Jinu's voice as Zoey bursted out laughing again.

I turned to see the boy running around after Derpy who had stolen his shirt. I raised my eyebrows amused, trying not to look at Jinu, but to focus on the tiger. After what happened yesterday, I was realising that I might be actually losing control over my own needs. My own wants? Oh my god, it sounded bad even in my head.

"That's what you're laughing at?" I scoffed at Zoey.

"Well, if you saw it since the beginning, trust me, you would be laughing like me," she smiled.

"Jinu, I think you forgot that you are actually a demon now," I said louder.

Jinu stopped running after the cat to look at me. He smiled tilting his head a little. I felt my blood rushing. "Did you sleep well?"

"Of course. I slept very well," I nodded, trying to focus on his face. As if his face wasn't as attractive as the rest of him.

"See, and you were trying to convince me you aren't tired yesterday," after these words, my face warmed up in seconds. "Good thing I didn't listen."

I bit the inside of my cheek to calm myself down. Unbelievable! How could he now make fun of what happened yesterday night? "Don't worry, that will never happen again," I scoffed, crossing my arms. Never mind, I will not be helping him.

"For fuck's sake!" The three of us turned to see Mira enter the apartment with the angriest possible expression.

"Woah, what happened?" Zoey asked, immediately pushing a small bite of a pancake in her mouth.

"Our new neighbours happened," she said, now a little calmer.

"Did they resign in last minute or what?"

"Worse! They will actually live here!"

"That should be a good thing..."

"It would be if it was anyone else who is not the Saja Boys!"

Everything made sense immediately. I chuckled, sitting down at the table since the breakfast was ready. Jinu also sat down, still without a shirt. Still pissing me off, and still distracting me with his body. Who let him do that?

"Ah! The Saja Boys live here now?! That's great!" Zoey jumped out of joy before sitting down. Mira looked at her like she just came from Mars. "That means I won't have to sneak so much to meet with Mystery."

"Don't you even dare take your freaks to our place," Mira threatened her with a fork. "Our rooms are next to each other, I do not need to hear what the two of you are doing in real life."

"While we're discussing the Saja Boys," I said. "Jinu, I think you should actually debut with them."

I have it some thought lately, and even though I was very well aware of how jealous I will be about the fans, seeing him on stage was still something I needed more. He was made to perform, he literally gave up everything to do that as a human, making him later a prisoner of Gwi-Ma. Even if at first he actually thought of completely dropping the idol life, I could imagine that one day he'll finally break. Rightfully so, being an artist was something special. Something I would never give up, and I didn't want him to give it up.

"Woah!" Jinu looked at me surprised. "I know I was teasing you right now, but you don't have to act rashly, don't throw me out so easily."

"What? I'm not throwing you out, I'm serious!" I hit him in the head with the back of my fork. "Who said you will live with the rest?"

"Wait, but why this sudden change?" Mira asked. "Weren't you like, pretty against that idea?"

"I know how it feels when music is one of the most important things for you," I said, looking down at my plate. "Besides, the Saja Boys won't come back for a while still, so he still has some time of being only mine. Considering all that, I do agree with these guys that he should also come back. Oh, and also, they said Jinu is a total tyrant as a leader. I guess it's something I really can't wait to see," I smiled.

"Well, it's not like they threaten the honmoon anymore..." Mira sighed.

"And they won't steal our fans since our fandom is already too big," Zoey clapped excitedly. "Also, I was talking to Bobby lately, and we'll be probably doing our first world tour soon after the hiatus. I think it's a great idea!"

"A world tour? What the hell is that?" Jinu asked surprised.

"We will travel the world to perform on many different stages," I explained. "I can't wait! It would be our first!"

"You know what, it's a good thing I'm actually still a demon," murmured Jinu. "I wouldn't survive not seeing you for so long."

"Wait, so you became a demon when you gave Runi your soul, right?" Mira asked and Jinu nodded.

"I knew you were cheating!" Zoey got up suddenly, pointing at him. "Nobody can run that fast!"

"I didn't know it's not normal, so that's not cheating!" Jinu opposed offended.

"Same thing!"

"That is not the same thing!"

"Since you're still a demon, I think before our world tour, we should figure out how many types of demons are exactly there," I said. "And figure out the real purpose of us as hunters. And..."

"And rest," Mira stopped me. "Right now don't you even dare think about those things. You are forbidden to look into the demon and hunters stuff for at least a week. You need to rest, Rumi, and you need time to swallow what you just found out. You can't just immediately jump into a new thing, putting another wall around you."

"I agree. You have to rest for now," Zoey nodded. "If you want, the three of us can look a little more into this whole thing."

"Well, I know one classification of demons now actually," Jinu said, collecting the empty plates. "The stalker-demon visited again, and this time he actually said something practical. Although not as much as he should have..."

"At this point this stalker-demon should be called our personal demon sasaeng," Mira scoffed.

"A what?"

"Don't worry about it," Zoey shook her head.

"So what did he tell you?" I asked.

"That there are purple-marked demons and blue-marked," he pointed at his own patterns. It was true they changed colour after the Idol Awards. It was especially weird since the rest of the Saja Boys still looked the same. "The purple-marked demons are the ones that committed one of the seven deadly sins, while the blue-marked ones are those who gave up their own souls to save someone else. The difference is that those with blue patterns are safe from honmoon, they are supposed to help you three around the world, and they are called Guardians. There aren't many of these demons though."

"Woah," Mira said. "So we have some demons around the world that were actually helping us all this time?"

"At least that's what this demon said."

"Wait, so you changed to this one because you did the same selfless act a human has to to become one?" Zoey asked. Jinu nodded. "Shouldn't that mean that Rumi's mom is also somewhere safe? If the honmoon doesn't work on you?"

I immediately felt this weird tingling feeling in my chest. My mom could still be here? What if she was actually safe? Why wouldn't she ever come to meet with me then?

"That's what I asked this stupid demon too," Jinu said.

"Well? What did he say then?"

"Nothing. He disappeared."

"Son of a bitch!" Mira scoffed. "What kind of games is he playing with us?"

"Hello Hunters!"

We turned to see the elevator open. Right, the Saja Boys.

Chapter 39: Chapter Thirty Eight

Notes:

TW: minor character death

Mira put down her cup dramatically on the table, when the four boys walked in. Good thing she didn't break it, that was one of the best ones. "Can you guys paint nails? Cause ours started disappearing already," Romance asked showing his hands.

I completely forgot they all had their nails painted. Okay, almost all of them. Zoey jumped excited. "Yes we can! Let me grab my stuff!"

Mira looked at her terrified. "We are not painting their nails."

"We are! This will be fun, trust me!" She ran upstairs for her whole set that the three of us used to do our nails.

Even our fans probably thought we were going to the nail salon to make our nails, especially since they were usually very detailed and quite difficult to make. They couldn't be more wrong. Even though in theory we could have unlimited money resources since I was Celine's kid, we didn't, and we had to carefully spend all that we earned at first which was... Not much. And obviously, as girls and kpop idols, we cared about our appearance since the beginning, wanting to look the best. That's how we decided to turn on youtube tutorial videos and buy a beginner set for nail artists. We started with a small box, now we had a whole suitcase that Zoey was clumsily bringing down the stairs until Mystery ran up to her and took it so she didn't have to struggle.

"Damn, you really know what you're doing, huh?" Baby raised his eyebrows, seeing the suitcase that Zoey was now opening in the living room.

"Let's say we're experienced," I laughed, turning to Jinu with a smirk. "What nails do you want then?"

"Me?" Jinu immediately moved away from me. "No. No, no, I don't do nails."

"I think demon boy should be the first one to do his nails," Mira said with an evil smirk.

I grabbed one of Jinu's hands amused, looking at his nails. "Hm... I think we should try something like glittery pink or maybe a neon yellow."

"I think we should mix both of them," Mira laughed, going to the living room to help Zoey put out everything. Jinu scoffed annoyed, making me even happier. I loved teasing him, it was so enjoyable, especially when he was clenching his jaw in desperate attempts to control himself.

"You are so right!" I stood up, tightening my grip on Jinu's hand so he would also stand up. "Come on, you will be my first client today."

Suddenly, he pulled my hand, closing the distance and putting his second hand on my waist. I felt my spine tingle, trying to not look at his body that was still half-naked. Jinu slowly took back the hand I was holding, using it to lift my chin. My eyes wandered around his face, as I tried to stabilise my breath. "I'm afraid that if you paint my nails you won't focus on actually important parts anymore," he whispered, leaning in closer. "Like my lips."

Rumi, deep breaths, you cannot do anything stupid now. Not when all the Saja Boys, and Mira and Zoey are sitting in the living room. I slowly put my hands on his chest, trying to push Jinu away. Unaffected. He raised his eyebrows, waiting for a full response. But how was I supposed to say anything, when I was sure I would say something so embarrassing I would want to disappear underground right after? "I paint my nails, and you still focus on my lips."

Why would I even say that? That was exactly why I should just stay silent!

Jinu chuckled. "You're right. That's cause I like to focus on your nails when they're grabbing my hair and shirt while we're making out."

If I was ever able to create a logical thought with him close to me, all that has disappeared right now. Before I could even react in any way, he just grabbed my hand and walked to the living room, where Zoey already started doing Mystery's nails and Mira was preparing Romance's nails, while Abby was sitting dangerously close to her. I raised my eyebrows, interested what exactly were these two trying to achieve. Even though Mira was complaining all this time quietly, she was clearly really focused and pretty much enjoying it. She loved to make mine and Zoey's nails, cause she always told us it was very relaxing for her.

I sat down next to Baby Saja, who was observing Mystery and Zoey. "Should I help you girls?" I asked. "I can take one of the boys, so it will..." Before I finished my sentence, Jinu sat between me and Baby. "Okay..." I sighed. "Still, I could..." Jinu suddenly grabbed me, getting me to sit on his knees while hugging me tightly and resting his head on my shoulder. "Are you jealous of your own friends?"

"I don't really enjoy sharing," he scoffed. I smiled, putting one of my hands in his hair. He was so annoying.

"I think we'll manage," Zoey laughed. "Besides, it's not like their nails are complicated."

"Yeah, we're pretty fast," Mira nodded.

"By the way dude, what's up with your no-shirt look?" Abby asked. "I think it's more of a mine thing than yours," immediately after he said that, his shirt magically lifted for a second. How could it even do that? It was against any physics law.

"Someone stole my shirt," Jinu scoffed, as I laughed at Derpy who was laying near the table with his shirt still between his teeth.

"You should be glad Derpy didn't try to steal your boxers," Zoey laughed, as I tried to stop my thoughts from imagining that.

"I think it's us who should be glad," Mira scoffed. "I don't want to be flashed."

"And I don't want to flash anyone," Jinu said. "Zoey, what the hell?"

The girl just shrugged, continuing doing Mystery's nails, who wasn't even paying attention to what she was doing, he was fully focused on my friend. I mean, that's how it looked like, since I couldn't really see his face.

"By the way," I turned my head to Baby Saja. "Have you decided to come back, Jinu? Or do we still have to bother you a little more?"

"Well, you can try, but I don't think I..." my elbow ended on Jinu's stomach before he could finish.

"You better agree demon boy, cause I cannot keep seeing those annoying faces," Mira scoffed, still fully focused on the nails.

"I might actually enjoy this whole bothering thing," Romance smiled.

"It's not the worst idea..." Jinu sighed. "But I don't think I can bear the complaining of you four while you're all fully aware of what is going on again. Except for this guy," he pointed at Abby who was looking through the nail polish next to him until Mira slapped his hand.

"Don't act like you didn't enjoy making us suffer with those dance practices and countless recordings so everything sounds perfect," Baby scoffed, crossing his arms. "You know, I think you would be a better tyrant than Gwi-Ma."

"You take that back!"

"Make me!"

I quickly moved away right before Baby Saja and Jinu started fully arguing, and sat next to Zoey humming one of our new songs. It was pretty hilarious to look at these two when I remembered how old they were supposed to be. "I think men just don't grow," I said to Zoey, still observing these two.

"I don't think, I know," she laughed. "But there are some good things about it, for example whatever this is."

"This?"

"Remember when I told the two of you that they seem like nice demons?" Zoey looked at me for a second, while I nodded. "I'm glad I was actually right. Look at us, sitting in one room while spending some time together. We finally have some idol friends from whom we don't have to hide that we are hunters. Don't you find that at least a little bit relaxing?"

"I don't think Mira would call any of this her way of relaxing," I laughed, looking at a girl. "But I guess you're right. It is quite nice. And chaotic. And messy. And..."

"Unfortunately we got a demon boy band," Zoey said. "If those were girls, I just know it would be a lot more peaceful."

"I completely agree."

Because my boyfriend was very busy with fighting with his former demon friend, I decided to make myself busy, and help Mira, taking Abby to do his nails. It was a pretty simple job, he was still completely focused on looking at my pink-hair friend, so I could just mind my own business and pretty much clean my head. There was one good thing that came with so much chaos, and that was the fact that my head wasn't as busy as it usually was. I didn't even have time to overthink everything yet, and I just now was able o realise how refreshing it feels when your thoughts are just moving slowly and not splitting in many directions about how everything can or already is wrong.

I was already getting close to the end, when I turned around, hearing Baby's sudden scream. He was sitting on the couch, hiding his ears in his hands and having closed eyes. I looked at the girls who were just as confused. "Get out of my head!" The lights in the room flickered, as I watched his marks glow weirdly. What was going on?

"Is that Gwi-Ma?" Romance whispered, but Mystery shook his head. No. Impossible.

"Too strong."

So there was only one answer. Bo-Ra.

Jinu was the first to react, getting closer to Baby with a demon claw and slowly cutting a small line across his arm. I got up to stop him. "What are you doing?!"

"It's the only way," Abby stopped me.

Before I could move, the air around us became much more darker, as if the sun completely disappeared in the sky. I frowned, confused. If all this was Bo-Ra's doing... We were in much bigger trouble than with Gwi-Ma. Then I saw her. She was a beautiful woman with strong features and slender body. Her hair was dark as night and very long, while she was dressed in a white hanbok. Even though her face looked soft and harmless, her smile made my blood go cold. It was one of the scariest ones I have ever seen.

"Really now..." she whispered, her voice beautiful and hypnotising. The one I already knew from that recording. "You are ruining my fun..." I didn't even think about it, the sword was already in my hand as I was jumping on Bo-Ra. Second too late. Zoey and Mira attacked her from two other side, but she avoided every single attack like it was nothing. She laughed, her voice so high-pitched it made me stop for a second. "Oh, come on girls, I thought the hunters were a little better trained than that. Wait, I forgot..." She appeared right in front of me. "Rumi, isn't this Celine's fault the three of you are so... sloppy? I think she was responsible for..."

Mira cut the air where Bo-Ra was standing seconds ago. I felt my pulse rush, as I was trying to calm down myself. It was not my fault, I knew it wasn't. She was trying to get into my head, to make me weak. My hand tightened even more on the sword, as I forced every muscle of mine to attack again.

"What exactly do you want you fake Gwi-Ma?" Mira scoffed, trying desperately to eliminate Bo-Ra.

"Fake? If I am fake, then what do you have to say about yourself, huh?" Bo-Ra laughed. I hated that sound, I already knew it will haunt me in the nightmares. "Girls, girls. One at a time, you don't really think I can fight all of you at once, do you?" One of Zoey's knives landed perfectly in the middle of her stomach. Before Bo-Ra could say anything, I cut off her head.

We stopped, terrified.

Her body didn't disappear like every demon's. She was laying there, bleeding.

"What have we done?"

"Oh, that?" The laugh came back, as she showed up again. "That was some random lady I picked up from the sidewalk before coming here. Really now, you didn't think eliminating me would be so simple? Congratulations, girls. How does it feel to have someone's blood on your hands?"

I didn't hear anything else, I dropped to the body, hoping it wasn't true. It couldn't be. My mind was spinning, as a terrible squeak started playing in my ears. We didn't, we wouldn't... I felt Jinu's hands pull me away from the body, as I tried to get to it again. Zoey was right now in Mystery's arms, tears coming down her face as she tried to say something. But I couldn't hear her. Baby was on the couch, his arm still bleeding with black liquid as he was trying to regulate his breath. Abby and Romance quickly jumped to get the body as far as possible, while Mira was standing still and looking terrified on the floor.

I looked down on my hands.

All I saw was blood.

Chapter 40: Chapter Thirty Nine

"We have to stop her!" Romance said, while I was laying on Jinu's knees who finally got his shirt back.

It took me an hour to feel like I have actually washed my hands clean from the blood. It took another hour for me to completely calm down and hear Jinu telling me it wasn't my fault. During that time Mira managed to pull herself together and get the boys to clean the floor after they got rid of the body. I didn't even ask, I was only hoping it would be impossible to find. But even if they found the body, would it be possible for anyone to connect the crime to us? It's not like we knew who she was or she was somewhere close. We didn't know anything. Zoey was still tightly holding Mystery, although she also seemed much calmer than before. Her cheeks were still wet from the tears. I sighed.

I needed to figure out as soon as possible how to get rid of Bo-Ra as fast as possible so we are all safe again. She was much scarier and dangerous than Gwi-Ma, and I was just now seeing it. But what exactly could we do? Now even I will be afraid to attack her, because what if she pulls another similar stunt on us? How could we differentiate between the real her and just an illusion put on someone else?

"And how do you want to stop her?" Baby scoffed. He was still having a headache after what happened, but was grateful Jinu managed to help him get Bo-Ra out of his head before it was too late. "We are demons. Can we even fight another demon?"

"I mean, it's worth a try," Abby shrugged.

"You saw what happened, we can't just leave Huntrix to fight alone with a sociopath," Mystery spoke.

"What did you two do to the body by the way?" Mira asked, looking at Abby and Romance. They exchanged looks and just shrugged.

"We got rid of it pretty easily," Romance said.

"The demon way."

"The demon way?" Mira raised her eyebrows as Romance hit clueless Abby. I looked at Jinu to ask if they did what I think they did.

"The soul can still be taken from a human body up to three hours after they die," he explained. "And well, when the soul is taken, the body disappears from the earth..."

"You stole her soul?!" Mira screamed at the boys.

"How else did you want to get rid of it smoothly? We couldn't leave it here, nor could we hide it anywhere," Romance tried to defend them.

I closed my eyes, not believing what was happening right now. Just now I was realising how underprepared we were as actual hunters, since we were obviously already lost about how to handle Bo-Ra. She was nothing like every type of demon we have ever encountered. Well, Baby did say she was one of those great demons, or whatever they were called. But Gwi-Ma was one too, and yet there was not as much difficulty as with Bo-Ra. She seemed much stronger, and much more despicable. I felt Jinu's hand slowly brushing my hair. We couldn't give up. The world almost ended with Gwi-Ma being the strongest demon, I didn't even want to know what would happen if Bo-Ra actually stays here.

"We need to find a way to strengthen the honmoon," I said, opening my eyes and turning to look at the girls.

"And how do you want to do that?" Zoey asked, now much calmer. "We went on hiatus, we are not releasing any kind of new music, nor performing."

"And what if we use others?"

"What do you mean by that?" Mira asked, again hitting Romance's hand who landed on her shoulder.

"What if we use more voices to strengthen the honmoon? Look, even though the Saja Boys are just plain demons, they were able to affect it. Everything was really messed up when they decided to come to earth and basically make a soul feast for Gwi-Ma."

"I feel like you will never let me forget about that," Jinu whispered. I smiled, tapping his forehead with one finger.

"Gwi-Ma reminded you that you left your first family for four hundred years, and now I will torture you about betraying me and destroying honmoon for another four hundred years. Or more."

He grabbed my finger, kissing it lightly. "I don't mind getting tortured if it means I can be with you."

My heart skipped a beat, as I heard Mira's disgusted voice. "I think I will throw up."

"So wait, you're saying that maybe if we connect musicians and perform with them, we might have a chance to grow the honmoon even stronger?" Zoey asked.

"I mean, I can't be sure, but we could try."

"Well, we don't have any better ideas. And I actually think this one makes a lot of sense," Mira nodded, while elbowing Abby who tried to put his arm around her. Really now, what was the deal with those three?

"We need our reality show, I think it will be a perfect way to change the honmoon and trap Bo-Ra," Zoey said. Perfectly at that moment, we heard a phone ring.

Without a word, Baby Saja got up from the couch and brought me my phone. It was Bobby calling, so I immediately answered, sitting up. "Hi Bobby!" I said, puuting him on speakerphone.

"Girls, I did it!" His voice sounded very happy, which immediately lifted me up a little. "You will have your reality show! It will start in almost two weeks on Monday, but the three of you will obviously have to get there sooner," Mira and Zoey immediately ran up to me, getting closer to the phone. "Almost everything is ready, the show will happen at a very prestigious hotel where everyone will be living. The company just managed to sign a contract with them. Ten soloists and ten small kpop groups. You will be the ones responsible for telling the challenges to the participants and you will also be there to help them if they ask for it. The judges will be both Huntrix and the fans. The show is called "Rival Rhythms", I know, not the best, but it wasn't my idea unfortunately."

"Bobby, you are incredible!" Mira said excitedly.

"Oh, it's nothing really," he chuckled. But we heard how happy he was after hearing that. "By the way, how are you doing girls? Is everything stable around there? You know, with the demons and things?"

We exchanged looks. Worrying Bobby about everything that happened just now didn't really seem like a good idea, but we didn't want to just lie to him again either. So, the best approach was a perfect middle. "We're doing pretty well, but there's a demon we really need to get rid of, so this reality show is one of our not so many chances to do that actually."

"Another demon? Wow, there are a lot of them... Well, I know you can do it girls. I will show up at the hotel a day before you do, so everything will be perfectly prepared and managed."

"You are really the best," I said.

"I'm just doing what a manager should. Anyway, right now enjoy your hiatus and try not to think too much about that new demon. I booked you a full spa day on Saturday, so you have to enjoy it. Girls, make sure Rumi also comes with you."

"Will do!" Zoey and Mira laughed, while I rolled my eyes.

"Perfect! See you in a week girls!"

"Bye Bobby!"

He hanged up while I put my phone on the side. "That's great, if we use the reality show enough, we will definitely manage to strengthen the honmoon."

"And destroy Bo-Ra!"

I smiled, seeing Zoey all excited again and with more energy. The one thing I most cared about was to protect the girls from any kind of damage, especially the mental one, when it came to being a demon hunter. I guess it was my way of trying to heal myself and all those years under Celine, when she was pushing me and my limits, while always repeating all demons deserve to die. So I tried to take as much responsibility for Mira and Zoey to have less of it. And now, when I saw how they are also completely in all this mess, I was afraid. What if something happens? What if I can't actually take care of the hunters even though I'm a leader?

"We can do it," I heard Mira's voice, while Zoey grabbed my hand with a smile. "Rumi, we will manage. Together."

I took a deep breath, nodding. I couldn't just push them aside, like I did. I saw what happened during the Idol Awards. We had to now do it together. Completely together.

"Actually," Mira started, grabbing mine and Zoey's hand and pulling us with her. "I need to tell you something, but I don't want those marked guys to hear."

"Marked guys?" Abby scoffed.

Mira ignored him, walking to the first room on the way which was our huge closet. She closed the door, leaning her back on it and crossing her arms. Nothing would be out of the ordinary, if not for the fact she wasn't looking at us. "I, uh... I didn't tell you something before..."

"What is it?" I asked, now worried.

"Not even a week ago, I had a nightmare..." she sighed, clearly building up strength to say it. Me and Zoey waited patiently. "It was mostly related to my family, but Bo-Ra appeared in it... She entered my dream and she created it to be this way. I don't really know how, but..." she stopped for a second. If Bo-Ra could enter even our heads... How strong was she actually? And why would she do that in the first place? What exactly was she trying to do? "But she did. She told me we should just give up and that she's stronger, but I obviously don't believe that. I still know we can do it. Although now I'm getting scared that if she entered my head, maybe she will try to do something to the two of you, and I don't really want that..."

"Why didn't you tell us before?" Zoey asked concerned.

"I don't really like talking about bad things happening to me, you know that. Besides, it was just a bad dream, nothing out of ordinary. Although I am sorry I didn't say anything sooner. Maybe if I did, all this wouldn't happen."

"Mira, I don't think we would be able to stop her even if we were completely aware that she can enter people's dreams," I said softly. "Besides, it's not only about us. We don't want you to go through difficult things alone anymore. You don't have to do that, you can talk to us."

"Yeah! We helped Rumi after her conversation with Celine too, didn't we?" Zoey said. "Look, we worry about you. And, obviously, when any of us tries to hide things, everything gets even messier than it should be. Our strength lies in the fact that we're together. And I know Bo-Ra is also afraid of that. When she appeared today, I couldn't see you guys for a couple of seconds. That was the worst of all the things that happened."

"Girls, I'm really glad I have you," Mira smiled. "I know I still have a lot to learn, even as a hunter, from what it seems lately, but I can't imagine doing all of that alone. I guess I just still have to get used to the fact I have someone."

"I understand how it feels," I nodded. "I mean, I'm not the greatest example for saying openly what bothers me either. But after what happened with my patterns and all this mess, I really see how much I can count on you. And I want you to feel the same way. I don't know what I would do without Huntrix."

"There is no without. Huntrix exists and ill always exist," Zoey smiled. "I will not let any of you go again, you are too precious to me."

"So... time to show another demon where's their place?" Mira smirked.

"Time to show Bo-Ra that Huntrix isn't as weak as she thinks."

Chapter 41: Chapter Forty

Notes:

Does anyone know if it's actually true they confirmed there will be a second movie?

People are much more stupid than we give them credit for. Because tell me why would anyone trust a simple man of a well-known official with their health and life just because of his status? I gave the woman a mixture of herbs that she asked for, while she put the money on the counter. I smiled widely. Maybe that was it. All of them trusted me because of how innocent my face looked. Or maybe it was a mix of both.

"Thank you very much, I hope the symptoms disappear soon enough," I said, trying to sound as worried as I could. The lady smiled at me. She was a regular at my place, she always came very satisfied with the results of any medicine I was giving her, recommending my little business to everyone she possible could.

"Oh, I'm sure they will help. You are really a miracle worker, Hyun-Woo."

"This is really nothing. I just simply want to help. Have a nice day!"

"You too!"

She left the place, as I counted the money, smiling. Two years ago I though I had lost everything when my father, a high-ranked official was poisoned while eating out with his "friends". Suddenly, other people started finding proof that he was a liar and a schemer, destroying completely his good name and reputation he was working on his whole life. He spent his childhood with his nose in the books, trying to gather as big knowledge as possible only to be called a fraud not even a week after his death. He trained calligraphy day and night so his hand could simply move elegantly through the paper just so they could burn all his texts, saying they were all propaganda.

I locked myself in the house, I was the only one from my family to survive. My mother died when I was five, she was very sick, and unfortunately, her delicate body couldn't bear it. I never had any siblings, I was an only child. Raised only by a father who had heavy responsibilities and had to take every step carefully, being fully aware many people were waiting for him to finally trip. I always thought of my father as invincible, he was a man who couldn't be simply outsmarted. He always saw five step ahead of everyone. Until that damned night. He didn't come back till late. I managed to fall asleep, before I could even hear any noise in the house. And I knew already what happened. It was the only logical explanation. The next morning, when I have been informed of what happened, I felt this aching feeling in my chest. Even though I woke up, knowing he will never come back to our house, I guess I still didn't want to hear these news.

It was unbearable. I was left completely alone in this world that wanted me also dead. I couldn't count on nobody anymore, knowing that there is not even one person who I can turn to. But they pretended. All those people who still acted like they were my father's friends were showing up at my house to send their condolences and tell me that if I ever need anything, they will help me. I knew what kind of help I would get though, it would be a lifetime of debt. I would be locked like a phoenix in a golden cage, pretending I have everything when I would have to act appropriately. I was too young before to marry, and now marriage was the last thing I bothered to care about. It felt like the end.

I spent nearly a year, locked in the house, only one of our maids still remained, taking care of me. She was a woman with golden heart. I spent most of my money to make her feel appreciated, since I didn't feel like the amounts that I was left with would ever make me happy. The house was stormed by the officials and most of the fortune was still taken, although some officials "stood up" for me, asking the king to spare me and leave me with anything, since I was not the traitor. Well, it was the truth. I was not even once including myself in the affairs of those with high status, knowing it would be too much to handle. It's not like I wasn't cunning or intelligent enough, I have been trained by my father on how to act and what to do to always leave the situation as unharmed as possible. And yet I never wanted to be included in that terrible race of those in the palace or in the offices. It seemed like the worst possible job to do, although, for some reason, my father always found joy in it.

But what purpose did any of it have, when immediately after his death, everything he created was disrespected and eliminated? If this was the reality of living, I didn't want that. To work all my life just so everything I came up with can disappear like my soul. I even tried to end myself three times, but every time I was saved my Ga-Eun. After the third one, when I saw her with tears in her eyes, telling me how I couldn't just simply give up, I decided I didn't want to worry her anymore. I didn't yet know what was I supposed to do with myself. How could I keep living, when I have lost anything?

And that's when he appeared in my ear. I have only heard some small gossips of a demon called Gwi-Ma that turns people to demons and traps them to serve them. And although I knew something called "demons" appeared in our world, they usually carried stories of good deeds. How they protected the villages and fought against the evil energy. So I wasn't prepared for whatever awaited me. It started simple, with an idea. How to quickly earn money. Gwi-Ma told me all about how he could help me get my purpose back by serving the people. And so I agreed.

I paid Ga-Eun nicely and thanked her for all those years serving me and my father. She cried, wishing me all the best. I then sold the house for a pretty small amount of money, but enough to start brand new. To move out of this big city and end up in a small village, selling homemade herbs as a doctor.

"I'm not a doctor though," I said after Gwi-Ma told me what to do.

"They don't know it. And you wouldn't even believe how many people are in need of medical help they never get. You will be a hero, Hyun-Woo."

It was enough for me to agree. I don't really know what was I thinking. How could I believe for even a second I could be a hero, if I was about to lie to all those innocent people since the beginning? Unfortunately, I was too blind to realise that at first. I wanted to build a name for myself, I wanted to be a hero.

Finding a small village where I could start my business was simple. Finding a place to live and "treat" patients was even simpler. The second I explained what I was doing there, everyone welcomed me with opened arms. All those people were simple ones with limited knowledge and resources. A man like me, the one who perfected calligraphy, came there in beautiful robes and clearly came from a prestigious household, had to be legit. But I wasn't. I started treating those people at the same time as I was learning about medicine and how it works. They weren't even aware that whenever they found me reading, it was one of those texts explaining how to treat different illnesses and symptoms that I brought with myself from my father's office. He was really a man of many talents.

But I was loved, I was respected. I basically became the most important person in this village. Even when I didn't ask for anything, I received. I received free meals, beautifully sewn new clothes, even jewellery a couple of times. And obviously, I was the one man who every parent wanted to marry their daughter off to. My life started being good.

That's when the patterns started spreading. The longer I was doing this, the longer I stayed in the village, I treated the people, the worse it was. Gwi-Ma started whispering in my ear much more. He reminded me of all those people I killed with my inexperience, he reminded me of all those people that had worse symptoms because of me, of those I pretended to treat and only after months I actually started helping them in reality.

"You are a fraud, Hyun-Woo. All those people believe you are a miracle, when you're actually their doom," I heard him after the lady left the place. Since I was alone, I went back to my room. I wanted him to shut up, I wanted him to disappear. I sat down on my bed, lifting up my sleeve. Those patterns, they were disgusting. I hated them, and if I could, I would do anything to get rid of them. And I tried, I even tried to peel off my skin. It didn't work, the patterns only spread more, leaving me in agony. For a whole month I had to change the material around my arm, so nobody would see what I have done. And when they asked, I replied that I burned myself during preparations of one of my mixtures. Everyone tried to help me recover sooner, offering help and bringing me home-cooked meals. "You are using these people to feel better about yourself, and they don't even know you will slowly kill off all this village. How does it feel to be a murderer?"

All of it was like the worst possible dream that stopped when Gwi-Ma turned me into a demon, taking my consciousness and turning me into a pretty stupid puppet. But even then, I could see the imaginary blood of all the people I killed, lying that I will cure them. All those people smiling and thanking me for help didn't know I was actually their doom. Gwi-Ma was right. Although he pushed the idea into my head, I was the one to agree. I didn't care about anyone and anything, I only wanted to make myself feel better. To rise, to be seen as the best. Even if it was all a lie. A complete illusion.

And now it happened again, but the voices were even stronger. Gwi-Ma turned out to be nothing compared to Bo-Ra. Her voice seemed to enter my whole body, I felt an excruciating pain where my marks were, while her voice made me want to just disappear. It made my head explode.

"Baby Saja? That's what you're trying to be now?" She laughed, while I was trying to get rid of her, to make her leave my head. "Hyun-Woo, you don't really think you deserve to become someone people love after what you have done. Don't you remember? You can do anything to make them adore you, even if it means taking their lives. Do you actually consider yourself worthy of being an idol? Of having that innocent image you have right now? You, out of all people? Don't make me laugh."

Get out of my head! Get out of my head! I tried to scream. But I couldn't. I was powerless against her. I didn't stand the chance. This one time I didn't want to give up though, completely aware that if she stays, she will completely control my mind. If she stayed, I wouldn't be myself. I would lose the power over my own body and mind. Again. Was that how I was supposed to pay for my mistakes for eternity?

Suddenly, her voice stopped, when I felt a weird pain on my arm. Jinu. My head was spinning, as I couldn't even remember if I managed to thank him or not. My muscles were completely weak, out of my control. This whole thing was like the worst nightmare. Because a demon didn't have to sleep to go through nightmares daily. All of them playing on repeat in our heads.

As long as demons like Gwi-Ma or Bo-Ra existed, our whole existence was just one big nightmare.

Chapter 42: Chapter Forty One

Notes:

I feel like this chapter isn't as good as it could be, so I apologise just in case

It was all happening again. I could hear my soft footsteps on the stairs, slowly moving downstairs. The night was peaceful, I could even see a full moon from the windows. It was beautiful. My body was moving as if by itself, completely not controlled by my mind or my thoughts. I heard a shuttered window in the kitchen. My muscles tensed, as I slowly decided to go there. Everything in the house seemed huge, the furniture was taller than I remembered it, the light switches were also much higher than I could even reach.

Then a flash. I didn't even have time to understand what is going on. I just heard screams, my eyes went completely blank, as if I went blind for a second. Then, everything stopped. I was standing in the middle of the kitchen, feeling a kitchen knife in my hand. I didn't want to open my eyes. Don't open your eyes, just don't...

But I did. And there they were. The bloody knife dropped on the floor as I cried loudly. "Mom!" The tears came down my cheeks, as I looked terrified at the still warm body with a couple of stab wounds. I didn't... I wouldn't... "Mom, wake up! Mom! Please!" I cried, trying to somehow awaken her. She wasn't looking at me, her eyes were closed. This couldn't have happened, it didn't... I looked at her soft skin with beautiful blue marks all the way up. She couldn't die, she was a demon. I would never...

I felt a cold hand on my shoulder, my body immediately freezing. "Well done, Rumi," I heard Celine's voice from behind.

No! No! My mom will wake up, she couldn't...

I opened my eyes, feeling the tears coming down my face. I sat on my bed, trying to breathe slowly. I didn't have a peaceful sleep lately. Every time I woke up sweating heavily with shallow breath and a heart that barely stayed in my chest. This night it happened again. Even if I magically couldn't remember the dream, I would still know all the details of it. The same scenario played over and over in my head, every time I tried to close my eyes, it was the same.

My chest ached terribly, as I grabbed the glass standing on my table. It was empty. I sighed. Something next to me shifted, making me remember Jinu just moved in my room. I looked on my left, scared I woke him up. Jinu stayed unaffected, his breath slow and eyes closed. I smiled. It felt really nice to have him next to me.

I quietly got up from the bed, leaving the room and going to the kitchen. I felt like vomiting. The picture of my mom's body bleeding on the floor was still as clear as day. The touch of Celine's cold hand on my shoulder was still haunting me. My hands were shaking, as I took careful steps towards the kitchen. I looked down on my hands that were clean. But I knew they weren't. They carried blood. I killed a person. It didn't even have to be on purpose, but I still did. I ended someone's life in cold blood, without thinking twice.

It was just now that I realised how emotionless I could become because of being a hunter. If I actually managed to slay Bo-Ra's head off, I would be jumping out of joy with the girls. She may have been a demon, a magical and dangerous creature, but she was still... alive. She has been a human before. Every demon was a human. I leaned on the counter, my head lowered, my eyes closed.

What right did I have to decide what deserves to stay on earth and what doesn't?

I tried to stop the tears from falling down. How could I, a half-human, half-demon, have any say in who gets to stay and who gets to suffer for eternity? Especially, since I already learned my lesson that not all humans are good either.

Like Celine.

So why would I be the judge between whose life is and whose isn't worth it? What if I turn into someone like her? What if I already started to be similar, but I didn't realise yet?

I raised my head, seeing Sussie right in front of me on the counter. He was looking at me carefully before coming closer and bumping his head on my arm. I let out a chuckle, petting him. "You attention seeker," I whispered.

Sometimes I wished he could talk. Although knowing this bird, I was pretty sure he would sound similar to Mira when it came to attitude. It was pretty obvious just by looking at him. Especially those judging three pairs of eyes. I smiled, reaching for my glass and going to the fridge to get some water. Just don't think too much about it, Rumi. Think about your little trip to the spa that Bobby organised for you. You spend many hours just relaxing and hanging out with girls. You need that.

And I also needed to clear my mind. Or better yet, maybe I should just replace it with the one that was brand new. No overthinking, no worries, only focusing on my responsibilities and actually important things. I sipped on cold water, feeling a little better than I did before. I leaned on the counter again, petting Sussie who seemed very satisfied with this turn of events. I looked at him amused. "And why aren't you sleeping, huh?" Obviously no answer. "I guess you don't need as much sleep as we do."

He seemed to agree with my theory so I assumed it's true. I also guessed he must have heard I was awake and that's why he left Mira's room, where he usually spent almost twenty four hours, if he wasn't on her shoulder. Mira had a tendency to leave her door open, even when she was sleeping, at first, me and Zoey were worried not to wake her, and generally it seemed to make things a little more difficult, but after so long, we just got used to it. We didn't ask why though, just decided to accept this fact.

"I should try to get more sleep," I sighed, as Sussie tilted his head a little. "It's the fourth night in a row when I don't sleep enough, a little more and I'll start having hallucinations of some kind. And as a hunter, I can't let myself do that."

A hunter...

I sighed, feeling immediately drenched out from my energy. Before, being a hunter sounded like a special title for me. It felt like I was doing something important, like I was helping and protecting the people, while just doing my job. But now, it felt more like all this time I was just a fraud. Like everything I stood for was actually for nothing. As if a hunter was worthless, without a purpose...

No. There were many generations before the Sunlight Sisters, so it had to have some purpose. I just had to figure out what it was exactly. Who should I actually be as a hunter before Celine decided to throw every principle out in the trash. What were we actually supposed to stand for, and who we were protecting. I couldn't just throw generations of hard work away because one of the hunters turned out to be unreliable. I couldn't just give up protecting others because one demon tried to mess with my head. I was a hunter, and I was going to do anything to be a good one. To actually stand proudly, knowing what I'm doing is right.

I petted Sussie for the last time, wishing him goodnight, and went back to my room on my tiptoes, slowly closing the door. I looked over to the bed where Jinu seemed to still sleep peacefully. I smiled, tilting my hair. Now this bed seemed pretty small for the two of us. Or maybe it was just me. He did seem comfortable though.

The moon was lazily shining through a small gap in my curtains, which helped me easily navigate my room and slowly lay down in my bed again. That's when I felt Jinu's arm wrapping slowly around my waist and stomach, pulling me closer. I felt butterflies hit my stomach when my back touched his chest. "Why are you awake?" He whispered in my ear, his voice low and hoarse, making my pulse speed up.

"I couldn't sleep," I replied. "And why are you awake?"

"I woke up when I didn't feel you around," my spine tingled under his breath. "You couldn't sleep or you had a nightmare?"

"How did you..."

"It hasn't been the first night I see you wandering around the place at night like some kind of ghost. What's wrong?"

I sighed, closing my eyes. "I'm just... I guess I'm questioning a lot that has happened. And questioning my role as a hunter, considering all that we found out lately. It's... It's stupid, I know."

"It's not stupid." He turned me around so I was now facing him. I looked in his eyes, now concerned and focused. "Rumi, you had been under a lot of stress lately, you have found out things that would break most of people to the point where they wouldn't leave their room for at least a month, and yet you've been going out, laughing and working. Even though it's obvious you're still hurt. You don't even have proper time to heal or sit with your problems when the new ones appear. You have every right to question things and be unsure. What I won't let you do is undermine yourself and your hard work."

I looked at him, listening to Jinu's words carefully. Maybe he was right. Maybe I really didn't have enough time for whatever I was faced with. But even if I was faced with difficulties, I still thought it's worth it over all, if that means I can help others. If that means I have a chance to protect the people. Or demons. Creatures that needed protection.

"You know, it's pretty ironic that a demon who wanted me fail is motivating me and making me feel better," I said, chuckling. I watched carefully how Jinu's expression changes to that annoyed one I loved to see.

"Instead of making fun of me, how about actually listening to what I'm saying?" he scoffed, grabbing my chin. I was grateful the light in the room was too dim to see any details, because I probably wouldn't take it to see his face. "I know what you're doing, don't think I am that stupid."

"What am I doing?" I smiled, knowing that right now I was teasing him the same way he was usually teasing me. Finally the roles switched.

"Rumi, I want you to appreciate yourself," he whispered. Those words were like small flames slowly appearing around my chest and warming it up to the temperature high enough for my heart to go crazy. "I wish you could at least once see yourself the way I see you, so you would actually realise how incredible you are."

"I'm really working on it," I sighed. "I just... I need time..." his hand slowly moved to my cheek, as I grabbed it.

"Is there any way I can help? Or support you? Is there something I can do to make you feel any better?"

My mind was spinning, my body was screaming, while I didn't even know what to do anymore. The memory of him during Idol Awards quickly sneaked out again. I could have lost him. How would I actually grieve? Would I be able to stay as strong as I was now if he wasn't by my side? Yes, I had the support of the girls, I felt close and safe with them. Mira and Zoey became my family, they were my support, my place to go back to and feel safe. But Jinu brought something to my life that I never even knew I needed. It seemed so similar, and yet so different. It felt good. Almost too good.

I smiled, slowly getting up and sitting on him. I could feel his muscles tense after I did that, which only made me more sure. I really liked surprising him, knowing very well how many times it was him who was a complete wonder. I leaned closer, our faces now barely apart. "Just be here. Just stay with me." I whispered, kissing him slowly.

Chapter 43: Chapter Forty Two

Notes:

If you know me in real life, I didn't write that chapter, it was the ghost in my room

The weather today wasn't the best. It has been raining since morning, and all of our weather apps proved that this will not stop anytime soon. Or at all. I was sitting on the couch with my legs crossed and a plain notebook in front of me. I already took the torn page this weird stalker-demon gave us, so I could analyse all we knew and all that we didn't. Also, I thought it would be necessary to finally ask this demon guy for his name, he was becoming a common uninvited guest in our place, so it would be better to finally use his name when mentioning him. Well, Jinu and Mira obviously disagreed with me, but I wasn't really asking them for opinion, they were too annoyed with him to think of this as a good idea. I started writing down all the facts that we managed to collect, as Jinu was brushing Derpy's fur on the carpet.

Right after the breakfast, Zoey ran upstairs to her room, shouting she has to pack for tomorrow when we were supposed to already get to the hotel to understand the rules and split our roles. We also planned with Bobby to have a live a day after our first day of recording, to tell the fans about how it looks like and that we can't wait for the rest of the reality show. That meant our hiatus will still last more than two weeks, which was a great score in my opinion. The girls also thought this was enough time for rest in general, and they seemed pretty excited about this whole reality show.

Well, we've never done anything like that, so it was definitely something I was looking forward to, although I knew it might be more difficult to try and find out the truth about how demons and hunters actually work.

"Jinu," I said, writing down in points what we already knew. I saw him lift his head up, so I continued, "do you remember if this stalker-demon mentioned any specific shapes of demons? Any details?"

"I'm still surprised he talked for so long," Jinu scoffed, going back to brushing Derpy's fur. There was a whole big ball of that fur already next to them. He was really a fluffy tiger. "He only told me about blue-marked and purple-marked demons, and the fact that purple-marked demons have different shapes depending on the sin they committed as a human. That's it."

"Hm... Yeah, that's not a lot," I nodded, writing down everything in my notebook.

Purple-marked demons: different shapes, different sins
Human looking demons = ??
Water demons = ??
Blue-marked demons: Guardians, gave up their souls
Stalker-demon - does what he's ordered to

"What exactly are you doing?" Jinu asked.

"I'm sorting information to know what we still need to research."

"Shouldn't you be focusing to prepare for the show?" He laughed, as I rolled my eyes.

"Oh please, it's just packing. Besides, it's not as important..."

That's when I heard footsteps upstairs, and before I realised it, Zoey appeared like a ghost right in front of me. "Not as important? Tell me, Rumi, did you even make a list of what to take with yourself?"

I blinked surprised. "No?"

"We don't even know how long exactly it will take! You need to be prepared! Do you really think you have that much time? We are leaving tomorrow."

"I know we are, Zoey," I nodded. She was obviously freaking out already, probably entering her stage of "completely stressed about the new thing we will do as idols".

"Then get up! Start with pyjamas and don't you dare take any of those train pants or that shirt with my little pony! Take two cute pyjamas! No, three! Should I help you pack?"

I saw Jinu smiling, while I hid my face behind the notebook, remember our first meeting on the roof. "I don't have those pants anymore, I threw them out," I murmured.

"What?! You threw out the choo choo pants?!" Jinu exclaimed surprised.

Zoey looked at him confused, but quickly dropped that topic. Fortunately for me. "You're so right! Jinu, you will help Rumi pack! We don't know what kind of scenarios or challenges there will be so she need cute or sexy clothes for every possible situation!"

"We won't even be the ones who will do those challenges," I scoffed.

"But we will be judging! It's as important! Rumi, we still have an idol image to hold, and there will be cameras around much more than we are used to. Do you understand what this means?" She asked, while shaking my shoulders. I shook my head. "There is less space for mistakes. That's what it means!"

"Zoey, how about you sit down for a second and maybe take a break..." I said slowly.

"No time! I still can't decide which clothes to take, and my suitcase seems too small, so I think I will need two, but aren't two too much? Then I guess I could take a bag and a suitcase, but that also doesn't seem like a good idea since..." while Zoey was on her monologue, Jinu silently asked me to hang him over my phone, so I did. I looked through his shoulder, seeing him text Mystery's phone number I got after that day when the girls decided to do nails for the Saja Boys. I was still waiting for a good opportunity to paint Jinu's nails. He didn't know yet he will not escape that fate.

Seconds after sending the message, we heard an elevator open, and Mystery standing inside. Zoey stopped for a second, looking at him confused. "What are you doing here? Were we supposed to meet? Or did I forget something from your place yesterday, or..." Mystery quickly teleported right in front of Zoey, putting one of his hands on her head, which calmed her down a little.

"I'll help you pack," he said. "Come on."

He took her hand and the two of them went upstairs again, disappearing. I smiled, nodding. "That was a good idea."

"I only have good ideas," Jinu smiled proudly. I forgot that too many compliments only grew this man's ego.

"I am surprised how quickly he got here though."

"I'm surprised he used an elevator."

"Yeah, that too." Suddenly, all the other Saja Boys appeared in our living room, jump scaring me and Jinu. "And what the hell are you guys doing here?"

"We were curious why Mystery just disappeared in seconds to you," Romance explained.

"Oh, Zoey is just stressed about packing for tomorrow, so Jinu texted him so he could help."

"You need help?" Abby's eyes widened.

I looked up at him confused, then exchanged looks with Jinu. "Pinky." He nodded. I rolled my eyes. I was wondering how much Mira will hate me.

"Upstairs, second door to the left," I said, focusing on my notes.

Romance and Abby disappeared immediately, while Baby entered our kitchen to get himself something to drink. I decided to focus on my notes again, while the three of us heard some thump upstairs. That probably came from Mira's room. I opened my pen again, writing down more about what we knew.

New hunter abilities:
Mira = brings back souls stolen by demons
Zoey = knows the presence of demons wherever they are
Me = the demon voice (but what does it do?)
Honmoon turned rainbow, mostly blue and pink colours showing

"You know, Zoey was a little right about focusing on packing today," Jinu said, while Baby Saja was stealing our fruit yogurts. He clearly came there just to enjoy whatever will happen. I guess I didn't blame him though, when Huntrix and the Saja Boys ended in the same room, chaos was about to happen. I guess it was pretty interesting.

"I know, but I hate packing," I admitted.

"You hate packing? Why?"

"I don't know... I guess it's just too much for me... And I don't really enjoy changing places to live, it always stresses me out. Having to get used to a place where I will now be living seems like a lot sometimes. It makes me wonder what should I bring to make it actually feel like I'm at home, and then I get too overwhelmed and I end up not taking almost nothing, cause I end up with too little time," I explained, while scribbling right next to my notes.

"Well, now you have me," Jinu snatched my pen and notebook, grabbing my hand. "Come on, I'll help you."

"Oh, before you two disappear," Baby Saja stopped us. "Where is the tea?"

"Second drawer in the right," Jinu said, walking with me to my... our room.

"Thanks."

"No problem."

We entered the room where I immediately sat on the bed, staring at my closet. Right. Packing. Jinu stood in front of me with his hands on his hips, waiting. "Where's that suitcase?"

"Oh, uhm... it's on the bottom of the closet, but..." before I finished, he was already taking it out. Soon after, a huge purple suitcase was laying opened on my floor.

"Huh. I must admit, the way of transporting your things really did change in those four hundred years..." Jinu said, looking at the suitcase. "It has wheels?"

"So you don't have to carry it everywhere."

"And what's that button?"

"Oh, it's a handle that you can take out. It goes up and down, depending on your preferences," I explained, smiling.

It was pretty funny seeing him so confused about something I found pretty normal. He tried to click the button on the handle, pretty disappointed it didn't go up like I said. I laughed, getting up and showing him you actually have to move it.

"You have such a cool thing to pack your things in, and you don't like packing?" Jinu scoffed, still looking amazed at the suitcase. I smiled.

"Well... I guess it's already normal for me," I said, sitting on the bed again.

"Okay, what will we start with? Something heavier so it will go in the bottom. So I guess pants," Jinu thought out loud while standing in front of the closet again. Since we were sharing it now, he pretty much knew when I also kept my own clothes, more or less. After all, we split it in half. I mean, it was huge enough that our clothes weren't even cramped.

"Do you think you can teleport like you did when you were a purple-marked demon?" I asked, while Jinu started taking out my pants. He looked at me surprised.

"I don't know, I didn't really try to do that yet. Why are you asking?"

"Because... well, I was thinking that we just started sharing a room and..." I started stuttering, not really knowing why would I. Okay, I knew why. I saw Jinu smiling, and I immediately thought of the night when we started making out after I had a nightmare. "I mean, what if I have another nightmare? Can you sleep peacefully knowing you won't be there to make me feel better? Or uh... well, the bed might be too big and I can't really steal Zoey's plushies, can I?"

"Do you want me to sneak to your hotel room every night so we can sleep together?" Jinu asked, walking closer to the bed, making me even more flustered.

"No! See, that's the point, you can't do that, because sooner or later they would catch you and then it would be really difficult to explain it. Also , I don't want for you to have any..." I stopped, when he leaned closer, putting his right hand right next to me.

"So you want me to be able to teleport so we can sleep together?" He kept asking, while I realised that maybe it wasn't the best thing to say. To start.

"I think I want to start packing now," I whispered, my eyes still completely hypnotised by his. I didn't even move, I wasn't sure if I wanted to. Maybe I should?

"How about packing my things too, while you're at it?" Jinu chuckled. "I can always just hide in your room all day, hoping nobody will enter it without your knowledge. It would feel like you have a... how is it called now? Concubine? Courtesan?"

I felt my face warming up, as I hit Jinu in his head. "Don't joke about that! You're my boyfriend, not some mistress!"

"And why not both?" He asked, his face millimetres from mine. I felt his left hand slowly move down to the edge of my sweatpants. His thumb went smoothly under, burning my skin, while the other fingers started playing with the string. "If I remember correctly, you have been really testing my strong will lately."

My whole body warmed up, while I could feel butterflies in my stomach. I used my right hand to pull Jinu closer by his shirt, closing his mouth in a kiss, while I laid on my back. His body was now right above mine, as my hands wrapped around his neck. Our marks glowed, while I could feel the heat trying to make my body explode. I stopped the kiss for a second, looking at his beautiful face. I smiled. "Maybe you just underestimate your strong will," I said, slowly kissing his neck. My hands slowly travelled down his chest and his abs, grabbing the bottom of his shirt.

"There is no force strong enough to resist you," he whispered, as I slowly took off his T-shirt, admiring his body. "Although I would never expect you to be so... eager..." I felt Jinu's hand slowly reaching the inside of my thigh as he was saying that. I kissed him again, trying to calm down my body. Trying to desperately control how I was reacting to his touch.

"Don't act like you haven't been waiting for that," his right hand quickly untied the string, as he slowly started kissing my collarbones. I closed my eyes, forgetting everything I was supposed to do today. What could be more important than him? His soft lips, his slender fingers, his hypnotising eyes... Jinu slowly went up, now kissing my neck, until he reached my ear. I shivered.

"How about you show me what those pretty nails can do?"

Notes:

My bestie said the other chapter didn’t have enough Jinu, I hope she’s satisfied now

Chapter 44: Chapter Forty Three

Notes:

Unfortunately, I might not be able to write as many chapters today as I would like

My whole body was sore, but I felt... amazing. Jinu was right now sitting on the bed, softly brushing my hair as I had my head on his knees. We still didn't get to even start packing, but I wasn't really worried. After our not so quick make out session, I was really tired. I wouldn't really have much energy to pack a full suitcase right now, so Jinu proposed we relax for some time, and after that he will help me like he promised. I didn't even look at the time it was now, although I was pretty sure at least an hour has passed, since the sun was much lower. I could barely see the rays because of the rain and grey sky, but it wasn't impossible.

If I could, I would explode out of happiness. All of it just felt so unbelievably good, and I was so happy I could have Jinu on my side, no matter what.

I looked around to see where he put my notebook, at which I pointed. "Can you give me that? You're closer."

"You still want to do that?" He scoffed, but gave me both, the notebook, and the pen. "So what do we know?"

"To be honest, not much," I said, opening it. "We know when the honmoon was blue, it let only blue-marked demons stay on earth. Now, it's colourful. Do you think it's one of the reasons why also the purple-marked ones can stay?"

"It can be," Jinu nodded. "But the demon realm is still completely impossible to reach, so nobody can escape. How does that work?"

"I have no idea," I sighed. "We have to figure that out though, it's important for hunters to actually know what they are doing."

"You will, I know when we manage to figure all this mess out, you will become the best hunters in history," Jinu smiled, as I scoffed amused.

"Yeah, right. You're saying that only because I'm your girlfriend."

"I'm saying that because I met you as a hunter before I could have you as my girlfriend. I know what you're actually capable of."

I turned my head away from Jinu, so he wouldn't see my reaction. "As it turns out, I was doing many things without understanding them," I said slowly. "I guess now I will just need to find out some stuff to be a good hunter like you say." My hand moved slowly on the page I was holding in the air. I had experience with writing in different weird positions. "What kind of demons were the ugly colourful ones?"

Jinu laughed. "You mean the basic ones? Earth demons?"

"Yeah! That," I smiled. Earth demons = ?? "And what about those that only had bodies and looked like humans without faces or anything?"

Jinu went silent, which made me look at him. His hand stopped brushing my hair. "Those weren't demons, Rumi," he whispered slowly. "Those were the bodies controlled by Gwi-Ma."

The pen fell from my hand, as I felt my throat tighten. "No, they made the people disappear..."

"Thanks to Gwi-Ma's power... Those were his biggest puppets. Every person that has their soul stolen by a demon ends up as this weird ghost-like thing in the demon realm." I stopped breathing for a second, focusing on Jinu who was now looking away out the window. "No face, no thoughts. But they... they are still alive in a way... That's how the missing people could go back to the earth after you defeated Gwi-Ma. Their bodies still existed."

Faceless = victim zombies

"Do you think Bo-Ra will also control the ones demons already attacked?"

"I'm afraid so. She seems to be much stronger than Gwi-Ma. Although she doesn't have an army anymore, every person taken by him has gone back... Which I'm surprised people didn't realise there is suddenly much more people..."

"To be honest, not many care about what is actually going on around them," I explained. "Why do you think we could pull those demon killing stunts during our concerts? People will not believe something is unusual when they don't want it to be. They are better at lying to themselves than if we tried to actually explain ourselves. Missing people came back, and some weird humans dressed in vintage and ancient clothes appeared on the street, not knowing what is going on? They will blame it on whatever is best for the media and the government."

"So not much really changed when it comes to the truth," scoffed Jinu.

"Truth doesn't matter in the world where fame and money rule the world," I sighed. "It's a cursed blessing for the three of us."

He nodded slowly, clearly thinking deeply about something, as I went to my notes. Seven sins: gluttony, lust, wrath, pride, greed, sloth, envy
Jinu = greed?
Purple demon types = 4 (human, shadow, water, earth
human demons = greed (and?)

I tapped the pen on my nose, thinking if there was any other demon I could ask, so I would be able to figure out which sins correlated with which demon shapes. Also, what sin shadow demons had to commit, if some of them changed shape after Gwi-Ma was destroyed? Didn't this mean they theoretically committed something much more serious? But how, if he "killed" them? How could that work?

"There is no need for that question mark," I heard Jinu's voice again. "I was definitely too greedy."

"Okay..." I crossed out the question mark. "So human demons have to commit greed... You think any other sin can be there?"

"We can ask the Saja Boys some day and see. Oh, and also Jelly. I heard from Romance he stayed here, so he might be a help."

"Jelly?" I looked at him surprised. "Who is that?"

"That's a water demon who's probably our biggest fan," Jinu chuckled. "You know, he was leaving the demon realm every day only to be in the fandom of the Saja Boys. He became a president, and he got called "Jelly". So now we also call him that."

"Wait, you mean to tell me there was a water demon who decided to associate with humans only to be your fan?" I scoffed.

"We're simply that amazing," I rolled my eyes, seeing Jinu's annoying smile.

"If he managed to stay here, then we will ask him there," I completely ignored what he just said. "We could also..."

We heard a loud footsteps on the corridor. "Demons!" Zoey screamed, making me immediately jump out of bed. I didn't even think about it, it was already an intuitive response. I left the room, where Mira and Zoey were almost ready. "I can feel them! Four demons are running to the Starfield Coex Mall, it will be a disaster if we let them enter!"

"We won't," Mira said, materialising Wol-Do. My sword was also in my hand. "You two," she pointed at Abby and Romance, "better come back and continue packing me."

They immediately left. I didn't bother to ask or comment. "All right girls, let's slay some demons today," I smiled. "Zoey, lead the way."

The girl happily went out on the balcony first to jump off a building. It was evening, and since weather today was pretty bad, not many people were outside. Another good thing was the fact how dark it was already outside thanks to that. So no way anyone would see us from the distance. Bad news was the fact it was still raining a little, and I didn't even have time to change much. I just quickly put on my shoes, having only in a T-shirt and sweatpants on. Well, the girls weren't better. Mira was still in her fluffy pyjama, and Zoey was wearing a tank top and sweatpants.

I sighed. Yeah, we will get sick.

But there was no faster way than that. In five minutes, we were already on the roof of the Starfield Coex Mall, while Zoey closed her eyes to focus. Me and Mira waited patiently. "There are so many people here..." she murmured. I nodded.

"We have to someone get these demons in quieter places to fight them."

"Why do they always pick the worst possible time for those attacks?" Mira scoffed as I laughed.

"We should share our schedule with them. Who knows, maybe they will stick to it."

"Don't tempt me to do that."

"I know!" Zoey turned to us. "One on parking B3F, two on second floor, two on the ground floor."

"Should we split then?" Mira looked at me. I nodded.

"We can't waste time. I'll take the two on second floor."

"I'll get those on ground floor," Zoey said.

"Damn it, I only have one," Mira crossed her arms. "Okay, good luck girls."

We split, each going in different direction. I immediately found an emergency entrance through which I entered the building. My clothes were quite wet already, so I tried to quickly squeeze as much water as possible. I didn't really want to add more work to the people cleaning the mall. They had enough work already in such a place.

Two demons on a second floor... Where could they go? After all, they still couldn't be too obvious about stealing souls, they had to sneak on those people... The toilets! I turned left to enter the corridor I recognised. Wow, I haven't been in a shopping mall for some time, since it's easier to go shopping in open areas for idols. Wait.

The second I realised my mistake, I was stopped by a group of teenagers who recognised me. I really forgot about that part of being an idol, didn't I?

"Rumi! We love you so much!" One of the girl said. "Could you please take a photo with me?"

I really didn't have time for photos now... "If you guys get me a face mask and borrow me one of your hoodies," I pointed at three of them. "You will all get photos, autographs, and I'll obviously pay for the hoodie."

"Do you have to hide?" Another girls asked. "Is someone chasing you?"

"I unfortunately lost my things in an... accident..." I said. "Do we have a deal?"

One of the boys immediately took off his hoodies, which fortunately didn't stink, while his friend gave me a white face mask he was just... carrying around. I smiled, posing for all the pictures. Quickly enough so the demons won't run away, and so nobody else will stop me... I signed whatever they needed, from backpacks, to their clothes, and finally gave the guy hundred thousand won. I told them to split it and ran away, quickly putting on the hoodie and mask. Good thing not that many people were in the mall in this area, besides from them, surprisingly nobody else recognised me.

I stopped, looking at the two doors to the toilets. A men's and women's. I couldn't really enter the men's bathroom. I opened the door on the right, looking around. Nobody inside, it was surprisingly peaceful and empty. Don't tell me I was too late... I opened the door to the toiled a little, listening to what was going on outside. I just needed any kind of sign that the demons were here. Any...

I turned around, materialising my sword before the demon had the chance to jump into me. "Here you are," I smiled, although he probably couldn't see it. "And where is your other friend?"

"Friend? What friend?" the demon scoffed, as I attacked. It was the earth demon. Some change for once.

"You know very well what friend," I rolled my eyes, quickly knocking him out. My sword was now millimetres from his face.

And that's when the other one appeared, trying to attack. I smiled, kicking him in the stomach and finally slaying the first one. One more to go. This one was bigger, so I had to be more careful. I dodged his attack, swinging my sword. Just one more... My sword slashed perfectly through his skin, as I leaned on one of the sinks to regulate my breath. I didn't have much energy right now, I could already feel my body getting weaker because I was outside unprotected in the rain. Half demon and I couldn't even have a better immune system, what a joke...

"I must say I'm a little disappointed," I turned surprised towards the voice. Bo-Ra. She was looking at me from the bathroom mirror with that terrifying smile. "Did you at least have fun, Rumi? I think you seem to enjoy slaying the demons. It's a little concerning for someone who is a half-demon, don't you think?" She laughed. I close my eyes, already annoyed. "Do you have so much self-hatred towards yourself that it gives you pleasure? What will you do when you three finally manage to make the honmoon indestructible? No demons to fight with, how will your days look then? It seems pretty..."

"Shut up!" I crashed the mirror without even thinking twice. My voice echoed as I saw the honmoon shaking again.

I heard her laugh.

Chapter 45: Chapter Forty Four

Notes:

I was going CRAZY because I couldn't post the chapter I prepared for you omgg

"She can appear in mirrors now?!" Zoey exclaimed wrapped in a yellow blanket like a burrito.

Right after we came back, we went to the bathroom to quickly change our clothes and take a hot shower, knowing already we will have to stay in bed for at least a day. The boys managed to find boxes of ramyeon they prepared for us along with teas in the meantime. We walked to the living room, already wrapped in three blankets. I was feeling dizzy and pretty weak, Zoey was sneezing all the time, while Mira started coughing like crazy.

I took another bite of my soup, nodding slowly. Jinu was sitting next to me, massaging my back to give me even more warmth.

"What is she?" Mira scoffed, coughing right afterwards. "Some kind of demon witch?"

"Didn't the torn page mention witchcraft?" Zoey asked. "Maybe she actually is a witch."

"That does't really help at all," I murmured, still completely focused on my ramyeon. I was the only one who was still eating, since the girls already swallowed theirs. Unfortunately, I really didn't have much energy now, so it was taking me much longer.

"Well, maybe you could become a witch to bring her down," Zoey waved her fingers at me.

"A half-demon, half-human, full-time hunter witch," Mira laughed. "I could see it."

"Come on girls, we need a real plan," I sighed.

"I mean, who said this isn't a plan," Baby suddenly spoke. "It's not like us demons are completely without magic. We can eat souls, teleport, we can shapeshift..."

"That actually makes a lot of sense," Romance nodded.

"And you have the strongest demon voice I've ever seen," Jinu added. "Which is deeply connected to the honmoon. So who said it won't work?"

"See?" Zoey tried to smile, but sneezed immediately. "I only have good ideas!"

"Besides," Mira continued, "we already learned that the first demons were humans who gave up their souls to save someone's..." she coughed, "...life. If that doesn't sound like witchcraft, I don't know what will."

I sighed, still not buying the idea. I finally finished my ramyeon, so I put the empty cup on the table, still wrapped in the blanket. We needed a way to fight Bo-Ra, but witchcraft... spells, potions, all that stuff, it wasn't really reliable. Maybe she could appear in mirrors because she was one of the first demons? She just managed to actually develop her abilities more than others. Although, how could she improve all those years if she was trapped who knew where by Gwi-Ma? And what happened to other great demons? It was impossible they just disappeared, I mean, they were supposed to be the best, most powerful ones, right? So where were they?

I opened the notebook I managed to grab before entering the living room.

Great demons = 8
Gwi-Ma and Bo-Ra = 2 "bad" great demons
The rest 6???
Also trapped? Hiding?

"Okay, right now we will still try to strengthen the honmoon then," Mira said, shifting my focus to her. Abby and Romance already sat on her both sides, while she just looked annoyed, coughing all the time, but not really reacting to these two demons. It looked pretty hilarious. "But I think you, Rumi, should still try and work with your demon voice. I feel like it may help us a lot."

"I feel like I should limit it," I whispered. "It's scary..."

"Are you kidding me?!" Zoey almost jumped out of her blanket. "It's impressive!"

"Weren't you guys even scared of it?"

"Rumi, we were scared, because we found out in very unfortunate circumstances that you're a half-demon," Mira explained. She then looked at Jinu with that irritated look. "Jeez, I wonder how that happened."

Jinu shifted uncomfortably, avoiding any eye contact with the girl now. I smiled. Well deserved. "Yeah! We didn't know what to think! It was probably the biggest betrayal I ever experienced in my life, although now I do understand where it came from." Zoey smiled at me.

I closed my eyes. "To think I trusted Celine so much..." I sighed.

"It's not your fault!" Zoey opposed.

"She literally raised you, of course you trusted her," Mira nodded.

And yet, it still felt like I could have seen the signs. Like everything I found out about Celine was right in front of me, screaming like a red traffic light that I convinced myself was green. And so I continued to listen to her directions, while hiding myself and bottling everything up, thinking that "yes, this is normal". Sometimes i wasn't even sure if I would prefer to know the truth or if I would rather live this lie.

But that lie wouldn't get me anywhere. Except for my sooner or later death. Either because the honmoon wouldn't get saved, or because of Celine and her actions. Because now it felt like she was only keeping me until I could have a kid, a person that shared the blood of previous hunters with me, so she could get rid of me as well, raising this kid in the same blindness.

I wouldn't even be surprised if she outlived all of us somehow. Many times Zoey and Mira repeated that bad people just can't seem to die for some reason. Maybe there was something to it, but what exactly?

Could the great demons die then? Or be somehow killed like Gwi-Ma? And was Gwi-Ma actually completely dead, or was he just trapped in the demon realm, now without his powers or strength? Which was it?

"I blame all of it on Jinu," Abby smirked.

"What? Why me?" Jinu scoffed.

"I mean, you made the girls argue and split in the first place, so isn't all of this also partially your fault?" Baby Saja nodded.

I exchanged looks with the girls, not really knowing if I should defend him. They didn't even lie about anything though, so could I defend him? I only smiled, tapping his back. "He did sacrifice himself, so I think it's almost even."

Jinu hid his face in his hands, sighing deeply. Pretty dramatic if you ask me. "That's right. Now I have to be reminded for four hundred years of what I did until it actually gets even."

Mira and Zoey nodded with satisfaction, as I smiled. The Saja Boys laughed, clearly satisfied with themselves. That's when Zoey pointed at them. "You guys aren't better than him though! The only think that saved you was that you weren't as conscious and able to make your own decisions as Jinu! I bet you would pull some similar shit!"

"Yeah, I feel like they could be even worse," Mira scoffed, avoiding Romance's hand trying to lean on her shoulder. "Especially those piggy-pink guys."

"Excuse me?" Abby scoffed offended. "You think I don't remember how you were completely drooling over my abs?" Again, his shirt magically waved. What was wrong with his clothes?!

"Drooling?" Mira looked away, crossing her arms. "I remember Zoey's eyes literally create popcorn, but besides that? Sorry, nothing rings a bell."

"Right. Not even "no more abs"?" He was clearly talking about the fight that happened during the Idol Awards. I stopped myself from laughing, knowing it is too dangerous of a territory to do that. As I was thinking that, a weapon materialised in Mira's hands.

"Okay!" Me and Jinu jumped to stop her before she had a chance to assassinate Abby that was now hiding behind Mystery. I felt my head spinning again, realising I was still pretty weak. I needed to sit down on the couch again. Good thing we only had to move to the hotel tomorrow, and that's it. We wouldn't survive a busy day.

"Wait a second..." Mystery suddenly spoke, making us all focus on him. "You can materialise your weapons whenever and wherever you want, right?"

Our jaws dropped. That was probably the longest Mystery has spoken for. He sighed, waiting for a response. The first one to reply was obviously Zoey. "That's right!"

"And how are you able to do that?" He continued to ask. I looked at Jinu who shook his head, also surprised. Should we maybe start counting this as his word record? I looked down at my notebook, thinking if I should write that down...

"Thanks to our norigaes," this time Mira replied. "We had to make them ourselves and completely customise them so they are as true to who we are and what we like as it's possible. They are meant to connect us with our weapons and help us be able to use them whenever we want to."

"So basically, you set intentions to something very personal you own?"

Okay, how many words would this be already? I started counting on my fingers, trying to remember what exactly Mystery said at first, hearing Jinu laughing. I hit him in the stomach, so he wouldn't bring anyone's attention to what I was doing. Three, ten, thirteen... Then eight, so that makes twenty one...

"Yeah, I think that's a perfect description," Mira nodded.

"So the three of you already know how to do witchcraft," Twenty four... I raised my head surprised. We what?

"What?" Zoey and Mira jumped up excitedly. Then they started coughing and sneezing, quickly hiding under their blankets again. I rolled my eyes. My stupid girls...

"Well, you basically put a spell on your norigae's so they let you always have your weapons within reach. That's witchcraft."

Twenty... Okay, I couldn't focus now. What was Mystery even saying? Us doing witchcraft all this time? I mean, yes, it was pretty awesome we could materialise weapons simply thanks to a small object like a norigae, but I somehow never gave it any bigger thought... Maybe I should have? "Shouldn't putting spells on anything require some knowledge and experience though?" I asked. "How could we do that without even knowing what we were doing?"

"Oh no, it makes perfect sense," Baby Saja now nodded. "You three were given perfect instructions on how to put a spell on the norigae. How to make one that will work, what shape and form it should take, what you have to do and think about while making it so it can work. You had knowledge and probably you did have some experience without even realising it."

I looked down on my notebook, barely seeing how my right hand starts shaking. I guess they were right. I mean, Celine did teach us how to set intentions before we even built our own norigae's, explaining to us that we will need that to connect with our weapons. And she was right. Too bad she forgot to mention how she's basically teaching us spells and all of this is a part of witchcraft. It's not like that's any important information. No. Not at all.

"That means..." Zoey slowly whispered, looking at her hands with eyes widened. I looked at Mira who rolled her eyes amused. We knew what was coming. "We are witch hunters!"

"And that means hunters have been doing witchcraft forever, but Celine decided it's another completely unnecessary information for us to know," I scoffed.

"Seriously though, what the hell is wrong with this woman?" Mira asked. I shook my head. I had no idea. "Wait, but if that's a case, it means that Bo-Ra might also know witchcraft, since demons are naturally connected to magic more I guess."

"Gwi-Ma also used witchcraft when he was controlling the demons," Romance said. "It was a very advanced one, since he was an ancient demon. He saw spells at his prime most probably."

"So we're screwed when it comes to Bo-Ra?" Abby asked, getting again hit by Mira.

"The only one screwed is you cause I'll let her eat you," she scoffed. "We are not screwed, since we're getting more information about how demons and hunters actually work."

"Something we clearly weren't taught before," I sighed.

"It's not your fault," Zoey quickly added, making me smile. It did help to hear it from her. I needed a constant reminder that Celine's actions aren't mine actions, even if I listened to her for my whole life. I was trying to change now. "Also, I think I will ask the hotel staff tomorrow to get out all of the mirrors in my room, I don't think I can sleep peacefully if I know this crazy demon lady can stare at me at night like a creep."

"You are so right, Zoey," Mira nodded. "Also, I don't know how we will do that, but since we can perform spells, we should find some reliable source to maybe learn something new. To make us stronger."

"Hey, maybe our new abilities are part of it!"

"It is possible."

I sighed. For me, there was only one good answer. Maybe not a very reliable source, but the only one we could be somehow sure of. "I think it's time to visit Celine again then."

Chapter 46: Chapter Forty Five

"You are definitely not meeting with Celine," Mira said quickly. "Nor do I think it's a good idea. It's not even an idea."

"How else do you want to learn more about hunter's witchcraft?" I asked. "I know it's not the best, but I don't see..."

"No, Rumi. It's a terrible idea," the girl shook her head. "The best? It's Celine we're talking about. The same woman who manipulated you your whole life, lied to us about our responsibilities as hunters, shifted a whole truth of hunters and demons, committed crimes."

"I have to agree with Mira," Zoey nodded. "Trust me, we can make it without her. What we can't do is actually see her. If you go there... no, we won't risk it. Not after what she has done."

"Yeah, you're officially forbidden from even mentioning her name."

"What?! How can I talk about her when I can't say her name?" I asked surprised.

"It's simple," Mira smiled. "You don't."

"And if Mira, Jinu or me go to Celine, she will end up dead," Zoey finished with a straight face. I was now even worried about what she would do. "Although it does seem tempting, I think we should reschedule that for after we get rid of Bo-Ra. You know, so nothing actually seems more serious."

"Although getting rid of her does seem pretty serious," Jinu added with a cold tone.

I laid on my right side, completely giving up. To be completely honest, they were right, and I knew perfectly well they were. I guess I still missed her in a way. I was still hoping that if I show up again, she will apologise, she will regret, or tell me it was all a very unfunny joke she made. She was my mother for so many years, and the wound she made right now was still bleeding. I was hopelessly trying to somehow stop it, looking for extreme and completely self-destructive options.

But that's also the way I have been raised. How could I not look for ways to destroy my own self, my own body, my mind, when I was taught to hate myself? And this deep hatred for all the demons and everything that had patterns was still somewhere inside of me, it didn't magically disappear into thin air. Not yet, but I was hoping it will one day. That there will come a time when I will look back and smile at how much growth I had and how much I learned to love myself and accept who I am.

Right now I was still torn.

Like a rabbit who was taught by wolves to eat others of his own kind. To attack and kill, but then was bit by one of the wolves he trusted the most. Terrified of what just happened, he his in the darkest place of the forest, blood staining his beautiful white fur, while he didn't even reach for the water that was right next to him, blaming himself for what he has been doing all his life.

"I'm up to try and kidnap the sasaeng-demon to interrogate him," Mira smiled. She was clearly very proud of her own plan.

I smiled. And then this rabbit was saved. There came a crow with a fox that saved him some food and helped him drink the clear water from the river. They also reached out to help with the open wound, but he was too scared to let anyone touch it. Until a second, black rabbit appeared, and showed a similar wound that was now a scar.

The rabbit wasn't alone. It has found its own family and so have I.

"I love that idea," Jinu smiled. "This stupid guy has been really pissing me off."

"He definitely does that on purpose too," Mira nodded.

"Definitely."

"Woah," Baby Saja stopped them. "Do you even know how to kidnap demons?"

"We'll obviously use force."

"Pinky can scare him with her creepy ability."

"Creepy ability?" Romance smiled while looking at Mira. "What kind of creepy ability?"

Both Mira and Jinu gave him the biggest side eye ever which made me chuckle. "Trust me, you don't want to know. Nor see."

I shook my head, letting the rest think about a plan how to help us learn witchcraft, while I tried to relax and finally let my mind drift away into topics that weren't making me worried and nervous all the time. Maybe it wasn't really a big success, but I felt like I definitely made some progress already, which was good enough. I was sitting on the couch, wrapped in my fluffy blanket with Jinu right next to me, completely disassociating and letting the rest figure out what to do. This was the first time I let myself do something like that, but it felt even more necessary than I thought of it.

Incredible. Was I really that tired all this time? I was aware that, as a leader, I was pretty busy, but to be this tired? Wasn't it too much? Maybe I was exaggerating or I was just feeling more tired because of catching a cold? Nothing more?

I watched Zoey lay on Mystery, while petting Derpy that layer on the demon's feet. Right, I still didn't finish counting his word record. Where was I? Twenty four? Then there was eleven or twelve, so that approximately thirty six. After that twenty or twenty one. That gives us what? Forty seven words. Forty seven? Wow. I quickly noted it down in my notebook.

Mystery record: ~47 words / one conversation

I felt Jinu's head lean on my shoulder, as he slowly grabbed the pen in my hand, making my stomach tingle. He quickly wrote down something. I had to focus on the words on paper and not on how close he was.

Don't tell me you pay more attention to this loser than me

I rolled my eyes. Unbelievable. I snatched the pen back.

You're jealous about that? Really?

He grabbed the pen.

And do I have to be jealous?
Obviously not
Then I'm not

Yeah right. That's why he called Mystery a loser. Because he totally wasn't jealous. I chuckled, feeling his finger slowly move around my back. Rumi, breathe. Focus on others.

Baby was right now discussing something with Mira, probably still discussing the idea of kidnapping a demon. Since when were we committing crimes to stop the crimes? Cause that's how it was starting to get right now.

Although...

No! What was I even thinking? No, no kidnapping, especially not of a demon. What would we even do with him? Where would we hide him? In a closet? What? How did they imagine all of that even? I shook my head, deciding to just let them have this. It really seemed like Mira and Baby was having a lot of fun during discussing ways to kidnap another demon. It wasn't even anything surprising at this point.

And that's when Baby's phone started ringing. I was still not used to the fact they had phones, and an even weirder thing was that Jinu, their leader, was the only one who still stayed without a phone. I was really curious how long he will go on like that without being forced to buy one. As an idol he will have to finally get one.

"Hello?" Baby picked up. We didn't hear anything, just some noises from another side. "Oh. Okay, okay... Really? Wow... Yeah, that's perfect. No no, it's a great idea. You did an amazing job, don't worry about it. Yeah, I will tell the boys. Okay... Of course... Bye bye." He hanged up, as the rest of us was looking at him curiously. "Our manager just called and told me we will participate in some reality show. "Rival Rhythms" or something like that."

Mira groaned loudly. "At this point I should just assume that the five of you losers will show up everywhere where we go." I smiled, seeing Sussie sitting on her head that was wrapped around with a pink blanket. The bird looked as tired as her, which was hilarious. They were really a perfect duo.

Abby smirked. "I really like that plan."

I took peek at smiling Jinu. Well, I was also pretty excited about that, but it did make me start to think. Would it be an actually fair reality show, or will it be already planned who wins? After all, the Saja Boys were now under a contract in our company. Or maybe they will just be pressured to overwork themselves to win? Did we have managers that were similar to Bobby? I was hoping so, one tyrant-Jinu was definitely enough for them. But from Baby's conversation with the manager, it did seem like the guy or girl seemed fine.

"By the way, who did Bobby find you for a manager finally?" Zoey asked, braiding a very small piece of Mystery's hair, who didn't even seem bothered. He was starting warming up towards Derpy.

"Oh, he found us some new guy who joined the company not that long ago, but he's doing really well," Baby nodded. "Besides, we are just a starting group, so we didn't even have much expectations."

"Now that is a very good argument for me to actually go back to the Saja Boys," Jinu said with a smirk. I focused on my notebook to not blush, knowing a little too well what he meant. "How much time do we have to get ready?"

"Oh, we're moving on Monday, don't worry about it."

"That's disappointing..."

"I still have to finish packing!" Zoey screamed terrified. "I completely forgot about that! Achoo!" She sneezed before even managing to get up. Me and Mira sighed.

"You better take Mystery with you," I said. "You have to rest now."

Zoey grabbed his hand, quickly disappearing upstairs. I didn't even start packing, that was tragic itself. I raised my head to see Mira get up and disappear with Abby and Romance in her room, while Baby took out a sudoku book. I raised my eyebrows. Sudoku? Really?

That's when the room fell dark, the lamp turning off suddenly. I looked around surprised, trying to see anything. How could this happen? We never had any electricity shortage, nor wasn't the lightbulb changed. It wasn't possible to happen on it's own. I heard a loud noise coming from the living room. It was as if something very heavy dropped from somewhere. I wanted to see what exactly happened, but the second I tried to get up to see where it came from, I realised that my mind was playing games with me again. It was one of those situations where I imagines something, but it didn't really happen.

I sighed, feeling even more exhausted. Jinu put his hand on my head, getting closer. "Are you okay?"

"I'm just a little tired," I explained.

"Should I help you pack? This time for real though?" He laughed. I hit him in the arm. "I thought you said you're tired?"

"Oh, but you're much more annoying," I scoffed.

Jinu didn't say anything. He only got up, getting me out of the couch. We slowly walked to my room, while I was wondering if Baby Saja was really fine with just being left alone all this time. Although he was smiling a little bit too much whenever everyone disappeared. So I'm guessing he was fine. I sat on the bed, watching Jinu actually take out my clothes for me to slowly pick and decide which of them I wanted to bring.

We started with pants, and I already realised that I probably have a very unnecessary amount of clothes. It wasn't even as much as one would think, but for some reason I thought it was already too much. I mean seriously, thirty pairs of pants? Only long ones? For what? I chose five pairs I wore the most. These were definitely my favourite ones. "I think I should donate some of those clothes."

"Donate?"

"Give for free to people who need them much more than me."

"Oh. Do you want to?"

"Why would I even have so many clothes? I mean, look at it!"

"I don't think you saw an actual big amount of clothes," Jinu laughed. "Be glad you didn't live during the times of monarchy then."

Oh. Right. Those were probably even better times to show how unfair the difference between the rich and the poor is. "But I feel like nowadays it's the same, we just learned to worship the rich instead of hating them like before, you know? We stopped blaming them for things only because they show up in media and being rich is romanticised in a way. Everyone hopes to be like them."

"That's genius coming from the ones who started that," Jinu nodded impressed. "It's also terrible, but I think I'm not as surprised. Unless now people aren't opposing them as much probably."

"Which is an issue in itself," I said. "I tried being completely rich and loaded, you do not need that amount of money. Now, Huntrix gives around sixty percent to support different organisations."

"What kind of organisations?"

"Now there are organisations around the world that voluntarily help those in need. They protect their rights, try to give education to the ones who can't get it, build homes for those who don't have them. Those kind of organisations."

"There are things like that now?" Jinu whistled, folding another pair of my pants. He was really careful with that, it reminded me a little of Zoey's perfectionism. "That is still an improvement."

"Four hundred years, and instead of worshipping people that want to help the poor, we worship people who take from them," I scoffed. "What an improvement..."

The light went off, making the room dark. I looked around, feeling that terrible feeling of deja vu. Was this another joke of my mind or was this happening in real life? I got up slowly, walking up to the door. "Rumi, what are you doing?" Jinu asked me.

"I want to see something," as I opened the door, we heard a loud noise coming from the living room. Jinu jumped up quickly, making me sure this time it was actually happening. I mean, it had to, right?

The lights switched on, as I opened a door to see Baby fighting with a shadow demon. Before I could even react, Jinu ran up to help.

Chapter 47: Chapter Forty Six

Notes:

I was at a hairdresser with my bestie so I had time to write another one today

I watched Baby Saja shift from his human to his demon form in seconds to attack back the shadow demon. Jinu also jumped at the uninvited guest, while I decided to stand back and watch. If they will need help, I will just go, but there were two of them on one demon. It couldn’t be that hard to fight him. I leaned my right side on the wall, observing carefully these three.

The shadow demon looked furious, but his eyes were flickering weirdly. Even though he didn’t really look different from the others we have seen, there was something uncanny about him. I couldn’t grasp this feeling yet. This demon didn’t seem normal, he was even angrier than the ones we have met, even more feral. He attacked without any technique, without any reason. There were no humans to feed on either, just us, the hunters, and five demons. No normal demon would voluntarily enter this place. Especially not attack.

“What’s going on down there?” Mira walked down the stairs, seeing me peacefully observing the fight in the living room. “Rumi, what the hell?”

“I don’t know either. There’s just this one shadow demon, and I think he attacked Baby Saja when the lights went out,” I explained.

“Why would he do that?” Mira scoffed, standing next to me with her arms crossed. She frowned. “Oh he’s… furious…”

“Yeah.”

“And I’m guessing we have no idea how he got here?” I shook my head. “Or why on earth would he even sacrifice himself like this?” Again I shook my head.

“But…” I started, not sure if I should say it. No, I probably should.

“But?”

“I have this thing lately…” I sighed. “It’s like my mind is messing with me… I suddenly have those moments where I don’t know what is happening around me, but instead see some scenes. Like, for example, I saw Jinu walk in our living room the day he came back from the dead before he actually entered. Or today, when I was sitting in a living room and I saw the lights going out, and I heard the loud thump as if something fell. It’s… Do you think it means anything?”

“So like, your mind experiences something before you actually have a chance to do that?” Mira asked. I nodded. “Were you in the living room when the lights went out?”

“No. I was in my room, but I heard the noise. That’s why I decided to look.”

“Rumi, with all the crazy things that are happening, it seems to me like you have an ability to kind of see the future,” Mira said. I bit my lip. Even though I was also thinking about it, it seemed too unreal to actually believe that I could possess a talent like that. “Although it’s pretty clear you can easily change it. And the other thing is that it might be dangerous if you experience it randomly and you completely disconnect from everything around you.”

I nodded. “But how could that be? It happened maybe three or four times, but it’s still pretty… I don’t know, too good to be true?”

“And how could it be that Zoey can perfectly see where the demons are in the city and feels when they want to attack? And how could it be that I can just grab the stolen souls and give them back to the humans? You know, after everything that we’re finding out lately, I don’t think there is much that can actually surprise me.”

I looked at Jinu barely dodging the attack of the shadow demon while Baby Saja pushed him onto the ground. Okay, this one was definitely fast and clearly angry enough to be a little difficult, but it should definitely not take them that much time to fight with him. I definitely had to teach Jinu how to properly fight. I guess as a demon he didn’t really have many opportunities to learn combat, which was clear as day right now. Completely embarrassing. I wouldn’t help them though, I wanted them to suffer a little, it was too funny to make it stop. Like a cartoon show with those clumsy fight scenes that are only for comedic purposes. Yeah, definitely one of those.

“Mira, you are generally not easy to shock,” I smiled, focused on the three demons.

“I don’t know,” she shrugged. “If you say so then I guess…” she smiled, looking at me. “You don’t really seem eager to help your demon boyfriend.”

“Well, he needs to learn some self-defence, I nodded slowly. “I can’t take that opportunity away from him.”

“Right. And it has nothing to do with the fact how funny this whole fight looks.”

“Nothing.”

We watched Zoey run down the stairs. “Girls, what the hell are those noises, what are you… oh?” She stopped, looking at what we pointed at. “A shadow demon? Damn, does this one have rabies or something?”

“We don’t know. But did you see his eyes? They’re flickering in a weird way,” Mira pointed out.

“I was thinking the same thing!”

“Oh yeah, you two are so right,” Zoey’s eyes widened. “Really now, what is wrong with this guy?”

“I think he might be mad,” I laughed after Mira said that.

“You think?”

“Just a hunch.”

“You two are very helpful to our demon friends by the way,” Zoey laughed, looking especially at me. “One of them being someone’s boyfriend.”

“Oh no, she is doing him a favour,” Mira immediately defended me with a huge smile. “You know, so the demon boy can defend himself better the next time an angry shadow jumps at him.”

“At least he didn’t face slap him,” Zoey giggled. “So we’re here to enjoy the show?”

“I mean, it’s pretty interesting,” I replied. “Look at these three, it’s like those kids in dojo age five to twelve that a just learned the basics but desperately wanted to try and fight each other.”

“You couldn’t come up with better description,” Mira laughed. “We should make a diss track about that. This is too good not to forever remind demon boy how terrible of a fighter he is.”

“Hmm… Such a mature boy, yet you got played like a toy in a simple fist fight with an angry rat!” Zoey rapped.

“I love it. Better stop the fuss and leave the arena to us, you won’t get out alive without your future wife” Mira continued, as I blushed.

“Excuse me? What future wife?”

“Being a hero for a day, and you didn’t even slay. This whole play you got on, it’s already gone” Zoey added, clearly having fun.

“Girls…” I sighed, not being able to stop a smile on my face. It did sound like a good diss track.

“Don’t try to be a knight, you barely bite, this time came out fine, next time you might break a spine”

“I should actually start writing that down,” Zoey took out her phone quickly, opening her notes app. I looked as she was actually writing all those verses down. “If we get a proper beat and think of a catchy chorus, this can go hard as a single.”

“I’m starting to like it,” Mira nodded, tapping her fingers on her own arm.

“Maybe just let’s not sing about a future wife?” I proposed.

“Oh, nobody will even know what we are talking about, don’t worry about that,” Zoey calmed me down. Well, she tried.

“Besides, we didn’t mention any names, did we? Why did you immediately think I’m talking about you and demon boy?” Mira smirked.

“I… ugh, you’re making fun of me again.”

“A little.”

“That’s because she loves you so much,” Zoey nodded from behind Mira. I smiled.

I knew that. The second Mira started getting more comfortable around the two of us, she became more… critical and annoying. Also, she became a very blunt person who always said what she was thinking, but I loved it very much. It always helped me see that everything she actually does and says is real. All of it, our friendship, our work, it was two-sided, and I wasn’t the only one who cared. Because the second I first heard from her the words, “you two make me feel like I have two very annoying and hyper-active sisters”, it felt like I just gained a family.

“Oh, and Rumi has a new ability,” the girl added suddenly, as Jinu jumped on the laying shadow demon. Wow, they were finally winning? Could it be?

“A new ability?!” Zoey jumped excitedly. “What is it?”

“She will be our Delphic Oracle.”

That was another thing. Mira turned out to be one of the biggest nerds I have ever had an opportunity to meet. It felt like she knew all the mythologies and was active in like fifty fandoms, while completely catching up on everything. Sometimes I was wondering if we actually had the same twenty four hours because of that, cause what did she mean she watched three new anime episodes after we came back from a concert? How? When? And she slept?

Maybe she was doing witchcraft before we found out it is even possible? Because that definitely seemed like some kind of witchcraft.

“Delphic Oracle?” Zoey looked at me, still clueless.

“I guess I can see future a little bit,” I explained.

“She experiences the future,” Mira corrected me. I raised my eyebrows. She was already correcting me on my own ability.

“That is so cool! How does it work though?”

“I just suddenly disassociate and experience what will happen. Although it seems like I can easily change what I am doing in that future… I think…”

Mira nodded. Zoey was looking very excited about this new information. “But does it come randomly, is there a schedule? How long does it happen? Oh, and is there anything that connects all those moments or are they completely random? Also…”

“Okay, slow down, Ferrari,” Mira laughed. “We just came to that conclusion, we don’t have to immediately know all the answers. Slowly and everything will start making sense.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” Zoey nodded, calming down. “So…”

We heard a terrible scream. The three of us immediately materialised our weapons, being ready to jump on the shadow demon. He was still laying on the floor, Jinu and Baby keeping him down. But his eyes started flickering even more, while he got out a terrible squeak, that made us close our ears immediately. The boys did the same. What the hell was wrong with this one?

Baby stabbed the back of the demon with his claws, ripping out parts of his skin. But the squeak didn’t want to stop. He didn’t even seem like he had any consciousness, it looked more like a toy that got broken right now. I watched the demon carefully as his eyes slowly faded into dark pits. The scream also stopped for a second, making us take off the hands from our ears.

“What the hell was that?” Zoey whispered. I shook my head. Even Jinu and Baby were looking surprised at the laying demon, trying to understand exactly what happened.

Suddenly, the demon got up, his eyes and patterns shining again, while his face changed. I took a step back terrified, tripping. “Rumi!”

It was the face of a woman. That woman. The one me and Zoey killed in cold blood.

“Why did you do that?” The demon whined in a high-pitched voice. “Why would you take my life, girls? What did I ever do to you?” She cried.

I was sitting on the ground looking terrified how her eyes started bleeding. No. No, no, no. Rumi, it wasn’t your fault. Rumi, you didn’t do it. You didn’t.

“What? You can’t even look at me?” The demon continued. “Are…” before he finished, Mira slaid it, making it completely disappear.

I looked up at Jinu who ran up to me and Zoey. I didn’t even realise I started crying.

Notes:

ALSO what do you mean this fanfiction already has 100k words?

Chapter 48: Chapter Forty Seven

Notes:

So I listened to one of my favourite readers and changed the rating of the fanfiction, since it is slowly getting darker

Is this how Jinu felt when Gwi-Ma could enter his mind and his thoughts? Trapped? Terrified? Hopeless?

Even though Bo-Ra never entered my mind, I was already suffocating from how she trapped my guilt and used it against me. And what if she does enter my mind one day? Or manipulates a dream of mine like Mira's? I couldn't let her do that, there was already too much going on in my head, and I was already feeling much weaker than I should have. So many things happened in such a short while, I felt like I am constantly out of breath, like I am running in an infinite marathon, but if I stop, I won't make it out alive.

I couldn't stop.

Every time I was doubting myself, I was only giving Bo-Ra the time to grow even stronger and be a bigger threat. I am a hunter and I have to protect the rest, I have to manage, and I will manage. Even against a force like her. No matter how powerful and cunning she was, we will find a way to stop her. To trap her like Gwi-Ma did, but this time, never let her escape. Not in a thousand years, not in a million. I looked in the mirror hanging above my vanity table on a wall.

It took me a second to get up, wrap a loose T-shirt laying on a chair and punch the mirror hard enough for it to shatter into tiny pieces. My fist burned as I saw blood slowly dripping from my hand on the floor. "I will catch you, and I will destroy you," I whispered, feeling the honmoon shake.

The T-shirt was now soaked in blood, so I put it on a chair. It was only meant to wear around the house, so I didn't really have to bother. I looked at my hand slowly, watching the blood and small wounds around it. I smiled. It felt good.

"Are you okay?" The door opened with concerned girls standing in it. "We heard a weird noise."

"Oh, I'm perfectly fine," I said with a big smile on my face. If I could, I would laugh just now. I didn't even understand it myself, I would never even think that pain could make me feel so much better. But it did. The pulsing feeling from the cuts only helped me regulate my emotions and calm down my body.

"How can you say that?" Mira ran up to me. "Rumi, you're bleeding."

"Ah, it's just a small cut."

"A small cut? What the hell did..." she stopped, seeing the glass around the floor. She looked at me concerned, and much more serious. "Did Bo-Ra appear again?"

"No. Not this time. I guess I just wanted to be sure she won't."

"So you smashed a mirror?!" Zoey grabbed a first aid kit from one of my drawers and immediately came up to me, disinfecting my wound. "What will Bobby say when he sees your hand like that?"

"We have first recordings in a couple of days too," Mira added, bandaging my hand quickly. "How do you want to explain that to our fans?"

Shit. I looked at my hand, now perfectly bandaged. I should think more about the fans before acting rapidly like I just did. How could I still be so egoistic? "I'm sorry, I guess I panicked a little..." I sighed.

"No no, don't apologise. It's okay," Zoey smiled, grabbing my left hand. "But we better stay together, because I would rather not leave you alone right now."

"Me neither," Mira agreed. "Besides, the car is waiting for us downstairs, so we have to move it. Bobby is already waiting at the hotel, and the driver is coming here to take our things."

"Poor guy isn't even aware of what he got himself into," Zoey chuckled.

"We will definitely need to help him," Mira smiled.

I left my room with the girls, the mirror shards still laying on the floor. To be honest, even if the blood would stain my floor later, I wouldn't really mind it. I didn’t really understand why was I feeling so calm about what I just did, and I felt like I shouldn't even bring that up out loud.

The suitcases and all the bags were waiting right next to the elevator. When the driver finally arrived and saw how much stuff we had, his eyeballs almost left their place. The three of us had to really try not to laugh. "We will take the bags ourselves," Mira calmed down the man.

"Are you sure? I could..."

"It's okay, we're not porcelain," Zoey smiled at him. The man nodded, clearly relieved with the help he just received. As if he wasn't just helping us. Before I could grab my bag, Zoey snatched it right away. "You have to save up your energy. With that hand of yours you can't even..." she leaned on closer, whispering so the driver wouldn't hear, "...you can't even carry a sword now."

Oh no. She was right. I looked down at the bandage that was already getting redder, as the girls and the man already entered the elevator. I followed them quickly, and we went down in no time. Mira also saw my hand, sighing. "We will have to change it before entering the hotel. Bobby will definitely get worried."

The car was standing right in front of the exit of the building, while I was completely lost in my thoughts. How could I do such a thing, if I should be fully aware it will not bring anything good, but just worry those around me? And why would I even be as crazy as to even think of it ever as a good idea? It was a good thing Jinu wasn't in our apartment right now, kidnapped by the Saja Boys who wanted to practice "Soda Pop" and start recordings of "Your Idol" before they will enter the reality show. How would he react if he saw the scene the girls did?

I looked at Mira and Zoey who were now helping the driver fit everything in the car, while I just stood there, completely useless. I sighed. What kind of a leader was I, to not even be able to calm down my girls, but instead worry them more? Their eyes when they realised what actually happened in my room were still clear in my memory. Although they acted collected, I knew they weren't. They were just trying to not make me panic...

Useless.

We entered the car, while Zoey connected her phone to the car after the man agreed and turned on the bluetooth function. She had one playlist prepared for every car ride that all three of us loved. It was a mix of our favourite artists and their best songs. A really impeccable combination. I finally decided to go back to reality and try to focus on what was actually happening around me. I couldn't stay distracted like that. It's because of me that Bo-Ra could still run free and lie and outsmart us however she liked. I was being too weak.

The three of us started singing almost immediately, but the driver didn't seem to mind. That was enough for us to continue giving him basically a private concert of covers in completely different music genres. The ride didn't take long, or if it did, we just didn't realise it. After the man told us we are only five minuted away from the hotel, Mira started changing my bandage. She didn't really look calm while doing that, I could see she was biting on her cheek, clearly trying to stop herself from showing the actual emotions. She used to do that especially at the beginning of Huntrix.

"It will heal soon," I said, smiling to try and lift her up. "You know my body is quite capable."

"You better don't push it too much though," she said, cleaning the wounds. "We can't make it without you, Rumi. And we need all of you. Healed. Healthy."

"I am..." I sighed. "I will be. I promise."

"Don't promise. Just try," she whispered.

"I will try."

"Good."

The car stopped, as the driver turned to tell us we have arrived. Mira quickly put a new bandage, easily tying it comfortably. Zoey opened the door, already jumping out to help the man, but the hotel staff was faster than her. Me and Mira finally left the car as well, smiling widely after seeing Bobby in the hotel lobby who was waving at us happily. We quickly walked inside. "Hi Bobby!"

"Hi girls!" He walked up to us. "How are you today? Are you all okay?"

"Yeah, we're pretty good," Zoey nodded with a smile. "We were caught up in the rain yesterday, but after the night it's much better already."

"The rain?! What happened?"

"You know... the other thing..." I whispered. I was hiding my hands behind my back, so he wouldn't be able to see the bandage. I was hoping I could somehow manage to make it unnoticeable until the cuts heal enough for them not to be a problem anymore. Bobby immediately understood what I was talking about and nodded.

"Right, the thing..." he repeated quietly. Then he clapped. "Well, let me show you around the place! The hotel is really great, and as it's stars for some time now, you will obviously get some premium VIP treatment! Isn't this exciting?"

"There is a spa, right?" Mira asked with hope.

"Don't you worry about things like that," Bobby replied proudly. "Everything you girls need is definitely here. You'll love it, I'm sure of it."

"Yay!"

Our stuff was taken to the apartment we were supposed to be in for the time of the reality show happening, while Bobby decided to walk us around the hotel. And when he meant the hotel, he meant the hotel. All of it. We walked through every possible corridor, went back three times to remember perfectly where he will be living, so we can always come to him if we need anything, he explained to us everything underground, from the pool, to jacuzzi, through spa and all the relaxation ways the hotel had. The gym, the restaurant, the bar, a small park outside. All the elevators, all the exits, even the one to the roof. Everything. It felt as if we were on some spy mission, but we didn't dare to say anything, he clearly put a lot of effort to get to know such a huge place so well.

Especially since a lot of the stuff he remembered could actually be practical for us. He definitely showed us all the possible exits because we revealed to him our hunter job, but he really did make our job easier. In case Zoey will sense another demon attack, we already had at least ten ways to escape the hotel as unnoticed as possible. And that was most important.

Finally, after around four hours of exploring every corner of the hotel, Bobby showed us the apartment we were supposed to live in from now on. It had three separate bedrooms, a small kitchen, a nice living room and one bathroom with a huge bathtub. Zoey loved it already, planning to take an hour-long bath this evening. Yeah, me and Mira had to be the first one to occupy the bathroom today then.

"Today you can just rest, and as for tomorrow, you will meet all the crew," Bobby said, standing at the door. "Is there anything else I can do for you? Do you need something else?"

"No, we're good," Mira shook her head.

"Thank you so much," I smiled.

"I'm so glad to hear that," he smiled back. "Rest well and sleep long, see you tomorrow, girls."

"Bye Bobby!" We said as he left the room.

I sighed relieved, knowing I can finally stop hiding my hands. "He will realise sooner or later," I stopped, hearing Mira's voice. "You know that, right?"

"I know, I just... I didn't want to worry him," I whispered.

"Rumi, you're building up walls again. It won't help neither you nor us, you know it."

"I know, I just... It's..."

"Your defence mechanism?" She forced a small smile. "Trust me, I know how it feels."

"I..."

"Just know we are always here when you're ready," said Zoey from a couch. She also looked worried.

"I'll try to stop that. I will really try."

"We believe you."

"We're just worried, that's all."

I smiled, hiding in my new room. Worried. I should be the one worried about the mess I was causing. The trouble I was bringing everyone. My spine shivered when I saw the mirror on the table. I threw a towel on it.

I hated mirrors.

Notes:

Quick question, do you think I should update the summary of this fanfic? I've been thinking about it lately, but I'm not sure

Chapter 49: Chapter Forty Eight

Notes:

This one also isn't my best chapter, but I still hope it's okay, I just woke up

"Celine," I said slowly, walking back. I looked at her terrified as she raised her weapon at me. Her eyes went ice cold. I couldn't understand what was going on right now. "Celine..." I repeated again. "I'm begging you..."

"Miyeong, you became what you swore the destroy," she whispered with tears in her eyes. I shook my head aggressively.

"No. No, it's not the same. We both know it! You know the difference!"

"How could you..."

"Tell me, what was I supposed to do?" I cried. My head was pulsing, as my body tried to get used to the new state it was in right now.

"Let her die! She's a monster!"

My heart stopped. My vision blurred, as I tried to somehow explain to myself that she didn't really mean what she just said. She wouldn't. No. No, no, she wouldn't... Celine, she, she was just confused. She was in too much shock to actually realise what was going on.

She did mean everything. Every single word. It was the truth she was hiding all this time from the two of us. I felt a burning pain in my chest, still not even seeing clearly what was going on. But I did know what just happened. Before I even had a chance to faint because of the pain, I realised it was the end. It was our end.

There was no way of knowing how long I stayed unconscious, especially since, when I woke up, I ended up some place unknown. I looked around confused. It was dark outside, so I either stayed unconscious for a couple of hours, or more than a day. No way to check that though. No phone, no watch on my wrist, nothing. But this wasn't Seoul, was it? The buildings did look similar, but they were all grey and lifeless. Nobody was even outside, the streets were empty, the silence around me was practically deafening.

I looked down at my hands, now stained in blue patterns. The pain only risen after I remembered what happened. I dropped to the ground, completely giving up. What about my daughter? My Rumi? She was left with Celine, I didn't even manage to protect her. How could I save her and then just leave her there alone? What kind of mother was I? The tears slowly went down my cheeks. What kind of huntress was I, if I couldn't even protect my own family from the worst? How could I just lose everyone like that?

I felt my breath shorten, as my vision blurred again. But Celine, she... "How could she?" I whispered, my voice shaky. It was so silent around, my whisper still echoed. How could she?

Rumi did live, she couldn't kill her. I knew she couldn't, she was now the only way of her to get what she actually wanted. Celine hated demons too much to let Rumi die, she would... My throat tightened. I just left my daughter with this monster...

No, Miyeong, you better get yourself together, and quickly figure out what to do in this situation. I could not just let her take away my daughter. I couldn't just simply accept what she was trying to do. If necessary, I will not hold back anymore. My hands laid on the ground to secure me from not tripping. I still felt weak, my head was dizzy and my chest was burning from the wound Celine gave me.

The wound that somehow still hasn't healed. Since I was a demon now, shouldn't my body heal those while I'm unconscious? Was there something more to it that I just didn't know yet? Did someone maybe carry postcards about first days of becoming a demon so I could know what to do? I sighed. That would be pretty ridiculous, wouldn't it. I managed to get up slowly on my legs, looking around. Where exactly was I? What was going on? Was this place a normal city or did I end up in some other version of a demon realm?

My feet slowly dragged me around the streets, while I was trying to figure out my position. I did know a lot about the demons, but no hunter manual had a sub-chapter about actually being a demon. So I wasn't really prepared for all of that.

The city was so quiet, my steps echoed all around. It was pretty much terrifying. It couldn't be a real city, it was impossible for any place to be as dead. The similarities to Seoul were pretty uncanny at times, the streets even had the same names, but it definitely wasn't my city. This was a completely different place. The one I have never read about in my books.

How was I supposed to get out? I had to go back to Seoul to save my daughter from being raised by Celine. I had to figure out a way to get Rumi back, to run away wit her and get rid of Celine. But right now I was trapped without any way out. Or at least the way wasn't as obvious as I needed it to be.

Think, Miyeong, how can you get out of this place? It's clearly a place only a demon can get into, so a demon has to be able to escape. What could it be? Teleportation? Not blue-marked demons. They didn't teleport like purple-marked, so that can't be the case. Should I run into some building like Harry Potter? No. I shook my head. That is just crazy, even for you. So what could it be? What could actually be the...

I stopped, hearing very muted city noises. Was I getting closer to escaping this place? The sound was still very quiet, but I could hear it. I walked faster, trying to navigate where did these noises were coming from exactly. I had to turn back a couple of times, walking between the buildings and navigating the way. Finally, I could hear them more clearly, I was close.

But there was nothing in front of me. I stopped, confused. I could hear the city noises perfectly, and yet the whole street looked the same. It was dark, it was grey, it was unnecessarily empty and depressing. Was I actually trapped in here forever? Was my mind already going crazy because of everything that happened? I kneeled down, leaning my chin on my knees, completely unmotivated.

Wait a second...

I looked into a puddle that was right in front of me, realising I haven't seen it before. The water wasn't reflecting anything here, it showed another city from upside down, as if... I leaned closer. The noises were coming from the inside.

"Can it be?"

Quick decision. Try or not? Of course I decided to try. I got up and stepped into the water, probably expecting some kind of a miracle. To be honest, it felt much worse than a miracle. The second my shoes got wet, while I ended up in the middle of a busy street, getting shouted and honked at, I felt like vomiting. I did it!

"Get out, you crazy lady!" I heard some man shouting, as I quickly apologised and manoeuvred between the cars into the sidewalk.

I was in Seoul again, what a relief. I looked down, seeing my wound has disappeared. Okay, I was definitely getting somewhere, now the only thing I needed was to get to Celine and get back my daughter. Also, it would be good if nobody actually saw me, I was still an idol, after all. I hid in the closest small alley, thinking what to do. Change of face? Still purple-marked demons, not me.

Did these purple bastards have the best abilities, or was I missing out on something?

"Well, well, well," I heard a woman's voice that made me immediately wary. "Who would think a hunter would sacrifice herself so much as to become a demon."

I looked at a young girl around her twenties who was also wearing blue patterns, like me. She was pretty tall, her hair was tied up in a long ponytail, while her eyes were observing me closely. Such a beautiful girl... I was hoping to see Rumi grow like that.

"And you are...?" I asked, as the girl smile.

"Jina. I'm actually your fan," she responded, shaking my hand. "See, when someone becomes a blue-marked demon, the rest of us can feel it, so we usually look for that newbie to help them with all that stuff. I just had to come here, I wanted to see you from up close so much, I just couldn't miss an opportunity like that."

"I understand."

"And even you as a hunter don't know basically anything about us, since we hid most of the stuff just in case. Turned out to be a good choice, looking at what Celine is doing lately."

"What exactly is she doing?" I asked terrified. "Wait, how long was I away?"

"Oh, like... five years maybe?" What?! Five years?! I looked at the girl surprised, as she calmed down, realising I wasn't prepared for that. "Okay... your body just became a demon's body, and you were immediately assassinated, which means it needed much more time to develop properly and heal everything."

"Wait, but I wasn't healed when I woke up."

"You were, you just ended up in the mirrored realm, a place blue-marked demons end up in if they get "killed". In that realm, you can see what happened to you as long as you are in there, and you were still very lucky, since sometimes it is very difficult to get out, especially when the temperature in Seoul is too hot and there are basically no puddles in the city."

"Okay, that is actually a lot of information I didn't know about," I massaged my nose bridge, trying to sort all the information I just found out about. "What happened during these five years?"

"You are officially dead, while Celine is raising Rumi to become a demon hunter. She even made you a grave, can you believe it? Oh, and she wants Rumi to turn the honmoon golden obviously."

I felt my heart aching. It was still unbelievable for me, to actually realise Celine's values and goals. To know we were fighting together against the demons just for her to turn her back, to...

"Are you okay?" Jina looked at me concerned, as I shook my head.

"I have to go to Celine, I have to get Rumi, I..."

"Miyeong... I'm afraid it might not be a good idea..." Jina said slowly.

"You have to get me to Celine. I need to talk to her, I need to get my daughter..."

"Celine will assassinate you again, it won't help you," Jina shook her head. "She wants the honmoon to turn golden, don't you get it? She wants even blue-marked demons to be trapped under the earth, without any way to go back. She wants to trap you for eternity away from your own daughter, she..."

"Jina," I couldn't stop the tears in my eyes. "I'm begging you, take me to her. I have to see her, I have to check if she's well, I..."

The girl sighed. "I can show you where she is, but... I won't go with you."

"I don't expect that."

"Please don't do anything stupid though, if she kills you again, you might not be unconscious for five years this time, but trust me, it will still be long enough." I nodded. "All right, let's go then."

I ran after the girl, realising how fast a blue-marked demon could actually be. It was incredible, I was pretty sure I would be able to race with a car even. In seconds, we were standing at Celine's door, as I felt my stomach twirl. I felt uneasy. Everything that actually happened was just getting to me, and none of it felt good.

"Just a little hint," Jina said, hiding already behind a wall to not be seen. "Blue-marked demons have weapons. You still have your Hwando."

"I do?"

The girl nodded. "You materialise it just like you did before. After all, we also get rid of the purple bastards, so of course we have weapons. I'm telling you just in case."

I smiled. "Thank you."

Jina hid, as I knocked on the door. My head was spinning, while my insides were twisting in a very unnatural way. I felt sick, even though demons obviously couldn't get sick. The door opened, and I just stood in front of Celine once again. She didn't even let me say anything, simply attacked. "What are you doing here?!"

"I should ask what are you doing?!" I quickly dodged the attack, adrenaline rushing through my veins. "Where is my daughter?!"

"She is not your daughter anymore, she needs a human mother. Leave!"

"A human mother?" I scoffed, dodging another hit, as the two of us were now fighting on the empty staircase. "Celine, you can't even be a human!"

"You made me do this!"

"Nobody made you do anything! You were supposed to protect others!" I felt my eyes filling with tears again. Why couldn't I stop them?

"I am!"

"You are destroying everything!"

"It's you who destroyed everything when you hooked up with that monster and then kept his baby!" I materialised my Hwando, easily blocking her attack. She looked terrified now. "We are hunters! Not some..."

"A monster?" I felt my body shaking from the sudden anger. "If anyone is a monster here, it's you." I attacked her, easily getting rid of her own weapon. "You are only bringing destruction, you..."

"Mom?"

When I heard that little voice, my sword immediately fell out of my hand. My vision blurred, while my mind was spinning. Rumi. It was my little Rumi, she...

Celine grabbed her weapon again, swinging to kill me the second time. "I will not let you see her, no matter how many times I have to get rid of you."

"Mom? Are you okay?" I fell to my knees, tears falling down my cheeks. I couldn't do it. I lost. I lost everything. What was the point of anything if my own daughter wouldn't even recognise me? If I could just see her once, maybe...

"Go back where you belong," Celine hissed, as I didn't move.

I just closed my eyes. She won.

Chapter 50: Chapter Forty Nine

Notes:

This one took me so long because my bestie is really keeping me busy today

I was laying on the couch, while staring at the ceiling of the room. In theory, it wasn't as useless since I didn't yet get to know this place as well as I knew our apartment. Right now, I guess I was studying every smallest detail of this ceiling. It wasn't that interesting though, but still felt better than just staying in my room and not being able to sleep there. Closed, overwhelmed, and lost. Okay, I was still feeling those things, but it felt less scary. And less alone.

The girls were most likely sleeping already, I could hear Zoey's breathing through her room, and I didn't see Mira walk around her room. As always, she had opened doors. I closed my eyes, listening to the silence around. The living room didn't have any mirrors, and at least it was closer to the rooms of the girls. It just felt better knowing they were right next to me. To know at least they are getting a good sleep.

I raised my right hand, looking at the bandage that was slowly turning red again. I guess those wounds were more serious than I thought... I slowly grabbed the ending of the bandage with my left hand, unwrapping it. The first aid kit should be in the bathroom. I got up, trying to get as quietly as possible across the room.

The bathroom was really nice. It had a lot of space, half of it taken by a huge bathtub that was already checked by Zoey tonight. She loved it. Maybe a little bit too much? Me and Mira started even wondering how many times a week she will be taking baths. Definitely not once or twice, Zoey had to use that opportunity until she could, after all, we only had a shower. It was just faster and more comfortable, so why bother with a bath.

I sat on its' edge, a new bandage already in my hand. Right, this will be difficult. I tried to hold a corner of the bandage with my right thumb, while the left hand started wrapping it around, but it still wasn't tight enough. What a bother...

"Need a hand?" I looked up at Mira leaning on the doorframe.

"Did I wake you up?"

"I couldn't sleep," she said, crouching in front of me and taking the bandage. "I'm worried about you, Rumi. Well, actually about us. Bo-Ra is really messing with our heads, and it's getting more serious than I thought."

I watched her carefully wrap the bandage around my hand. She was wearing her glasses again, she didn't really like to part with them anytime she had to switch to contact lenses. "I am so sorry, I know I should be doing a better job as a leader..." I sighed.

"Rumi, you are a person before anything else. You're my friend, then a leader of Huntrix. Never think the order is any different."

"Mira, I think I am going slowly crazy," I whispered. "I mean, maybe not like psycho-crazy, but it's just..."

"You think?" The girl scoffed, tying the bandage. She did it flawlessly. "Do you want to tell what is actually going on? Why are you smashing mirrors now?"

"I did smash that mirror so Bo-Ra would never appear," I said. "But after I did, the pain, it was... it felt..."

"Good?" I looked surprised as Mira raised her eyebrows. "Trust me, I saw your face that time. I guess that's why I was worried, if you at least seemed hurt, I would be much calmer..."

"I don't understand why though. It was like that was the exact remedy I needed."

"Yeah, that's how self-harm starts, I don't know if you’re aware of that," Mira grabbed my right hand, holding it. "Rumi, you obviously still have to come up with the terms that you’re a half-demon and you still need time to accept it. Those things take time, it’s normal. You were taught to hate something you also are, I’m not even surprised you found comfort in your pain. But… it doesn’t mean there won’t be anything else that will comfort you.”

I smiled. “You could be a good therapist, you know that.”

“Ugh, don’t even say things like that,” Mira scoffed. “I have too many problems myself.”

“How are you feeling by the way? About… everything right now. After the dream you had.”

“Oh, I feel pretty bad,” she nodded. “But I guess the two of you really help me with that. I still either not have any dreams at night or remember my father in a way, and I hate it. It’s not even like he was ever actually my father either… But that’s another motivation to destroy Bo-Ra, because if she can mess with our heads, think of what can she do to others.”

“Guys, it’s freaking four at night, why are you having a therapy session now?” We looked at Zoey standing in the door and yawning.

“Did we wake you up?” I asked.

“I don’t know, I guess I didn’t sleep well either if such quiet noises woke me,” she shrugged, sitting on the floor next to Mira. “So? What did I miss?”

“That I’m trying to hurt myself out of deep self-hatred.”

“Oh. Well, I can’t say I’m surprised,” she nodded. “I just want you to remember that I will never leave you, and you are very important to me. And that also, I am pretty worried seeing you voluntarily hurt yourself, cause this is the last thing I would like to happen to any of you two. Unfortunately, I’m not that good of a talker like Mira, so I didn’t really know how to start the topic.”

“I’m not a good talker, I’m just blunt,” Mira mumbled, looking at the floor right now.

“Trust me, sometimes being blunt is much better than trying to be delicate,” Zoey assured her.

I smiled at the girl. “I know I can count on you, girls. I guess I’m just still subconsciously trying to solve everything on my own, since that’s how I was taught… I really want to be more open, but I do need more time and practice.”

“We’ll make you practice so much you’ll get tired of it,” Zoey smiled widely. “Sooo… anything else that maybe I didn’t know about?”

“No, nothing new,” Mira shook her head. “I told Rumi about my dreams.”

“Can I say that I hate your father?” Zoey asked.

“Definitely. I hate him too.”

“Good. I hate him.”

“And what about you, Zoey? You’re also worried,” I turned to the girl.

She had her hair tied in two braids she liked to do for the night, saying it helps her sleep better. She also came to us with her favourite panda plushie that was now sitting on her knees.

“I guess I’m also very anxious about this whole thing. I know what the two of you have been going through, and I’m kind of bothered by the fact I stabbed an innocent lady in the stomach… And I’m also afraid that Bo-Ra may interrupt my dreams, while I don’t even know when can that even happen, so I haven’t been sleeping well lately. I’m basically walking on glass all the time, terrified.”

“We need to bring that damn demon down,” Mira scoffed. “I hate her.”

“We should make a “we hate Bo-Ra” club,” Zoey laughed.

“We would already have eight members,” I smiled, nodding.

“Nine. I’m pretty sure we can count Bobby in,” Mira added.

“Definitely! I think we should want him about her tomorrow to be honest,” Zoey said. “You know, so he’s prepared for the worst scenario. In case she tries to attack him in a way.”

“I think those demons that almost kidnapped him were Bo-Ra’s puppets to be honest,” Mira claimed.

“I was thinking about that too!”

“Yeah, we definitely should tell him,” I agreed.

“Okay, but that can wait for tomorrow morning… Today…” Zoey quickly corrected herself. “How about we play uno, since we all can’t fall asleep.”

“Zoey, do you want us to go to war again?” Mira scoffed.

Us three playing uno was always the most intense thing happening in Huntrix. There was nothing that mattered anymore, no friendship, no family, no nothing. We were all basically going wild, trying to win every game. And the funniest thing was that it was always difficult, since we were all very good at that. I remember that before our first live performance, right after our debut, Bobby saw us playing uno before going on the stage. He got worried so much, he forbade us from ever playing it, but we still did. Now we were just better at hiding that.

“Well, it’s not like we have anything better to do,” she smiled. “What are we supposed to do? Sit at our phones? Rumi will say we’re iPad kids again.”

“Yeah, we can’t do that,” Mira shook her head. “Besides, I’m not really in a mood right now to go and scroll on social media. I think it would only make me feel worse.”

“I’m not really in the mood to see happy people either,” I laughed. Mira smiled.

“You get me.”

“So I guess uno it is.”

“Uno it is!” Zoey announced with her hands up. “I’m getting the cards!” Before she left the bathroom, she quickly stopped. “I hope we won’t be playing here, though, I was counting we will stay in the living room.”

“Obviously we won’t stay here,” Mira said, getting up. I also did. “There was just no time before to change places, you know?”

“Makes sense. Come on girls! I need to destroy you before we destroy Bo-Ra!” Zoey screamed, running to her room.

“I hope these walls are at least a little soundproof,” I laughed, sitting on a couch.

“I don’t think a little will help with this one,” Mira scoffed, sitting right in front of me.

Zoey came back with the cards, putting them dramatically on the table. She was very hyped right now, which I really needed. I smiled, hugging a dark blue pillow that was next to me, while Mira grabbed the cards and started shuffling them. “Just don’t dare cheat this time,” I laughed.

“I don’t cheat!” She rolled her eyes. “You two on the other hand…”

“Excuse me?!” Zoey put her hands on her hips, now all defensive. “I am just that good, and you two still simply can’t accept that.”

“You’re that good?” I raised my eyebrows. “I don’t think we’re talking about the same game then.”

“Yeah, maybe you wanted to play checkers and you brought the wrong game,” Mira laughed, giving us the cards. “How many?”

“Ten.”

“Perfect.”

“Checkers?! Checkers?! Let’s talk after I completely destroy the two of you then, shall we?”

“Oh, we definitely shall.”

“Maknae starts,” I smiled, looking at my cards.

“You’ll regret giving me that chance.”

“I’m soooo scared,” Mira laughed.

“You should be!”

I smiled, focusing on the game. Those were the moments that made it all worth it. Nights like that were one of the not so many reasons I so wanted to keep going. To fight the demons, to keep the honmoon. Because I knew I have something to fight for. Someone.

And I would never let anyone take the girls from me. They were the only reason that made me stand up to Gwi-Ma at the Idol Awards, even after everything that happened. Because deep down I already understood why everything happened. I knew why we all felt betrayed that night. And I never wanted to make the same mistake again, only way to change it was to first save everyone else.

So I did.

When it came to this hyper crazy rapper and painfully blunt visual, I was pretty sure I could jump into the biggest bonfire just to save them.

“UNO!” I shouted.

“I don’t think so!” Zoey exclaimed, putting a plus two.

“You are going down, girl!” Mira added, also putting the same card. I groaned.

“Oh come on!”

“Plus four!” Both of them laughed.

“Bastards…”

Chapter 51: Chapter Fifty

Notes:

This is it for the day, since I’m at the kpop party in the club right now

I think I slept maybe like an hour… Hopefully. I was falling asleep all breakfast and neither Zoey nor Mira looked better than me. We got so caught up in our uno game, that we didn’t realise the time passing until the sun started sneaking from between the curtains. That was the moment of panic when we quickly collected the cards and ran to our rooms to get some sleep. It wasn’t a very successful mission of mine, but what could I do. Now I was barely keeping my head straight at the table during our breakfast. Bobby was looking at us concerned, probably preparing to finally say something.

“What happened to you three girls?” He asked. There we go.

“We lost track of time,” Zoey explained, drinking the second black coffee already. She was the one slowly waking up, but this amount of caffeine inside her body will have terrible effect in maybe two hours. I guess Mira was as dead as me. She either didn’t even realise Zoey was drinking her second cup, or she had no energy to take it from her. “We were talking, and you know how girl talks go, they can get so interesting, the time just…”

“Flies away,” Mira finished for her. “Never mind, I’m getting more coffee. Rumi?”

“Yes please,” I groaned. “Latte.”

“You have to go to sleep earlier today,” Bobby shook his head. “How about I get you a massage this evening so you can relax and have a better rest?”

“What if we fall asleep during the massage?” Zoey asked, but her eyes were already shining out of excitement when she heard “massage”.

“That’s okay, you can do that,” Bobby waved his hand.

“Mira? Massage?” I asked to the girl who just placed a cup of coffee in front of me.

“Yes!” She basically sang, sitting down happily. “I need myself a massage sooo badly…”

“We’d love a massage,” I laughed, nodding.

Happy Bobby immediately grabbed his phone and got up from the table. We sipped on our coffees, feeling a lot better now. At least our stomachs were full, and we had something to await today. We were still tired enough to not really talk right now, especially since everything we said last night was still enough. From our “late night therapy” to our “war-zone uno game”. A lot has been said. Intentionally.

I heard a camera shutter, making me immediately turn around in the direction of the noise. I looked at a girl who was holding her phone in our direction. She was sitting with another girl, probably her friend. They both got nervous when I waved at them. Well, I guess we already got recognised. This poor hotel will have a lot of fans to deal with soon. And not only fans probably.

“Should we come up to them?” Zoey proposed.

“Dead like that?” Mira raised her eyebrows.

“Your attitude doesn’t change,” I scoffed amused.

“Hm, that’s right. But still, do you think we should?”

“It’s just two girls, why not?” Zoey smiled, her eyes widening in excitement.

She wasn’t wrong. I got up slowly, while Mira sighed, but did the same. Zoey basically jumped out of her chair. We slowly walked up to the girls, who seemed very nervous now. “Hi!” Zoey started. “Are you tourists?”

“Yeah! We came here for ten days! You’re Huntrix, right?” One of them said, smiling.

“Yeah, we are,” Mira nodded.

“We are your fans! We were so heartbroken when we couldn’t get the tickets to the Idol Awards this year.”

“Hopefully we will be at the next one, so then maybe you’ll have a chance,” I smiled.

“Oh, you’ll definitely be at the next one,” the other one spoke. “You three are the best.”

“That’s the spirit,” Mira smiled satisfied. “Well, how about instead of the photo or video you just took we will just take a photo with you?”

“We’d rather not tell anyone yet we’re here,” Zoey nodded.

“Oh! I’m so sorry,” the girl grabbed her phone, deleting the photo. “I wanted to send that to my photo to my mom to show her, I really didn’t want to post it anywhere.”

“Well, now you will have a better photo to send her,” Zoey smiled. “Bobby!”

“A photo?” He asked immediately, walking up to us.

“Could you please?” I nodded. “Whose phone?”

“Mine,” the girl handed Bobby the phone. “Thank you so much.”

“No problem at all,” we said, posing for a photo with the two girls.

As a good manager, Bobby took many photos, giving us hints how to turn and where to stand. He was really a great photographer already when it came to random photos with fans. The girls thanked us a lot of times before disappearing, not even finishing their breakfast. Mira shook her head.

“To waste the food?”

“Shut up, Mira,” Zoey hit her in the shoulder. “They probably forgot.”

“You have the massage at eight thirty in the evening,” Bobby explained while we sat back at our table. “And you have a little more than an hour to finish this breakfast and get ready for the day.”

“We fought demons on a crashing plane right before the concert, we can do that easily,” Mira scoffed.

“Wait a second… crashing plane?!” Bobby exclaimed terrified. Zoey hit Mira again.

“Now why would you say that?”

“Sorry, I forgot…”

I shook my head, stopping a smile. We quickly finished the breakfast, listening to Bobby describing our schedule for today. It wasn’t as busy, so it was fine. He was asking as if we need anything to survive the day, but we weren’t even able to come up with anything so refused. “Okay, then I’m waiting for you at the set. I still have a couple of things to do before, so I’ll be going. See you soon girls.”

“Bye Bobby!” We waved at him.

“All right, it’s time to lock in and survive the day,” I said, putting my hands dramatically on the table.

“For the massage!” Zoey raised her fist.

“For the massage!” Mira repeated.

We drank the tea and put all the tables back on the place for dirty dishes, leaving the restaurant section of the hotel. We still had approximately thirty minutes to dress and do makeup. Obviously Bobby will take some photos while we will be working on the set today. It wasn’t only to promote ourselves, but also the reality show. Killing two birds at one. I ran to the bathroom to take a quick shower. At last, I didn’t manage to occupy the bathroom before Zoey stole it yesterday, so I didn’t manage to take a shower then. I might be crazy, but I’m not as crazy as to go and wash at three am. Even hunters have their own limits.

I felt much better after that. I quickly put on my clothes, opening the door. “Who wants to sacrifice herself?!” I shouted.

“Oh! Me!” Zoey ran up to me, quickly grabbing the hairdryer I was holding. “I’m almost finished doing my makeup anyway, so let’s just go to your room and you’ll do your makeup while I’m drying your hair.”

“You’re a genius,” I smiled and we walked to my room. I opened a door, stopping immediately.

“Ha! You already have a volunteer!” Zoey laughed, putting the hairdryer in Jinu’s hand. “Have fun you too,” she pushed me inside, closing the door.

I blinked, still surprised. “How the hell did you even get here?” I asked, as Jinu sat me down at the vanity table, uncovering the mirror. Ha, I forgot to do that before.

“I teleported with Baby, and he just left. We figured out we can do that, so why not use that?” He smiled, leaning closer to my ear. I loved having him so close. I breathed in, realising he used perfumes. When did he get any? And why did they smell so good? Jinu carefully grabbed the hair on my left side, moving them to the right shoulder. “Besides, didn’t you want me to be able to teleport to you whenever?” He whispered.

I bit on my cheek, not really knowing what to say. He really surprised me, but it was a good surprise. “I don’t have much time for you right now.”

“That’s okay,” he slowly kissed my neck right under my ear. “I’ll wait.”

I smiled. “Now you can dry my hair then, I really need to disappear soon. And I still have my makeup to do.”

“Say no more.”

Jinu turned on the hairdryer. It wasn’t the first time he was forced to help with my hair, so fortunately, he already knew what to do. I took out all the makeup and brushed I will need, and started working, without moving much. I didn’t really want to make his job more difficult.

My makeup was finished before he was done, obviously. Not only did I have long hair, but they were also unnecessary thick. I looked in the mirror, smiling at the view of a very focused Jinu. I sneakily grabbed the phone that was right next to me and turned on the camera. I took a photo that I knew I will have to store in my hidden album, just in case. Can’t risk it. Suddenly, Jinu lifted his head, looking at what I’m doing. Shit. Before I could turn off the phone, he smiled and posed, leaning his head lightly on the top of mine.

“Now you should take a picture. I have to look good, you know?” He said. I didn’t even dare to say anything, just took another one. He nodded satisfied. “That’s much better.”

“You better go back to your job,” I scoffed.

“Who’s a tyrant now?” He laughed, kissing the top of my head. “Just so you know, I’m almost finished. And that means we still have time,” I didn’t look at Jinu after he said that, pretending that I’m very busy with my phone. Wow, what an interesting phone wallpaper… Just don’t blush, Rumi.

Only after I made sure he was back to drying my hair, did I put back my phone. I focused on him, observing every little movement of his. How he clenched his jaw when he was focusing, how slowly and delicately his hands moved around my hair to not hurt me. How his eyes shifted and were looking ahead of what he was doing.

”You are occupying my mind, crawling right under my skin with every touch
Just stay with me, feed me with what you have, I don’t need much
Darling, come closer
Let me show you what I can do…”

“Where did your mind drift to?” I jumped at the sudden voice of Jinu. “Sorry.”

“I just… I have an idea for a new song,” I explained quickly, grabbing my phone.

“Really? That’s great! What song?” I watched him put back the hairdryer.

“Oh, nothing much right now,” I quickly tapped the lyrics into the chat with the girls, hoping he wouldn’t look through my shoulder right now.

“I’m still curious.”

“You’ll hear it when we release them,” I nodded, typing as fast as I could.

“What? Shouldn’t I have the boyfriend privilege?” Jinu leaned his chin on my shoulder, making me turn off my phone quickly. “Oh? I saw that.”

“You saw what exactly?” I scoffed, putting the phone back on the vanity table.

“Fred me with what you have?” Jinu laughed, shaking his head. “Rumi, shouldn’t you be kids friendly?”

“Kids won’t even understand it! I mean…” I stuttered. Shit. “How can you be so fast?”

“I read a lot after I started living with you three, so I guess I’m quite a fast reader now. So? Will you feed me with what you have?”

After that question, he easily turned the chair so I was now facing him. Jinu placed his hands on both of the sides of the chair. I felt my pulse rising, while my breath fastened. He leaned even closer, while I tried to remember what time it is.

“We have ten minutes,” I managed to whisper. He only smiled, kissing me shortly.

“You want to check what I can do in those ten minutes?”

“Try to change the repertoire today.” I kissed him again.

Notes:

If something doesn’t make sense, I was dancing while writing it, so please forgive me

Chapter 52: Chapter Fifty One

Notes:

Unfortunately, I am so exhausted, you will not get more chapters today

I entered the room, still breathing heavily from running. Okay so, those ten minutes may have been a bad idea after all. "I'm so sorry..." I said slowly, sitting down next to the girls. "Drying my hair took me longer than I wanted it to, and someone forgot to remind me what time it is," I looked at Mira and Zoey who only giggled. How annoying.

"Don't worry, Rumi, you were only two minutes late," Bobby smiled. "And girls said you are already almost ready."

"Okay, since the three of you are already here," the director said from the other side of the table, "we can start discussing the show."

"What exactly is the idea and the plan for it?" Mira asked, leaning her chin on one hand.

"It's simple really," the man smiled. "The reality show will last six weeks. Six weeks of different challenges the participants have to face. They will be mostly musical and idol challenges, although we have some ideas for special ones that will be more... extreme," the director smiled. I looked at the girls, who seemed as interested as me right now. Extreme in what way exactly? "But not too crazy, obviously. They still have an idol image to protect, you definitely understand what I'm talking about," he laughed. We nodded. Unfortunately, we knew about that a little too well. "You three will be obviously responsible for judging how the participants handled the challenges, based on that you will have to choose either one or two participants each week to eliminate. Your decision will be sixty percent of a full one. The rest forty percent will be the fans who will obviously decide purely on how likeable the participants are, since they will not only be watching them do those challenges, but observing them during all this time when they will all be living here in the hotel. The winner gets a two-year contract deal with your company and a chance to perform live with you on stage. They will become your opening artist during the world tour you will go on after this reality show. So? Any thoughts?"

The director looked at us, while we were trying to comprehend everything we just got to know. And it was definitely a lot of information. I was trying to sort every little detail about this show so it makes sense to me. It seemed completely crazy, but in the way that fans will actually feel entertained. I was wondering who exactly came up with this idea, it definitely had to take some time to think about.

"Bobby mentioned to us before that there will be five groups and five soloists," Zoey spoke out first.

"Yes, that's right. We wanted to diversify it a little more. Obviously, the challenges will be a little more difficult and more complicated. Some of them will even be split up to those two categories, so the chances are fair," the director quickly explain. "This reality show will be a very experimental one, we want to see if those changes can perhaps bring more to the table."

"So we're here to not make this reality show fail basically," Mira concluded, clearly stopping herself from a very ironic smile.

"No, no, no, you are here as hosts and judges," the man quickly said.

"That's exactly what I said," she nodded, completely unaffected about the director's face right now. I gave her a warning look.

Even though I did understand where that came from, we shouldn't really make the director be against us. As not only kpop idols, but also demon hunters, we needed to have some privacy. And if we get on nerves of this man too much, I was pretty sure we wouldn't really get any privacy. Besides, it wasn't as much to do, nor would it be that difficult. At least I hoped so. But we did so many different things that seemed much scarier, I was pretty confident we won't meet much obstacles.

"I love the idea!" Zoey smiled. "What will the challenges be?"

"That's another thing," the man smiled. "You will receive an envelope at every breakfast with one or two challenges the participants will have to face that day. This way we can also see your own reactions to them, which will be a nice addition for all the Huntrix fans watching."

We nodded. It seemed pretty exciting actually. "We can't wait to start this show," I smiled. The director seemed very happy about that, which I took for a good sign.

"It does seem very interesting," Mira agreed, her arms still crossed.

Bobby clapped his hands, getting up. "Okay, so since we know the general idea now, we can focus on the details now!"

And that's when the more boring and exhausting part came in. We had to listen closely where the cameras will be and how will the schedules look like. What days will be free for us to rest, what days will be completely packed. We needed to remember the areas where we could help the participants and those where we couldn't.

A lot of information my tired brain was definitely not prepared for today. Well, Zoey and Mira also didn't seem to process everything clearly, but I saw Mira turn on the voice recording o her phone. If we forget anything, we will have like five hours of voice notes to find that information, along with many more. It still seemed like a good idea. There was no way today our minds were working correctly. I could still see colourful uno cards in front of my eyes from this night.

Come on, Rumi. You are an idol for so long, it's not your first time. You can do it.

But it definitely was the best thing to hear Bobby finally say: "All right, since now you know everything, you have the rest of today for yourselves." He was smiling at us, while the three of us just gained much more energy. "Don't forget your massage tonight, and rest well tomorrow. Try to sleep this night, okay?"

"Of course!" We nodded energetically. "Bye Bobby! See you tomorrow!"

"Bye girls!"

We quickly left, walking down the corridor. The girls started chanting "Ma-ssage! Ma-ssage!" on our way, so I decided to join them. Fortunately, this hotel was one of those exclusive ones where you usually don't find many people, especially when it's not in the season, so we could walk around more carelessly than we usually did. It was really a good break. Even though I enjoyed being an idol, it was exhausting sometimes, to always have to be aware that you go out in a public. Meaning, you might be recognised, you might be interrupted. And it didn't matter how much we loved our fans, we also had bad days.

The lights in the elevator flickered, as I saw Mira tense. Us three, on the other hand, we had a bad month.

"Are you okay?" I asked her.

"Yeah, I just... This reminded me a little too much of my nightmare," she sighed, fixing her glasses. "But I'm fine. I dreaaam to lay on the couch right now."

"How about we order some food to our room?" Zoey jumped excitedly. "I never got to do that yet!"

"I think it's a great idea. The only place I have any energy to walk to, is that massage Bobby got us," I laughed.

"Mmm, yeah," Mira nodded. "We are definitely ordering food." The elevator opened and we left quickly. "Should we include your demon boy too, Rumi?"

"What?" I felt my face flushing. "Oh, he definitely already left," I laughed. "He was just visiting, you know. I think he missed me."

"Visiting, right," Zoey chuckled. "Visiting to do what exactly?"

"Zoey!" I took out the card to unlock the door. "If you two continue, I will force you to sleep on the corridor!"

"Wow, you two are that crazy?" Mira teased me even more. "Hey, but since he's pretty ancient, does he even know how to have good sex? Is he a virgin? How does it work?"

"Mira!" I looked nervously at the closed door to my room, praying Jinu wasn't still there. He did promise to wait, but now I really wished he broke that promise.

"Mystery doesn't seem to have any problems with that though," Zoey shrugged. "And he's even older than Jinu. So shouldn't Jinu know one or two things?"

"We didn't have sex yet, can you guys stop it?" My face was already completely red, while the girls quickly changed into their comfortable clothes and laid on the couch.

"But you two did do something, right?" Zoey kept on asking. "You can't tell me you two only kiss all the time."

"Oh my god, why am I even talking about that with you," I murmured embarrassed.

"We should find out if demon boy even knows how sex works, if he doesn't, we will educate him so he can satisfy you," Mira said with completely straight face.

"You know what? You are so right," Zoey nodded.

"You two will definitely not talk to him about that!" I shook my head. "And don't... We... I.... Ugh, no more talks about that! I'm going to rest!" I stuttered quickly.

"Have fun!"

"Don't forget to use protection!"

"Actually rest!" I scoffed, quickly entering my room, and closing the door immediately.

I leaned on the door, closing my eyes and trying to stabilise my breath. My heart was now beating like crazy, and I could feel my face was just red right now. What a mess I was...

I opened my eyes, my stomach making a twist, as I felt Jinu right in front of me. I looked at him surprised. Why did he have to wait for me? Did he hear anything from the conversation? Why now? My face flushed even more, as he leaned closer, looking at me carefully.

"So how do you want to rest?" He whispered, as I felt my face get even warmer. Jinu slowly smiled, looking at me patiently. Why did he have to stay? Why couldn't he just... I don't know, get kidnapped by the Saja Boys to be a tyrant or something?

Even if I did want to reply, I didn't even think about any kind of rest right now. I mean, I was hoping Jinu will wait for me until the girls started talking about that again. And fine, I was slowly getting more comfortable with those topics, while also getting more bold around Jinu, but it was still a very slow process.

Although he did look good right now. I watched carefully his face, completely forgetting I should say anything. My stomach was still doing flips, but I decided to get on my toes and kiss him slowly. Before Jinu could deepen the kiss, I quickly moved aside, a smile lingering on my face. "I think I will just join the girls and do nothing," I laughed, seeing Jinu's disappointed and yearning look. A sudden heat attacked my chest again. Focus. I walked up to the closet, controlling every cell of my body not to look at him again. "But thank you for waiting for me, it's really sweet." I opened the closet, reaching out for my set of clothes I wanted to change into, when I felt Jinu's hands on my waist, one of them slowly going under my shirt. I stopped, grabbing the door from the closet to keep my balance.

"How about I help you change then?" Jinu whispered right to my ear, making my spine tingle. I felt his body right behind mine, if it wasn't for his left hand that was now playing with the strap of my bra, there would be no distance between us. "You like to tease me so much?"

Did he even know how nowadays bras worked? Could he actually just simply unhook it? How could he know how to do that? What was I even thinking about? Rumi, that shouldn't be any of your concerns right now. "Tease?" I scoffed. My thoughts were spiralling, as my heart couldn’t find the normal rhythm. And on top of that, he decided to use that damn perfume, making me wish this scent could be all on me... "You're the one who always teases me."

He slowly kissed my neck, making me close my eyes and lean back, not really thinking logically anymore. "Am I?" he whispered, pressing harder on me. "Then I definitely have to redeem myself."

I shivered from the burning feeling of his body. His hand easily unhooked my bra, while Jinu turned me around. I grabbed his face and kissed him again, feeling my shirt move slowly up. Without even thinking about it much, I pushed Jinu back on the bed behind him, sitting on his hips. He smiled. Before I could lean closer, I ended on the back, while he was right above me. I watched his face carefully. It was now so close, I could really focus on all the details. How could anyone be so beautiful? His hands slowly took off my shirt, while he kissed me again. I closed my eyes, completely turning off my thoughts. He was all I needed.

Chapter 53: Chapter Fifty Two

Notes:

I changed the summary of this fanfic to the one that I think matches better

The three of us were now lying on our backs while enjoying the massage right next to each other. It started maybe fifteen minutes ago, but I was already feeling so much better. This was an excellent idea of Bobby's.

"This is exactly what I needed..." Mira was the first to speak.

"Yeah..." Zoey agreed, already completely relaxed. I smiled. "This is the perfect ending of the day..."

"After this massage, nobody bothers me, the bed is waiting for me," I said with my eyes still closed.

The woman's hands were basically magical, given how relaxed I was already feeling after such a short while. It seemed like I was just getting a completely new body. All my muscles on the upper side were slowly loosening, as I realised how tense I had been all this time. How could I even get my body to a state like this? Even I was surprised by how bad it was.

My eyelids were getting heavier while the woman was still massaging me slowly. I was already falling asleep, but I couldn't help it. I haven't felt that relaxed for so long; it felt incredible. My mind just stopped running around; it only focused on the here and now, while my body felt like it was going through some kind of transformation that would make me much more energetic.

"Rumi," my mind was kept awake by Zoey's voice. I didn't even bother to open my eyes. "Do you know if Jinu is staying for the night?"

"I didn't think to ask him that. Why?"

"Maybe I should invite Mystery... I mean, he can teleport, so nobody will know."

"Girls, I love you, but I was hoping to rest tonight," Mira groaned. "And with the four of you under the same roof..." she sighed. "I don't think that's possible."

"Oh, don't exaggerate so much," Zoey chuckled. "We're not that bad."

If Bobby didn't make these three women sign an NDA before our massage, I would already have scolded these two. Fortunately, as the best manager would, he made sure that we could feel as comfortable as possible. Which I guess meant also those topics.

"I heard enough of your stories to know that you and Mystery are that bad," Mira scoffed.

"Oh, but we're not animals. I just want to spend some more time with him, since during the reality show it will be much more difficult."

"Didn't you come back with a bite mark after one night?" I opened my eyes, surprised by the new information. "And you want to tell me you're perfectly normal?"

"It's just biting," Zoey murmured.

"It was on your hip."

"I still don't see any problems."

"You two are wild," I scoffed, still surprised.

"Then how about you and Jinu? There is nothing you two are doing?"

"I... well..." I stopped, trying to think about whether I should say anything. "We don't bite each other."

"You're right. You use your nails," Mira laughed. "I saw the red marks on the demon boy's back once. You are also having fun."

I closed my eyes, not even wanting to respond to that. I think I should start forbidding Jinu from ever taking off his shirt.

Oh my gosh, I was starting to sound ridiculous.

Since I haven't replied to anything, the girls just changed the topic, while I focused on falling asleep again. Okay, I didn't focus; it was just naturally happening since the massage was that good. The voices of Mira and Zoey were slowly fading, as I finally felt like this time I wouldn't have any nightmares after I let my eyes close. And just like that, I completely drifted away.

I was woken up by the lady, who had just finished.  I thanked her a lot, and when she left, I turned to look at Zoey and Mira. They were still sleeping, which was a perfect opportunity for me.

"Demon!" I shouted, making them almost fall off their beds. Okay, Zoey did fall. I started laughing as these two looked at me, annoyed.

"Rumi!" Zoey exclaimed, getting up from the floor. "You scared me!"

"That was the point," I smiled. "I see we all did need that."

"I feel like I was just born again," Mira stretched out her arms with a huge smile. "Nothing can stop me now, this body is brand new."

"I feel the same," Zoey nodded, walking first to the changing room. Me and Mira followed her. "I forgot how it feels to dream when I'm sleeping."

"You don't have dreams?" Mira asked, surprised.

"My last dream was maybe..." Zoey stopped to think. That long? "Two years ago?"

"So you just... see nothing?" I asked, confused. "How does that work?"

"I'm just sleeping," Zoey shrugged. "I guess you could say that I see nothing."

"Well, what did you dream about today?" Mira asked, putting on her shirt and glasses. We were all dressed up. We left the changing room, thanked the women again for the massage at the reception, and entered a quiet corridor. "I hope it was something interesting."

"It was definitely interesting," Zoey nodded as we were waiting for an elevator. I was now regretting I didn't bring my phone, since I had no idea what time it was already. Ten maybe? Still nine? "Although it was a pretty crazy dream, I have to say..."

"Pretty crazy as in?" We entered the empty elevator, while Zoey was remembering exactly what she dreamed about.

"Well, it started like a normal dream. I was stuck on some island, and this island was actually a giant turtle with trees, sand and all that island stuff on its back..." Ah yes, a very normal dream. I exchanged amused looks with Mira while listening to Zoey. "...then it turned out that this monkey could talk and it had the voice of this one guy from this one interview we had a year ago. This guy that Mira wanted to punch so much, remember?"

"Unfortunately," Mira scoffed. I immediately went back to that day. Until today I find this interview the biggest patience test of the girl. And she passed. Barely, but she did. Even though I had an urge to kick him, he was so disrespectful during this whole interview. I remember Bobby managed to stop it much earlier than it should have ended and promised we would never come back to that show. As always, he stood on our side.

"Yeah! So I threw this monkey to the ocean because he started saying all those creepy comments again," Zoey continued explaining. "But after doing that..."

She stopped. The lights in the elevator flickered again. The three of us went completely silent, realising it was happening yet again. It couldn't be an accident anymore. I looked at the screen showing the floors, frowning. Something was definitely wrong.

"Don't tell me..." Mira sighed. She was already done, and I wasn't surprised. To be honest, I would also rather not have any weird situations connected to Bo-Ra right now. Just one relaxing day, was it really too much? We heard a squeaky laugh. Unfortunately, it was definitely Bo-Ra's doing. "Great..."

The three of us quickly materialised our weapons, waiting for anything to happen. Why the elevator, out of all places? I mean, sure, it was pretty spacious compared to normal ones, but come on. We watched for any sign of Bo-Ra appearing, but she didn't. We could only hear her laugh, which was deafening. I looked at the screen again, realising the elevator skipped our floor and was still going up. How was she even doing that? I tried to press any button so it could finally stop somewhere, but it couldn't. It didn't.

"I should have known that taking elevators isn't a good idea anymore," Mira whispered. "Those little metal boxes are the worst type of transportation."

"Maybe we can stop it somehow else?" Zoey proposed, watching with a worried look at the screen quickly changing the numbers.

"I have a bad feeling about this..." I whispered.

The numbers were still going up, as the lights inside didn't even stop flickering. Soon enough, we'll reach the last floor. And what then? I observed the screen, that suddenly turned off with the lights. The whole elevator went completely pitch black, stopping. We waited for a second, but nothing happened. I tried to find a button that opened the door.

"Should we just cut through the door?" Mira proposed. "I think it won't be as difficult with our weapons. They're magical after all."

"You know what, it's worth a...!" I screamed before finishing. The elevator dropped. It was now falling down, while I was desperately trying to find any solution. A stupid elevator trap couldn't defeat us so easily, right?

We hid our weapons, not wanting to risk damaging ourselves while trying to hold onto anything, so the damage from the fall wouldn't be as big. I felt my stomach in my throat. My whole insides just twisted in the worst possible way, as I just wanted this nightmare to end. If I make it out alive, I will never take any elevator again...

We fell on the floor, as the door slowly opened. It all almost convinced me that maybe I just imagined everything, but when I saw we were now in the underground parking, I was sure it wasn't my mind tricking me. It did happen. Mira and Zoey were as confused, but we didn't want to risk it, quickly left the elevator. Never again.

"Stairs?" Mira pointed at the door leading to the staircase. We nodded.

"I will not trust these damn metal boxes again," Zoey shivered. "I just had a massage, and now my arm already hurts again..."

"Tell me about it," I sighed, massaging the back of my neck. What kind of unfunny jokes was Bo-Ra playing now?

Before Mira even grabbed the door handle, a demon jumped at her out of nowhere. Zoey was the first one to act. She quickly materialised her Eunjang-do, pushing back the demon. It was the earth demon. I heard another footsteps, quickly grabbing my sword and turning to attack another one. I dodged the attack, cutting through its' stomach, while another one jumped at me. I barely avoided him, scratching my knee on the uneven asphalt. Where did all these demons come from? All of them couldn't stay here after the Idol Awards, Bo-Ra had to either get them out or somehow get new demons. But which was it?

"Girls, it's getting serious," Mira shouted whilst slashing three demons at once. "We have to think of a good way to get them out of here."

"Honmoon!" Zoey immediately proposed. "Let's sing!"

"You think we can push them down with honmoon?" I asked, not really sure about this plan.

"We have to try! I mean, sure, we still have to fight them... Ew!" Zoey dodged an attack, while I focused on the ones attacking me. They were surprisingly quiet during this fight.

"But it would save us some time!" Mira finished for the girls, understanding what she meant.

I cut off another demon's head, while closely observing the honmoon, which did seem unstable now. I bit on my cheek. We had to try. "Takedown?" I asked.

"Takedown!" The girls replied.

We started singing, while still fighting the demons. I observed surprised how something very soul-looking started to glow inside of them. I turned to Mira and Zoey who saw the same thing. What was that about? Were those also the souls we could theoretically control? But shouldn't demons not have souls?
The honmoon started glowing, while we continued. It was actually working. Slowly, those colourful threads started attacking the demons, bringing them under the ground. We didn't stop yet, waiting for every single one to disappear. I slashed another one that tried to attack Zoey from behind. Finally, there was none. We finished the song, sighing with relief.

"My whole evening just got ruined," Mira groaned, opening the door to the staircase.

"But did you see it? Was those the souls?" Zoey asked as we nodded. We slowly started climbing the stairs.

"They did look like souls," I said. "We really have so much to still figure out..."

"For example, how does honmoon actually work, can we control it better, and do demons have souls we had no idea about before," Mira counted on her fingers. "Nothing serious..."

"Do you think if I asked the lady to do another thirty minutes of massage, she would hate me?" Zoey asked with a hopeful look. I shook my head.

"Let's go there tomorrow. It would be too weird to come back now. Besides..." I pointed at her hands which had a couple of scratches. Then showed my knee, and Mira's torn pants. "How will we explain all of that?"

"We better collect more knowledge so we finally defeat Bo-Ra," Zoey cried. "I can't survive like this."

"I agree," Mira nodded. "Gwi-Ma at least never destroyed our spa days."

Chapter 54: Chapter Fifty Three

Notes:

My motivation is BACK

We finally got to the floor our room was located on, entering the corridor. It had to be at least ten at night, if not later. The lights didn't automatically turn on, which made my blood freeze again. She was still somewhere here, I knew it. "Girls?" I had to make sure they were still next to me.

"We're here," Mira said. I felt her arm on my shoulder.

"Okay, good," I nodded, knowing she had no way of seeing that. I guess it was just a way to make me feel a little better.

It was already dark outside, so even the windows weren't very helpful, especially since it was a new moon today. The worst possible time to pull stunts like that. Our footsteps were muted by the carpet, which I was now very grateful for. I don't think I would survive it any other way. It was dark, and it was quiet. I tried to breathe as little as possible, afraid that when the silence is broken, Bo-Ra will suddenly appear out of thin air. Mira still held my shoulder, while Zoey grabbed my hand to hold. We were all now wary and careful.

Our room was at the end of the corridor, so it was fortunately easy to navigate. At least, it should be. I realised something was wrong when the corridor didn't seem to end after we walked down it for more than five minutes. It had to be one of Bo-Ra's doing, although I still had no idea how she could manipulate our surroundings so much. How powerful was she exactly?

"Are we sure we climbed the right floor?" Zoey whispered, also clearly afraid to break the silence around.

"It would be impossible to miss a huge number on the floor," Mira replied as quietly. "Besides, even if we were on another floor, the corridor couldn't possibly go for this long."

"Should we try to go back?" I proposed.

"Do you think it can help us? What if we get even more lost?"

"But we can't just go on like this for who knows how long," Zoey said.

"Let's try to walk for a little longer, and if..." I stopped.

There was something on the ground that I just stepped into, which made my heart beat even faster. I could feel my muscles tense all over, while my thoughts were spinning. Deep breaths, Rumi. I slowly crouched, trying to find where the mysterious liquid was. Should I check it? Was it even a good idea to do that? I reached my hand and carefully touched the weird substance under my feet. My blood immediately froze when I realised what it was. I felt like I was out of breath, while my hands started shaking.

Blood.

Blood everywhere. It was so dark I couldn't even see my hand, which was now stained with it. And why was it still warm? Whose blood was it? My head started spinning, as I couldn't even bring myself to stand up again. Was this Bo-Ra's doing? Did she kill someone only to scare us? What was it doing here?

"Rumi?" I heard Mira's concerned voice. "Are you okay? What's wrong?"

I opened my mouth to respond, but I couldn't. My throat tightened, while my heart ached. My hand was still stained with someone's blood, and I couldn't take it off. I needed to get out of there, I needed to wash my hands, I needed...

That laugh again. I closed my ears with my hands to try and mute it as much as possible. If I could just reach Bo-Ra right now, I would make sure to assassinate her. I would make sure to kill her in the worst possible way, to make her feel at least the smallest amount of pain I did now. I would cut out her vocal cords so she could never laugh again. I would cut out her hands, so she could never control any more demons. I would cut off her head, so she would never again enter anyone's mind. I wanted to make her suffer.

Mira crouched next to me, placing her hand on my back. "Hey, what's wrong with you?"

"Blood," I whispered.

"Blood?" She asked, surprised.

"On the floor."

Even though Mira was very close, I could barely see her silhouette in this darkness. She leaned closer to the puddle, checking herself what it was. "Shit. It is blood..."

"What?" Zoey squatted next. "Where did this blood come from?"

I shook my head, wondering if the girls could even see that. Hopefully. Most of what I wanted to say was still stuck in my throat as I tried to calm down. What was happening to me? It was not how I always acted or how I would normally react. It was blood, it happens. Rumi, get it together. You have to finally find a way back to your room, but you can't.

I screamed, feeling the sudden pain in my right hand. It was as if someone just cut it with a million small knives.

"Rumi!" The girls turned to me as I felt tears slowly coming down my cheeks. I couldn't even control them anymore. "What happened? What's wrong?"

That laugh again. "I... my hand..." I whispered, feeling the blood slowly dripping from it.

"We have to get out of here," Mira said, helping me get up. "As soon as possible."

"So we're going back?" Zoey asked.

"I don't see any other choice."

The girls supported me while we started going back through the corridors. Useless. I was again just useless. I closed my eyes, trying to calm down. My hand was burning, while my head was spinning. What was going on? How could Bo-Ra even manage to do that? Or was it not her? But it had to be, only she was as crazy. How could she have so much power, though? How were we about to fight her, if she easily played with us as if we were just little kids? I slowly stabilised my breath, now walking on my own.

Focus.

You are not useless; you are needed. You can protect people, and you will defeat Bo-Ra. If the three of you weren't skilled enough, she wouldn't spend so much time trying to break all of you. You will manage. Just like you always do, just believe.

Focus, Rumi.

Suddenly, the lights switched on, and we stopped, surprised, right before the door to our room. How did that happen? The girls were as confused. I looked down at my hand, seeing my skin covered in crimson blood. I sighed. How will I explain that?

"Rumi!" Zoey grabbed my hand, concerned. "How could that happen?"

"I don't know," I shook my head. "I suddenly felt the pain, and before I realised, my hand was bleeding."

"This fucking..." Mira hissed under her breath. "She's so scared she is playing dirty. When I finally catch her, I..."

The door opened as Jinu showed up. He was looking at the three of us, confused. "Where the hell have you been? It has been almost three hours since you left! What happened?" I smiled, entering the room. It felt like I was just getting scolded by a mother after going out to a party. Me and Zoey sat down on the couch in the living room while Mira disappeared into the bathroom, probably taking out a first-aid kit. That's when Jinu saw my hand. "Rumi!" He jumped at me, but was quickly pushed away by Mira.

"Out of my way, demon boy," she scoffed, sitting right in front of me. I gave her the hand.

"What happened?"

"Bo-Ra happened," Zoey sighed. "We have no idea how, but she can control the surroundings. We fell in an elevator, we fought like a hundred demons, we got lost in an endless corridor with blood, Rumi got hurt..."

"You get your stupid friends here right now," Mira turned to Jinu. "We need all the demon's experience with magic to improve our own. Rumi, you will go and rest."

"What?" I hissed after Mira sprayed the disinfectant on my wounds. "We should act immediately."

"You cannot act when you're constantly hurt. Your body needs to rest." Zoey explained. "You are not the only one who will fight with Bo-Ra, remember. We're also here."

"I know, I just don't want to suddenly turn into someone useless just because I'm hurt. Besides, it's nothing much," I murmured.

"Nothing much?" Mira scoffed while bandaging my hand. "This hand just got healed after the previous accident. I mean, sure, it's great your half-demon body heals quickly, but it doesn't mean you shouldn't rest."

"Wait, wait, wait," Jinu said. "What do you mean "just got healed"? After what? Were you hurt before?"

I looked at him, not sure what to say. He shouldn't know. Okay, he probably should, but it was still a little difficult for me to say. I took a deep breath. "I hurt my hand after destroying the mirror in my room."

Jinu didn't say anything, but something in his eyes shifted. I watched him closely, seeing how he closes his fists and how his muscles tense. I bit the inside of my cheek, trying to focus on what Mira was doing. She was almost finished taking care of my wounds. I watched her slowly tie the bandage, tightly enough that it was comfortable for me.

"I feel like Bo-Ra is desperately trying to hurt you," she said, getting up. "Maybe that's just my opinion."

"It seems like she mainly focuses on Rumi lately," Zoey agreed. I sighed.

"But why would she do that? She didn't even come up in my dreams or anything."

"Maybe she can't," Jinu whispered, sitting next to me. "Maybe she is trying to break you differently."

"Demon boy can be right," Mira nodded, taking the box with a first-aid kit back to the bathroom. "Me and Zoey are just humans, it's easy for both Gwi-Ma and Bo-Ra to enter our minds. Obviously. They had to get more demons somehow," she said, sitting down on the couch. "But you didn't get affected during the Idol Awards, did you? You didn't hear Gwi-Ma's voice telling you your worst fears."

I looked at the girls, concerned. "You could hear him during the Idol Awards?" I got goosebumps even thinking about that.

"We could," Zoey admitted. "That's how we ended up in the crowd. But you didn't. You seem to be completely able to block either of them."

"I was the first one whose dreams Bo-Ra attacked now," Mira continued. "She didn't go after you, although I bet she would also have a lot to unpack there," I grimaced at these words. She was unfortunately right. "Now you are again having impostor thoughts, but not because Bo-Ra is talking to you, it's because she's manipulating the reality so your thoughts blame you about what happens. That's how she is trying to mess with your head."

"Wait, does that mean I'm next?" Zoey suddenly realised.

"Let's hope not," I shook my head. "We can't let her be free any longer; we have to finally start acting to defeat her."

"How did you find your room?" Jinu suddenly asked. "You said Bo-Ra shifted the reality, and you were stuck in an endless corridor. What happened?"

"She just... stopped?" Zoey tried to make a guess.

"Or she was stopped," Mira turned to me. "Rumi, did you manage to calm down before we found the door?"

"I..." I blinked in surprise. "Well, yes. I calmed down my body, and then..." I stopped. "You don't mean to say..."

"I opened the doors, cause I wanted to start looking for you three. I saw the honmoon shake," Jinu explained. Mira nodded.

"And that's when Bo-Ra's tricks stopped working."

"Wait!" I jumped from the couch. "No, you don't mean to say... That's impossible!"

"Rumi, you are the one who broke the spell," Zoey agreed with Jinu and Mira. "I mean, it would make sense. And it seems like she is fully aware of how dangerous and strong you are, so she is trying to keep you unstable."

"No, that's impossible. I mean, I know I'm part demon, but..."

"And the honmoon is the strongest it has been in ages," Jinu continued. Since the first hunters. You aren't the only one who did that, all three of you have much power, but you, Rumi, definitely are the centre."

"The powerhouse of the cell!" Zoey exclaimed. "You are our mitochondria, Rumi!"

"Zoey, what the hell," I scoffed, amused at that stupid comparison. "Okay, but let's say I am powerful or whatever. I don't know how to use that, nor do I know how to protect myself from Bo-Ra's mind games."

"Let's start with a protection spell!" Zoey quickly left, appearing with a fluffy yellow notebook. "I have been doing some research with Mystery about witchcraft we could learn and use as hunters, and did you guys know there is a protective spell on our building? That is why Bo-Ra can only manipulate reality here, moving the elevator or changing the corridors. In our building, her tricks were very limited."

"How did you find that out?" Mira looked at the notes inside. I also walked closer to see, while Jinu was now leaning on Zoey's shoulder. We were all very surprised.

"I am not idle," she smiled, satisfied. "We managed to navigate an ancient spell book in one of the smallest and weirdest libraries in Seoul, but unfortunately, it can't be borrowed. So we visited it and read as much as we could. Which was just the beginning..." she sighed. "And there's even a better thing about it. You will never guess who donated this book to the library."

I closed my eyes, afraid of an answer. "Don't tell me..."

"That's right! It was Celine herself!"

Chapter 55: Chapter Fifty Four

Notes:

Last chapter for today, hope it's still as good as the rest <33

I hid my face in my hands after Zoey revealed this "revelation". Of course, Celine decided to get rid of anything that could help us as hunters. Why would we need help from the ancient texts, if we had her lies? I sat down on the couch again, my arms crossed. If it weren't for her, I was fairly certain we wouldn't have half of the problems we have right now. "I shouldn't even be surprised by now," I sighed.

"Wait, but if she gave one old book to the library, maybe it's not the only one," Mira pointed out.

"We will have to check. Right now, I managed to find just this one, and well, we came there right before closing, so we didn't even get much information, like I said..." Zoey explained, flipping the notebook to the right pages. "But I found something that can help us."

"Okay, that's perfect," I nodded. "We need everything we possibly can."

"But wait, how did none of us even know you and Mystery found some ancient witch book or something like that?" Mira asked.

"Oh, it happened randomly. We wanted to check the source first," Zoey shrugged with a smile.

"Right... So? What do you have?"

"Okay!" Zoey jumped out of excitement. "I found out we had two kinds of witchcraft, or at least you could call it that. Both of them were suppressed, especially Musok, because it was a female-led practice. How I love men..." I nodded after she said that. Mira also seemed not to be surprised. "The other one was Jusul, but it's only mentioned; there was not much about it in the book. Essentially, Jusul was the typical folk magic that focused on harnessing power from the practitioner's natural abilities, whereas Musok involved rituals and ceremonies performed by Mudangs to interact with the spirit world. Mudang, the shamans who were mainly women, are connected to the spirit world, all gods, and magical beings. That being said, the book describes these practices, which seem very detailed."

I looked impressed at Zoey's notes. She tried to get as much information in that little time as possible. I couldn't even read some of her handwriting, because of how quickly she was probably writing at that time. Was Mystery reading while Zoey was noting? I think only that would make actual sense to collect so much in such a little time.

"So wait, magical beings, like demons?" Jinu asked. Zoey nodded.

"Not only demons, but this one did describe mostly demons. I know, we checked the table of contents. That's probably why Celine gave it up, so we wouldn't find it. At least, I think that's why..."

Right. Nothing better than to hide as much demon facts from demon hunters as possible. It's not like that should be our necessary knowledge. Our basics. No. Not at all. We could just go around and slay the demons, not bothering about anything else. Just like we were doing until now. Too bad we had a crazy psychopath, ancient demon that wanted us to end in a mental hospital now, so the slaying randomly everything with patterns didn't work anymore.

"Okay, but did you find out anything about some spells that concerned the demons, or did you not get that far yet?" Mira asked.

"I told you I know protection spells already!" Zoey scoffed. "Can you be more patient?"

"I don't think Bo-Ra is patient."

"You're ruining my fun..."

"Zoey..."

"Okay, okay... So I guess for now I have to skip the Gut..." she flipped a couple of pages, stopping again. "So! It turns out that our building is also heavily protected from the demons, and that's why even if there were one or two who did manage to go inside, they didn't survive long. The shadow demon we were running after wasn't in pain because of the honmoon as much as he was because he entered a protective place. And the other one who was possessed by Bo-Ra obviously was in pain. Even Bo-Ra herself didn't stay long, do you remember?" We nodded. That was true, she disappeared as quickly as it was possible, although it didn't really seem like her favourite way to solve things. "Yeah, if not for a fact that we couldn't even keep the protective spell going, so it wouldn't let any demon enter, this building would be already a safe castle basically."

"What does that even mean?" I was still confused.

"It means, that every time Celine was visiting us, which was perfectly once a month, she must have kept the spell going."

"So now it was weaker because nobody could strengthen it?" Mira concluded.

"Yes!"

"It now makes sense why I had to send my tiger to Rumi... But the building is still somehow safe now," Jinu said confused.

"That's because the incantation and the caster aren't the only ingredients needed," Zoey smiled. "Girls, remember when Celine told us the building she built for us is almost finished and it just needs one last touch before we move in? When we didn't want to call her pretentious, but thought that she is doing too much?"

I immediately knew what Zoey was talking about, and it seemed like Mira also figured it out. We spoke at the same time. "The jade ornaments!"

"That's right!"

"Wait, so Jade is supposed to protect us from demons?" Mira raised her eyebrows.

"Not only that! Jade was used for ages to ward off any evil, and also heal. But yes, Celine must have used it to make demons stay away, which is already safe enough. But along with proper spell repeated at least once every full moon, it becomes indestructible, and no demon, no matter how powerful, can ever cross the boundary it creates."

"So Celine wasn't just a bougie bitch?" Mira scoffed, as I chuckled at that name. "That's a new one."

"It turns out she was also being practical. Surprisingly."

"And here I thought she was just always obsessed with Jade..." I sighed. "Now it makes sense why her house was also so filled with it."

"Yeah, it does," Zoey nodded.

"Okay, but do you have a spell needed for that? Can the three of you protect this hotel?" Jinu kept on asking.

"Well, it will be difficult to protect the whole hotel, since the Jade has to be unmovable, but it is possible to protect ourselves and our room. And the Saja Boys when they move in."

"So you do have a spell?" I smiled.

"Of course! But there is one problem."

"What now?" Mira groaned.

"We need to wait for the full moon..." Zoey whispered.

"That's in two weeks! How can we stay sane for two weeks with this psycho lurking around?"

"We will have to figure something out," I said, thinking what to do now. "But Zoey, you said Jade itself can ward off evil, right?"

"Yeah."

"So how about we start wearing jade for now? It may not be the full and most powerful spell, but it's better than nothing, isn't it?"

"That's a genius idea," Mira nodded. "I have a lot of jade jewellery, so we don't even have to search for anything. I should give something to Bobby, so he's also safe."

"Yes," I agreed. "I also have a bracelet from..." my throat tightened. Right. I guess it was still painful to think about. Mira put a hand on my shoulder.

"I will give you one of my bracelets," she said, turning to Zoey. "You will get one too."

"How many do you have?" The girl asked surprised. "Is it actual jade?"

"I usually got jade from my family for birthday, I don't know why," she shrugged. "I guess they were obsessed. They never called for me to return those gifts, so I just kept them. I guess they will come in handy now."

I nodded. I now imagined small Mira with that angry expression on her face, pink hair, and jade jewellery all over herself. I smiled. It looked quite funny, I had to say. "Zoey, is there anything else we need for the spell to work? Except for jade and full moon?"

"Uhm..." she looked at her notes again, "spiritual energy?" We looked at her confused. She sighed. "You know, the energy that actually makes the spell work. The inner energy with intention? That kind of thing?"

"So similar to what we were doing with norigae's?" Mira guessed.

"The same thing actually. Connect to the object, to the spell, set intention, and here also say an incantation. That's it," Zoey nodded. "If the three of us do it together, it should be even more powerful than Celine's protective spell on the building ever, so we won't have to worry about Bo-Ra anymore. At least as long as we keep going and we're inside the protected area."

"Obviously," I sighed. "Can we also cast this spell on the jewellery?"

"Of course! We can cast this spell on whatever we want!" Zoey's eyes widened out of excitement. "You know, I wasn't even aware how cool and endless witchcraft is! It's really impressive!"

"Ha, I see we have our little witchy master," Mira smiled. "That's good, we will learn faster what we need to."

I looked at Jinu, who was now listening to our conversation, while not saying anything anymore. It made me wonder what was he thinking about just now. Could he know something more about all of that? But he didn't really seem to be knowledgeable about that stuff. Maybe Baby Saja had some interesting information again? It would definitely be worth it to ask him, after all, he did live the longest from them all. Maybe another Saja Boy knew something? There were five of them, they lived in completely different centuries and probably had completely different lives. One of them had to know something.

"I'll tell Mystery to bring the other guys too," Zoey said happily, making me focus on the girls again. Wait what?

"We're inviting the Saja Boys?" I asked surprised.

"To see if they know more about these spells and stuff," Mira nodded. She already looked like this plan was the last resort, which made me smile unconsciously. "They should finally have some actual use, since they were lucky enough to stay here, you know?"

"Right," I chuckled, as Mira warned me. "Sorry."

"I still didn't forget you told Romance and Abby where is my room," she pointed her finger at me. "Be glad we have Bo-Ra to defeat." I raised my hands in defence.

"Right, of course," I quickly nodded. "But they did help you pack."

"Rumi..."

"All right, all right. I won't say anything."

"They will pick up food for us downstairs," Zoey smiled, putting down her phone. Mira raised her eyebrows, nodding.

"That was fast."

Zoey just smiled widely, clearly proud of herself. "After the dinner we will interrogate them."

"Before it wouldn't make sense," Mira agreed. "Imagine interrogating these pains in the ass while also being hungry," she grimaced. "Nope."

I chuckled, getting up. "Well, I'll come back when the dinner arrives, and right now I'm going to hide in my cave."

"Don't forget your plus one," Mira laughed, clearly referring to Jinu.

"Since when are you my wingman, Pinky?" Jinu scoffed amused.

"Me? Your wingman? In your dreams, demon boy."

"Right. I had to read that wrong."

"Not your first time probably."

"At least I can read."

"You better take that back!" Before Mira could properly get up from the couch, I pushed Jinu inside my room, closing the door. He was smiling proudly, while I shook my head.

"Do you have a death wish?" I scoffed.

"And what about you?" His expression suddenly change to a serious one. I looked at him confused. Jinu grabbed my right hand. Oh. Right... "Rumi, you can't keep on hurting yourself. And I know you're most probably well aware, but I will still say it. How can I not worry, when I find out that the one day I was absent you decided to punch a mirror?"

"I..." I sighed. "I don't know how that happened, it was..." I closed my eyes. "I don't know..."

Before I could say anything else, Jinu hugged me tightly. His perfume immediately got to me, as I felt the warmth of his body. I hugged him even tighter, wishing I could just melt into him.

"Just please let me be there for you," he whispered. My stomach twirled. "I just want to make up for everything I have done. I just want to be someone you can rely on..."

"Jinu..." I said slowly. "I can rely on you, really. And trust me, you are here. I know you are."

"But I feel like it's not enough."

"Now you're starting to sound like me," I chuckled. My whole body calmed down thanks to him. I felt safe in his arms. I felt... Incredible.

"Right, I guess it got to me too" he scoffed. "But there's one thing I wanted to ask you."

"What is it?"

"Since I want to help the three of you, I was thinking..." he started slowly. I lifted my head to see him. Jinu looked down at me, his eyes making me melt even more. I bit the inside of my cheek to not smile. Why was he so handsome? "Can you teach me how to fight?"

Notes:

The random research I'm doing for this fanfic is now part of my routine at this point

Chapter 56: Chapter Fifty Five

Notes:

I was catching up with my old high school friend, so I didn't have time to write this chapter sooner

It was pretty obvious when the Saja Boys finally arrived, since there was immediately much more noise in the room. I left my room, seeing Mystery and Romance setting up the table with food. Now, when I thought about it, I was starving. Mira was already searching for the meal she ordered, while Zoey hugged Mystery and kissed him on the cheek. Jinu was standing right behind me, watching his boys with an amused expression. I rolled my eyes. He was complaining so much about the Saja Boys, but whenever they appeared, he lit up in seconds. But they were exhausting and annoying. Sure.

"Bon appétit!" Abby said proudly, sitting next to Mira. I also sat down in an armchair to find my plate. I grabbed the right one, immediately taking a bite. Delicious.

"Since when do you know such complicated words?" Baby Saja looked at Abby with his eyebrows raised.

"Since I got something that's called tiktak."

"You mean TikTok," Mira rolled her eyes.

"That's what I said!"

"No, you said something dumb again," Romance scoffed, also sitting next to Mira. She was too busy eating to even mind him. Or Abby, who had his arm around the girl, and she completely ignored that. Zoey was sitting between Mystery's legs. She was eating with the biggest smile on her face, while the demon just sat there, probably looking at her. I tilted my head. Will he ever do something about that haircut? He couldn't have long bangs forever, especially as an idol now.

"So why exactly did you girls need us here?" Baby Saja asked. He got himself some dessert he was now eating while sitting with his legs crossed in the second armchair. "Cause I am guessing it wasn't just a friendly invitation."

"No, we wouldn't invite you if you weren't useful for once," Mira nodded. "This food is sooo delicious..."

"Right?" I smiled between the bites. "I think I might like it here."

"We need to congratulate their chef," Zoey smiled, already finished. "Man, I could have a sweet treat now." Mystery started getting up, but the girl quickly stopped him. "No, no, sit. I shouldn't eat too much right now."

"You will burn everything when we run after another demon," Mira scoffed, also finished. I put an empty plate on the table. "I don't think we have a big risk of gaining weight. Anyway, the reason why we wanted you all to come..."

"Finally," Baby Saja scoffed.

"You better watch your tongue, I can still assassinate you if you piss me off enough," Mira waved her finger at him.

"Right. Sorry... So? What exactly do you need?"

"Do any of you have at least some knowledge about witchcraft?" I asked, grabbing Jinu's hand, who was sitting on the armrest of the armchair. He interlaced our fingers with a smile.

"Witchcraft?" Romance raised his eyebrows. "Like the spells and all of that?"

"Yeah."

"So you want to research more about that?" Baby Saja asked, still biting on the spoon he didn't need anymore. "Are you planning to learn spells?"

"We want to," Zoey immediately got all excited. "Right now, we should focus on protection spells, but if you know anything else, then that will also be appreciated. I mean, practice is the most important. Right?"

I smiled. Knowing how eager Zoey was to learn more about something we had no idea a little while ago was pretty calming. After all, it was again Celine's fault for not introducing us to one of the previous hunters' abilities and talents. I was now wondering if this witchcraft and spells had anything to do with the fact that we seemed to "control" the souls when singing now. And were those new abilities of ours, like me experiencing the future, also a part of it? Could the new honmoon be so different to finally make us realise how much potential we, as demon hunters, actually hold? But how could that even be? What exactly changed, what was the other honmoon built upon, if it seemed to hold part of our talents? Did Celine build the previous one? How would she change it alone? Was that why she trained me to be a hunter from an early age? So she could mess up the honmoon somehow? Did that mean hunters could control this magical barrier in more ways than we thought?

So many questions...

"Unfortunately, I don't know much about protection spells," Romance said, thinking about something. "But my sister did excel in love spells and in the thing called "scrying" if I'm correct. I picked up some stuff too, when I was still a kid."

"Your sister was a witch?!" Zoey exclaimed, jumping to him. "Why didn't you say so before?!"

"I'm not fond of that memory, to be honest," he sighed. "She was assassinated because one old lady decided to tell on her."

"Oh..." the girl whispered, now uncomfortable. "I'm sorry..."

"No!" Romance shook his head quickly. "How could you know? Besides, it did happen a long time ago, so it's okay. I had enough to grieve. And I still like to keep the memory of her fresh."

"Is that why you look like a girl?" Abby scoffed. "You missed your sister so much, you became her?"

"Asshole!" Romance almost jumped on the guy, but before he managed to move, Mira stopped both of them, easily twisting their wrists.

"We have more important things to discuss than your stupid teasing now," she scoffed, still holding their twisted wrists. "You both are so stupid! Romance, what the hell is s... uhm..."

"Scrying?"

"I don't know, you tell me!"

"Okay, okay," he laughed, as Mira finally let go of his wrist he was now massaging. I looked at Jinu, who seemed unbothered by whatever was happening to his team. I rolled my eyes. So unaffectionate, unbelievable... "Scrying is the act of gazing into a reflective or translucent surface to gain insights. Whether it's mirrors, crystal balls, water, or even flames, the focus lies in creating a receptive state of mind that allows you to tap into the energies and symbolism," he started explaining. "It's usually used to talk to spirits, deities, and all that, but doesn't necessarily have to. Sometimes, my sister used her mirror to check on our father, who was in the army. She gave him this small mirror and asked him to keep it somewhere he could always see it. She never explained to him why, and I found out by accident."

"Wait, could he see her in that small mirror, too?" I asked, since this sounded a little bit too familiar.

Romance only shrugged. "I have no idea. Our father didn't seem to notice, but he became half blind after one battle, so it wasn't really difficult to hide something like that from him. He was against my sister doing witchcraft anyway; he wouldn't approve of what she was doing."

"That sounds like something Bo-Ra can do," Zoey said, my exact thoughts out loud. I nodded. "Do you think that's what she was using? Can it be blocked somehow?"

"As I said, I only know very basic things. My sister was sneaky about her practice, and she never really wanted to explain much to me," Romance explained nervously. "I fear you will need someone experienced to know better."

"We don't have anyone like that, though..." Mira sighed. "But at least we know now what we can look for while researching all that stuff."

"First, we still need to do that protective spell," I said. "We will focus on other things later."

"What protective spell?" Baby Saja asked. "You guys found something?"

"Me and Mystery did!" Zoey smiled, tightly hugging Mystery. He seemed completely fine with that. "We found this old book about practices against demons and how to keep them away! So that's what we will do to keep Bo-Ra away from us in this hotel, since we're not as safe here as we are in our place."

"Wait, you guys put a spell on your apartment?"

"Not an apartment," Mira shook her head. "A whole building. And not us, but Celine. She never cared to mention it, though."

I felt my head spinning suddenly. Why was it that lately I couldn't regulate my body, and it was completely out of control? What exactly was going on with me? I blinked faster, trying to focus on what was going on and to hear what they were saying. Breathe, Rumi. Come on, it's just a small obstacle, you managed worse things.

"Are you okay?" Jinu whispered, leaning closer. I nodded. I wasn't okay, but I didn't even know what exactly was going on with me, so I didn't want to mention it. Was this room always so... stuffy? The air seemed so heavy inside... "Are you sure? Do you want to lie down, maybe?"

I shook my head. No. I wanted to stay and focus on figuring out how to fight Bo-Ra. Especially since lately it felt like I had become much weaker. What kind of demon hunter was I, if it was so easy to defeat me? And I was supposed to be the centre of our group? To carry our voices, to lead? How pathetic...

"But if the building you live in is protected by a spell against demons, how come we could safely enter, and we can even live inside?" Romance asked, surprised. Come on, Rumi, you can do it...

"It's simple, really. They invited us in," Mystery spoke, immediately bringing everyone's attention. "The first time we visited the hunters, we were invited. And since Celine hasn't been working on the spell for a long time, the one who owns the building, so the protective jade too, is the one who can decide if they let any demons inside."

"Will you start counting this one too?" Jinu asked in my ear, laughing. I hit him in the head. How stupid! "Should I bring your little notebook?"

"You're so annoying!" I whispered. Jinu only laughed, now playing with my fingers.

"What about Jinu then?" Abby asked.

"He doesn't count as a demon whom we need protection from," Zoey explained. "He's now blue-marked, not purple-marked. He's a Guardian-demon, not a demon-demon."

"What?" Abby scoffed. "So he gets special treatment just because he gave his soul to someone? That's unfair."

"Unfair?" Jinu raised his eyebrows, annoyed. "And yet I didn't see you giving your soul to someone."

"I didn't have the chance."

"Like you would use that chance."

"I would!"

"You wouldn't!"

I chuckled, hearing that conversation. They were acting more like primary school kids than hundred-year-old demons. I breathed out slowly through my mouth, since my head still felt heavy. What was going on now? My marks weren't acting weirdly, I wasn't having any visions, and Bo-Ra wasn't anywhere around. Why did I feel like this then?

"Okay, ladies," Mira finally stopped these two. "You're both pretty. Can we focus on the important part?"

"Let Abby give up his soul to someone?" Romance laughed.

"You want to see it so bad, don't you?" Abby scoffed.

"And what if I do?"

Mira sighed, clearly tired of that whole meeting already. I smiled. It was pretty funny to see. "That is not the important part!"

"Why not?" Romance asked. "It's worth a try! Maybe he will finally disappear forever."

"None of you can replace such a body," Abby smiled, his shirt waving. At this point, it was just an everyday thing that happened. Nothing weird in Abby's shirt flowing in nonexistent wind.

Mira looked at his abs, nodding. "He has a point," she said, in the voice of an academic professor who has just analysed some serious problem. She shook her head. "Anyway! Where the hell is the gold box I asked you to bring?" Abby gave her an iPad-sized box with small ornaments. It was gold from the outside, and it looked very expensive. Break-your-wallet expensive. Mira quickly grabbed it, opening it. She took out three completely different jade bangles. "Our new jewellery is here!" I looked closely at the bracelet she just gave me. It was mostly greyish, with a small hint of white. That was the first one I've seen in such a colour. Mira looked at me, waiting. "Well? Try it! It should fit your hand."

I put it on, realising it was my perfect size. Mira smiled, nodding in satisfaction. She then gave Zoey the second one. She quickly tried it. Also, perfect size. "Mira, you could open a store with them," she said, surprised.

The girl shrugged, sitting down and grabbing one of the bangles herself. "I mean, I could, but why would I want to. I like having these, even if I'm not using them as much."

"Have you ever worn any of them?" I raised my eyebrows. I just realised I was feeling perfectly fine again. Fortunately.

"Once or twice maybe..." she thought out loud. She looked proudly at the bangle she wore, stretching out her arm. "They're not as bad I guess." Abby tried getting closer, but before touching the bracelet, his hand went back quickly, as if he was just electrocuted. "Ha! I take that back, they're very nice."

Chapter 57: Chapter Fifty Six

Notes:

Sorry for posting slower lately, I've been a little busier, and I don't want the quality to decrease

Bobby looked at me, surprised, while Mira and Zoey didn't even spare a look from their breakfast. I smiled as innocently as possible. "Just... not that much space... Enough for a... dance practice," I explained slowly. Bobby sipped on his matcha while still looking at me, confused. He then turned to Mira, who only shrugged.

"I didn't plan any dance practice for now," she said, going back to her breakfast.

Bobby put down his cup, deep in thought about my request. He then sighed. "I can find you an empty room, but I need to know exactly what you need, Rumi," he said.

"It's very similar to a dance practice, trust me," I nodded quickly, hoping it would be enough. Bobby shook his head stubbornly.

"Rumi..."

I sighed. "Okay, okay. It's to teach Jinu how to fight," I whispered. I was still loud enough for Bobby to hear me. He got up from the chair, surprised, but then quickly sat down again.

"Rumi..." he massaged his temples. "Tell me, how exactly is this similar to dance practice?"

"Dance is pretty similar to fighting," Mira agreed, resting in her chair, satisfied after the meal. "You know, you move a lot, the movements are similar, and it's pretty rhythmic."

"See?" I smiled widely. Bobby still didn't seem to agree with us.

"You are aware that tomorrow the participants are coming here and we will start our first recordings? You cannot show up with bruises or wounds," he said in a very serious tone.

"Don't worry, Bobby. Rumi won't even lose a single hair," Mira smiled. "Demon boy, on the other hand, might end up a little broken here and there."

I kicked Mira under the table when Bobby hid his face in his hands. "How can that be any better?" He sighed.

"I won't hurt him, I promise. We will both be perfectly fine!" I tried to persuade him again. Bobby looked up at me. "He needs some training; he is terrible at fighting, and his new job as a blue-marked demon is to help us, the hunters, in fighting other demons."

Bobby blinked, confused, trying to decipher everything I was talking about. After minutes, he gave up. "I don't need to know every detail of those demons. It's enough that I know the Saja Boys are on your side and they can help you."

"Yes, but they can't fight," Zoey nodded eagerly. "And they should be able to help us."

"Right... But you can't just fight in any random room. What if you destroy something?"

"We'll just buy it back," Mira smiled. I shook my head quickly.

"No, I don't want any room, that's why I need an empty room," I explained quickly. "An empty room, you know?"

"Oh! Okay, that makes much more sense," Bobby laughed. "But I'm not sure if they have anything like that... Let me check, okay?" He got up, taking out his phone from the pocket of his pants and calling somewhere. Probably the people at reception.

Zoey leaned her chin on her hands, looking at me with a smile. "Jinu will finally learn how to fight? Or is it just some kind of play between you two?"

"No!" I felt my face warming up. "He will learn to fight. He has to, if he wants to be useful."

"Was that your idea?" Mira asked, sipping on her coffee.

"It was his idea, but I agreed," I replied. "I'm surprised I haven't thought about it sooner."

"Maybe because you have a lot on your back right now, so you had every right to forget," Mira said quickly, before my thoughts even began to work. I looked at her, surprised. She just shrugged. "I'm guessing your impostor syndrome could activate even now, so I would rather be quicker."

"You were quicker..." I nodded, still surprised.

"I guess it's good that demon boy can see one of his many flaws."

"Many flaws?" I scoffed, amused. Mira nodded, finishing her coffee. "Right. And how many flaws do Abby and Romance have?"

Before the girl could reply, Bobby sat down at the table, immediately stopping that conversation before it got interesting. He was smiling, so I took it as a good sign. "There is nothing I cannot do," he said proudly, as I jumped excitedly.

"You're the best!" I clapped. "When can we use it?"

"Today, of course. I need you to focus on the reality show tomorrow," he reminded me. Right. "They have a couple of rooms on the last floor that are still not furnished, because they didn't have enough time or resources. The manager agreed to let you use one of them today. I'll quickly get a card, you can just wait here."

I sat comfortably in a chair while Mira put a small black box on the table. Zoey and I looked at it, silently asking if it was what we thought it was. Mira nodded with a smile. Yesterday, after the Saja Boys left, so late at night, Mira asked us to help her choose which piece of jade jewellery she should give to Bobby. Since we established that a bangle wouldn't be necessarily the best idea, especially when we already were wearing them, we came to an agreement the best idea would be for one of the necklaces. We chose the simplest one, not to be cheap, but because Bobby generally preferred a simple style.

But we didn't even know Mira had any box to keep it in. Now it looked like a simple gift for him, which probably made everything better. Mira was also looking very proud of herself. She never said it, but I already managed to observe that she loved giving gifts. It was probably her main love language. This, and psychologically analysing the shit out of us. Even if the gifts weren't anything big, she was the one to usually pay for dinner, to pay for groceries, to come back from her late dance practice with our favourite snacks. It was just her way to show she cared, and after some time me and Zoey learned to accept it and stop fighting with her every time she sneaked out to pay the bill in a restaurant. Instead, we tried to bring her her favourite stuff every time she missed anything. We learned to be quick with that.

Bobby came back with a key card, putting it happily right in front of me on the table. I smiled amazed. "Thank you, Bobby!"

"Oh, no problem. I'm glad I could help."

"Here you go," Mira said, sliding the box closer to Bobby who was clearly surprised. "Something small for us. Take it as an appreciation gift and as protection. From demons."

"Girls! You didn't have to!" Bobby already had teary eyes, not even opening his gift yet. Zoey was the first one to get up and hug him, then me and Mira joined them.

"But you have to promise you will wear it all the time," Zoey said during the hug.

"I promise! So it's something to wear?" He asked surprised.

"Yeah, but open it later," Mira smiled. "We hope you will like it."

"Oh, I am sure you three know my taste enough not to worry about such things!"

We hugged for a while more and then decided to get going. Bobby had a busy day preparing things for tomorrow with the director, and I wanted to use that last day to train Jinu a little. I hid the key card in my back pocket, as we went back to our room. Jinu obviously decided to stay for the night, but he skipped breakfast since he didn't have to eat as a demon. I guess we were feeding him all this time for nothing.

"We have a place to train!" I waved the key card, entering the living room where he was waiting.

"That's great!" Jinu immediately got up. "So we're starting today?"

"We have to do that today," I scoffed. "Since we don't know when we will have another free day like that."

"That's even better then," he smiled. I kissed him on the cheek quickly.

"I'll just change in more comfortable clothes, and we can go," I turned to my room. "Wait for me here."

"I can always help you, it's not like I didn't..." before he finished, I closed the door from my room.

I lightly hit my cheeks to calm down. Shameless! He was shameless! I heard the girls laughing from behind the door. What an annoying demon-boyfriend! Really now, couldn't I pick any other? A calmer one, perhaps? I had to get this one?

Now I sounded like I just bought him in a store.

Rumi, get a grip, can you? I quickly shifted my focus to changing clothes and getting ready to teach Jinu at least fighting basics. With his strength and demon skills, it will already be enough for him to be able to take out some demons when we get attacked again, or when we need to stop more of them from attacking people. While I was thinking about it, I was about to teach a four-hundred-year-old demon something I learned when I was seven. I smiled. That did make me feel a little better. He may have been annoying, but I was stronger and more skilled.

"Okay, we can go," I said as I left the room. Jinu stopped to look at me carefully, while I felt my face warming up again. Why did he still make me so nervous? Shouldn't I already get used to being with him?

"Maybe I should also wear something different?" Jinu thought out loud.

I shook my head, pushing him out. "It's great. You have sweatpants on, don't you? That's a very good outfit for training, trust me."

We left the room, going up the stairs. Neither I nor Jinu wanted to use the elevator after what happened with Bo-Ra. It was the last place someone could find us. Climbing the stairs wasn't difficult for either of us, so we reached the last floor pretty quickly. I looked at the number on the key card and located which way to turn.

When we finally stopped in front of the right door, it took seconds for Mira and Zoey to appear out of nowhere and enter the empty room first. I looked at them confused, and I heard Jinu groan. "What the hell are you guys doing?"

"We can't just miss the occasion to watch demon boy get his ass beat by you," Mira scoffed, sitting under an empty wall. "And this guy right here didn't want us to come, so we sneaked in."

"They cannot stay here," Jinu crossed his arms, as I sighed.

"Well, they're not doing anything wrong so I don't see any reason to forbid them," I said, standing on the other side of the room.

The place was big enough for us not to hold back much. There weren't even any walls built for a bathroom or a bedroom. It was just a huge, empty space with white walls and wooden floors. I nodded satisfied. How nice of the hotel to still be working on more rooms. Jinu stood near the closed door, while I waited for him to accept his fate. Finally, when he sighed and nodded, I smiled. Great.

"Okay, so we'll start with simple sparring, cause I assume you do know how to throw punches. Right?" I raised my eyebrows.

"I am not that bad."

"I prefer to make sure," I chuckled. "No weapons, no nothing, just a simple fight. You have to learn how to block my punches and how to attack me."

I could just teach him everything from the basics, but it's not like he never fought as a demon at all. He did know something and I also had my small theory that he was so bad right now because he didn't have the same powers he did before. Blue-marked demons didn't seem to have claws, nor could they teleport. And this was Jinu's fighting style before. Of course, he would be confused after losing that. But it didn't mean he completely knew nothing. I guess I just wanted to take the opportunity to tease him a little.

"Wait, I am supposed to fight you?" Jinu asked surprised. "But you're my girlfriend, I don't want to hurt you!"

"You did fight me before, so what's the difference," I shrugged.

"That before you were my enemy, and now I care about you? I don't know, seems like a huge difference to me," Jinu crossed his arms, while I sighed. What a troublemaker...

"What then? Do you want to fight Mira?" I pointed at the girl, who shook her head.

"You don't want to fight me."

"I don't want to fight you," Jinu agreed instantly. He then looked at Zoey, but clearly also didn't like that scenario. "Fine..."

I smiled. "See? It wasn't so difficult, was it, demon boy?" I chuckled, while the girls whistled. I watched Jinu raise his eyebrows annoyed and move his tongue around his teeth to calm down. I obviously did that on purpose, he couldn't be completely calm, and that would make things more difficult.

"Oooh, she got you good," Zoey laughed.

That did it. He was annoyed enough for me to freely attack without worrying he wouldn't focus enough. I started with a simple punch he easily dodged. Right, his super speed. I guess that will be the most annoying of them all. Or it would be, if not for my ability to teleport, which meant I could be much faster than him. I smiled, teleporting right behind him and knocking him down. Jinu groaned out of pain on the floor.

"You have a lot to learn," I said, trying to stop a smile.

Chapter 58: Chapter Fifty Seven

Notes:

I may not need tips on writing daily, but I need tips on falling asleep at night

I was now sitting with my legs crossed on the floor while we were having a short break from the training. Mira and Zoey decided to bring us some snacks and drinks from the bar, and now they have disappeared somewhere again. Zoey said they will come back soon, and I didn't even bother to ask them what they wanted or what stupid idea they came up with this time. I was peacefully eating fresh fruits from the plate on my knees, watching exhausted Jinu, who was lying flat on the floor, and still didn't get up.

"You want something?" I asked, taking another bite of a strawberry.

"My dignity back, maybe?" He sighed, his eyes still closed.

"How about a peach?" I offered. Jinu just shook his head. I shrugged. "Your loss."

"How can you be that good? I swear I feel like I am making progress..."

"Oh, you are. I just have much more experience in combat than you do. I have been trained since I could run, and you... Since afternoon, maybe?" I looked at the time on my phone. "Okay, since eleven."

Jinu hid his face in his hands, again having one of his existential crises. He already had like... six of them by far. If I managed to count them correctly. I just waited, observing him and enjoying my fruits. Girls were geniuses to bring me a snack. My muscles were quite sore, since we fought for three hours without any break, but I did feel my energy reload now.

"If it makes you feel any better, you are really strong, you just still lack some technique, and that's all," I explained. Jinu finally got up, sitting and looking at me.

"Really?" I nodded. It wasn't a lie. He was strong. Stronger than me. Not just because he was a demon, he was just generally surprisingly strong. But I could still beat him thanks to how much experience I had. Which, I had to say, was a little too satisfying. "So if I learn more, I might even win with you?"

"After like three years, maybe you'll succeed in bringing me to the floor. But until then, you just need practice. It would be better if we could meet for training like that at least once a week, but it might be difficult..."

"I'm sure we can figure something out," Jinu smiled, stealing a strawberry from the plate. I scoffed, annoyed.

"Now you want some fruits?"

"And what if I do?" He tilted his head. I shook my head. Unbelievable. In seconds, he snatched the plate from my hands, holding it.

"Hey! I'm still eating that!" I tried to take it back, but Jinu was faster. He raised his hand high, which only annoyed me more. "You're acting like a child again." I stood up to get it back, but Jinu did the same. "Oh, come on! I know you're bitter about losing, but that's just too much, even for you."

"And what exactly did I do that is so bad?" He laughed, observing me. I watched him take the last strawberry and slowly eat it.

"Sore loser!"

"You're the one insulting me cause I took your precious fruits."

"You're the one taking my precious fruits because I beat you."

"At least I..."

Suddenly, I couldn't hear Jinu speaking. My ears only heard a strange squeak, while everything in front of my eyes blurred. I dropped to my knees, desperately searching for balance. What was going on with me now? My head was dizzy again, while I tried to calm down my body. My pulse rose, and my heart was out of control. I tried to look around, but the more I tried to focus on anything around me, the more blurry everything was getting. What was happening? I hid my ears in my hands, trying to stop hearing this terrible squeak. Just to make it stop.

Silence.

The noise suddenly disappeared, leaving me in pure silence. Something was wrong, I knew that. I slowly lifted my head, opening my eyes. Where was I? Where was the room I was in just seconds ago? Where was Jinu?

It couldn't be Bo-Ra, I was wearing the bracelet. Besides, she couldn't even get in my head anyway, and this didn't even feel real. Was my mind just... somewhere else? It was so dark and silent around, I didn't even know what I do. I slowly managed to stand up, and my legs and hands were still shaking. My body was betraying me lately.

"Rumi?" I looked around, even more confused. What was this voice? It was soft, quiet. "Rumi..." Who was that? Where was I? I tried to say something, but I couldn't. I had so many questions, and I couldn't even get one syllable out. "I finally did it, I reached you," the voice continued.

Come on, Rumi. Speak. Say something. Ask! You have questions! My body started shaking as I desperately tried to make the smallest noise. Why couldn't I speak...

"Rumi, listen to me," the voice spoke again. Just now realised how weak it was. Who was it? Who reached you? I didn't recognise it, I couldn't even say if it was a male voice or a female voice. "The three of you need to transform your weapons. You have to do what you did during the Idol Awards, do you hear me?"

I couldn't reply, so I just nodded, hoping that person would see it. My head was still spinning, as I tried to understand how exactly I transform my weapon. Transform the weapons? Like, change the shape? Was it connected to the fact that my sword grew bigger after the Idol Awards? But it stayed that way. How could I transform it again?

And how could I know if whatever this person is saying is information we need? What if I was being tricked? What if it was someone sent by Bo-Ra? But no demon would break through the protection.

"Who are you?" I finally managed to speak out. It felt like I would soon throw up; everything was spinning, and my body couldn't even hold itself up to stand straight. I sat down.

No answer. I needed answers. Why was it that every time we were starting to figure something out, more questions were appearing out of nowhere? Why couldn't we just get instant answers alongside the questions? Why...

"Rumi, I know you can do it." The voice suddenly spoke. I shook my head, exhausted. I wanted to ask the question again, but I wasn't able to. I had no energy left in me. "I just want you to be safe."

Safe? Why couldn't I see that person's face? Why couldn't I recognise their voice? Nobody wanted me to be safe except for the people who were in the same hotel as me. I raised my head, trying to get myself to ask that question again, but my ears were filled with that terrible squeak again. No, no, I didn't have enough time. I closed my eyes, trying to stop the dizziness, but it didn't help. How could someone even get inside my head? Shouldn't I be immune to all demon manipulations?

"Rumi, are you okay?" This was the first question I heard after the squeak disappeared. I wasn't even able to lift my head. I was breathing heavily, looking down at the wooden floor. I was not okay.

I leaned on my hands, still not opening my eyes. My head was pulsing, and I was all dizzy. Breathe, Rumi. You need to tell the girls what happened to you; it is important.

But right after opening my mouth, instead of replying to the question, I spat out blood, coughing terribly. I had to quickly clean it, I couldn't stain the floor.

Before I stretched my hand to ask for some paper towels, Jinu lifted me, holding me in his arms. I looked at him, my vision still blurry to the point I couldn't even see his face. "I'll get her to bed. Can you guys clean it quickly?"

"You take care of Rumi, we'll take care of this," I heard Mira's voice.

After we left the room, I automatically closed my eyes. My head felt heavy, my body was exhausted, and I had no energy to even say anything. And even if I did, I was scared I would start coughing like crazy again. I didn't want that. To be honest, I don't really remember when we got to the room.

*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚

We quickly cleaned the blood on the floor, while I still wondered what exactly had happened to Rumi. Mira and I just decided to go for more drinks, since there was a great bubble tea place close by. But when we came back, the bubble tea was the last thing we were thinking about. We saw Rumi curled up on the floor, her patterns shining brightly, while Jinu didn't know what to do or how to react. After seeing us, he sighed with relief, probably thinking that maybe we knew. We didn't.

"What happened?" I asked, sitting next to Rumi. She was sweating heavily, and she didn't seem to hear anything we were saying.

"I... I don't know," Jinu whispered. "We were taking a break, and she just dropped to the floor suddenly, curling up and hiding her ears behind her hands. Then, her marks started to shine. I don't know what is going on."

"If I didn't know how bad you are at fighting, I would probably assume you did that," Mira scoffed, sitting next to me and observing Rumi carefully. She was worried, I could tell that. "How long has she been like this?"

"Not long," Jinu shook his head. "Still, I have..."

"Who are you?" We turned to look at Rumi, who had just spoken out. It wasn't for us, though, I could guess that.

I put my hand on her back, hoping she's not in trouble. It couldn't be Bo-Ra, she couldn't enter Rumi's mind. Nor any other demon. Then who? And what was exactly happening right now? I looked at Mira, who shook her head, as confused as I was. I sighed. How could I help Rumi when I still clearly didn't know so much? I should probably sneak out tonight and try to find something about this type of communication. Or research if Celine donated any other books to libraries. Maybe there will be something that will tell us who else can have abilities like that.

Suddenly, Rumi breathed out loudly, waking up. Her patterns went back to the normal state, while she was breathing heavily, looking down at the floor. She was supporting herself with her hands. I looked at her worried. "Rumi, are you okay?"

We waited, observing her carefully. Then, she suddenly spat out blood on the floor, coughing terribly. Jinu reacted immediately, lifting her like she weighed nothing.

So we stayed, cleaning the floor from her blood, while I was still thinking carefully about this whole situation. There had to be some answer to what just happened. We couldn't ask Rumi yet; she was too weak for us to bother her. I put the paper towel on the side, playing with my fingers. Can she rest enough to be able to survive tomorrow? What if she gets a fever, or something worse happens?

"Zoey?" Mira looked at me. I smiled subconsciously. "Are you okay?"

"I'm just worried. I don't understand what just happened, and I can't help Rumi..." I sighed."I wish I had more time to research, maybe then..."

"Hey," Mira quickly stopped me. "It's not your fault. Besides, you've been working really hard to research information that can help us. Look," she raised her left hand with a bangle. "We wouldn't be wearing these if you didn't find all that about the protective spell. And I don't know if you realised, but this time Bo-Ra doesn't seem to try and bother us, which gives us more time for preparations."

"But it's still not enough, I have no idea..." I stopped, feeling Mira's hand on my shoulder.

"We will figure everything out. Together," she said. "What happened to Rumi? None of us had any idea something like that was possible. But we can help her. We can take care of her for the rest of the day and hope she will recover for tomorrow."

I nodded, smiling. "You're right."

"Of course I am," Mira scoffed. "Have you ever seen me be wrong about something?"

I hit her in the shoulder, grabbing all the soaked paper. We had to throw it out in the corridor, since this room didn't have a trash can yet. "Aren't you a little too confident?" I scoffed, standing up.

"Someone has to be since I'm working with two self-blaming hunters," she also stood up, and we left the room.

"I guess you're right," I nodded.

We went back to the room, my thoughts drifting back to what we just experienced. Rumi's patterns were glowing. The only other situation when I knew they did that was during her kiss with Jinu. She told us about that herself. Was that connected in any way? But Jinu couldn't do anything, I didn't believe he would try to hurt Rumi or lie to us. Besides, it would be difficult to fake such concern. So who did? And how exactly did they look? Was it still connected to the demons, or was it something completely different? But if it was something different, what could it be? Were we really kept in such dark by Celine?

We entered the room. Jinu was sitting by Rumi's bed, who was now sleeping. I smiled, happy she was resting. She needed that.

Notes:

Also, one of my favourite teas at home just ended, and I'm suffering

Chapter 59: Chapter Fifty Eight

A sheep with a hat? Oh, and a pope right next to it! And that one... maybe a handbag with legs? It kind of looked like that. Yeah, let's assume it's a handbag with legs that's running away from the fish. I chuckled, very proud of my genius invention. Maybe I should start writing little weird novelas? Those short stories that make the reader go "what the fuck did I just read", but think about it for the next couple of years. It would be quite cool.

I was lying on the hotel roof, observing the sky. It's not like I had anything better to do anyway, so why not just stare at the clouds and try to come up with their shapes? We established I won't ever visit the hunters before it gets dark, so I still had a lot of time to spare. It was only a little after six in the afternoon, so I tried to get myself busy somehow. No demons were trying to attack, so there wasn't much to do. I was responsible for guarding the North side of the country, including the capital, but because Hunters were here, I had much less to do than the Guardians on the South of the country, for example. Here, it was pretty boring most of the time. Especially now, when Zoey has gained the ability to sense the purple-marked demons. I had no real goal in Seoul; everything was taken care of.

Okay, now I was responsible for looking after the Hunters, and seeing if they managed Bo-Ra. They didn't, at least not yet. It's okay, this demon was crazy, we all knew it, so nothing out of the ordinary. I listened to the street noises in the background that came from the streets nearby. Thanks to my demon abilities, I could eavesdrop on conversations even very far away. While I was thinking about it, Jinu didn't seem to realise he could do that yet. I sighed. How slow can one be? And it's not like it's his first time as a demon, he has been one for four hundred years, how did he even explore his abilities before? Or did Gwi-Ma have some little books to explain being a purple-marked demon?

Something like: "Congratulations! You are my puppet now! Here is a small introduction of what being a demon looks like.... I chuckled. Draw a bonfire below, and I would even buy that. Or a simple card, maybe. "Here are your powers as my slave". I think it would make being forced to listen to Gwi-Ma's annoying voice a little better, but that's just my opinion. Come to think of it, maybe we should do something like that. Just congratulate someone for giving up their soul and a simple introduction. "You are blue now!". I shook my head. Sounds too much like those blue guys in the cinema. What was it called? Something starting with "A", I was sure about that.

Well, it's not like that mattered right now. I only had to wait until the sun sets and the moon rises, so I can attack Jinu with my beautiful hammer. Attacking him wasn't in the original plan, but I thought it would make things more interesting. I could already imagine his face, and it was priceless. I liked to keep this guy on his toes all the time. Oh, I'm supposed to slowly teach you how it is to be a blue-marked demon? Sure, but I'll have some fun with it, since I'm still pissed off about your original story.

To leave his family? Really? I mean, I guess I get it a little, but not enough to completely forget. And then he pulled that stunt during the Idol Awards with Rumi. I get it, Gwi-Ma, mental tortures and all that. But, I was a blue-marked demon for a reason; it wasn't my job to understand the grape demons, I was supposed to assassinate them. I won't lie, it was great therapy, especially at first. Okay, it was still fun, although most of my slaying job was replaced by babysitting a new blue-marked demon and keeping an eye on the Hunters. Mostly slowly teaching Jinu, though. But it's not like I was supposed to tell him everything. I got clear instructions: "Help him slowly, but not too fast, so he can learn on his own some things. It's important for a guy like him to learn patience if he is about to become one of the Guardians in the future". Wise words were said here. Being a Guardian isn't just all shits and giggles, it's a serious job, and it requires a lot of knowledge and patience. Besides, it requires any amount of intelligence, so obviously I need to train this stupid boy myself how to think critically.

So, understanding all of that, it only makes sense if I attack him out of nowhere, forcing him to realise that as a blue-marked demon, he has his weapon, kind of like the Hunters themselves. Kind of, since our weapon is more limited, it isn't up to any spells, it cannot change or shape shift, it only has one shape, and that's it. The weapon is supposed to describe the Guardian themselves, showing their personality and their temperament. I still didn't understand why mine is a huge hammer, but I wasn't complaining. It was pretty cool, I had to admit. I could just smash those purple suckers to the ground. Very satisfying thing to do.

Knowing all that I knew, I was very curious about Jinu's weapon. I was hoping it would be something stupid. Like... a spade! Ha, that would be a good one. Although it's not like he would be able to fight with it, he couldn't even win one sparring with Rumi. I know, I heard everything, and it was like an old comedy, but instead of only seeing what is happening, I only heard. Still, it was hilarious. During their fight, I had to run around the North area for a short while to check everything, but after that, I went back as quickly as possible. Now all of them went back to the room, so I wasn't interested anymore in what they were doing. After all, I should still let these kids have some privacy, even though I had my limits.

They were pretty low, but they existed. That's what should matter.

I looked up again, seeing the same sky with different clouds now. Wow, what an incredible view. Now, I would never imagine seeing something like that for the thousandth time in the last month. How could one even spend so much time just staring at the sky? Impossible, totally impossible.

Hmm... Something was wrong. Not with the sky. Obviously. I could just feel that something happened when I had to do my daily check-up. That was weird. I knew they were now wearing jade, so the girls were safe from Bo-Ra. Generally. If not her, then who? Or what? But nothing else was any kind of danger, so... Or maybe I was just overthinking it? Yeah, I was overthinking. Nothing happened, it's not like I was always right whenever I sensed a change in the air, and it was one of my talents even before I became a highly sensitive demon. Not.

I got up, stretching slowly. Although something shifted, I could say it wasn't necessarily anything bad. Just new energy I didn't yet recognise, which was extremely odd. I knew all of the energies. Humans, hunters, demons. All of them. I was the first one to realise Bo-Ra managed to escape. So who was it now? And did they try to contact the Hunters? I sighed, thinking if that would add more work for me. It would be nice, I won't lie. Because of the new honmoon, I was pretty bored, since there weren't many demons out who attacked humans. Even in small villages, and those were their favourite places, usually. Of course, we were all proud of the Hunters for growing so much and succeeding in creating such a strong magical barrier. It was just my individual issue, I guess. I couldn't help that I was pretty hyperactive.

The sun still stubbornly didn't want to set, although I would greatly appreciate it if it did already. How long could one wait until night? Tomorrow I'm taking a trip to the library again, maybe someone has published a new book I still haven't read yet. The Internet was too boring for me to use, so I focused on different things when I could. More traditional.

Oh? I turned to see the face I already knew. I smiled widely. "And what brings you here?"

She was exhausted, panting heavily. Well, the way from the West to Seoul wasn't as short as it should be. I raised my eyebrows, surprised. Usually, she was much calmer than I, but now she seemed all excited, as if she was about to explode. "You felt it, right? Tell me you did. Tell me I'm not imagining this."

"The energy shift?" I asked, surprised. Usually, I was the one who had to notify the others about those things. Then it clicked. "You know who that is?"

"I'm not sure, I just hope..." she whispered. I tilted my head, now interested. "But it's still pretty weak, isn't it?" I nodded. It was. If I were really busy now, I probably would forget about it for a couple of days before realising something happened.

"The energy is weak, but the source is strong," I explained. "It seems like it's one of them."

"It has to be."

"And why do you worry so much?"

"I think... I think it's him," she smiled.

Oh. I completely forgot about that part of the story. Well, I guess it would make sense, if it were, although... There were still many unanswered questions, weren't there? For example, where, or how. I might have had a huge knowledge and understood most of the things going on in this world, no matter which realm, but even I didn't know that much. I guess there will always be someone better, older, and wiser than you. There is nothing wrong with that, either. It's just a shame if you don't get a chance to talk to someone. But maybe now I will somehow manage...

"But since the energy is weak, doesn't it mean he's still technically nowhere here?" I asked.

"I think so too. But something did happen."

"We don't even know what that something was."

"You will know," she pointed to the roof, as I sighed. "What a drama queen you still are."

"Not with him," I groaned. "I'm not here today to chit-chat with this loser, I'm only here to teach him something new."

"Maybe he will teach us something new then."

"Why are you doing this to me?" I cried. Nothing happened. As always, she was as stubborn. No point in trying to convince her to drop this idea.

"I need to go back, I just came to make sure I was right. You better try to find out what happened, or I promise I will send you to the mirror realm."

"Heartless." I crossed my arms as she smiled sweetly. "Ice queen!"

"Let me know what you find out!" And she ran back.

I couldn't believe this. To force me to try and make a longer-than-necessary conversation with Jinu? And for what? Only to find probably nothing helpful? Knowing this guy enough, I was pretty sure he would not tell me enough information to satisfy me or any of us. What a bother...

Suddenly, when I didn't want to see Jinu anymore, the night came much faster than before. Before I realised, the moon was already pretty high in the sky, meaning it was time for me to magically appear and bother this guy. Well, it's not like I had any choice. I quickly entered the hotel from the roof, passing the higher floors and ending on the right one. Easily passing through the wall, I entered the living room where I found Jinu, who had fallen asleep by accident in that armchair. I frowned, looking at the open doors to Rumi's room. Something strange happened.

Well, I will find out soon, I guess. I smiled, materialising my huge hammer and taking a huge swing. Fortunately for Jinu himself, he did wake up before I smashed the pillow on that armchair. It wasn't destroyed; I wasn't really in the mood to destroy the hotel's property. I may be a little crazy, but I'm not a psycho.

"What..." he barely comprehended what had just happened until he saw me. His expression immediately changed to an annoyed one. "What is wrong with you?!" He whispered. I sat down in the armchair I attacked just seconds ago.

"What happened to your sweetheart?" I asked quickly.

"Why do you have a magic hammer?"

"You'll know after you answer my question."

"Why did you even attack me?" I rolled my eyes.

"The question, Jinu. I don't have a full night for your stupidity."

He was already annoyed, sitting silently on the couch. He still took a quick look at Rumi in her bed before doing that. Could it be? "Why do you even care?"

"Tick-tack, tick-tack," I waved my finger. At least I could annoy him a little more. It was quite funny to look at. Like a child throwing a tantrum.

Four hundred years old was pretty much like a child for me, so it made sense.

"Someone tried to contact Rumi through her mind, at least that's what we understood from what she told us. She is still weak after that whole situation, so she slept most of the day," he finally explained, his arms crossed defensively. So it might have been what I thought. But if so... "Why did you attack me?"

"To show you my beautiful hammer, of course," I smiled widely. "Our weapons are supposed to show our temperaments and character, did you know that?"

"Our? Wait, does that mean..."

"What a great conversation it has been," I interrupted him. "See you another time!" I disappeared.

My work here was done.

Notes:

I must say, I had some fun writing this one

Chapter 60: Chapter Fifty Nine

Notes:

Okay, that's the last one for today, enjoy <33

It seemed like the best, and perhaps the only, way to save myself. Watching everything slowly fall apart, while he rose in power. Who was I to disobey? To try and stop him? I could either betray my morals to save my life or betray my life to save my morals. And I chose life. Maybe it was naive of me, maybe it was the stupidest thing I have ever done, but I did make it. My life was spared the second I bowed down when he came to me. I will never forget that disgusting smile that crept across his face when he still had it. These terrible, narrow eyes that should have warned all of us they were never selfless. That the soul he has given up was never pure.

To be completely honest, I never managed to find out why he sacrificed his soul for his loved one. Was it that once he may have had a heart? Empathy? Or was it just some twisted way of his already rotten soul? But what difference did it make when I was just a fool? A fool who never thought twice of betraying everything I stood for in a desperate try to come as clean as possible. Sometimes I wondered if he would achieve all of that without my help. Maybe if I hadn't given up before picking up a fight, it would never have come to all of this. The demon realm wouldn't spread, and Gwi-Ma wouldn't gain so much power.

I will never forget when I heard the news. It seemed like just yesterday I found out Bo-Ra turned bad and tried to use people's weaknesses to turn them into demon puppets. Before, none of us even knew it was possible, but I guess it was logical for the Mudang to possess such knowledge and abilities. They weren't the demons we all knew and were, though. They were all stained with guilt that she used to control them. That's when it was clear we had to take some action. Until then, only a selfless act could change someone to become a demon. It couldn't just be anything; it was to give up your life for someone else. Nobody thought it would be possible to live after dying, to exist after losing your soul. None of us, those who didn't get to meet before, knew we would have a second chance. But I guess life can hold a lot of surprises.

Never would I think twice about sacrificing myself for my daughter. The second she became terribly ill, I started doing everything to save her. I searched for clues among the medics, and I went to herbologists, to those practising illegal at that time witchcraft. It didn't matter; her life was what mattered. Unfortunately, it became clear she would not make it. I had to hear it over and over again, and every time it felt like I was hearing it for the first time. It hurt as much as all the previous ones. I never got to accept the thought.

But that's when we managed to find one girl, a pretty young practitioner of illegal magic. She was a Mudang but also did Jusul, a folk magic. She explained to me that she experimented a lot and explored many ways to take as much potential as possible from both. And she was the one to tell me about a very dangerous spell of giving up one's soul for another person. But my daughter first had to die, lose her own, for me to give her mine, a healthy one.

"It is not a safe spell, and most refuse for obvious reasons," she explained quickly. "I could prepare the necessary potion, but again, you would have to think this through, Sir."

"I need that. Tell me all the steps necessary."

I never thought of myself as someone important, someone successful, or someone worth anything. But if I could name one achievement in my life, it would be my daughter. She was perfect. She was beautiful, intelligent, and compassionate; she was just an angel. I would travel across the whole world, not knowing what's there, if that would give her a chance to lead a happy life. A healthy life.

The girl explained to me the whole process, which turned out not to be very difficult. The most difficult part of it was knowing my daughter would die. I still didn't give up. I got the best medics to treat her, but weeks passed, and unfortunately, I was more aware that this was something impossible to avoid. I had to watch my daughter die to save her. This was the most difficult thing about the whole spell. My soul, my body, whatever was about to happen to me, it didn't matter.

My Misun mattered.

The night she stopped breathing while I was sitting by her bed was the night I grieved. It was the first time I cried. My wife, an incredible woman, but the one I never could fall in love with, was already peacefully sleeping, not knowing what crazy plan I had.

With tears coming down, I succeeded in making the spell work. I watched as something inside of me shone in the most lively blue I have ever seen, just to enter my daughter's body. And that's when my vision blurred, and my body started to go numb. I couldn't let Misun see her own father's body, so I jumped out of a window, passing out. And I thought it was the end.

But it wasn't. I woke up with the rising sun, and mysterious blue marks around my skin. My daughter was safe, and I managed to be alive, but I knew that from now on, I couldn't show my face ever again in my household. The thought of Misun being healthy had to be enough. So I left.

I travelled around, trying to understand what have I become. I could run faster than even horses could, I had more strength, and it felt like I was invincible. Finally, I started hearing legends, and songs about mysterious "demons" travelling around and protecting people from evil spirits.

They were said to be creatures with "painted skin in blue", so I figured I might have been one of them. I started using my gifts, helping whenever I could, and that's how I never went out of food or a place to stay for a while. People gladly offered things to me after they saw me, and after I helped them even in little matters. I didn't yet know my powers enough to be aware of how much I could do.

Until I finally managed to meet others like me. We shared stories, we exchanged our experiences, and we travelled together. It wasn't a big group, there obviously weren't many people ready to sacrifice themselves like that, nor there were many people to even know about such a way.

My life felt like one of those good dreams you don't want to wake up from. And I wish I never did. But then, after years of travelling, when we decided to split, so we could be better protectors, Bo-Ra didn't need much time to stir up trouble. That's when the house of cards is ruined, leaving nothing but a bitter feeling of the human selfish nature. Or a demon's selfish nature. But weren't we all the same, since we came from the same thing? A human? A person? What difference did it make, clear skin or patterns, if our actions didn't differ?

For a little while, I did believe I was a good person. I have high morals, I want to help others, and I am someone who can make a difference. And then Gwi-Ma proved to me that I wasn't only a coward, a fool living my life in delusion. The day I found out he trapped Bo-Ra, the day I tried to run away instead of helping others fight him, I had already chosen my path, and it was filled with grief and regret. Gwi-Ma wasn't stupid, he knew who to look for, so he found me first. He showed up at my door, knowing I would not choose to fight him. I guess I was never a good person if I was his first choice.

I chose my fate. It was a burnt fate. Everything under my feet crumbled after the Hunters cursed Gwi-Ma into eternal burning in the bonfire. And that was my second chance. They told me I could stay there, I could still make up for my actions and for helping him. How stupid can one be to refuse?

They trapped me under the honeymoon in the demon realm, but I wasn't punished like Gwi-Ma. My shape was still the same, I guess I was spared. There were countless nights and days when I wondered if they didn't curse me because they found me less dangerous than Gwi-Ma, or if they just believed there was still something left in me. But it was all just my wishful thinking that changed nothing. I was still trapped with the Demon King himself, becoming his most trusted demon for special situations. I was leading other demons to the demon realm, helping them get through the honmoon. I was stealing souls for Gwi-Ma, not blinking twice whenever I did. Nothing mattered, gender, age, nothing. I looked for the most desperate humans so they could be manipulated and controlled by Gwi-Ma. I helped him find his new puppets, growing bigger and bigger demon realm, filled with unfortunate and shameful ones.

But how could I complain, when I knew what I was doing?

I became the second feared one. Seung-Woo, the right hand. Seung-Woo, Gwi-Ma's Shadow. I was doing whatever I was ordered, figuring it was the safest and best way to exist. To save myself.

Knowing very well there was nothing to save anymore. I was just a puppet like all of them. One of the Great Demons, one of the first demons. It didn't matter. My story shattered in pieces after the first hundred years of working for Gwi-Ma. I had to slowly watch my blue patterns change colour to that disgusting purple with every order I fulfilled. I stole souls, I tortured the demons, and I was watching for Gwi-Ma, helping him control everything. And most importantly, I was the one who always went against every generation of the Hunters.

Among all the demons, this task was the most wanted one. To be sent by Gwi-Ma was to be the most honoured by him, it meant you were privileged, you were the most "free". And I have been always the one to do that job. Others may have been changing, killed and devoured by that huge fire every time they failed, but I was untouched. Probably only I and Gwi-Ma knew the reason. It wasn't what others believed, that I was just so powerful, he never lost his trust in me. It wasn't that I was just someone he sent for most special tasks, cause I would never fail. The Hunters were strong enough that I did fail. Once, twice, ten times.

It was to keep me tamed like the others. Since he couldn't control my mind and my thoughts, as we were demons of the same level, the same generation, he had to keep my guilt going. He had to remind me every time I was doing this myself. I chose this, even when I had the chance to fight him, to oppose him. I was always made to fight with the Hunters so I would be reminded I never stood by their side, even when they gave me a chance. And it worked. My guilt was so deep, the purple on my skin reminding me every day of everything I had done, not once would a thought of going against Gwi-Ma enter my mind. Not once would I ever bring myself to believe there was actually a chance, a way to escape, an action to take.

I was Seung-Woo, the one who sacrificed all I stood for and believed to survive. Seung-Woo, the right hand. Seung-Woo, the Reaper. The Great Demon who exchanged his pure blue marks for disgusting purple ones. Who was I to ever think of Gwi-Ma as the immoral one, if I did exactly the same, following all of his steps.

Until it changed.

One day, out of nowhere, I saw the light. A chance I dared to take.

Chapter 61: Chapter Sixty

Notes:

I apologise for not feeding you as much, but also, what is this inactivity in the comments, hmm?

I cut through the trees with my sword, looking exactly where I am. It looked like some forest, but how did I even get in here? It seemed like the middle of the day, the sun was shining through the crown trees, helping me see everything. I cut another branch, going forward. It's not like I had any better way to try and get out of here. What even was this place? Was this a forest I should know? I shook my head. But how could I?

My legs already had a couple of small cuts from the plants and trees around. It wasn't surprising, considering the fact that I had shorts, and not normal jeans. Now, I couldn't end here by my own will, I wouldn't come to such a place unprepared. At least I was hoping I wouldn't. I looked down at my legs, examining them carefully. It wasn't anything serious, just some scratches, nothing deep or bleeding. That was enough for me to continue this monotone walk confidently. I was listening carefully, hoping there would be at least some animals around. It was too quiet right now, and that silence was making me anxious.

My sword was still cutting through everything in my way, since I wouldn't be able to move any other way. How long until I will be able to reach anything that was not just... greens everywhere? Leaves, branches, flowers, everything. And no sign of me getting anywhere.

Maybe I should change the way? I stopped, breathing heavily. I didn't even realise how tired I got on the way. I hid my sword, supporting myself on my knees. Still no sign of any other life around me. How discouraging... I looked up, analysing what exactly was around me. The sun was fighting to reach me in between all those tree crowns, which I was grateful for. Okay, I rested enough, no more time to lose.

I jumped, climbing quickly up the trees around, trying to reach the highest point. No more of that stupid walking. I was done.

After reaching the top of the tree, I found a comfortable enough position to stay and look around. I had to squint my eyes to get used to the sun, but it didn't take me long. My hand had to replace a hat so I could see everything around clearly, while not getting blinded.

Just... trees.

Impossible. There had to be an end somewhere. This damn forest or jungle had to finally end, one way or another. But which way should I take? I closed my eyes, thinking whether I should just accept my fate. So I was in the forest now, I saw some flowers, and I'm pretty sure there were fruits on the way. Sooner or later, some animals will show up. Why not just stay? It could be quite a peaceful life, too. Just connecting with nature and all of that. I sighed. But would I be able to do that? Wasn't I too used to the way my life was?

Get it together, Rumi. I slowly stood up, balancing on the branch that seemed much less stable than it had been before. I looked down. Huh, that was quite the distance. Okay, which direction do I like the most? I guess it will still be North. I nodded, jumping onto another tree. A couple of stunts like that and I'll finally get it. Slow steps, slow steps.

The wind was rustling the leaves carefully, as I moved carefully through the tree crowns. No more of that crumbled path. I needed to see the horizon, to be able to plan, to breathe freely, while the sun could show me the way. That's how I liked it. And I was sure this green trap would somehow end after some time. I just had to be patient. I was patient my whole time, and I could do this. Nothing easier.

I stopped, hearing sudden movement. That was a new one. But it meant I was right, there was some wildlife here, and I had a chance to finally leave this place. I looked around, seeing if it was somewhere above. Then, I looked down, but also nothing moving there. I was still listening to any other noise. The sun was frying my skin, and it was so hot outside. I looked at my arms worriedly. The fans won't like it if I get tanned, the patterns are enough for now, I shouldn't complicate my life more. But I also couldn't bear the thought of getting down into that green hell again.

It's decided then, I will just have to move quicker, so I can escape the sun before it's too late. Simple. I jumped to another tree, again hearing the movement. There was something here, but it seemed to only move when I did. I jumped onto another tree, hearing the noise again. It was quite quiet, so probably that something was still far away. Just move forward, but listen carefully, it has to finally show up, right? I continued my travel, listening to the noises. After some time, they became louder and more refined. I decided to wait a little more before trying to find the impostor. It's better to be more careful than not careful enough. Or something like that.

I stopped, turning my head. And here it was. I looked amazed at the red-crowned crane sitting on the tree's crown right behind me. It was huge, I've never seen one like this one before. I tilted my head, and it repeated my movement, making me smile. "Hey little guy," I whispered slowly. "How are you doing?"

No reaction. I nodded, knowing I shouldn't expect the bird to suddenly start talking, should I? The crane also nodded, making me chuckle. It was adorable, I wish I could adopt him, but I had no experience with birds, so that wouldn't be a really good idea. Besides, Sussie might get jealous.

I decided to continue my jumping, hearing the crane follow after me. Fine, if it wanted to follow me, I didn't have any problem with that. I mean, at least I had a companion now, right? If I felt like talking, it would feel less stupid to talk to a bird than to myself out loud.

Okay, both sounded pretty stupid. Maybe I was already going crazy.

I heard the crane fly after me slowly, when suddenly, it grabbed me from behind, flying with me in the air. I screamed, terrified. "What the hell are you doing?" I asked, not even expecting an answer. I looked down, realising with great surprise that there weren't any trees below us anymore. I observed the surroundings changing a lot. First, it was night in Soul, then it was another day in some small city, then night above an ancient palace, we ended above some mountains, and then some field with a river running through the middle of it. That's where the crane put me down, still not leaving me. I looked at it, completely confused. "What is your deal?"

Instead of getting a response, I heard three angelic voices from afar.

"We are hunters voices strong
Slaying demons with our song
Fix the world and make it right
When darkness finally meets the light..."

I subconsciously started taking slow steps towards the voices, not even realising at first that the sun set again. The crane was following me, not making any sound. I listened to the song, surprised to hear an unknown part of it.

...To save the world from Gwi-Ma's sins
Who's using the naive souls' strings
We will firmly stand on the ground
Turning the honmoon golden-bound..."

"It can't be..." I whispered, still walking through the huge field. It seemed like the river was meant to show me the way to the mystical voices. Never have I heard such beautiful sounds ever before. Not even I reached this level of musicality, although I trained my whole life. It was just... impossible to describe. It made my insides warm up, my mind completely hypnotised and charmed. Whose voices were those? Who was able to sing such beautifully?

"We are hunters voices strong
Slaying demons with our song
Fix the world and make it right
When darkness finally meets the light"

I looked down, watching the honmoon turn golden. It was... beautiful... I have never seen anything like that before.

The crow grabbed my arm with its beak, pulling it for my attention. I turned to it, surprised. "What now?" As always, it didn't respond, just pulled me in another direction. I tried to stop him, going back to follow the river. "Wait! No! I need to see the voices! I need to..."

Before I got a chance to finish, a snake appeared out of nowhere, trying to attack the crane. I reacted quickly, materialising my sword and cutting its head off. Asian Giant Hornet? Here? Where did this guy even hide before? There was nothing here before. I looked at the crane, worried. "Are you okay? Did he bite you?" He did't. The crane was fine, which made me sigh in relief. That was good, that was perfect, even. I don't know what I would do if this bird got hurt.

I heard another hiss, turning around to see the same snake with two heads now. He also seemed to magically grow. Oh, come on! It felt like that one Greek myth Mira once told me about. What the hell did Herakles use? Fire? Where could I even get the fire from? I jumped, surprised to see my sword's blade burning. But it didn't affect me; my hands were fine. Did I do that?

Without much thought, I attacked the snake again, cutting both of its heads off. It couldn't get up now, right? No. Impossible. I shook my head, still not understanding what was going on. The crane seemed to be happy, which I took for a good sign. I slowly walked up to it, petting its head. "I still don't understand anything about what is happening," I chuckled. At this point, I was definitely going crazy. "But I guess I trust you more than some snake, you know?" The crane stayed silent, but the honmoon around vibrated. I looked at it, surprised, then at the crane. "Did you do that?" No response. Impossible, what was I even thinking about? "Well? Can we go now where I wanted to?"

I walked back along the river, listening to see if the beautiful voices would sing again. How I wish they would. To hear them one last time was all I needed. It already felt like I had just experienced trying to cut off an addiction of some kind, while I only heard them once. How could anyone have such a powerful voice? What kind of magic was that?

The river led me to a village, where most people were already sleeping. But there was one house, far away, which still had the lights turned on. Was that a candle and not a light? I looked around, observing everything around me. The crane was still following me, while I tried to understand why everyone there was wearing hanboks. Was it some historical village? The honmoon seemed to shake under my every step, while I was still admiring its beauty. The golden lines were simply breathtaking, something I never thought I would get to see.

I stopped, terrified. Suddenly, I couldn't catch my breath, while my skin started burning. I looked at it, observing how my patterns were slowly disappearing. What was going on? I lifted my head to look at the crane, but instead of the huge bird, I saw a beautiful lady in a red hanbok who was checking how she could help. Actually, after seeing her face from up close, she was similar age to me, if not younger.

"Rumi, are you okay?" She asked. I closed my eyes. It was one of the voices I heard before, one of those who had been singing a while ago.

"How do you know my name?" I muttered, trying to catch a breath. What was going on?

"It's the golden honmoon," she completely ignored me. "It doesn't accept anything demon-related. Soon, we will both disappear."

"What? What do you mean, both?"

She only smiled, curling up her sleeve. I looked surprised. The patterns. "My daughters are inside; they have to finish this song, but you cannot stay here."

"Wait, your daughters? What about you? Won't you get hurt?"

"Oh, honey, it's necessary," her face saddened. "People don't feel safe with us anymore. I need to pass the legacy onto another generation."

"What? What are you talking about? But you have blue marks, aren't you a safe one?"

"You have to get out of here right now," she completely ignored me. "Rumi, you have to wake up or you'll disappear. Wake up, Rumi."

Wake up!

Chapter 62: Chapter Sixty One

Notes:

I am soooo sorry for being less active with this fanfiction, but I'm a little more busy, since my birthday is tomorrow. Don't worry, I am planning to give you more than this chapter today <33

I woke up, breathing heavily.

My skin was still burning, although I was aware it was just a feeling. Nothing was actually happening to me, not here. I looked at my hands, relieved to see my patterns. Who would have thought I would ever need them to stay on my skin? My breath was still unstable, while I tried to calm myself down. What kind of a dream was that exactly? Who was the crane who turned into a beautiful woman? She was a hunter. She had to be, it was the only thing that would make sense, but...

But her patterns... She was a demon. A blue-marked demon. And she was wearing a hanbok, did that mean she was one of the first hunters? If only I had better knowledge about fashion through the centuries, I would maybe be able to guess what time was her clothing from.

Fashion? I raised my head to look through the open door. I couldn't see Jinu anywhere, although I was hoping he was somewhere there. And that he wasn't sleeping. He was a demon after all, he didn't need to sleep, right? Was that the reason he usually never really slept since he came back alive? His body just refused to?

I shook my head. Rumi, focus, you need to understand as much as possible about the dream you just had. And maybe, just maybe, find out who that hunter was exactly. I regret now we never got any storyline of all the hunter generations, we just knew they existed. I looked again at my arm. My marks did look different than the woman's. But I didn't understand one thing, if she was a demon, and her daughters were the next hunters... They would at least be half-demons, wouldn't they? So shouldn't golden honmoon affect them too? Or did it work differently because they were the ones creating it? Was that why I wasn't affected before, even when we were so close to reaching a golden honmoon?

Right, the hanbok. I got up quietly, remembering Mira always had opened doors. I first peeked through the open doors, immediately catching eye contact with Jinu who was sitting on a couch and now smiling at me. I felt my cheeks warming up. We never closed the blinds in the living room, so our place always had some light, and I could see Jinu pretty clearly that night, which only made me more nervous. Rumi, the dream. I walked up to the couch and sat down right next to Jinu. I was still pretty tired, so I rested my head on his shoulder.

"Why aren't you sleeping again? A bad dream?" He whispered softly. I closed my eyes, trying to stop a smile. I could listen to his voice day and night.

"I wouldn't call it necessarily a bad dream..." I whispered. "To be honest, I'm not sure. But I feel like it was a message to me of some kind."

"A message?"

"Maybe that's stupid..." I sighed. Maybe I was reading too much into everything because of what we were finding lately? Maybe it was just my stupid imagination?

"If you feel that it was a message, I believe you." Jinu's words immediately made me more confident about all of it. He put his hand on my hand slowly. "Do you want to tell me about it?"

"I do, because you might be pretty helpful," even though he couldn't see it, I smiled widely.

"I'm all ears." It felt good to know he was still there. To know he wanted to listen to me and help. To be reassured, no matter what.

"Okay so first I was trapped in a forest. Or in a jungle. I'm not really sure, it was green all over, it was cramped, and I had almost no place to move if it wasn't for my sword," I started. "It's funny cause the moment I gained consciousness, I was already walking forward and cutting everything in front of me to make way. It was a bright day, but there was almost no sun down below, so I barely saw much. I was so confused..."

"I can imagine."

"And after some walking, I decided that you know what? Never mind, I will just climb up the trees and see where this green trap ends," while I was talking, Jinu slowly grabbed my back and head, making me lie on his knees. "So I climbed up the trees, and guess what. Nothing! No end! Everything on the horizon? Trees!"

"So you were actually in a green trap," Jinu chuckled, grabbing my hand and playing with my fingers.

"Exactly! I was even more disoriented. But! I didn't give up, I decided that it had to end finally, and if I travel from tree to tree, it will probably be even easier than if I tried to push through all the plants down below."

"That makes sense."

"I started carefully jumping from tree to tree..." I stopped for a second, chuckling. "Right now I realise I had to look like some kind of monkey jumping like that."

"Definitely not, you're too pretty for a monkey."

"From far away."

"Still no."

I rolled my eyes, hoping I wouldn't blush. "Going back to my dream. I was jumping when I finally heard some movement. I thought to myself that this is a good sign, it means some life actually is there, you know?" Jinu nodded. "But I couldn't find anything around. So I proceeded to move, listening carefully to the noises. It felt like that thing was going behind me, so I waited for the noises to get louder, and finally, I stopped. Guess what I saw."

"A monkey?" He smiled.

"No! A huge red-crowned crane!"

"A crane?"

"It was magnificent, I must tell you. I was completely amazed by how pretty it was. And this crane was slowly following me, being a couple of steps behind, when suddenly, this crane just grabbed me and flew with me into the sky. Do you know how scared I got at first? It was so sudden."

"But did the crane do anything to you?" Jinu asked worriedly. I shook my head.

"No, this was a very nice crane."

"Right. Because snatching you high in the sky is so nice of it," he scoffed. I rolled my eyes.

"You are so petty... Just listen. We flew through like, so many landscapes, and it seemed like we were travelling for a couple of days and nights, but it all passed in seconds. You know what I mean?" He nodded. "Great. And we landed on this huge field that had this river going who knows where, but I could see a village farther away. The river was also going in that direction. And that's when I heard our song."

"Which song?"

"You know, "We are hunters voices strong, slaying demons with our song...". That song. And the three voices who sang it were the most beautiful voices I have ever heard. I am sure I will never again hear something as beautiful as that. Unfortunately. But that song had another verse I had no idea about," I thought for a second. "Actually, I am pretty sure it had more, but only one I heard clearly and remembered."

"Can you still sing it?"

"Not really... But it mentioned Gwi-Ma and golden honmoon. By the way, the crane was all the time with me, and when I tried to walk along the river to reach this village, it tried to stop me. That's when I also saw the honmoon turn golden slowly, and that's when I had to save the crane from being attacked by a snake."

"Where did the snake come from?"

"I ask myself the same question," I sighed, while Jinu was now playing with the bracelet on my wrist. "But I cut off the snake's head with my sword. And that's when it got weird, 'cause the snake grew and had two heads now."

"What an annoying snake."

"Exactly! But I remembered this one myth Mira told me about and I was thinking fire would come in handy so I can actually assassinate this snake. And guess what happened? My sword's blade went on fire."

"What do you mean on fire?"

"More like it produced fire? It's a little difficult to explain, but it did help me kill the snake off. That's when I travelled with this crane to a fully asleep village. Well, except for one house at the other end, that still had lights on. I watched the honmoon, admiring its golden threads, when suddenly, I couldn't breathe."

"What? You couldn't breathe?" Jinu looked at me surprised.

"Not only I couldn't breathe, but my patterns started disappearing from my skin! And that's when the crane turned into the beautiful woman in a red hanbok."

"Okay, that is a plot twist."

"You know such words?" I scoffed amused.

"I spend some time with Zoey."

"Makes sense. This woman then told me it's the golden honmoon's fault and that it doesn't accept anything demon-related. Because, it turned out she also was a demon. She had blue marks on her whole body. She told me we would both disappear soon and that her daughters were inside and they had to finish the song. She then told me she needed to get hurt, because "people don't feel safe around them anymore", so she needs to pass the legacy. Then she told me I had to wake up or I will disappear. So I woke up."

Jinu blinked surprised, frowning in deep thought. "So she was a previous hunter?"

"I think so. It only makes sense."

"But she was a demon."

"Yeah, that's what I am also curious about..." I stopped for a second but then looked at Jinu. "Do you think it was just my crazy imagination or was it actually something important?"

He smiled, kissing the top of my hand. "I think that among everything that is happening lately, it's more possible it's a message than this dream being only your imagination. Do you have any idea about which hunter could she be?"

I shook my head. "That's a problem you might actually help me with."

"Me? How?"

"You know Korean fashion well, don't you?"

"I'm not sure if that well... why would that give you anything?"

"Because I remember the hanbok in detail, so if you would somehow be able to figure out which dynasty it might have been from..."

"You would be able to establish which generation of the hunter was she," Jinu finished for me, understanding. I nodded with a smile. "Okay, hit me with it. But try to only describe the details that could help me navigate the era."

"I think it was one of the earlier ones actually, I have this feeling..."

"Okay, I think that should make it easier," he nodded. "But a red hanbok? Pretty unusual, isn't it?"

"I think it's more unusual for a crane to turn into a demon huntress."

Jinu chuckled. "Fair point. So?"

"Okay, so the jeogori (jacket) was wide-sleeved and there was a shorter, but high-waisted chima (skirt). I think it also was very detailed, embroidered with birds and flowers, and very refined. The silhouette was more voluminous, " I said, remembering all the details I could. Unfortunately, that was it.

"And you think it was an earlier era, right?" Jinu asked again, as I nodded. "A saturated colour and a clearly rich design make me think it was from the Goryo Dynasty."

That was even earlier than I expected! "Wouldn't that mean she was one of the first generation of the hunters?" I whispered, surprised.

"I don't know, I didn't really study the history of hunters," Jinu chuckled. Right. "By the way, how many generations of hunters were there exactly? Cause there had to be a lot."

"Not really, there were just... six..." I said, slowing down. Come to think of it, it wasn't really a lot for the amount of time since hunters became a thing. "Huh..."

"Six generations? But the first generation of hunters formed in like what, the eighth century?"

"So you do know something," I chuckled, catching Jinu on his lie. He turned his head away embarrassed. "But you're right. It's not really adding up, huh?"

"Not really."

"Also, let's assume that the first generation of hunters were demons. Wouldn't that mean they are still alive? Shouldn't they show up someday?" I thought out loud. "Or maybe I am just crazy..."

"Or maybe you're right. Didn't you say the hunters have to include at least one person who shares the blood of the first hunter?" I nodded. "Who else can inherit any magic, even against a demon, if not a demon itself?"

"That's... hm..."

Presumably, if the first hunters were demons, and only a blood of them could ever carry on this job, shouldn't that mean they would still exist? That they should be alive and well, hidden somewhere? It would make sense why hunters only managed to have five generations before Huntrix, the sixth one. But still, could they be so indifferent now to just leave us alone and not say anything? Didn't they make this job in the first place? Or what if something happened to them because of the golden honmoon? Or maybe Gwi-Ma?

My thoughts calmed down after Jinu put his hand on my forehead. I looked up at him surprised. "I can see your thoughts are spiralling again, but I just wanted to remind you that tomorrow is the first day of the reality show and you should still sleep a little to let your body rest from what happened yesterday."

"Right, the accident..." I sighed, closing my eyes. All of it was becoming so much, that I was actually getting lost. "I need my notebook, all of this new information has to be sorted out on paper."

"You need a good rest," before I could reply, Jinu lifted me up easily, putting me in my bed again. He kissed my forehead. "I'm happy I could be there to listen to your dreams, but I can't just let you exhaust your body again. You are in no place to do that now. Good night."

"Wait!" I grabbed his hand before he could leave. "Stay with me. I won't fall asleep if I'm here alone, my thoughts will be all over the place."

Jinu smiled, quickly laying next to me in bed. Without a word, he hugged me tightly, hiding his face in my neck. I smiled, feeling my mind calming down. I loved having him close, it really made me less anxious. There was just something impossible to explain about it that made me actually rest and even... I yawned, feeling my eyelids become much heavier... Even fall asleep almost instantly.

Chapter 63: Chapter Sixty Two

Notes:

Thank you all so much for the birthday wishes <33 I hope you will enjoy this chapter as much as the other ones

That damn alarm... I didn't even open my eyes to reach my hand to grab my phone and turn it off. Was it really morning already? I tapped the night stand, until I reached the phone. Wait a second... Was that a piece of paper on it? I grabbed both of them, firstly getting rid of this annoying and torturing sound, just then I opened my eyes, and tried to focus to see what was on the paper. It really took me a second to finally see everything clearly, but when I did, I smiled.

"I'm sorry I had to disappear, today we're supposed to arrive at a hotel, and I can't really do that from the staircase and without the rest of the Saja Boys. I hope you slept well, I love you, see you today.
Your Jinu"

I closed my eyes with an even bigger smile.

"Rumi!" Zoey peeked inside my room. "Are you up? Come on, we have a tight schedule today!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" I quickly got out of bed, hiding the note behind my phone case. Then, I quickly went to the toilet, where Mira was taking a shower. "Good morning!"

"I see you're feeling better," she nodded. "That's great."

"I feel so much better," I smiled. "Oh, also, I will have to tell you two about the dream I had."

"Is it related to everything that's been happening lately?"

"I think so."

"Wow. You really can't get a rest, huh?" Mira asked, wrapping herself in the towel as I was finishing my skincare. I sighed. "I take it as a no. Well, I can't wait to hear about your dream in the evening, right now try not to think about it too much."

"I'll try. Today we need to focus on being kpop idols," I nodded. "Anyway, how much time do you think you need?"

"To get ready? Maximum thirty minutes," she shrugged, drying her hair in the second towel. "You know I'm quick.

"Fortunately," I laughed, leaving the bathroom.

I quickly went to my room, trying to come up with a good outfit in my head. It couldn't be too much, but it couldn't be sloppy either. It was only an outfit I was meant to meet the participants in and just barely start the show. Oh, and also we were supposed to have a live today evening. I opened my closet, choosing a pair of my favourite black leather pants and a light lavender top that would match my bangle. I was pretty satisfied with my choice, so after dressing up, I quickly sat down to start doing my makeup.

"Aaah!" I heard Zoey's scream. If it was any other situation, I would probably run up to her, but that was normal thing for days like today. "My eyeliner doesn't want to cooperate!" She cried. Yeah, just like I expected.

"Use your knife!" I shouted from my room.

"Shit, you're so right! Thank you!"

"And don't swear, we will be recorded soon!"

"But we're not yet on cameras!" I heard Mira scream. "Fuck, fuck, fuck!" The girls laughed as I rolled my eyes.

"Mira!"

"Okay, I'm sorry. Please don't take away our phones again!"

"I'll see how you two do today," I laughed.

I was used to doing my makeup quickly, so I could focus more on braiding my hair. After cutting them and changing my hairstyle, doing my hair has become one of my favourite parts of my routine. I wasn't even aware I could enjoy braiding such long hair, but now it felt like a completely new experience. It really made me happy. After I finished, I hid my phone in my pocket and grabbed a hotel key card, leaving my room. The girls came soon after, so we left for breakfast. Zoey seemed most excited and stressed.

"Hi Bobby!" We said as we sat down at the table.

"Good morning girls!" Bobby smiled to us. "I ordered already your favourite breakfast, so it should come soon. Are you ready for your first reality show?"

"We can't be more ready," I smiled.

"Yeah, we're great. I mean, we're ready," Zoey chuckled nervously. Mira immediately grabbed her hand to calm her down. "Thanks."

"I am sure you will do great. I don't have to worry about that," Bobby smiled as our breakfast was brought by a waiter. We all thanked him. "Anyway, the arrival of contestants is divided. Half of them will arrive right after your breakfast, and another half in the evening right before dinner. It was decided like that so it's easier for organisational purposes and also for you three. I mean, after all, you are responsible to checking on them and looking after them."

We nodded, already eating our breakfast. I didn't even realise how hungry I was before.

"So wait," Mira started between the bites. "Is it like five soloists and then five groups or..."

"It's mixed," Bobby explained. He looked on his phone, reading something quickly. "Firstly, we have the Saja Boys and WHITEBLUE as groups, and from soloists Minji, Yejun and Harin."

"WHITEBLUE?" Zoey's eyes widened. "They're that girl group who's about to debut on 16th August, right?"

"That's right. I heard they were first trainees under different labels, but in one survival show they worked so good together, the ZH Entertainment managed to sign the contract with the rest of the girls to create this group. They're already quite popular, I must say."

"I know, I'm following them from my anonymous account on Instagram!" Zoey said excitedly. "I love them!"

"Okay, but try to be a little calmer when we meet them," Mira laughed. "I also heard about Minji and Harin."

"That's good, you are prepared then basically," Bobby smiled, nodding. "Okay, we still have some time, but it would be good if you showed up in the lobby before the participants start coming. The director said he wants to show your reactions about everything. How you feel and if you're excited."

"Then Zoey will do half of our job," Mira scoffed amused. "That's fine, we're experts at swallowing the food."

Bobby gave her a warning look, but the girl just shrugged. I smiled. Bobby always tried to remind Mira about her language and what she was saying, since this girl didn't really care as much about her "idol image". At least not as much as she should probably. Her first solo live ended in some of our fans wanting to cancel her because of the jokes she was saying towards the fans and her responses to all haters. Not nice was an understatement.

But when it came to swearing, Zoey was the one who swore the most, not on purpose, but usually on accident. Nevertheless, it was a problem a couple of time, for example during this one episode when we were in a haunted house with all those "scary" actors. I counted Zoey managed to swear sixty six times. All on accident! It was just part of her everyday language before, and well, now she was doing fine, but at first Bobby was stressed to say the least.

I guess I was the "least problematic", but not because I was a golden child. I was raised by Celine, I was just too scared to do most things or even speak my mind at first. I remember how many times Zoey and Mira stood for me when we were in a restaurant or in any public place and someone disrespected me. It felt nice to know someone actually had my back. I could actually feel safe whenever I was going out then, because I knew I have the girls on my side. It did make things easier, and I guess I slowly started opening up. Still not as much as I should have, but it was a lot for me at that time.

"Finished! Ha! I was first!" Mira smiled proudly while Zoey groaned. I rolled my eyes, trying to stop a smile.

"Were you two racing who will eat faster again?" I scoffed.

"It's the best game for days like that," Zoey said, putting a whole piece of bread in her mouth.

"It saves time," Mira nodded.

"It's not healthy though," Bobby sighed.

"We'll be fine," Mira waved her hand. "Don't worry about us."

"You know I'm always worried about you girls."

I tapped Bobby on his shoulder, trying to calm him down a little. He was obviously worried about us all the time, and we knew it very well. We also were grateful for having such a manager like him. And kind of a father figure at that. I don't think we will ever forget Mira calling Bobby "dad" on accident. It was both funny and adorable. He was the best person we could have around during all that time as Huntrix, our biggest support. I couldn't imagine anyone better for this position than him.

"All right, we're ready," I said as I put the cutlery on my now empty plate. "Come on girls, it is time to start this show."

"Yay!" Zoey jumped up from the table, clearly the most excited.

We went down to the hotel lobby, where everyone was ready to record everything, while the director was waiting for us. He waved at us from one of the couches. "Girls! Good morning!" We quickly went to him, sitting down. "Okay, we should discuss a couple of things before everyone arrives soon. First, you will obviously welcome everyone, and try talking to them while they get their rooms assigned. We specifically asked the staff to drag it out more, so there's enough time for you three to meet everyone. After all it's..." he looked down on some papers to see. "It's twelve people! It's not as little as it seems."

"Of course," we nodded.

"Perfect. I want you to ask some basic questions, like why they decided to participate or what expectations do they have from this reality show. Oh! And if they were excited to meet anyone here. That is also pretty important," the man smiled. "Secondly, you will split and each of you will take the groups and bring them to their rooms. It's an easy job, really. One group will have rooms on one floor, the other on another floor, and all the soloists also are located on one floor. You know, to make everything simpler."

"Should we divide it now?" I asked.

"Hm, it would be easier I think."

"Okay, then Zoey definitely takes WHITEBLUE," Mira nodded. "And if it's okay, I will take the soloists."

I smiled, knowing why she proposed that. I nodded, agreeing. "I'm fine with that."

"That's the spirit!" The director clapped his hands excited. "I love the communication and cooperation between you three, I can see it will be great to work with you!"

"Thank you so much," we all smiled.

"No need to thank me, really," he shook his head. "And now, the third task, and probably the most important. While you are talking with everyone after they arrive in the lobby, you will pass them small pieces of paper with tasks. It has to be as sneaky as possible, so I'm counting on your abilities." Well, we were hunters, so I was pretty sure we would be able to do this pretty easily. "Those pieces of paper will be first tasks for every participant, but they will be quite... how to say..."

"Crazy?" Mira raised her eyebrows.

"Simple?" Zoey tilted her head.

"Music-oriented?" I added.

"No..." the director shook his head slowly, still trying to find the right word. Suddenly, he snapped his fingers, clearly relieved. "I know! Treacherous! So basically, the task is very simple, two groups will have to find a golden guitar in the hotel, while the soloists have to hide it. But! Everyone won't know about the others task, even the members in the same group. Either the three soloists will win, being able to keep the guitar hidden around the hotel, or the groups, keeping the guitar in their room. The thing is, the soloists will get all the updates about the guitar and where it is, while the group members obviously won't. So, if they don't realise they can work together, it will be very difficult for them to actually win a challenge. Do you understand it?"

We nodded slowly. They were just about to arrive and they already had such a crazy task? And if they had time until the end of the week, that meant they will all have to manage other tasks and challenges in the meantime.

"But since when can they play? The other part of the participants is arriving in the evening," Zoey asked.

"That's why they will get a message when they can start, and the message will arrive perfectly at midnight," the director said proudly.

Well, this reality show will definitely be interesting.

Chapter 64: Chapter Sixty Three

Notes:

I wish I knew how to add pictures here, because one reader just did such a pretty art for my birthday, it's just- OMGG

We sat down on the couch with the cards, which consisted of the tasks spread out. The cameras were already on while the three of us were still alone in the hall. Fortunately.

"At least we can divide it equally," Mira nodded. She had her arms spread on the headrest behind us. If it wasn't for the black skirt she decided to put on, she would probably be fully manspreading, but she loved wearing skirts too much, so she decided to sacrifice that for them. "I propose one blue card for each and three yellow ones."

"So it's less suspicious, I'm guessing," I smiled. She nodded. "I like that plan."

"Let's do it like this, each of us will talk to at least six people, while we have already divided who we will give the tasks to, so we don't make any mistakes," Zoey proposed. She was hugging her knees, her feet resting on the edge of a couch, while she tapped her fingers energetically. As usual, she wore her favourite baggy jeans.

"Rumi? Any preferences?" Zoey asked. I smiled, shaking my head. If it weren't on camera, girls wouldn't even ask. I wasn't a fan of choosing, so I liked to already be left with options. It made everything easier, and they knew it.

"Then I'll take Harin, Aeri and Minsol from WHITEBLUE and... Abby from the Saja Boys," Mira decided, taking four of the cards.

"Minji, Mystery..." Zoey thought for a second, remembering who was left. "And Yeonwoo and Dailu from WHITEBLUE." She also took four cards.

"So I'm left with Yejun, and Jinu, Baby and Romance from the Saja Boys," I nodded, grabbing the rest. "Perfect."

"And each of us needs to talk to at least two other people we didn't choose," Zoey reminded us, as me and Mira quickly showed we remembered. "Okay, perfect."

I looked at my phone to see the time. "They should be here in five minutes."

The girls smiled excitedly. To be honest, we were all happy about this reality show already, handing out the first task sneakily seemed so fun, I could see the enthusiasm on Mira and Zoey's faces. I wasn't better, I couldn't wait until we met everyone and sneak those little cards into their hands. Besides, the sooner everyone gets here, the quicker the rest of the day passes, and the faster evening comes. And in the evening, I will be able to finally tell the girls about my dream and the conversation I had with Jinu.

Right, Jinu.

Since the task was about to start at midnight, did that mean they would be recorded then? Will the participants stay in one place to capture their reactions? The director didn't reveal to us that detail, and now I was realising it's a bit problematic, since I was hoping to talk to him at night. I remember that before I fell asleep, he told me he also had something to tell me, but he would wait until tomorrow. What if he won't have a chance to tell me? I'll be dying because of curiosity! Ugh, what a bother...

"Okay, girls, here are the key cards to the rooms for everyone," the woman from reception said, walking up to us, placing everything right in front of us. "The soloists have rooms on the third floor, WHITEBLUE on the eighth, and the Saja Boys on the fifth one. Shall I help you with anything else? Or can I assist you somehow?"

"No, no, it's okay," I waved my hands. "Thank you very much."

The woman smiled, nodded, and left, walking back to her place. She was already familiar with us enough to feel more comfortable, and as I observed, Bobby and the director took care that it would be she who handled most of our stuff. She was really quick to figure everything out, and she got used to having three idols living in the hotel room over the past days. We also made sure to visit the hall and try to talk to her if possible, so she would feel much more comfortable, like she did now. I could assume we succeeded.

Me and the girls quickly found the right room numbers and took the key cards we were supposed to be responsible for for the next ten or fifteen minutes.

We quickly got up from the couch when the participants started entering the hotel hall with their suitcases. Me and the girls exchanged looks, seeing how small the Saja Boys' suitcases were. Oh, this will do numbers on social media when the first episode gets released. First, we decided to walk up to the soloists who were closer. I walked up to Yejun, who immediately bowed his head, seeing me.

"It's okay, you don't have to," I immediately smiled. "Hello, I'm Rumi from Huntrix, and I'll be one of the hosts in this show." I reached out a hand to him, the pink card in my palm.

"Uhm, I know who you are, noona", the boy laughed nervously, shaking my hand with his two hands. He quickly realised what was going on, taking the card. I just smiled while he cleared his throat. "I'm really glad to be a part of this show, I can't wait to meet my first task." I chuckled after he said that, obviously understanding what he meant.

Yejun was a little taller than I expected; he was surely above 180 centimetres. He had longer hair reaching his shoulders, which were dyed blond now. I remember seeing his new release about two months ago; his hair was still blue then. He was wearing a striped grey sweater and black pants.

Bobby took care that we knew what was going on in the kpop world, no matter what, so I did recognise at least ninety nine percent of the artists. Sometimes it was difficult to catch up, but usually it was pretty simple. One, our manager kept up with everything, sometimes even making presentations about which group just debuted or with whom we could do a tiktok dance challenge this time. Two, our gossip queen, Zoey, who I don't know how, but seemed to know everything that was going on in the social media world without breaking a sweat. How did she find time for that, I wondered.

But thanks to both of them, I knew Yejun was a new soloist with just one mini album and a new single, who debuted six months ago, was a great dancer and a vocalist, and usually seemed very open but shy, especially when meeting the fans. Some said he could be good at flirting if you give him the opportunity, but I didn't plan on checking that. I had a much better flirt who usually occupied my bed, even when I had a busy schedule. That was all I needed.

"Well, I wish you good luck with completing the tasks. As for your room, Zoey will be responsible for taking you, Harin and Minji to your rooms, so you can go to her now, she will take care of you."

"Thank you so much," he bowed, leaving. Why was he bowing so much? It was really unnecessary...

Okay, since I talked to him, I decided to also have a short conversation with the leader of WHITEBLUE, who was free as of now. Then, I would just move to the Saja Boys, although I was still thinking about how I would give them the tasks so I don't seem suspicious. Or so the rest don't realise. I looked through the corner of my eye to see that Mira and Zoey broke the group a little, which made it easier to talk to them.

"Hello!" I walked up to Minsol, shaking her hand. "How are you feeling? Are you excited about the show?"

"Oh my god, it's so nice to meet you, eonni", the girl smiled, immediately showing her dimples. They looked so cute. I remember Zoey telling us about them after the first time she realised. She loved dimples on people. "I think I'm a little nervous, but overall very good. And we're all very happy about this opportunity. We hope we can win to be able to travel with Huntrix themselves. You three are like our role models."

"Thank you so much," I laughed. We've been idols for quite some time, but I guess I still wasn't used to the compliments as much. "I'm glad we get to meet your group, it has been gaining a lot of popularity lately."

"Oh, it's not much, really," Minsol lowered her head, flustered, which only made me smile more. She was a little taller than I, but she was younger and less experienced. The girl was playing with the edge of her denim skirt nervously right now, while barely keeping any eye contact with me. Her black hair was tied in a high ponytail, while I was wondering if she did the makeup or if someone had done it. It was so subtle and so fitting, I was amazed.

"Well, I wish your group good luck and I hope you will manage your tasks easily," I smiled. "I saw you already talked to Mira, so I won't be stopping you more, since she's the one who will take you all to your rooms."

"Of course, thank you for the conversation," before I could react, the girl bowed and quickly walked away. I shook my head. I know it was normal, but it did make me feel quite old, I had to say. With how eager all of them were to bow, I felt like I was already Bobby's age or something.

Okay, Rumi. Focus.

I looked at Jinu, who was obviously my next choice. It would make sense to firstly welcome the leader of the group, wouldn't it? Too bad this leader was also my boyfriend, and if I could, I would kiss him as a hello. I smiled, walking up to Jinu, trying to control myself not to seem too eager. I was never a good actress, so I was pretty worried if I was acting any differently.

"It is so nice to see you, noona," Jinu said, bowing quickly.

Rumi, calm down! Did he just call me noona? Why did he do that? He was older! I mean, I guess not for anyone else, but still! Besides, it felt more like he was teasing me, not paying any respect! I felt my chest warm. Jinu, you bastard, I'm gonna kill you one day!

"The pleasure is all mine," I smiled, shaking his hand with a card hidden in my palm. Jinu immediately caught on the clue, slowly taking it away, while his fingers brushed the inside of my hand. If our fans catch onto that detail, we will both be dead meat! "How are you feeling about the show? Are you excited?"

"Very much, especially since our first time participating in any kind of show," Jinu smiled, hiding the card in the pocket of his pants. "All of the Saja Boys were even eager to come here after we heard that Huntrix will be the hosts of the show. It's great to see you three again, your group is our inspiration."

"We're happy to know that," I smiled, nodding. "Then I wish all of you good luck. I will be taking you all to your rooms in a while, so please give me like five minutes."

"Of course, I will be waiting then," Jinu bowed again, while I tried to control every muscle in my body not to hit him in that empty head of his.

I quickly walked up to Baby, having a pretty short conversation, while also sneaking into his hand the first task. Jinu was busy talking to Abby at that time, not realising anything was wrong, which I was really happy about. It was even easier to do with Romance, who was standing right next to me and Baby, so I decided to have a shared conversation, as I shook the hands of both of them. They did exchange looks, probably wondering if another one also got something, but at the same time, they tried to pretend like they didn't know anything had happened. It was pretty funny to watch, I had to admit.

Since the key cards were already in the pocket of my pants, waiting impatiently to finally be used, I decided to end this little game quickly, as I saw Mira already leave the hotel hall. Zoey was still eagerly talking to WHITEBLUE. She was really glad about having an opportunity to meet these girls. I was really happy for her.

It took me maybe two next minutes to welcome Mystery and Abby, especially since they weren't as talkative, before getting the Saja Boys to their rooms. They were already all pretty curious about their first tasks, trying to seem as unsuspicious as possible. They were doing terribly, but since these five dumbasses shared a braincell when they were together, they didn't even suspect each other as much, only making sure nobody suspects them. I tried to keep a poker face, while we entered an elevator.

Ah, an elevator. Their room was on the fifth floor, and I couldn't really make them walk the stairs with their stuff, I would seem like a terrible host and as if I have some kind of problem with them. So, despite my deep hatred towards elevator since damn Bo-Ra decided to mess with us again, I had to somehow survive. The second we entered, the second the door closed and the cameras were turned off, Jinu grabbed my hand.

Good thing this hotel didn't have cameras in their elevators. I took a deep breath, watching one of the lights flicker. My heart was basically in my throat, as Jinu just held my hand, slowly massaging it to help me. It did make me feel a little better, but I was still anxious.

Nobody said anything, all of us were too aware we shouldn't still risk too much to discuss anything that concerned topics demon-related.

*DING!*

I hated that sound. I quickly let go off Jinu's hand before the door opened to the cameraman standing in the corridor, waiting for us. "Here we are," I put on my best smile, taking out the key cards to stabilise my hands.

"This hotel is really pretty," Baby nodded, walking behind me.

"I can guarantee you will like it, it's amazing," I said.

I wasn't sure if it was my imagination or if I actually heard Bo-Ra's laugh, but I was sure of one thing. I had to act as if everything is fine. Nothing weird was happening...

Notes:

Anyway, I hope I will go back to my pace from before, since tomorrow, and you'll get at least two chapters

Chapter 65: Chapter Sixty Four

I blinked once. Everything went pitch black. I bit my lip, knowing she was still controlling the hotel.

"Getting angry, aren't you?" I scoffed, still walking forward.

My steps echoed through the corridor, although the carpet should have muted them down. If someone left their room now, would that mean they saw the same thing I did?

I blinked twice. The floor seemed to be moving, the walls started melting around me, and the light was flickering.

"Wow, you aren't even creative. What next? A place full of blood?"

No response.

"What? You can't get to know me, and you don't know what to do anymore?"

Silence. My steps echoed as I reached the staircase. No more elevators. The cameraman disappeared a long time ago, and I was now alone.

I guess I was never alone lately. She was like a shadow, like the worst nightmare I couldn't escape since she came when I was awake. I hated her. I hated her, and I needed to get rid of her as fast as I could.

I felt the bracelet shaking a little. Who would have thought such a simple piece could be so strong? But I couldn't risk it, it was still without a spell, and I didn't know what exactly that would mean.

I blinked thrice.

I saw myself. Bleeding, standing right in the door to my floor.

No. I wasn't bleeding, it was... I saw myself face lifted in the most terrifying smile, while putting the sword on my shoulders. The other me leaned forward, while I took a step back.

"The blood on my hands..." I watched myself whisper those words right in my face.

I took another step back.

"No," I whispered. "It's not..."

"My fault?" I laughed loudly. I closed my eyes. It wasn't the real me, it wasn't. I wasn't like this, I... "I carry the sword that has slain thousands of demons, I call myself a hero, when everything I am is a traitor, a liar."

I took another step back, shaking my head. I'm not. I'm not a traitor, it wasn't me, I was protecting others, I...

"Who gave me the right to this power?" I continued, the voice stone cold. This awful, joker-like smile was still on my face.

I bumped into the wall.

"Wasn't it Celine? She was the one who taught me how to get this sword. She taught me to carry it and use it. Celine."

I shook my head, looking down. I couldn't look at myself. I could feel the tears slowly building up in my eyes. No. No, it wasn't like this. I wasn't abusing my power; I was confused. The demons killed other people, I had to react, even though I did some things wrong, it still wasn't the same. And Celine...

I felt my heart stop when I lifted my head again.

Celine.

She was standing there, just looking at me. I felt my legs get weaker before I hit the ground. My head started spinning.

I knew it was all fake, so why was I still affected? I knew Bo-Ra was playing with my head, and yet I let her play with me like a toy. My cheeks were wet from the tears, while she stayed silent. I was too afraid to look up. I didn't. I couldn't. I...

"I made you, Rumi."

Her voice was like an electric shock that made right inside my veins. It hit me like the worst thunder at night under a tree. I hid my face in my hands, shaking my head.

I needed to get her out of my head, I needed...

"I am proud of you, Rumi. You are who I wanted you to be."

No. No, I wasn't. I wasn't like Celine; she despised me. She was the one who led me to be like this. She was the one who was to blame for Huntrix not knowing anything about being demon hunters. I was not who Celine wanted me to become; I was her worst creation. I carried the demon patterns she despised so much; I was the one who made her best friend kill, while the other voluntarily gave up her soul. I was...

"Rumi, you have to turn the honmoon gol..."

"Shut up!" I screamed, feeling the stairs shaking. My demon voice activated again, while I barely spat out these words. My hands were wet from the tears, but I didn't hear any response.

Just dead silence.

Breathe, Rumi. Just...

I couldn't breathe. It felt like I was suffocating. I was... I couldn't...

"Rumi?" I lifted my head, seeing Zoey on the staircase. After seeing my face, she immediately ran up to me. "Come here," she helped me get up without asking anything.

We slowly reached the room where Mira was already waiting for us. The girl got up immediately, helping me sit on the couch.

I broke.

I hid my face in my hands while I wept. I couldn't bear it, I wasn't the one who should be doing this, I wasn't worthy. I shouldn't be the one who hunts demons; I wasn't fit for it. I was a failure, a joke, a...

"I'm so sorry," I cried quietly. I was a total mess. The girls grabbed my hands, making me lift my head.

"Rumi, you have nothing to apologise for," Mira whispered, looking at me worriedly. I probably looked like a mess. "What happened?"

"Bo-Ra, she..." My voice trembled the second I remembered. "An illusion, I... I should have known, but it was..." I cried again, not being able to calm down. Zoey jumped to hug me tightly, while Mira was still holding my hand.

"It's okay, we're here now. We will not leave you anymore," Zoey whispered.

I shook my head. No, that wasn't good. I just had to calm down and learn to build enough strength to face Bo-Ra no matter what. How was I supposed to defeat her if I wasn't even strong enough to face her? If I wasn't strong enough to face... myself, or worse...

"Celine..." I whispered. "She turned into..."

"That fucking bitch!" Mira breathed out. "I'm gonna kill her if I even see her."

"Aren't demons like... immortal?" I scoffed, feeling a little better.

"I'll find a way to make her mortal again then. She doesn't deserve to face the same fate as Gwi-Ma; she deserves something a hundred times worse."

"Million times worse," Zoey nodded, while I slowly ended the hug. "Good thing we have a little break now."

Mira got up, almost running to the toilet, and came back quickly with cotton pads and makeup remover. She sat in front of me, slowly removing the mascara and eyeliner from my cheeks. "She can't touch you now, so she's trying different ways..." she whispered, focusing on my face. I sighed.

"Her ways are messed up, but they work."

"We need to think about something, then, this can't go on like that. What did she do?"

"Manipulated the hotel, but slightly, it was less believable, and then changed herself to seem like me first, later Celine. She got close, but... not as close as I thought," I just now realised she didn't follow me when I was taking steps back, she was standing in the same place, at a distance. She couldn't get closer.

"Wait, to seem like you?" Zoey looked at me, surprised. I nodded. "For what?"

"Me in blood, to be precise... not mine."

I watched Mira tighten her fist while Zoey breathed out in surprise. This all got out of control again, and I had to figure out how to fix it. I thought I was already doing great, that I was immune to her illusions, but then... She got an ace up her sleeve all this time...

But if she already used that, could she have anything else against me? Will she try to focus on the girls? She couldn't enter their dreams anymore, but will she still try anything? She definitely will.

"She has to be scared," I was the one to speak out first. "She wouldn't be so desperate to attack me again if she weren't scared. She wouldn't try all those tricks if she weren't... I don't know..."

"Running out of time," Mira finished for me. "She has to know we get to know more and more about the hunters' job, there has to be something she is exceptionally scared of us finding. There has to be."

"We still have time to put a protection spell, but I'm planning to sneak out to this library again soon, so I can find more information," Zoey nodded.

"None of us can be alone now."

"I will take Mystery with me. And maybe Baby, so it doesn't seem suspicious?"

"Zoey, you are three idols going to some little library," I chuckled. "You will look suspicious."

"You forgot those purple demons can shape shift," the girl smiled proudly. "They won't know who we are. I have a perfect cover."

"Right, I already see that perfect cover," Mira scoffed. "But I do think it's a good idea to research more. We have already pushed something forward since Bo-Ra is getting out of control. On one hand, it's bad, but on the other..."

"It feels like we have a bigger chance than we thought," I said.

"Exactly."

"But now we need to get you to look like a functioning member of society," Zoey said, looking at me carefully. "Remember, Rumi, you are our mitochondria; if we don't take care of you, Huntrix won't last."

I chuckled at what she said. "Again with that mitochondria?" I scoffed. She smiled proudly.

"Maybe instead of becoming a witch, you'll just become a biologist," Mira hit Zoey in her head before going to my room. "Which palette did you use for today?"

"The small purple one from Florasis," I said, watching as the girl collects some makeup products from my vanity table and brings them to the living room. She put everything on the table, making Zoey clap her hands excitedly.

"Can I do your makeup? Pleaaaase," she asked. I nodded with a smile. "Perfect!"

"I will text Bobby, we need some lift-me-up food," Mira said, going to her room.

I focused on Zoey, who was now organising everything on the table. She always had to have everything in her way so it would work. The brushes had to be perfectly lined up, and the makeup products had to be put in order of when she was putting them on her face. Everything had to be perfect. It was just Zoey's thing. Sometimes I talked about it with Mira, who explained to me that it makes a lot of sense; she is like that. Zoey had to satisfy everyone around; she had to be perfect, and she had to make sure everything was fine around her. She cared more about other people than herself; that's why the two of us were trying to care about her as much as we could, especially since she was our maknae.

She turned to me excited, everything on the table perfectly aligned. I smiled. I realised I had to defeat Bo-Ra as soon as possible so I could finally let the girls breathe a little.

*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚

I closed the door to my room, leaving the girls in the living room. My phone was in the pocket of my skirt, and I didn't need to leave in theory. But in reality, I desperately needed a second to breathe. I laid on the bed, looking at the ceiling.

She did this on purpose. Attacked Rumi, while the two of us were left alone. She knew it would be worse for us than if we experienced any kind of mental torture. I would much rather prefer to go through ten nightmares like the one she made than watch Rumi in a state like that. And, knowing Zoey as well as I did, I knew she was feeling the same right now; she just hid it better.

I hated feeling powerless like that. It was much worse than anything I went through. Despite all of it, I managed to keep myself and to get myself to function properly. I learned ways to either hide or heal. I have come all this way to be like I am now. To be someone who takes care of others, who sees others like they don't even see themselves. Someone who easily sees their minds and knows how to help. But this? This was too much even for me. No matter how much I thought about it, there was no good way of helping Rumi now. Acting like nothing happened? One of the worst possibilities. Discussing it? But what after? Looking after her? She will feel like she's a useless leader.

Trying to convince her this was all an illusion? She knew it, but knowledge wasn't enough sometimes. I was well aware.

Sometimes, I hated understanding and knowing as much as I did. It was like the second I met someone, I could already make at least a simple list of things they were struggling with. On one hand, it was pretty helpful, but on the other, it could be even... suffocating. It felt like I carried a responsibility to help them, even when I knew I didn't. Because I didn't. I didn't owe anyone anything.

Except for Rumi, Zoey and Bobby. They were my everything, and I promised to do everything to keep them safe. To make this one family, I have to survive. I almost lost Rumi once, making the worst mistake in my life, never again.

Never again will I let any situation like that happen. Bo-Ra will have to peel my skin off and rip my bones, and I will still find a way to protect all of them. They were all I cared for.

Notes:

I'm sorry for traumatising the girls more, I will do it again

Chapter 66: Chapter Sixty Five

Notes:

Life decided to test me today because I almost lost this chapter

If I could go back in time, I guess there would just be too many things to fix and tell myself for me to actually consider it worth my time. But I wish I could ever go into the future, take a small peek at what might happen, maybe get at least three answers for my many questions, and then go back, figuring slowly how to reach the point where I end like I did in the future, or even better. It just sounded like a much better idea than trying to fix my previous mistakes, the ones that created me and shaped who I was right now. And fine, I was broken, I was weak and I didn't have high confidence and hope for myself, especially lately, but I was still me.

I raised my hand to observe my patterns carefully, completely disassociating from everything around me. This was a part of me. A part of me that was one of the biggest influences in how I was right now. Those marks were now a reminder for me to keep going and to not give up, no matter how terrible the situation may have seemed. I got out of one seemingly impossible situation, I will get out of millions of them in the future. Especially since I wasn't alone anymore.

So yes, I would definitely go into the future, obviously not letting anyone know I'm there and not including myself in anything. Just a small peek would be enough for me to feel satisfied and then just leave. Just a tiny detail to show me we managed and figured everything out, and it would make my body work like brand new, excited and ready for anything.

But time travel was impossible, and I had to be content with whatever I could have, one of them being... scrying I guess.

I looked at Zoey who was now standing in front of a mirror, looking at it carefully. Me and Mira were sitting on the couch, still very confused what was she trying to do. She told us she was researching this scrying thing since Romance mentioned it in the internet, but as it is with the internet, some things were true and some weren't, and we had no idea how to verify which is which.

Zoey decided scrying would be a great trial to see if I can connect with the previous hunters after I told the girls about my dream, and explained what me and Jinu thought about it. They also realised that six generations of hunters for around thirteen hundred years was suspiciously a lot. It meant that either a lot of generations were forgotten, or that they were abnormal people who lived very long time. And the other option now seemed more believable, especially considering my dream.

But demons who turned against other demons? Would that even make sense? Could it really be the answer we were looking for? Maybe it was actually just my imagination? Maybe it was my subconsciousness trying to make me feel better about being a half-demon, having nothing to do with previous hunters?

"But why would that crying even be able to help us?" Mira asked exactly what I was thinking.

"It's scrying!" Zoey scoffed. "And it will definitely help us! It is done to receive significant messages or visions that could offer guidance, prophecy, revelation or inspiration. That's exactly what we need!"

"So what? We will just do a spell in the mirror and?" Mira was still not convinced about this whole idea. "What? Will a hunter from the past appear in the mirror?"

"That would be so cool!" Zoey jumped. "We don't know what exactly will appear, but if we do it properly, it will definitely be something helpful. Isn't that enough?"

"But we don't know how to do it properly, we just know something like crying exists."

"Scrying!"

"Potato potato."

"How about we ask Romance about it? He was the one who told us about it in the first place," I proposed. Zoey smiled excited, while Mira groaned. "It's worth a try."

"It's definitely worth a try! That's why you're our mitochondria, Rumi!" Zoey exclaimed. I hid my face in my hands after hearing how she called me.

"Please..." I cried. "Not the mitochondria again..."

"A little more and we'll have to change your nickname for that," Mira laughed.

"I think it's cute," Zoey nodded, sitting down on a carpet. She took her phone, quickly typing a message. "They will be here in a minute."

"I'm sorry, they?" Mira looked at her. That's when all of the Saja Boys appeared in our living room. "Right, cause they can't separate..." the girl groaned, closing her eyes and clearly refusing to talk to anyone right now. I smiled, shaking my head. Nobody was ever as big of an anti Saja as Mira, and that was really something.

"What's up girls?" Romance asked, sitting next to Mira as if she didn't just curse under her breath. "Something's up?"

"Yeah, we wanted to ask you about that scrying," Zoey smiled, sitting on Mystery's lap. "How much do you know about how to do it?"

"I only know the basics..." Mystery thought out loud, while Jinu sat down next to me, kissing me on my head. I leaned my head on his shoulder. "But you need special equipment to do it. I mean, maybe not equipment, but for example, my sister had a special mirror for that, it can't just be anything."

"Right, we shouldn't have assumed in the first place that it's easy," Mira scoffed, looking curiously at Romance. "What do you mean a special mirror?"

"An obsidian mirror. It doesn't even have to be big, but obsidian is best to do that, at least that's what I managed to figure out. I once stole her Diary where she wrote down everything about her witchcraft."

"Obsidian mirror? How did she get something like that?" I asked surprised.

"We were quite an influential family, so she had more opportunities to find odd and rare objects. This one took her three years to get."

"Three years?!" Zoey exclaimed.

"Three years and two months, to be exact," Romance nodded. "But it worked great, especially since she had some experience at that time with smaller objects."

"Why obsidian?" I asked.

"First of all, many civilisations used it as a mirror before, one of its kind. Especially it was important to Ancient Mayan and Aztec people who used them in many spiritual rituals. I didn't know about it at first, of course, I'm not even sure where did my sister get so much knowledge about the outside world from, I always suspected it was that she knew someone, a traveller of some kind," Romance explained. I was now realising his life seemed like a very interesting one, it wasn't very common to hear about such a past, especially in early times of Korea. He seemed pretty lucky to experience and know things most couldn't.

I wondered now what exactly went wrong that he became a demon, a puppet of Gwi-Ma. Was it also greed of some kind, was it something else?

"Wait, who the hell were you in your human life?" Abby scoffed.

"Nobody important," Romance waved his hand. We all didn't believe him.

I looked at Jinu who also didn't know. I don't think the Saja Boys ever asked about each other's pasts to be honest. It seemed like they didn't really enjoy talking about that. Romance was so open about his story only because it was about his sister whom he seemed to value a lot, besides that, he didn't really seem eager to say anything. Anything.

"Okay, what about other reasons?" Mira asked, focused on Romance. Just now I realised she was pretty comfortable. Her back leaning on Abby's arm, while her legs were straightened on Romance's laps who was tapping his fingers on them. He smiled at the question.

"The root chakra," he said. What the hell was he talking about? "Obsidian is associated with the root chakra, meaning it's a stone perfect to use for grounding whenever a practitioner feels disconnected from the earth or reality. It is also a perfect stone for protection, especially against negative energies. It absorbs and blocks anything that may be nearby, that's why scrying through obsidian is so much safer. You don't have that with normal mirrors, especially nowadays, when they're not even made from silver anymore."

"That does not make it any easier," Mira groaned. "Where the hell are we supposed to find an obsidian mirror?"

"On the internet!" Zoey raised her phone proudly. "I already found some!"

"But are they legit?"

"You can check them if you want, I will send you a link."

"Perfect," Mira nodded satisfied. "Wait a minute, you just explained the whole obsidian thing to us, what about the real crying? How to do that?"

"It's scrying!" Both Zoey and Romance corrected her. The girl raised her hands defensively, while I saw Baby finding our shared hirono collection we always took with us everywhere.

He grabbed a couple of the figurines after silently asking me, and started basically playing with them, completely ignoring everything going on. I tilted my head amused. He was supposed to be the oldest one? There was no way he was actually as old as he told us he was. Completely impossible.

"You both are so fragile about it," Mira rolled her eyes, completely unaffected with her mistake. I was beginning to think she was doing that on purpose.

"It's a very important detail," Zoey scoffed.

"Of course. So what about it? How to do it?"

"Well... it's not as simple as to "everyone can do scrying easily"," Romance started. Of course, nothing could be easy enough. "First of all, do any of you three meditate or do other mindfulness exercises?"

We were hunters, and Celine trained us, especially me, since childhood. I knew how to sing, I knew martial arts perfectly, and I also learned some seemingly unnecessary stuff. Just like meditation for example, that didn't really seem to matter when she was firstly forcing me to do it. For a five year old child it was torture to sit on the floor with my eyes closed and just do nothing. I wanted to run, I wanted to talk, to draw, to ask many questions, and I was forced to sit in silence, while "clearing my mind". Every week when she told me to do it, it felt like I was being punished. Until I grew older and I realised how nice it felt to sometimes clear my head like that. Then, I started appreciating it a little more, but still not enough. After all, what good can come from not doing anything, when it felt like I should be productive?

It started feeling better after Celine created Huntrix and we had this little routine of ours to meditate together in our little living room every Saturday. We couldn't escape, since Celine always came to check if we're actually "training" to become hunters.

So I would say we were pretty good at meditation already.

"There shouldn't be any problems with that," Mira nodded.

"And you all are aware that the mirror isn't an only tool that can be used for scrying, right?" Romance continued.

"But mirror seems the best, especially if we want to do it together," I explained.

"If you want to do it together, it might be even more difficult, you will have to align your energies, and your minds."

"I believe in us," Zoey smiled.

"We have spent so much time together all these years, I bet we can do it," Mira agreed.

"You will also need a candle, it will be the only source of light, and something for purification. For example incense, but not necessarily," Romance continued. "Also, it's best to scry at night, since the practice is closely tied to the energy of the moon. Besides, a calm, dark night is perfect for focusing, since there are less distractions around." We nodded. That made a lot of sense actually. "And maybe a journal or just a piece of paper to write about your experience. It makes things much easier."

"Can we do it this night?" Zoey asked excitedly. I immediately shook my head.

"We have to get up even earlier than today, that's not a good idea," I said.

"I agree, we should try on Friday, since Saturday will be less busy for us," Mira nodded. "Besides, we have a live planned after dinner. When would you want to try and talk to a mirror? At five in the morning?"

"We won't be talking to a mirror!" Zoey jumped up. "What are we? Evil queen?"

"Hm, that would be pretty fun," Mira chuckled. "But I guess you're right, it will be more boring."

I rolled my eyes, knowing she decided to tease Zoey for a while. I didn't really plan to intervene, since it was pretty fun to watch, so I just observed the situation. Jinu decided to take this opportunity and whisper something I would have never expected.

"I can create my own weapon as a Guardian."

Chapter 67: Chapter Sixty Six

Notes:

Exciting news y’all, I will now be studying two majors from October! Yayyy!

I don't think anyone is would be ready for him. He comes in your lowest point, when you are not strong enough to resist him. I was already an easy prey.

The closet was pretty cramped, there were so many clothes, shoes and jewellery boxes, that now I was barely fitting inside. Before it was much easier. I was sneaking out after every dinner, well aware my sister had to stay more to help with cleaning after the meal. And then she talked to our parents about some stuff I didn't have to be yet concerned about. But now it was much more difficult since I had grown into a young man. A young man with responsibilities. With expectations, a bright future.

But I didn't want to study, I didn't want to become someone who works at a palace under the emperor. I wanted to do witchcraft, just like my sister.

To be able to protect our household from every person with ill intentions, to communicate with spirits and everything out of this world, to have the same wide knowledge about crystals or herbs like her. To cleanse my own energy, to balance whatever was wrong at the time. Everything she did just seemed so much better than whatever future was planned for me.

Well, she didn't really achieve all of that effortlessly. I was actually surprised our parents didn't decide to throw it all out or kick her out of the house. On the other hand, I knew very well they would rather turn a blind eye to what she was doing, and be sure she's protected and well than let her outside. That would basically mean a death sentence. Even though almost every morning and night I heard screams about her being a witch and sacrificing her life to the devil, parents still loved her too much. That's also why they were angry.

The type of witchcraft didn't matter, neither Musok nor Jusul were accepted. You could be sentenced even with just assumptions, no hard evidence. That's what my sister was risking, practicing day and night, but especially night. And fortunately, that's when I could sneak in and observe.

I was pretty sure my sister knew about my presence, just didn't say anything. Since I was nine, I started hiding in her closet to observe carefully what she was doing at her "altar" as she called it. And since the first night, before starting any practice, she cleansed herself and then the closet. It's as if we had this little secret of ours, when only me and her knew I wasn't really sleeping or training calligraphy, I was observing her, amazed.

I knew I couldn't leave any signs of me being there and learning what she was doing, so even though I really wished, I never took any notes. My head was full of all the little details and meanings so I could then repeat them when I was alone in the house or hiding somewhere not even one soul was present.

The forest outside of the city. It took me close to an hour to get there, but none of the residents visited it. They said it was a dangerous place and weird things happened there. I never cared enough to avoid it. Maybe I should have.

No. I definitely should have.

Right now I was observing my sister through a small hole as she was lighting up a candle on her altar. She already cleansed the whole space, now sitting down at the table. I was wondering what spell would she do tonight. A protection spell? A money spell? Maybe healing spell? Would she start something new? Did she have anyone who asked for her help today? Sometimes they asked her for love spells, fortune spells or for spells that could help them escape from someone. A family, a husband, a wife, a future partner. Didn't matter. My sister did them all, obviously carefully. She didn't have many people who were asking for help, she had to be as quiet as possible, but I guess it just happened.

Officially, my sister was about to inherit father's shop she was helping him take care of during the day. Secretly, she didn't spells for trusted ones to help them when they were struggling. She was a very talented one, everyone always got what they wanted, if the results weren't better than they even expected.

But tonight, none of that happened. Instead, I observed something I didn't yet observe before. She only left one candle lit, taking out from beneath the table a weird oval mirror. It was in a beautiful silver frame, but it was completely black. I’ve never once seen something like that before. I frowned, trying to understand the logic behind it. Was it just so dark the mirror seemed black? No, it was impossible, even the candle’s light seemed to reflect differently from a normal one. What a strange item, I was wondering where she got it from.

My sister slowly closed her eyes, breathing steadily. I don’t really know why I repeated it, it felt like other way I would disrupt her, and that was one thing I never wanted to do. I listened carefully, repeating what she was doing, my mind calmed down automatically. It was really incredible, I felt like my body just loosened up in seconds, although I didn’t do anything special.

When it felt right, I finally opened my eyes, my heart stopping for a second. I looked at the mystery mirror, seeing something I would never expect. Was that… My chest tightened as I became much more nervous now. It couldn’t be, I was imagining things.

I didn’t sleep well that night, I ran away from my sister’s room as soon as she stepped out of it to wash her hands. This mirror… It couldn’t be…

The next day, I ate breakfast in silence, before anyone else in my household woke up. I left a note saying I will be out for the whole day, nothing unusual. Besides, my parents focused more on my sister than me, which I really didn’t mind. I could basically do anything, as long as their expectations were met. And there wasn’t a lot of those, unlike Da-Hee.

I passed the streets almost intuitively, although the outside was as busy as always, I was pretty sure I would be able to pass safely even with a blindfold. It was just natural for me already. This whole town felt more familiar than most of my household, since I preferred to spend time on fresh air than be cramped inside, even if it was freezing. Nothing mattered, as long as I could feel free.

I stepped into the forest, thinking about what I saw. I recognised the lady, it was Beom-Seok’s mother who has passed away more than half a year ago. But it was impossible. How could I see her, still so alive, in that strange mirror? What has Da-Hee been up to now? I remembered Beom-Seok was one of not so many people who I could call my sister’s “clients”, but still… wasn’t that a bit too much? How could one even know such things? Where did she get all that knowledge from, exactly? I never asked, since we never even once talked about her practice. It was too big of a taboo topic for me to ever try starting it.

I walked slowly between the trees I recognised so well. A lot has changed here since the first time I stepped my foot in it for the first time, but I enjoyed slowly observing the changes. It felt good to see not only me change, but also my surrounding. I smiled, looking up at the crown trees. They got definitely bigger.

“We are both growing, huh?” I whispered with a smile.

And that’s when I heard him for the first time.

“Wouldn’t you like to be as strong as that little forest?” That was the first question he has asked me. I anxiously looked around me, surprised to hear a voice in my ear. “Wouldn’t you like to proof to your family you’re not a useless second child?”

How… how did he…

“I’m not useless!” I said out loud, wondering why was I even trying to keep a conversation with whoever that was. “I may not be as dependent as my sister, but…”

“Then why, instead of studying properly or going to an academy, are you wandering around, watching your sister, disappearing from your house? Don’t you feel useless doing all that?”

“You’re wrong! I just…”

“Want to be like Da-Hee?”

I felt my throat tighten, not being able to argue. How did he… My hands started shaking, while I tried to calm down myself. How could I not want to be like Da-Hee? She was intelligent, ambitious, hard-working, she easily learned whatever she wanted. She was the pride of our family, and she worked hard for it, especially since she was a woman.

“What if I tell you I can give you the gift of doing what she does?”

You should never agree to anything that seems too good to be true. You should never sign a deal with the devil. But I was already stupid enough I believed him. I believed every single word he whispered in my ear, not even questioning why anyone would want to help me as much.

He did keep his promise. I don’t know how could anyone have such power, but I suddenly gained magical abilities I would never achieve other way. I felt it the second I agreed. The sudden sensation of unknown energy in my body. Something I have never felt before, something that could light a tree on fire with a snap of my fingers. Incredible.

“You can now do the same things as your sister and even more. How about making a living out of it?” The voice whispered.

“You mean…”

“I’ll get you clients, don’t you worry about it.”

I didn’t even bother to ask how or why. When. I didn’t ask. My critical skills were blinded by the sudden power I just achieved. By the belief I could become someone meaningful just like that from today onwards.

Even before I could go back to my home, I heard a scream. It was someone calling for me, a first one. That’s how my first client appeared. Out of the blue, Jiho knew I could help him, so he asked me. He needed my help in finding a fiancée before winter sets, other way he would be at risk politically. After all, we still lived in times when marriage was an important tool. Me and my sister were also meant to be wed in the future, although the both of us were still too young for now. That’s why we were still so carelessly enjoying our privileged lives.

And from that memorable day onwards, I have become someone meaningful in my town. I wasn’t really sure how could it even happen so easily, but people came to me for help even from villages nearby. Nobody even asked anything from me. They weren’t curious how I was able to achieve anything I was doing, they payed me well and knew the price was worth it. Some believed I had just been blessed by god, some believed I was just a lucky kid who brought fortune to anyone in need.

Since that day, me and my sister grew further apart. I stopped sneaking into her closet, and I also started hiding from my family. I had to hide the terrible patterns that one day appeared and just spread through my body. With them, he started occupying my thoughts more and more. Blamed me for everything I did, reminded me I basically stole my sister’s most trusted friends from her.

I couldn’t bear it. Instead of gaining everything I wanted, I lost everything.

“You are still useless, Hyeonju,” he whispered. “You can’t even keep your family together. Look at them, not even able to eat a full meal in the same room. Why are you suddenly ashamed? You wanted this, didn’t you? You wanted to be like your sister, and I showed you you’re nothing like her. She worked hard for everything she had, and you’re taking shortcuts and running away from your problems. As always. Are you feeling proud? Do you feel like you achieved something?” I dropped to my knees, trying to get this voice out of my head. Why couldn’t he stop? Why was he everywhere I went? “Everyone praises you now, you are the golden child, Hyeonju…”

I realised the moment they dragged my sister out of our home how stupid I had been. When they came in, saying she will be executed for illegal magical practices, I shouted as much as I could that it was me. It was me who had been a practitioner, I was the one breaking the law, I had been the one carelessly putting spells.

They didn’t listen, the evidence was everywhere around her room. The afternoon I lost Da-Hee, I lost everything. I was a nobody.

“How useless…”

Chapter 68: Chapter Sixty Seven

Notes:

I'm so sorry, I didn't manage to finish this chapter yesterday

I didn't care about what others would think; it was too big of a shock to me just to let that slide. I grabbed Jinu's shirt, dragging him to my room and closing the door behind us. He smiled, waiting for any reaction. How annoying!

"You can't just say that in the middle of a conversation like you just told me about what you are for breakfast!" I snapped, irritated. "What do you mean you can create your weapon? How do you even know? What kind of weapon? Is that what you wanted to tell me?"

I watched him laugh uncontrollably, while I just wanted to leave. What an annoying... Jinu took a couple of steps forward, leaning his hand on the door behind me.

"That doesn't give me any answers, Jinu!" I scoffed, annoyed.

"I'm sorry, I just..." he chuckled again. "You're too cute when you're mad like that."

I felt my face warming up and my stomach twisting. Rumi, focus, you have information to get. "Explain yourself. This instant." I said as coldly as I could manage.

"The night you had the dream about those hunters, the sasaeng demon revisited me at night. Now, his timing was too perfect," he chuckled. "I think you woke up an hour after his visit."

"He told you that?" I asked, surprised. "He hasn't been helpful before."

Jinu grimaced immediately, making me chuckle now. He looked hilarious with such a disgusted expression. He didn't tell Jinu anything. Of course. "He attacked me with a huge, stupid hammer."

"What?!" I grabbed his hand to see if there was any wound there. "Is he insane?! Are you okay?"

Jinu intertwined our fingers quickly, making me focus on his face again. "Obviously, I'm not hurt, I'm a demon," he laughed. "And he didn't even hit me, I was faster. But yeah, I think this guy is insane."

"Okay? But what does the hammer have to do with anything?"

"It was a magic hammer, actually."

"Jinu..."

"Okay, okay. I'm playing with you, I'm sorry," he smiled. "Well, he didn't care to explain anything to me at first. "But then, he told me he wanted to show me his hammer and that 'our' weapons are supposed to show our temperaments and personality. So I'm guessing he came there to tell me that. I'm not sure why, though..."

"Weapons? Temperaments?" I blinked, trying to understand everything. I guess it made sense for demons who are supposed to help the hunters to also have something to fight with. Especially since their magic seems a lot different from the purple-marked demons. At least for now, I think Jinu still hasn't figured out a lot about his new "shape". Okay, he clearly didn't figure out a lot. I was pretty sure he didn't even try to figure out anything, since he got too used to his abilities from before, so now he just accepted he doesn't do much. He had a lot to learn, huh? "Did you figure out your weapon then?"

"How and when was I supposed to do that?" Jinu chuckled. "You know, I'm a kpop idol now, my schedule is pretty tight."

"You don't say," I scoffed, amused. "Tell me then, when and how do you want to figure that out? We should do that as soon as possible; it may come in handy."

"I was hoping you would help me, of course. Aren't you a demon hunter? Who can help me figure out and materialise my weapon if not you?"

"Not the sasaeng demon," I chuckled, getting in my toes and kissing Jinu lightly. "You're right, I will help you. We need to figure out when we can do that calmly, though."

"How about sneaking out at night to that little room from before?" Jinu whispered, not even looking into my eyes right now. He was completely focused on my lips. His hands slowly fell on my hips, pulling me closer. I felt the butterflies dancing around my stomach again. Shit.

"I think we can do that in our room; we don't need to sneak out anywhere," I said softly.

"Our room?" Jinu smiled. I bit the inside of my cheek.

"Well, if not for the cameras and all..." I hesitated. "Yeah, you would probably stay here with us. But right now we should plan what we will do... What kind of weapon do you think you'll have?"

"Maybe some kind of sword like you? I don't think it will be anything complicated or crazy. Especially since that sasaeng said it's something that is a reflection of me. I must say, a huge hammer does match him," Jinu scoffed, which made me laugh. I put my hands around his neck.

"Yeah, he's definitely a hammer guy," I nodded. "Hm... But I'm not sure if I want you to copy me with a sword. Maybe like a small knife then? It's very simple, I think it can match you." Jinu raised his eyebrows, making me sure I was on the right path to annoy him. "Or maybe something like... an axe. A small one, because you don't need anything big and complicated." I couldn't stop a smile on my face.

"You want me to carry something small, huh?" Jinu scoffed as his hands tightened on my hips. "Why does it feel like you're trying to offend me?"

"Am I?" I asked with an innocent voice. "Do you feel offended?"

"Maybe. But I will forgive you," he smiled, kissing me on the forehead. "Also, I finally met the manager of the Saja Boys today."

"Oh, right! Well? Any thoughts?" I was curious who our company found for their group to manage. It obviously wasn't a simple task, but also it was one of the newbies, so I wasn't very confident about their experience.

"It's a young woman, she looks like she just finished high school, but she's twenty-nine somehow," Jinu scoffed. I raised my eyebrows, guessing he wasn't a fan of her. "You want to know her name?" I nodded. That shouldn't even be a question. "Jina Iseul."

I couldn't stop laughing. "Jina? Is that why you seem so annoyed?" I chuckled, looking at his irritated face. "Jinu and Jina, huh?"

"And? There is no and, this woman seems to hate me," he scoffed.

"Well, if I'm perfectly honest with you, I can't say I'm surprised," I said slowly, dragging the sentence a little. "You aren't a perfect example of a likeable person at times."

"You can say that, and the rest of the girls can, because you know me. Even those stupid demons I call my friends can, cause they went through some difficulties having me as their leader. But her? She didn't even meet me, and yet she already seems not to want to talk to me. How can we have a manager who hates the group she manages?"

"Maybe she's just keeping her distance to not risk any scandal. You know, a young female manager and a boy group, it can give some fans a wrong idea," I explained. But now, thinking about it, it was weird that a company would even agree to such a dangerous move. "Actually... How the hell did you get such a manager? Do you know any details? Who made the decision? Since when has she been working in our company, anything?"

"We don't know much. I think she is our manager because she was the most skilled among everyone else..." Jinu looked outside the window while saying this. I crossed my arms, leaning on the door more comfortably. There were so many odd things happening around us lately, we really couldn't just ignore even the smallest ones. With Bo-Ra still being free in the human realm, we couldn't let ourselves make such mistakes. "But there's also something weird about her. I can't really explain all of it... One of the weird things is the way she's speaking. She uses some nowadays slang, but I can also recognise the older language. I wanted to ask Baby for help so we could find out if she was studying history or literature, maybe. Something that would explain it."

"You think she's a demon, then?"

"I don't see the patterns," he shook his head. "Well, I think we don't have to worry about her too much right now, we can discuss it more when the three of you see her. I think it will be much easier then."

"You're right, it might be easier," I nodded. "But still, it's good you told me, we should be careful about everything and everyone now, especially after everything Bo-Ra has been doing. How can we know what she's up to now? She may have just tried to attack, but I don't think she needs to rest, so..."

"Wait, wait, wait," Jinu stopped me. He looked concerned. "What do you mean "just tried to attack"?" Oh. Shit. I bit my lower lip, realising my tongue slipped. I wasn't planning to say anything, especially since the girls helped me calm down after what happened. I didn't want to worry Jinu more than was necessary, especially since it was just another fight with a demon. Yes, these fights have been different because Bo-Ra had a worse trick up her sleeve, but they were still fights. And I should be prepared. "Rumi, what the hell happened?"

"It was a small trick of hers again," I said slowly. How else could I explain it? "Nothing too serious, just some... words and stuff..." I lowered my head, trying to block the memory. I needed Bo-Ra gone. I despised her.

"Words and stuff?" Jinu's voice softened as he crouched down, making eye contact with me again. "What kind of words, Rumi?" He grabbed my hands, holding them and waiting for a response. I sighed.

"I... she..." Deep breaths, Rumi. It was just an illusion. An illusion, remember. "She tried to blame me for using my power to judge and kill without knowing if I'm right. And she pretended to be Celine to say she's proud of me, and that I'm doing exactly what she wanted... But it's okay now, I know it wasn't real. I also know it's not the truth," I laughed slightly, looking down at Jinu again.

My chest warmed up under his soft gaze, while my skin tingled under his touch. He was still holding them, observing me. For a couple of seconds, Jinu didn't speak, as I tried to guess his thoughts. It felt like he just had an internal fight about what to say or how to react. I already managed to observe that he sometimes hesitated to do or say some things, especially after finding out something had happened to me. Was it because he was confused, or was it because he was too worried? I was always wondering.

"Rumi, I think you are a great demon hunter. And you know I didn't only meet Huntrix in my life as a demon," he finally whispered, still looking at me. "I would never even assume that anything you are doing is wrong, not because I find demons disgusting or the worst, but because I had a chance to see you listen. You aren't as prejudiced as even Celine, who raised you. You try to protect those in need, no matter the shape. You wanted to protect even me from Gwi-Ma, knowing who I am. You are not someone to just mindlessly pick up a sword and slay whatever is on your way. You use it only when it's necessary."

My heart skipped a beat after hearing those words. I wanted to say "I know". But that would be a lie, and we both knew it. Because lately, everyone has made me question who I was and what I was doing. To the point I needed so much more strength than ever to make even simple choices and believe my judgment. To trust that what I am doing is correct, and I did not waste my life on something that shouldn't even exist by now.

"I'm just trying to be a worthy hunter," I whispered.

"You are a worthy hunter."

"Lately it feels..." I closed my eyes. "Jinu, you were a purple-marked demon. Tell me, were there many demons down there that enjoyed stealing souls?"

"Countless of them," he nodded, his voice colder. "Not every demon regrets that they hurt others. Some of them decided to turn the negative emotions that come from guilt, Gwi-Ma controlled, into hurting others, in that case, innocent humans. I... Trust me, Rumi, not everyone deserves a second chance. Would you give Gwi-Ma a chance if you could?" I shook my head. "Exactly. The hunters didn't just randomly decide to torture demons; they were actually protecting people. And you three are doing the same thing."

I smiled. It did make me feel a little better to know all of that. And Jinu was right, if I had the same doubts during the Idol Awards, it would have led to a complete disaster. If I had let Gwi-Ma do whatever he wanted freely... No, I didn't even want to think about it. Now I only had to focus on Bo-Ra, who tried to make me feel guilty about killing the demons. She was playing mind games, and I had to learn to do the same thing finally, so I wouldn't break as easily as today. I couldn't just let anyone get in my head and make me believe whatever they wanted about myself. If there was anyone who knew me the best, it was only me.

And maybe Mira, but that was not the point.

"You're right," I smiled again at Jinu. "Now get up, cause you're just making a fool out of yourself." I laughed, pulling him up by the hands.

"I don't mind being the fool for you," he said, getting up. I quickly fixed my top to distract myself from his words.

"You're so stupid," I scoffed. Jinu kissed me on the lips.

"Say whatever you want, I'm too distracted by my girlfriend to bother."

Notes:

Also, the comments have disappeared again, damn

Chapter 69: Chapter Sixty Eight

Notes:

We reached another milestone! 150k words, I would never expect this story to get so detailed

"What are you all most excited for about this reality show?" I read the question that popped up on my screen. I turned to the girls who were already thinking about the answer. "What are we most excited about?"

"I'm most excited about the challenges and tasks the participants will get!" Zoey smiled. "I think it will be fun to watch."

"I think I'm most excited to judge them," Mira nodded with a small smirk. I shook my head.

"I'm most excited to see how those artists do in general, and to meet new people," I said.

I massaged my right hand. Since this evening, when we sat in the restaurant to eat dinner with everyone, it has been aching strangely, and the feeling hasn't gone away. I was sure I didn't hit myself or hurt myself in it lately, nor did I strain a muscle. Then what the hell was going on? Cause I was sure there was no reason for it to feel this way.

Mira and Zoey were theorising about different challenges they would like to see, while giving me a little time just to disassociate. I told them about the aching during the dinner already, when they saw how hesitant I was to eat anything. Every time I even held a fork, it was a hundred times more painful, which was even weirder. They reminded me about the mirror accident and wondered if that could have anything to do with the pain right now. To be honest, I wasn't sure myself. Shouldn't I be able to heal quicker? My body had never experienced any complications with wounds before, even the wounds that came from demons. This was a completely new situation, and I hated it. If my hand continues to ache, I will have to fight demons with my left hand, and even though I trained with it too, it is still weaker. It was almost as if I was giving the demons a chance to win with me. That was impossible for me to agree to.

I had to quickly find a way to do something about this hand, especially since we didn't know what Bo-Ra was planning.

Right now, I was also wondering if she maybe didn't send the sasaeng demon to us, but it wasn't likely. Somehow, even though he was annoying and didn't help much, he didn't seem to want to sabotage us. Or maybe I judged him wrong. Zoey said she could feel his presence in the restaurant during dinner, but we couldn't find him anywhere. We asked her if she was sure it was him that she could sense, but she was sure. Could it be that blue-marked demons can turn invisible? I wanted to talk about it with Jinu when we have time, but I didn't know when it would happen. After all, even now they were being recorded since they were about to get the messages about the first task soon. Their reactions were important. To be honest, I was curious about who would win this game of hide and seek.

But right now I had to focus on our live and the fans. I looked at the screen again, holding my phone in my left hand. The right one would be able to drop this phone, even, I didn't want to risk it. I read some comments and questions.

"Are we happy to see the Saja Boys again?" Zoey read out loud. "Of course we are, they are a talented group, and we can't wait to see their performance."

"Thanks to the Idol Awards, we got to know each other closer," I nodded. I didn't mention the company contract, since it wasn't really a well-known fact. The fans just knew the Saja Boys finally signed with a label, and that was what mattered.

"Should we expect any dating rumours?" Mira scoffed. I chuckled, knowing what was coming. The girl pulled me and Zoey closer. "I thought it was a well-known fact that we're together."

Zoey leaned closer to Mira, trying to kiss her, while she also did the same thing. I quickly blocked the kiss with my hand. "All right, girls, that's enough," I laughed.

"Don't worry, Rumi, we didn't forget about you," Mira smiled, and the two of them started leaning closer to kiss me.

"Ah! Don't you even dare!" I got up, running away from Mira, who immediately went after me. "I'm your leader, don't forget about it!"

"A very pretty leader on top of that," Mira laughed, stopping me. I laughed even more while she kissed me on the cheek.

"You are enjoying those too much again," I scoffed, and the girl nodded with a huge smile. I waved my head at Zoey. "You forgot one."

"Zoey!" Mira quickly walked up to the girl, appearing on the screen again, and gave Zoey like three kisses on the cheek. Well, that will calm down all other rumours that might appear during this reality show.

I massaged my hand again, looking at it in surprise. It was not only aching, but also my marks were flattering now in a deep purple tone, the one I hadn't had for a long time. Since the Idol Awards. Shit, I had to hide my right hand from the screen. I sat down on the couch again, lying on Mira's knees, while my hand hung down.

"Mira, you are my gay awakening," I read the comment, looking at a very smug girl.

"Come and prove it then," she winked at the screen of our live. I shook my head, amused. Unbelievable.

"I might get jealous," Zoey laughed, pushing Mira's face from the screen. "Yes, we do know all the details of the first task the participants received, and we will gladly watch how it's going."

"It will be so fun," Mira nodded.

"They will start their first task in..." I looked at the time. "Seven minutes. Wow, it's almost midnight already?"

"Time passes quickly in good company."

"Let me rephrase that, then, it's only almost midnight," I laughed, as Mira rolled her eyes.

"Very funny. I will push you off this couch in a second." I made a move as if I'm zipping my mouth. "But since it will be midnight soon, I think we will have to end the live, we can't keep our fans staying so long at night." I watched how the comments appeared even faster, with crying emojis and the fans asking us not to end the live yet. I smiled seeing that. It felt good to know we had so many people supporting us.

"Don't be so heartless," Zoey scoffed. "Look, you made everyone cry."

I wanted to add something, but it felt as if my voice just... disappeared. Nothing was coming out, so I quickly closed my mouth. Shit, what was going on? I looked at my right hand, which was now brightly shining in purple. This wasn't normal. How could that happen? My marks weren't even purple anymore; something was very wrong. I tried very hard not to let my expression shift, so the fans wouldn't realise anything was wrong. Ugh, why now? I looked at the phone, realising that some still saw, but they thought I had just changed my mind and decided to stay silent.

Right. I guess it was for the better.

How about humming? I just needed my voice to work again; I couldn't just let it go away. I tried to hum, but again, no sound escaped my throat. It was vibrating as if it would if I did make a sound, but there was only silence. What was going on? My hand ached even more, only calming down when I stopped trying.

No. This couldn't be happening.

Mira looked at me, and I waved the fingers on my hand, still out of sight from the camera, to show her something is very wrong. Zoey also saw it. She quickly jumped up from the couch. "Let's see... three minutes left until midnight and that leaves us three minutes to answer three questions," she said quickly. "Okay, number one: rate the hotel you're staying at. Definitely a ten out of ten. Girls, do you agree?" Me and Mira both nodded.

"The staff is very polite and attentive, everything is clean, and the food is delicious," the girl said. "Number two: Do you have a favourite participant? I don't think so, all of the artists are talented and have great potential, I can't wait to see their performance during this show."

"I completely agree," Zoey smiled. "And number three..." The girl stopped for a second, clearly skipping a question. I could feel the aching slowly move to my throat. Let this live end already... "Is your schedule as hosts very tight? Ha, even more than you think! And that is also why we will have to wrap it up for today. Thank you, everyone, for coming. Hopefully, see you soon. Bye-bye!"

We all waved at the screen as Zoey quickly ended the live. I sat up, looking at my hand. The girls seemed concerned. My hand has been aching, my throat was burning, and my voice seemed to be gone. I was not okay.

"Rumi, what is going on?" Mira asked. I showed at my throat and then shook my head. Not my voice, I could give up everything, but just not my voice...

"You can't speak?" Zoey asked. I nodded. I felt the tears slowly coming to my eyes. This shouldn't be happening, this had no right to happen, how could this... Zoey hugged me. "We will figure it out, you will soon get your voice back."

How? I didn't know what exactly was happening with me. It seemed like my body was acting properly, but then it also wasn't. The patterns on my right arm changed the colour, and I couldn't make any sound out of me. It seemed impossible to happen, and yet...

Rumi, pull yourself together. This is no time to panic; you have to be stronger, so you can fight Bo-Ra.

Bo-Ra...

I took my phone, quickly opening the notes app and typing down what just came to my mind. "What if it's Bo-Ra's doing? Remember that accident after the spa? My wounds opened up again." I showed the screen to Mira, who read it carefully, while Zoey was still hugging me. She nodded slowly.

"You're right, it might be the case," she said, making Zoey turn to her and also read the message, sitting straight now.

"But if Bo-Ra did it... Shouldn't it mean the bracelet should block whatever she attempted?"

"It didn't have to. Rumi was attacked before we found out about the jade's protection, and even after, Rumi is wearing her bangle on her left hand. You said that jade can fully protect only when it's with a spell. We are still waiting for the full moon to put a spell, and Bo-Ra's magic is clearly powerful."

"Shit, you're right..." Zoey sighed. I gave her a warning look as she raised her arms. "I'm sorry."

What if I changed the hand where I wear the bangle now? Would it help? I massaged my right hand again, suddenly feeling even more excruciating pain. If it wasn't for my lost voice, I would scream right now. The second the bangle touched the skin on my right hand, it hurt more. I sighed silently, lying down. I couldn't just go out tomorrow without a voice? How would we explain that? We had to come up with some kind of a solution as quickly as possible, but what exactly?

"You need some kind of doctor," Mira said. "Although I'm afraid there might not be any doctor who is a specialist in demon and witchcraft things."

"What about the sasaeng demon? Or if not him, maybe he knows someone else," Zoey proposed. "Or the Saja Boys? Do you think they might know anything?"

"We need to try every possibility out there," Mira agreed. "Especially since we don't have much time to somehow cover this situation. Do you think we should already inform Bobby?" I nodded. He should know, because if we don't manage to get my voice back, he should already have a plan B and C. He was our manager, and he was reliable when it came to sudden problems like that. I believed he could do it. "Okay, I'll text him quickly then. Zoey, text Mystery too. When they are finally left alone in their room, they have to come to us immediately. We have to figure something out."

"How about visiting the sasaeng demon too? He's still here in the hotel," Zoey said, while we looked at her, surprised. "I can still feel him. I feel the Saja Boys' presence, and his. I am one hundred per cent sure he's here."

"We can try when this fails," Mira nodded, putting down her phone. "Bobby said he will be here in a few seconds."

I leaned my head on my hands. What a mess... Bo-Ra really focused on me lately, huh? Was it because I was the one who had the blood of previous hunters in me? Was it because I was the leader? Or was it just that she thought I would be the easiest to attack? At this point, I had no idea what it was exactly, but this was getting too much out of control. I don't know how yet, but I knew I had to figure out how to protect myself from whatever she was doing.

First, I needed to get my voice back, without it, the honmoon was in danger. We heard knocking on the door, and Zoey walked up to open it. "Oh? Good evening?"

Notes:

Either the period cramps defeated me or I defeated them. Needless to say, I'm too stubborn to be defeated

Chapter 70: Chapter Sixty Nine

Notes:

Rainy nights are perfect for writing sessions, I must say

"Healer Han? What are you doing here?" I turned to look at the door, surprised by what Zoey just said. Healer Han?!

It was true. The man we came to when my patterns started showing on my neck was right now standing at the door with that little smile of his. How did he even find us?

"Good evening, girls, I hope I'm not disturbing," he said as he entered the room, the same second as Bobby appeared inside, breathing heavily from a run. I was guessing he didn't even bother waiting for an elevator.

Bobby looked at the man, surprised. "You already managed to call a doctor? That's great," he nodded.

"Not quite..." Zoey laughed uncomfortably.

I was now wishing my voice would just come back already, since I had many things to say and ask at that moment. Zoey had already closed the door of our room, while Bobby shook hands with healer Han, introducing himself. I exchanged looks with the girls, grateful that we understood each other so easily. None of us understood what was going on at the moment. Healer Han immediately walked up to me, looking closely and staring at me with those huge, weird eyes again. I turned to Mira, who got up from the couch.

"I don't want to seem rude, but how did you find us?" She asked as I sat down again. Bobby looked at me, concerned, while I tried to smile to worry him less. I don't think it worked effectively.

"Oh, I'm a big fan of Huntrix, of course," the man chuckled. "I wouldn't skip any live you have, and when I saw Rumi, I got concerned."

"Hm, great. That still doesn't explain almost anything," Mira scoffed, crossing her arms defensively. Zoey sat down next to me, placing her hand on my shoulder to give me support. I gave her a quick smile.

"Wait a second, you didn't call for him?" Bobby asked, surprised. "Do you know each other?"

"Yeah, Zoey found him when Rumi was having trouble with her voice before the Idol Awards. Although I wouldn't say he was a very legit source," Mira said, looking at healer Han sharply. He didn't even seem affected.

"You wouldn't say I was a legit source?" This time, healer Han scoffed, clearly feeling offended. I exchanged looks with Mira. She described it nicely for her. "Tell me this, Rumi," he turned to me again. "Ah, I'm sorry, I forgot you can't speak right now..." What?! How did he know that? Before Mira or Zoey had a chance to ask that, he continued: "Did you really need some magical tonics, or did you just need to show your whole self for your voice to work again? I did say you can't treat the external issue if you don't treat the internal one first. Too many walls," healer Han shook his head, as I looked at him, surprised.

"Amazing!" Zoey exclaimed.

"Suspicious!" Bobby got up, walking closer to healer Han, until they were barely apart. Bobby was looking fiercely at a man in white, probably trying to understand the whole situation, just as we were. "You'd better explain properly who you actually are and what you need before-"

"There is no time for that," healer Han interrupted him, crouching down in front of me and taking something out from his bag. He took my right hand, observing it carefully. I looked panicked at Mira and Zoey, who also didn't know how to react. "If we don't act fast enough, the poison will take away the voice forever, and I don't think you want that, do you?"

Excuse me?!

"What? How do you know it's poison?" Zoey asked, her voice concerned. "And what do you mean by forever?!"

"Haha," healer Han chuckled slightly. "You all should be glad you found out about the protective abilities of jade; otherwise, I fear Rumi would be dead by now." My heart stopped, hearing that. I snatched my hand back. He will not do anything unless we get answers! Healer Han looked up at me and sighed, seeing my expression. "It's an ancient poison that needs a couple of days to spread. A magical one, used a very long time ago to painfully kill someone. The poison doesn't act for a couple of days because it gets to know its prey and what will be the worst way to get rid of them. Because the poison was given to you by a demon, the jade bangle blocked as much of its effect as it could. But it still didn't have enough strength to fully protect you, so the poison took your voice, something you hold very dearly."

I blinked, trying to understand everything I just heard. I shook my head, not wanting to believe what I just heard. This had to be some unfunny joke. Also, how the hell did healer Han know about demons? How could he have such knowledge about everything? Some complicated, ancient poisons? Shouldn't he be... I don't know... incompetent? Or maybe even a little stupid? Silly?

"Who are you?" Bobby asked again. His voice was shaky, clearly exposing that he was nervous right now.

"I think it should be pretty obvious by now," healer Han responded, taking my hand again and slowly putting three fingers in a line on my wrist. He was checking my pulse. "I'm a demon as well."

"There is no way we would see your patterns," Mira shook her head.

Suddenly, Zoey gasped. "He is a demon! I was so distracted by everything happening, I ignored the feeling of a demon entering a room!"

"Good job," healer Han smiled at Zoey, while now looking closely at the purple patterns. "I'm a blue-marked demon. We can easily blend in; even hunters may not see our hidden patterns."

"So you were just pretending to be an incompetent fraud?" Mira asked, making healer Han laugh. "What the hell?!"

"Mira, calm down," Bobby quickly said. Usually, I would be the one to say that first, but hey, I couldn't.

I felt my breath shorten again after that thought. The possibility of losing my voice... What would happen to the honmoon then? How could I just easily let that happen? Did that mean Bo-Ra wanted to get rid of any possibility of the future hunters forever?

"Well, the situation is pretty bad, but it's not hopeless yet," healer Han said, looking at my face again. "I'm just worried about the time."

"What do you mean by the time? Can you help or not?" Bobby asked.

"I can, but healing the body is difficult, and well..." the man sighed, making me even more anxious than I was already. I had to get my voice back! No matter what, I will do anything! I had responsibilities! Both as a kpop idol and as a demon huntress, I couldn't just lose my voice like that! "Okay, so here's the thing. Everything in Rumi's body is functioning properly, and what I mean is, her vocal cords are also fine. They work correctly, which means that the poison is just muting any sound leaving the throat. That is the main problem. And to stop the muting, not only will I have to prepare a working tonic, but..."

"But?" Mira was the one to speak up.

"We will have to get rid of some blood from the hand and the throat, so the poison can fully leave the body," healer Han sighed.

"What?!" Zoey, Mira and Bobby screamed at once. "There is no way!" I lay my head on the back of the couch, missing my voice even more. I couldn't even stop their dramatic reaction. "There has to be another way!"

"This is the only one if we want to make sure it's a success."

"You better not be lying," Mira grabbed healer Han's shirt. "Because I promise I will destroy you myself if anything happens to Rumi!"

"Don't worry," he chuckled. "I also don't want anything to happen to her, after all, Bo-Ra needs to be stopped. And besides, I promised someone I would take care of the hunters if they are ever in need." I looked up at healer Han, surprised. Someone? Could it be he was maybe talking about my mom? I looked at Mira and Zoey, but they didn't get the clue. Ugh, where the hell did I leave my phone?! "For now, I will prepare a tonic that will block the pain in the hand so you can use it freely. I need three days to prepare the tonic, though."

"Three days?!" The girls and Bobby screamed exactly what I had thought just now. What did he mean by three days? I didn't have time to be mute for three days!

"How are we supposed to handle the reality show if Rumi can't even talk for three days?" Mira asked. "There is no way you need that much time!"

"Be glad I'm experienced with ancient medicine; normally it takes common practitioners between seven and ten days," healer Han explained.

"Common practitioners?" Bobby raised his eyebrows. "And what kind of practitioner are you then?"

"An unnecessarily old one," the man replied, getting out a couple of small boxes from his brown leather bag. How did I not see it with him before? "I had a lot of time as a demon to gain experience with even the most complicated remedies, even if I wasn't sure I would ever need to use them."

"How old are you exactly?" Zoey asked, curious.

"A little too old," healer Han chuckled.

I looked at Mira, who nodded. So my assumption was correct. He was avoiding uncomfortable questions and only telling the facts he needed to, so we would trust him enough to let him help. Now, the question was, would he actually help me? Was he maybe against us? And who exactly was healer Han that even now, he didn't want to say everything? How old a demon was he to have such knowledge and experience? Could he be around a thousand years old like Baby? Also, since healer Han was a blue-marked demon, it meant he was supposed to be a Guardian like others, right? But he was pretending to be some kind of magical healer.

Actually, no, scratch that. He was a magical healer pretending to be a fraud pretending to be a magical healer. Something more like it. My head hurt just from thinking about it, and I was even more and more confused now.

Also, even if he watched our live, it would be impossible to get from the "clinic" to the hotel and find the right room in a couple of seconds. Wouldn't that mean he should know about my issue before seeing that something is wrong? Or could blue-marked demons be that fast, even? They just needed more experience?

I looked at healer Han carefully, mixing in a small black bowl some ingredients that looked weird. He didn't look like an athletic type; there was no way he was that fast. So did he know before? How did he find our room? Did he come here to help me, or was he trying to make things worse?

Maybe I could try the tonic or whatever healer Han was doing right now and see if it helps with the aching pain in my hand, then decide if I want to risk it. To be honest, I was hoping he genuinely wanted to help, because otherwise I knew we would be in a lot of trouble.

To think things have come to be this way...

"Will it make the pain completely go away?" Zoey asked, observing from behind the man's shoulder what he was doing.

"Yes, it will stop it fully, so Rumi will still be able to use her sword. During these three days, the demon's situation may become more unstable because of the lack of a main voice, so you should be careful. Bo-Ra will try and abuse the situation as much as she possibly can. She plays dirty like nobody else," his voice turned suddenly cold, which made Mira frown. "Nobody is as vile and heartless as her. Remember that when you're dealing with her." He lifted a bowl and gave it to me. I scrunched my nose; the smell was really strong. "It is very bitter, but it will help."

Here goes nothing. I emptied it as quickly as possible, realising healer Han was right. The taste was awfully bitter. I grimaced, not being able to stop the expression. Good thing there wasn't much of the liquid, because I don't know if I would have managed to drink more.

"Unfortunately, I cannot stay here and observe how you are doing," healer Han sighed, getting up slowly. All the ingredients and herbs magically disappeared from his bag again. "If Bo-Ra knows I'm still alive, she will do everything in her power to get rid of me. And... she might become even more suspicious of some things..."

Me and the girls exchanged looks. Bobby was now sitting in an armchair, observing me with a worried look. Still alive? Should healer Han be dead? Why would Bo-Ra care so much about him? Was he being genuine about wanting to help then?

I widened my eyes, feeling how the pain completely disappeared from my hand. I looked at it, surprised, slowly moving the fingers. No pain at all. My patterns also looked more normal now, the purplish colour still lingering, but not as much.

Healer Han smiled. "I will come with the remedy in three days. Good luck, girls. Try not to get yourselves into more dangerous situations until then. It was nice meeting you all."

He disappeared, leaving us all in utter shock. Bobby sighed. "We need to figure out what to do about the show during these three days now. And how to keep you three safe, just like this weird healer-demon said."

How troublesome I became again...

Notes:

Also, funny thing happened, I fell off my motorcycle for the first time but I just have a couple of wounds on my knee and arm so it’s nothing serious

Chapter 71: Chapter Seventy

Notes:

I'm alive and well (something AO3 notes don't see much)

I don't think I was being followed. Bo-Ra didn't seem to notice my presence in the hotel, which meant the protection worked. Fortunately, I came back to the clinic, sitting down in my office. I will have to be closed for three days straight now. I don't want to risk anything, so I'd better not let anyone in.

"Who would have thought that my will to learn such things would ever come in handy," I chuckled.

Is she feeling okay?

"I wouldn't say that," I sighed, closing my eyes. "She lost her voice, her main weapon and way of expression; she's not okay. For now, I brewed a quick tonic so she wouldn't experience the pain in her hand anymore. Now I will have to get to work. Three sleepless nights are awaiting."

It's not like you ever sleep.

"Ha, you're right. But still, I like to pretend sometimes I'm just a normal human," I said, taking out the most important things from my bag. "Still, I don't understand how you were able to know so soon that something was wrong."

That's because you're just a healer, my abilities are a little more impressive than that.

"Ha, showing off as always."

I am now connected to Rumi. I can sense when she's in danger. And that was such a big danger, it would be impossible for me not to figure it out.

I nodded. "That's right... Worry not, I will save her."

I know you will. When it comes to medicine, poisons and cures, I can trust you.

I smiled, putting my bag on the side. After all, I spent hundreds of years learning even the smallest sicknesses and issues that may appear, human or demon, normal or magical. If anyone could help, it was me.

*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚

We tried to be as quiet as possible so as not to wake up Rumi. Last night we decided that Rumi fell sick because of overworking herself. Bobby only explained that to the director so as not to make too much trouble. For these three days, Zoey and I were supposed to continue being the hosts, while Rumi rested in the room. Nobody could find out what happened; it would be impossible to explain.

I quickly put my makeup on and looked inside Zoey's room to see how she was doing. She still needed around five more minutes. I sat on the couch, desperately trying not to think about it. From the three of us, at least one had to be mentally strong enough to keep the group somehow sane. And I knew it was me. There was no time or space for me to worry or overthink everything we had learned yesterday. Like the fact that Rumi was almost killed, and we had no idea that her life was in danger. Or that we were sloppy enough to let Bo-Ra poison her.

What kind of hunter and friend was I? Why couldn't Bo-Ra just focus on me instead of Rumi? And even though I knew the answer to that, I still asked it a hundred times a day. Let her come to me, let her burden me and my mind, just so Rumi could finally be left alone. She shouldn't go through so much; nobody gave her a break, not even herself. It couldn't go on like that, or it would lead to an actual disaster.

It already almost did.

I looked at the door leading to Rumi's room. At least she could rest a little now, although knowing her, it won't be a proper one. I bit the inside of my cheek. I won't lie, I wouldn't be able to properly rest either if I lost something as important as the voice was to Rumi. If I couldn't dance again, I don't know how I would cope...

This stupid healer demon better actually manage to brew some magical remedy, or otherwise I promise myself to kill him with my bare hands.

Zoey left her room, smiling at me. I smiled back, realising she also didn't sleep well. Of course, she didn't; she was worried and anxious. And she probably blamed herself as much as me, if not more. I patted her head, grabbing a key card as we left the room. Finally, we could talk normally on the staircase, far away enough to be sure Rumi won't wake up.

"It's not your fault," I said immediately. "If I were to ever blame anyone for what has been happening lately, it would be Celine, who made us such inexperienced demon hunters."

"I know..." she sighed. "But I still feel like maybe there was a way to protect Rumi from what happened. I mean, we did see her hand was bleeding that day when she attacked us with all those illusions. Maybe if we sat down and thought about it more..."

"Zoey," I stopped her, putting my hand on her shoulder. "If you didn't decide to be irresponsible and sneak out with Mystery to find a weird old book about witchcraft and demons, we would have lost Rumi by now." These words were difficult for me to say, but I had to. I had to push myself to say them because I had to face the reality. And because I knew it was the only way to show Zoey that she didn't do anything. Even if it felt like throwing up.

She smiled lightly. "I guess it could have been much worse..." Our steps echoed on the staircase, but fortunately, we were alone. We could freely talk. "I don't know what I would do if something happened to Rumi."

"You don't have to think about that, it will never happen," I said fiercely.

"But it almost..."

"And it didn't," I interrupted her again. I hated doing that, but I couldn't listen to those words said out loud. "And a situation like that will never happen again. We are growing stronger; we will know everything Celine skipped while training us. We can do it. We always manage," we entered the corridor, so I spoke quietly. "Besides, we can't be down if we want to support Rumi right now. You know how she gets with self-guilt." I chuckled, tapping her on the forehead. "You are actually pretty similar."

"Very funny," Zoey scoffed as we entered the restaurant. We already established that Huntrix will have their separate time for breakfast when we aren't being recorded, like the participants. But there were still other hotel guests present, so we couldn't just talk about anything. We sat down at a table. Bobby was supposed to come in like ten minutes. "And what about you?"

"What about me?" The waiter put down the coffee in front of us, so we thanked him.

"Me and Rumi like to blame ourselves, and what about you, Mira? It's impossible to be completely unaffected like stone."

"I'm not unaffected," I sipped on my latte. Ah, one good thing this morning. "I am worried sick, and I'm worried sick right now. But those are normal emotions I just know how to deal with by now. It doesn't go beyond that." Zoey tilted her head, looking at me with her eyebrows raised. I laughed. "I'm serious. I just learned to regulate my emotions, even the negative ones. I guess I just have a talent for it."

"You should teach me how to do that then," Zoey sighed, sipping on her black coffee with a smile. I grimaced at the single thought of the bitter taste of this coffee. How could she drink something like that? Where was the pleasure hidden? I didn't understand it. "By the way, Bobby will come with the task for the participants today, right?"

"That was the plan, yeah," I nodded. "If I remember the explanations correctly, each week will be focusing on a different aspect of being an idol, right?"

"Yeah, the final week will be about creating a new song or something like that, but some smaller tasks will lead to that," Zoey smiled. "I'm actually so curious and excited. Who do you think has big chances of winning?"

"I feel like the groups are already at a winning position, since they can divide the work," I said. "Besides, being a soloist in a kpop world is genuinely more difficult."

"Hm, that's right. But maybe the director will handle it properly, so the chances are more even."

"I hope so, to be honest, I think I would rather have a soloist travel with us on a world tour. It would be much easier, don't you think?"

"I hope you won't be thinking about that when judging," Zoey laughed. We both knew well that the last thing any of us wanted was to judge subjectively. Even though we all had our favourites, we didn't want any of us to affect us. Because of that, I was worried I might judge the soloists too harshly compared to the groups.

"Maybe I should just not think at all when judging then," I said with a slight smile. A waiter came back, bringing our breakfasts to the table. We thanked him again before the man disappeared.

"To be honest, I think it would sometimes be much easier to just turn off the thinking," Zoey nodded, already focused on her plate fully. "Ah, I'm so hungry! I forgot to eat dinner yesterday!"

"Too much was happening for us to be thinking about food," I sighed, feeling my stomach growl quietly. It felt like I was starving myself for a week, and it has only been one skipped meal. Was I maybe eating too much for an idol? Should I follow some kind of diet, maybe?

"Good morning, girls!" I turned around, smiling at Bobby, who quickly sat down at the table.

"Hi Bobby!" Zoey and I said.

"Did you sleep well?" He asked as the waiter brought him tea and breakfast. He thanked him, immediately sipping on the boiling tea.

"Could have been better," I sighed as Zoey nodded.

"But it wasn't that bad," she said. "We are ready for today, don't worry about it."

"I'm glad to hear that," he smiled, nodding. "And how is Rumi feeling?"

"She is still sleeping," I replied. "I left her a small message to text you when she wakes up so you can order food for her to her room."

"Very well. It's good she is sleeping; at least she will gain energy for when she comes back." Bobby clearly tried to stay positive and to hide how worried he was about what happened to Rumi. "I was just visiting the director, and we discussed a couple of things. I told him that Rumi's illness won't take more than four days, since she always recovers quickly. We decided to change the plan of some tasks so she will be present during the most important ones this week," he started explaining, while quickly finishing his toasts. "We decided to move all the less-serious tasks to these future days when only the two of you will be present. We will explain that it was the plan all this time, so the participants can get used to the show and can feel more at ease."

"That actually makes a lot of sense," Zoey nodded. "What are we supposed to do when the participants ask about Rumi?"

"You will tell them today that she's ill and unfortunately has to recover quickly, also to not infect anyone. That's it," Bobby replied. "We will not be posting anything, so do not worry, the fans. Huntrix is completely focused on the show right now; that's all there is to that. The fans will find out about Rumi after they watch the first episode, and she will already be recovered, so there will be nothing to worry about."

I nodded, knowing there was one person who would worry even more than us right now. That damn demon boy still didn't know anything happened to Rumi, when he heard she was "sick", I was one hundred per cent sure he would try to sneak into our room to see how she was feeling. And if he finds out she is not sick but lost her voice to some weird poison...

I finished breakfast quickly, knowing already the most important plan for today. Being the show's host and introducing the tasks was nothing difficult, and it was also nothing to worry much about. I just couldn't let demon boy stir up any trouble if he found out what happened. And knowing how dramatic this annoying bastard could be, I knew it was a challenge.

"When will we start today's activities?" Zoey asked as I hesitantly took out my phone.

"Today the first task will be at the swimming pool, and we still have some time," Bobby looked at the screen. "Twenty minutes."

I nodded, writing a quick message.

"I guess you have to help me."

Notes:

Anyway, I'll be dying my hair today yayyyy

Chapter 72: Chapter Seventy One

Notes:

Im at my family right now, so we’ll see if I can keep up the pace. For any mistakes I’m sorry, I had so many difficulties writing this one it’s crazy

"Text Bobby when you wake up, he'll order breakfast for you. Also let us know how you're feeling ☆" I read the note on the bathroom mirror quickly, smiling. It was clearly Mira's handwriting, and the small star only supported that theory. She always left some small doodles when she was writing any small notes, for herself or for others. It didn't matter who will see them in the end, she just liked doing it.

I left my room only after I made sure the girls left it and won't figure out I wasn't sleeping all this time when they were getting ready for today. One reason being the fact that I didn't want them to assume they failed in staying quiet and not waking me up, and another being not wanting them to worry that I didn't rest properly. As that thought passed my mind, I yawned. I mean, I didn't get to rest properly, but it wasn't anything I could control, I just had another nightmare, and I couldn't fall asleep after it.

Actually, I was wondering if the nightmare actually ended, since my voice still didn't come back, which meant that for these three days I was basically useless. A mute. I sighed, lowering my head right above the sink. Without my voice, I couldn't even protect the honmoon, strengthen it. What kind of hunter could be so irresponsible to just let herself get poisoned that easily? How could I be so careless? I knew my wounds have opened up, and I didn't even question it. I wasn't even curious why would Bo-Ra attack my hand.

I washed my face quickly. I needed to focus, to calm down. Right now I could only wait for healer Han to succeed and help me. His medicine for the hand did work, I had no pain in it anymore, I could do whatever I wanted, and the marks weren't shining strangely. That was already something, wasn't it? But then again, there were still many questions left without any response. We still didn't know who exactly was healer Han and how did he know so well that something has happened to me. Actually, he knew even what happened to me, he knew I lost my voice.

How could he know? I was pretty sure even our fans didn't realise something was wrong during the live. Maybe some thought I was tired, but definitely nothing above that. So how could he know, even as a demon, it didn't make sense.

But did anything make sense lately? Weren't we walking around almost as if we were blindfolded constantly? There was so much new information about everything we thought we knew perfectly, it was difficult not to get lost from time to time. Or lose focus and get yourself poisoned.

But still, I shouldn't just let myself get attacked so easily, I needed to work harder so I would become much stronger. I needed to find a way to block all of the Bo-Ra's attacks, and I knew there had to be some kind of way. No demon was invincible, especially not the one who has already been trapped. She clearly wasn't as strong as we thought of her, she was just using our confusion for her own gain. And until now she managed to do it perfectly. But that had to end today.

I decided to wait around an hour to text Bobby I woke up, so they wouldn't think I didn't rest properly. It seemed silly, but I knew they will worry less if they think I actually slept at night. And maybe it wasn't a perfect way of communication, but it's not like I had many ways of communications right now. The music was playing loudly from a speaker, since I refused to sit in silence. It would only make me feel worse, and the whole situation was bad enough.

After doing my morning skincare routine, I lied down on the couch, wondering what I should do now. I couldn't do most of the things that usually occupied me, which was a real headache for me. I was mute for those next three days, so any kind of voice training was out of the question. Simple singing for fun obviously also wasn't possible. Everyone else believed I was sick, so I couldn't even leave my room to train my swordsmanship or just train martial arts, since I needed more space for those. Dancing was also out of the question. Again, not enough space. We weren't planning any releases now, since we just made a whole new album, so I also didn't need to work on any lyrics or songs.

What I should be doing right now was to be with Mira and Zoey and handle the tasks in the show as one of the hosts. But hey, I couldn't do that, because everyone would definitely become suspicious if I just didn't say a word at all. And I would have to keep that up for three days straight. Impossible.

Usually, I would groan right now, realising the situation I just got myself in, but I couldn't even do that. No sounds left my throat. Of course.

But I had to do something. If I didn't keep myself busy, I would just explode. There had to be something possible for me to focus on, so I could keep my mind off everything that just happened. I needed to work, I needed to do something, it was something that always kept me going, no matter what. And I couldn't just stop now, if I let myself rest properly today, I was afraid of the state I would fall into. The state my mind would drift to. No, I definitely needed to think of something to do. It would be best if that thing would be time-consuming and would require as much focus possible from me.

I turned to lay on my side, my eyes widening thanks to the sudden view in front of me. Zoey, I love you so much!

Her notebook was lying right there on the table. The notebook from which she read everything she has managed to find in an old book about demons and magic that Celine gave away. I could just learn all those things she forgot to tell us or didn't yet have enough time to do so. Fortunately, because now I had actually something to do. Even before I managed to see that Zoey made much more notes than she managed to tell us, which meant they were pretty detailed, and she had quite some time to look through the book.

If I wasn't a sick idol, I would just sneak out of the room to find the book myself, but there was a risk of me being recognised, and well, I wouldn't manage to get out if any fans spotted me. It would become a complete disaster that I really couldn't risk, which meant I was stuck to stay in the room. Unfortunately.

I sat up, grabbing the notebook that was at least halfway full. When did she actually find so much time? I opened it, going through the first pages of a small and neat writing. My eyes moved carefully, first looking for what I had already known. And the beginning included what Zoey already told us, so I skipped the first four pages.

"Demons can be divided into five categories. One of them only are pure creatures, their bodies covered with blue marks. The other four are all stained in purple: water, shadow human and earth demons. All of them committed different sins that brought them to the shape they are in.
Water demons = gluttony, lust (Jelly? what the hell?)
Shadow demons = wrath
Human demons = pride, greed (so the Saja Boys)
Earth demons = sloth, envy (is that why they are all so ugly?)
(But if a demon can change from being a purple-marked to a blue-marked, can they change their shapes between the sins committed? Is that even possible?)"

I read amazed, realising Zoey collected much more than I thought. How could we not have time to actually sit down and talk about everything she wrote down from the book? This was like a mine of knowledge, already clearing up many things.

I stopped quickly, grabbing my phone and setting a message about me waking up to Bobby in forty five minutes. That way I won't forget and I won't get completely lost in time like I usually did. And I could just peacefully read everything Zoey wrote down in the notebook until the breakfast arrives.

While reading, I was also wondering how was this book created. Who wrote it and who gathered all this knowledge about witchcraft and demons? Could it be one of the previous hunters? And if so, which one? Why didn't we ever talk about the previous hunters, not even knowing their names except for the Sunlight Sisters?

The demons were clearly complicated creatures. Not only did they have different shapes, but their abilities also varied because of that. The most talented and the strongest were the human demons, their powers most diverse. On the other hand, earth demons were the weakest, left with almost nothing. How and why was it like this? Was this somehow also one of Bo-Ra's or Gwi-Ma's making, or was it just a natural thing that happened?

I didn't really predict that getting answers for the questions I had before would leave me with new, completely different and more detailed questions. It was like a trap.

I focused on reading Zoey's notes that quickly moved onto the spells and witchcraft. I needed more time to understand them. How could she even use so little words for explanation, when I could barely follow? And it's not like her note-taking was any news for me, but this one was just much more complicated than I expected. Witchcraft seemed to require a lot of focus and knowledge to even start. Incredible...

My thoughts got disturbed by the sudden knocking. I looked surprised at the time, realising it was already time for my breakfast. I should text Mira and Zoey soon to let them know I'm okay. I got up, opening the door quickly to let the waiter with my meal inside. I opened my mouth, but then closed it, realising I couldn't thank him properly. I decided to wait a little for him to put the tray on the table, so I could bow my head. It was the only way of me to thank him right now.

The man turned around, making me freeze surprised. Jinu smiled widely, hugging me tightly.

"You don't even know how much I went through to finally be able to see you," he whispered while we were still hugging. I wished I could say anything, I wished to be able to even laugh at seeing him in such a stupid disguise. My eyes blurred as my throat tightened. I felt the need to cry again, but I didn't want to worry Jinu, so I just hugged him more. "I don't know what got into Abby and Romance, but they have been keeping me busy all morning, it was insane. We found out after breakfast that you are sick, and then everyone proceeded to the first task of this ridiculous show. You know what was the first thing we had to do?" He asked me, pulling me back by the shoulders as I managed to calm down again. I shook my head. "Do you see how bad my hair looks? I'm still a little wet, because the first task was at the swimming pool. What a great way to make everyone wake up immediately, really," Jinu scoffed, as I smiled amused.

The swimming pool? I read the list of tasks for this week, it meant the director changed the order of the tasks. This one was supposed to happen on Friday, if I remembered correctly. It was a pretty simple task, but also a very funny one. Basically, this task was supposed to help in the future, the winner got a so-called "Queen" that they could use in some music-oriented task to ask one of the hunters for help. It was a very good prize for what will come, since the musical tasks were most important. So those additional ones had to seem as significant.

The swimming pool challenge was a challenge where ten people had to participate. A chosen group member along with all the soloists was supposed to hold onto a rope as long as possible. The one who stays the longest and doesn’t fall into the pool, wins.

Judging from Jinu’s state, I guessed he didn’t win. And I also guessed he was the one chosen by his group. I smiled, fixing his hair a little.

“Romance and Abby were the worst, they were the ones to say I should be a volunteer. Baby and Mystery obviously liked that idea, a little too well,” Jinu continued, annoyed. “And since it was on camera, I couldn’t say no too much, I am a leader after all. But never again. Not only was this role terrible to hold onto, but I couldn’t stop thinking about you so I did really terribly. And look at me now, I barely escaped during the break we have now, and…” Jinu stopped, frowning and looking at me. “Something isn’t right,” he whispered, touching my forehead. “You don’t have a fever, and yet you stayed. What’s wrong, Rumi?”

I sighed. I mean, I would if I could make any sound. This will be an interesting “conversation”.

Chapter 73: Chapter Seventy Two

Notes:

I might not be as consistent during my stay at the family, but I will try to write as much as I can

I laid my back on the wall behind me, playing with the chain on Soomin's neck. I smiled, seeing his eyes shift.

"I like it," I whispered, careful not to be loud enough.

We were hiding in a toilet on the highest floor, away from other participants and the cameras. I already told Mira I am disappearing for a while, so I hope she will carry everything. We couldn't be hiding for too long, though. I didn't want to leave her alone.

Soomin smiled, his hands slowly moving down to my hips. I acted quickly, pulling him closer by the chain and kissing him. His lips were soft and cold, like always, his hands quickly tightened on me, while I felt his body even closer to mine. We all missed this feeling. I didn't even have to look under those bangs to know he was looking at me too many times this morning. I could feel his gaze on me; whenever I moved, it shifted too. It was terrible, I just wanted the challenge to end so I could get him to some small and closed space to have him all for me. I deepened the kiss, taking the chance to savour the taste of him before pulling back.

He didn't react much; if I didn't know any better, I would assume he didn't really like the kiss. But I always looked closely at the details. I smiled, satisfied.

"We have to get going soon," I said.

"You didn't sleep well this night, did you?" He whispered, his hand landing on top of my head.

"You see too much," I chuckled softly, trying to brush off the topic. "I guess I could have slept a little more."

"No, you're worried about something," Mystery shook his head. I closed my eyes, leaning my head on the wall behind me. He saw too much sometimes. "What's wrong?"

"Can you sneak out tonight with me? To read more about witchcraft and stuff?" I asked, lifting up his bangs a little. I smiled, looking in his eyes. It was probably stupid, but I loved the fact that I was the only one who could stare in them so long.

"I can do whatever you want me to," Mystery cupped my face with his hand, lifting it. "But I won't let you go if you won't tell me what's been bothering you."

"You are so annoying..." I sighed, my hand grabbing his necklace again. It was nice to play with. "We have to go back; it will be too suspicious if both of us are absent for so long."

"It's not only the two of us, so it's fine. Now, if you don't want to stay too long, you'd better start talking."

"What do you mean, not the two of us?"

"Zoey..."

"Wait, but..."

"You're a host, you should know better than me," Soomin scoffed, smirking. "I'll tell you after you tell me what I want to know." I rolled my eyes, pulling his necklace more. He just laughed, shaking his head. "Not going to work. Just tell me, I am worried."

"Rumi was poisoned by Bo-Ra," I whispered as quietly as possible. Soomin tensed all over, while my fingers tightened on his necklace. "She has no voice now, and it will last for three days. But that's just the tip of the iceberg. She..."

I felt the tears coming to my eyes. It was so difficult to say, it was so painful to even think about. If we didn't move forward with our demon knowledge, it would already be the end. If Mira didn't bring her jade jewellery, she...

Mystery grabbed my hands, intertwining our fingers and softly brushing them. I looked at him, my heart still pounding in my chest. The tears slowly started falling down, while I was grateful for how good my makeup was that I didn't have to worry about it even now. It would be problematic to have to go back to my room only to redo it. Especially since Rumi was there, and she would ask me why I cried.

It turned out I didn't even have to say anything; he knew. "Nothing happened to Rumi; she's still with you girls. What kind of poison was it? Do you know? It sounds complicated."

"Some ancient one, healer Han came suddenly, knowing something had happened, and he immediately figured out the type. I don't know how. We are wondering who exactly he is, but..." I sighed, closing my eyes.

I shouldn't let my thoughts drift to any "what if", but it was too difficult to stop. My mind was impossible to control completely; it was just stronger than me. Because if healer Han didn't come, we would have no idea what to do. Would we even be able to find any remedy for Rumi? How would we handle it then? With Bo-Ra still somewhere out there, honmoon needing our voices and the show we started, how would we manage? We were barely making it now, although all of us were pretending we were perfectly fine. We all wanted to seem strong so the group wouldn't break, but were we as strong?

Was I really strong enough to be a part of Huntrix? To be a demon hunter that keeps everyone safe? Did my voice count enough to protect anyone?

"Zoey..." I lifted my head, looking in Soomin's eyes. His voice was soft, making my chest warm up inside. "Who is healer Han?"

"He's a doctor who's well-known for his magical tonics. We visited him before, and now he has come to us. It turns out that he's a blue-marked demon," I explained.

"Funny looking, weird, big, round eyes? Kind of skinny?" Soomin asked, as I raised my eyebrows. "I'm guessing I am right."

"You know him?"

"It's a..." Mystery sighed. "It's a story from my past."

Oh. I bit my cheek. I have already observed that the Saja Boys didn't want to talk about their past, which seemed to be a normal demon thing. I mean, it made sense. Every purple-marked demon became one because of doing something they were supposed to regret for eternity. Of course, they didn't want to remember it if they didn't have to.

But I was curious about his past. I didn't want to push him too much, to not make him uncomfortable, but I was really interested. I was happy enough to know his real name already, yet I was hoping one day he would tell me more. But not because I asked, but because he wanted to tell me.

I decided to love a demon. He probably didn't realise yet, but I offered my heart and my mind to him, despite being aware of the atrocities he could have committed. There was not much that would make me turn my back on him, since for me, there was no clear distinction between good and evil. How could one be evil if they hesitated, and how could one be good if they raised their hand? How were demons different from the hunters if both of them tried to take lives?

"I'm afraid we might not have enough time," Soomin whispered, making my heart stop for a second. I tightened my grip on his hand.

"We have enough," I nodded quickly. "Mira can definitely do it."

I promised to make it up to her after I come back. No matter what, I will make it up to her.

"I'm just a little older than Jinu, but not as much," Soomin started, sitting down under the wall, immediately pulling me down by my hand too. I laid my head on his knees, playing with his necklace again. "I lived during the Joseon dynasty, and I got pulled into the army very early, while I was seven."

"You were a soldier?" I asked, surprised. He nodded slowly, looking in my eyes.

"I was trained for three years before I joined the Military Training Agency, a special place meant to prepare Korean soldiers after the Japanese Invasion that happened during 1592 and 1593. The agency grew fast, and every male had to enter to be trained and familiarised with weapons. And I guess I got pretty good at it. After all, I had a lot of time to get to know the art of war and battle. Even better than many other, much older soldiers. And that's when the second invasion happened. Since I was one of the longest-serving soldiers from the Agency, I got sent to fight with the Japanese army. And that's where I saw hell."

I grabbed Soomin's hand, seeing his eyes look in some place far away from here. He was a soldier... A child soldier at that. "I was sent to the Gyeongsang Province, where the second Japanese force arrived. It happened soon after the Chinese ambassadors had safely returned to China. They knew what they were doing. We were an army led by General Kwak Chaeu in Changnyeong. He was a wonderful man, the one who earned all the respect by working hard and leading everyone to success. I was proud to be fighting alongside him."

Soomin didn't look at me now, clearly remembering his faraway past. I was now wondering what exactly happened that he became a demon. What did Gwi-Ma promise him to manipulate him enough?

"I got badly hurt during one of the attacks. Japanese soldiers were merciless; they would just kill and destroy, not spare anyone or anything," his voice turned cold now. I didn't dare to speak, worried it wouldn't be a good idea to do now. "I thought it would be the end of me. I was alone, as I led five soldiers behind me to kill them easily. Unfortunately, I overlooked my abilities and managed to kill only four of them; the last one attacked me instead. He easily cut through my stomach, leaving me to bleed there to my death, as I was forced to look at other soldiers getting attacked, my body too weak already to move. It was the worst moment of my life. No training, no beating I received during my military training could ever compare to this one. Nothing would ever compare..."

Mystery closed his eyes, while I squeezed his arm. "But you survived," I whispered slowly. "How?"

He smiled lightly, looking at me. "A weird-looking man came up to me. He told me not to give up and gave me some weird, terribly-tasting medicine. My body healed in a couple of minutes, as if nothing ever happened. As if I was never attacked. It seemed like some kind of miracle, and when I wanted to ask him who he was, he just disappeared into thin air." Soomin tilted his head slightly. "I'm guessing it's your mysterious healer, Han. I have a good feeling it's him."

I was even more curious about healer Han. Who was he? How did he become a blue-marked demon, and what was his exact story? How could he have such detailed knowledge, even about the rarest and oldest poisons or medical conditions?

*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚

I mixed the tonic carefully, while humming one of Huntrix's songs. I had to say, their music was very catchy. It easily stayed in my head, playing constantly in my mind. I didn't have a reason to complain; I liked their songs a lot. They seemed to enjoy making music and put their souls into every piece they created.

"Ha, they have souls to give," I laughed to myself.

What stupid things are you thinking about again?

"You better take that back," I scoffed. "I don't think you want to call Rumi or her music something stupid."

And you're getting on my nerves again.

"I'm a real master at doing that. Anyway, do you know how she is doing? Even though I gave her the medicine yesterday, I'm afraid she might be weaker than she usually is. And knowing that kid, I'm guessing it might be a problem for her."

The energy doesn't seem to get weaker, so I'm guessing she's not overworking herself yet.

"Then let's hope it won't change anytime soon. My medicine might be good, but it's still a powerful and magical poison. Something like that is really difficult to beat, so it would be better if she didn't exhaust her body too much these days."

Why not tell her that then?

"I'm pretty sure I did. And besides, I can't risk it and go back now to the hotel. She will feel I'm there."

That damned witch... How dare she-

"Calm down before you destroy my bell," I stopped him. "You can't show up either right now. Your energy is much too strong to just go back now and take any material shape. So better stay there peacefully. It's not the right time."

He didn't reply, which I took for a good sign. I continued mixing the tonic, slowly feeling the terrible smell coming from it. That was great, it meant the first phase of brewing it was a success, so I could move forward to the next one. Now I just had to be as careful not to be forced to start all over again, since that would only stretch out the time.

And I didn't have time for that. Every second counted.

*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚

"So you think healer Han is the same man who magically helped you come back to life?" I asked, as Soomin nodded.

"I remember he had some blue tattoos on his neck, so I'm guessing those were his marks. And also, I wasn't the only one. Many of us in that army were magically healed, but just didn't dare to speak about it, afraid we would sound crazy. He saved us, though, and I always wanted to thank him." Soomin's face darkened as he frowned suddenly. His mood shifted completely. "Until I regretted that he saved my life. Zoey, I not only killed Japanese soldiers for my country, but I also let Gwi-Ma manipulate me. I let him make the decisions I still regret, the decisions that made me a murderer."

I shook my head. He was a kid when he got drafted into the army. He was forced to fight for his life since he was a small kid, raised to kill others for the sake of his country. And then he got chosen to be one of Gwi-Ma's victims. If anything, I felt bad for Soomin, cause he went through a lot.

"You don't understand," he sighed. "I killed them all," Soomin whispered. His voice seemed to almost shake. I have never seen him in such a state. "He managed to make me believe I could gain respect and finally be someone. I killed all of my companions so I could pretend to be our general. I killed him first, dressing in his red robe and going back to the capital so I could get recognition for something I have never done. And because I blindly followed Gwi-Ma, nobody doubted me. Until I transitioned into a demon, I pretended to be General Kwak Chaeu."

Notes:

By the way, if anyone knows more about the Imjin War, feel free to correct me

Chapter 74: Chapter Seventy Three

Notes:

Okay, this chapter is longer than I expected

I cut Huangqi into smaller pieces, quickly cleaning my knife right after. The tonic still needed twenty-three more minutes before I could add this ingredient, so I had some time to rest. I had twenty-three minutes.

You've been focused while preparing this magical medicine.

"Magical medicine?" I scoffed, sitting down in my chair. "I have to be focused, I don't want to make any mistakes."

I know, but I have to make fun of you a little, especially since I'm so bored in here. To be honest, I don't even want to know how long I have been in here.

I nodded with a small smile. "You don't want to know. But be glad I have been your friend all these years. Imagine having to hide without any company; that would be terrible."

I'm wondering if it was a good choice to become your friend.

"Very funny," I chuckled.

I knew his sense of humour a little too well already to take any offence at what he was saying. We have already known each other for what seemed like an eternity. I was the first demon Seung-Woo managed to find after he became one, too. I introduced him to the others, already experienced enough to know a lot about our abilities and purpose. Seung-Woo learned quickly, clearly having a talent for all of this. But I felt that he was completely lost.

Gwi-Ma, when he was still good, liked to make fun of me. That I wasn't the normal demon like them, I was a mind demon. I could see the nature of anyone, no matter who they were. But as a young and unexperienced man, I ignored most of my hints about others, thinking of them as irrational. I still had times when I blamed myself for that. Thinking I could have stopped some things from happening if I had just listened to myself a little more. Being sure I was responsible for all the trouble Bo-Ra and Gwi-Ma caused. Because I knew there was something wrong. I always kept these two at a distance from me, not engaging with them as much as with the others.

I think since the beginning, I was drawn to Seung-Woo, seeing something in him that he didn't see in himself. As a doctor, I wanted to help people and heal them, but unfortunately, I failed.

The whole story of the eight of us and our beginning is a tale of my failure through time. Time and time again, I proved to be too late.

The first time was when Bo-Ra managed to turn a couple of people into demons with purple patterns. We didn't know about it at first, not even being aware that something like that was possible. But she was the witch in our group; she knew complicated spells and was aware of her powers the most. She was the second one from all of us to become a blue-marked demon. Mi-Kyung was the first one.

At the thought of her, my chest ached again. Mi-Kyung was the one I found as the third blue-marked demon. She was the one whom I trusted fully, who I would give my life for. The one to bring us all together and who wanted to help people and keep them safe from all the evil spirits and creatures.

We didn't know yet that soon we would have to keep others safe from us, even. That those blue patterns on our bodies that were supposed to symbolise our will to die for others could turn purple, the colour of shame and evil intentions. And Bo-Ra was the first to change.

If it wasn't for her marks changing colour, we would probably not even realise she was doing something bad for a little more time. But as it turns out, nothing can stay hidden when playing with magic and breaking the rules. Even I still didn't figure out how it could happen that a demon could just shift from one to another, simply like that. I was one of the first, and yet I still had many questions about my own identity, just like all of us.

Mi-Kyung was the one to ask the uncomfortable questions about Bo-Ra's patterns who didn't know how to explain it. It was obvious that night that we will have to fight each other, that Bo-Ra has chosen a path she should have never even thought about. But none of us expected Gwi-Ma to be the first to want to fight her. I remember that tingling feeling when he said he would go the next day and find her, either stopping Bo-Ra peacefully or not.

That was my second time being late. Before I could get to Gwi-Ma, who left before the sun started rising on the horizon, he had already trapped Bo-Ra somewhere, while controlling every purple-marked demon she had created. I don't know how he did it, but he was even faster and stronger than Bo-Ra. Maybe because she already did the most difficult work and research, and Gwi-Ma only had to repeat her actions. Or maybe because he was a skilled demon.

This time, we didn't confront him immediately. Mi-Kyung decided it was time to act properly and think of a solution to stop all of these small demons, along with Gwi-Ma. She planned days and nights, researching ways, reading old notebooks and books Bo-Ra has collected through the years. She was the one who created the demon hunters. But not as a part of them, she has chosen other girls to do it.

Chae-Min, one of the most popular kisaengs when she was still alive who perfected her singing and dancing skills long ago. Her musical abilities were the best. Eun-Sol, a small concubine who wasn't the emperor's favourite she stayed in her chambers, using her invisibility to study hard. Her general knowledge would be impossible to beat by even the best scholars. And Seo-In, the one who managed to fake being a man all her life, became a general in her later years. She knew how to fight, no matter the circumstances.

Mi-Kyung decided these three would be the most perfect to defeat Gwi-Ma and create a spell to stop demons from entering the human realm. Honmoon, that's what they called a magical barricade, the three created with their first song. As women coming from ancient times, they all had the ability to sing, even if they didn't pursue it more in later stages, so we didn't have to worry about their lack of talent, especially if guided by Chae-Min and helped by Mi-Kyung from the side.

During that time, I decided to cut myself off from the rest of the world, completely focusing on learning more about medicine and healing, travelling at night to search for better resources so I could widen my knowledge. No matter if magical or mortal, I took everything, carefully reading instructions and writing down the most complex terms I would need to remember before remembering. I wanted to help somehow, so I figured I should also do something I was good at. Medicine was the only thing I always had a knack for.

Since Mi-Kyung and the "Hunters", as people started calling these three girls, were constantly busy and moving a lot to protect everyone, the only person left to keep me company was Seung-Woo. He moved more, sometimes even letting me stay months in a small house, while he was bringing me new materials I could learn from. He also started training, and soon I realised he was even stronger than I. He had real talent when it came to demon powers and abilities, but his mind wasn't stable enough for this. He was weak, I could already see it, but I didn't yet realise how weak.

I found out about my third mistake when the Hunters came back to us for a week. They were all grieving, their faces still wet from tears. I remember I was sitting at a small wooden desk at that time, widening the list of mixtures and tonics, creating a new one. When they entered the room and I saw their faces, I got up immediately, feeling how weak my knees had become. I knew, although I wasn't ready to know the truth.

Just a week before, I had read about different materials and their functions in magical practices. For example, how jade could protect from evil spirits or how bronze could trap them inside. But how could Gwi-Ma figure out the purpose of iron? And has he become as heartless as to hurt someone with whom he shared so many memories?

"Mi-Kyung, she..." Chae-Min tried, but her voice was too shaky to finish.

"Gwi-Ma killed her..." Seo-In whispered, dropping to the floor and crying. "We didn't make it, we didn't protect her, and he..."

"It's not your fault," I said, my voice barely making any sound.

But I meant every word. It wasn't their fault. What could three hunters know about such things if there were only five books describing this forbidden act? Iron was the only thing that could kill us. No matter how strong a demon was, they didn't stand a chance against it. It wasn't like those legends about vampires that started hissing when they were too close to garlic. We could normally carry iron with us; it didn't affect us. But if we were attacked by a weapon made from iron... That was a completely different story.

And so I have just realised that my staying behind was the worst decision I have made. Because if I went with them, one of my remedies would work. If I went with them, I would fight Gwi-Ma, because Mi-Kyung wouldn't be left alone.

That day I made the fourth mistake. I let Seung-Woo listen to my explanation about how iron worked on us. And that action alone decided on another terrible fate in our group. When I thought about all of it now, I realised the story of the eight of us was similar to those ancient tragedies I found out about a couple of years ago. Even when I thought about it, it seemed as if there was no good ending for us anyway, as if we were meant to fail, just at different times.

Who knows? Maybe soon it will be my end as well? Maybe my time was more limited than I expected?

Gwi-Ma grew stronger, sensing fear and insecurities from the other side of the country, easily taking another soul and creating more and more puppets of his. Even though the honmoon was becoming stronger, there was still a lot of work to do. And that's when I decided to step in, right before Seung-Woo chose to help the other side. I wasn't surprised anymore; I already knew I couldn't change it. In my eyes, Seung-Woo was still a young man who was completely lost in this world he got dragged into, not knowing what was right and wrong and what steps he should take. Maybe I wasn't as good a friend as I thought of myself, maybe I should have taken more action so he would never even think about joining Gwi-Ma.

But he did. And I had no choice but to fight him, winning at that time. If I ever encountered him in later years, I knew I wouldn't make it out alive. He would easily destroy me even now, when he was hiding.

I found out about the burning spell that the girls have used to trap Gwi-Ma in the demon realm, along with Seung-Woo and every purple-marked demon that existed on earth. The Hunters have grown so much that the barrier was finally strong enough, finally letting them relax. Seo-In even managed to fall in love with a human man, with whom she had three daughters. One older one and two younger twins. I remember the night I helped her give birth to the twins. After everything, she held my hand tightly.

"We are not as strong as Gwi-Ma," she whispered, her breath still unstable from the terrible labour she had just in. "I can feel that we need to step back soon. There isn't much left for us to..."

"Seo-In, what are you even talking about? You three are as strong as ever," I shook my head, afraid of the meaning behind her words.

"We are not, Han," she sighed. "I don't know why it's like that, but as Hunters, our abilities differ from demons. And the same goes for our strength. Besides, people don't trust us as much as they did. When they see marks, they run away, no matter the colour. We cannot continue."

"But you can't just give away your role, as long as you're alive, you're..." I stopped, terrified of what was to come next. Seo-In gave me a bitter smile as my eyes widened.

"I didn't tell you, but I'm the only one left. Chae-Min and Eun-Sol, they... they got killed by Gwi-Ma's puppets... My powers aren't as strong as they were when there were three of us. I can't keep on much longer."

"So your girls, they..." she nodded. I lowered my head, closing my eyes.

"Can you come with me? I have to wait until they're a little older so they can inherit the role of demon hunters. But I need some help if anything happens. You're the only healer that can help me."

I had no choice. I couldn't leave her. Not when everything was slowly falling apart. "You don't even have to ask."

Seo-In was brave. Her whole life, she only knew how to fight. She was raised as a boy by her father since she was a kid. It was his unrealistic expectations since he didn't manage to get a boy, and her mother was too weak after the first birth to try for another one. So Seo-In did everything in her power to make her father proud, risking her life to become a soldier and fighting. Then, after becoming a demon, she was chosen to fight again. She never complained, never said anything bad about her role. But sometimes I wondered if this was the best solution. Chae-Min, Eun-Sol and Seo-In, three young women who didn't get to know what it feels like to be free and happy, even though they all lived around six hundred years.

Maybe it was better that even the demons could lose their lives. When I watched Seo-In stabbing herself in the garden of her house, I saw a little smile. Maybe the mortality of us was the only remedy and freedom the girls could get in this lifetime. And maybe they deserved this break, even if it took me years to accept their deaths. To accept I was left alone for centuries, observing the hunters and helping people whenever I could. I just had to be careful so Gwi-Ma or Seung-Woo wouldn't sense where I was. So they wouldn't realise I was still somewhere there, travelling slowly and healing whoever I could.

Until there was time for Seung-Woo to get healed.

Ding! Ding! Ding! The twenty three minutes passed!

"Thanks for reminding me," I got up from the chair quickly.

If I didn't, you would sit in that chair thinking about god knows what.

I chuckled softly, putting Huangqi into the tonic. "That's the doctor's secret."

Notes:

Today we stayed at home so I had more time to write ^^

Chapter 75: Chapter Seventy Four

Notes:

I wrote this chapter yesterday in my notes app (I never write my chapters in my notes app), but I couldn't publish it, because I was in the middle of nowhere for some birthday so there was no wifi (and today I'm mostly sleeping, since there wasn't much time to sleep at the party gshws)

I was sitting on the roof, observing the city view below me. The night was very peaceful, the weather was pretty warm for this time, and only the wind reminded me that I should have taken some kind of jacket or a hoodie with me. But it wasn't anything that serious for me to care, it's not as if I wasn't already sick, at least to everyone else.

The city hummed peacefully, the leaves dancing on the wind mixing with the soft whispering steps of people going out late and the purring of the car engines on the streets. I closed my eyes for a second, admiring the natural rhythm of everyday life. When everything gets sorted out and we finally defeat Bo-Ra and end our first world tour, I wanted to take that rhythm to create another song. I was thinking we needed something new, slow, and peaceful. I wanted our fans to be able to fall asleep to the song that will calm their nerves. Just like I was calming down right now, admiring all that was around me. The noise my own throat couldn't make right now.

My eyes itched while my vision blurred again. I quickly closed them, taking a deep breath. It will be fine. Breathe out. I will get my voice back and I will strengthen the honmoon. Breathe in. Healer Han knew what he was doing. Breathe out. And I was the right person to become a hunter. Just like Jinu said.

To be honest, his visit made me feel more at ease, even in such a situation. It was incredible to think how quickly he could help my nerves calm down, how quickly his presence comforted me.

"Last time I went to visit your boyfriend, I was admiring the clouds." I turned my head, surprised, hearing a well-known voice. I frowned, seeing the demon again. "I guess the stars are also fine. I did like the random shapes I could make up during the day, while at night everything was already explored."

I couldn't even reply, nor ask him anything. I was wondering if he was aware of what happened to me or if he was just everywhere we were. I guess it was the second option, maybe the first one, thanks to that too.

"See, the thing I hate about people is when they try to limit themselves," the demon sighed, completely unaffected by my silence. "Why would you just create constellations, not leaving anything to someone's imagination? Trust me, it's not the science that motivated them; it's the need to claim something as your own. People are greedy; even if it's unreachable, they will limit it from others. One way or another."

I laid down on my back, looking at the stars in the sky. There weren't many, since the city lights blocked most of them, making the sky seem empty and soulless. It was one of the views that demotivated me. I loved humanity, but sometimes it felt like humanity didn't love what's around it. How depressing.

"I like the clouds. They're unstable enough to be free from human greed," the demon continued. I could feel a smile in his voice. "Unpredictable and short enough to stay however they want. Isn't this beautiful?"

Unstable, unpredictable and short... I thought about these terms for a short while. Three things everyone was afraid of and everyone avoided. Was it just because it made things and beings impossible to tame? Could bad traits become something useful if taken from a different perspective?

I shook my head, stopping my thoughts. This stupid demon was getting to me, while I still preferred to be careful around him. I still didn't know what to expect. What side was he on?

"You're unusually quiet today," his head suddenly turned to face me. "I'm not complaining, since at least you're not asking any questions tonight, but it's becoming uncanny. You know, this is already too long a time for anyone not to say anything. Even a simple hi would be fine, you know?"

I wish I could say a simple hi. I wish I could even sigh loudly or groan in irritation so others hear what I'm thinking. But I couldn't. I only sat up, waving my hand to show him to disappear. He only laughed. I missed laughing. And it hasn't even been that long.

"I am now sure that something is very wrong," the demon whispered, his voice instantly more serious. "Bo-Ra did a move again, didn't she? I must have missed something... Ugh, I'm done for..." he lay down, putting his hands under his head.

I rolled my eyes. What an irritating person. I used one hand to show paper and the other to show a writing pen, hoping he would catch on. He did. He quickly took out a phone from his pocket, giving it to me. The notes app was already open.

"So it is Bo-Ra's fault," he said, while I typed quickly.

I've been poisoned by her, but healer Han found out and he'll help me.

"Poisoned?! How? When?"

Through blood. I have two more days until I get my voice back.

"Two days, huh... Well, I guess that makes sense," his gaze changed. It was more serious, as if analysing something very important. As if he had just realised something important. "I didn't know Huntrix knew healer Han." I just nodded. "So you called him?" I shook my head.

He came himself, already knowing what happened to me.

"He knew?" I nodded again. "That's a talented healer."

He was my only hope right now, so he better be good. But the pain did disappear, and I can freely use my hand right now. I was wondering if this demon would do something about it. Would he tell everything he just found out to the person he was supposed to listen to? The one who wanted him to observe us all the time, and annoy Jinu especially? It seemed like he wasn't one of Bo-Ra's followers, but I still didn't trust him fully.

"Does your lover boy know about it already?" I nodded. "I can imagine he wasn't very happy to find out."

Not very happy was an understatement, and we both knew about it. Jinu went through many emotions after I wrote him everything and explained the situation. Mostly, he was worried about me and furious at Bo-Ra. To be honest, I was starting to worry about Jinu and how he would handle future Bo-Ra's attacks. He almost ran off to find her today. I don't know what he wanted to do, since he wasn't prepared to fight even with simple demons yet. He didn't think about what he was doing, which was an even worse case.

We didn't even have time yet to try and find out about his weapon. I wanted to know what his weapon was. Not knowing why, but somehow nothing seemed to match him. A sword? It should be one, right? So why did I feel like it won't be one? Knives were too small for him. I could have joked about Jinu having a tiny weapon, but those didn't match him. What was left? A lot, since it turns out demons could have even something like a hammer. Maybe Zoey will have ideas; she was very creative when it came to things like that.

"Sometimes," the demon's voice stopped my thoughts, "the longer it takes to succeed, the better the results are. Patience is a virtue people still lose in nowadays world, running after instant success and forgetting they'll never achieve as much as they would with more time. The fact that you need to fail ten times doesn't mean you're not fit; it just means you still have a lot to learn. Don't be so harsh on yourself, it will only make things difficult for all of you," he smiled, standing up. The wind moved his hair lazily. "Well, it was nice, I enjoyed the silence," the demon laughed. "Unfortunately, I already have to go. See you, Rumi!"

He quickly disappeared, while I stayed on the roof. What he said just now... It has now made me think more about all my doubts I've had since the Idol Awards. But how did he know what I was thinking about? What was I worried about? Was it just so obvious, or was he just such a crazy stalker? Whatever the reason, he did lift me a little.

I realised that there was still time and space for me to learn and work harder. To figure out everything that the girls and I should have known before about being demon hunters. To train Jinu in combat skills and figure out his weapon. To build up a mental shield strong enough to fight Bo-Ra. I could do everything, and I knew I would. I had to.

I wanted to.

The peaceful night got interrupted by a loud noise a couple of streets from the hotel. I frowned, listening carefully to what was going on. It sounded like a robbery of some kind, maybe an attack. I did hear a shattering glass, but then nothing more. Should I go check it? I shook my head. I had to focus on fighting demons and being an idol; I couldn't exhaust myself by doing things others could easily replace me with. The police were for catching robbers, I was for catching mythical and soul-sucking demons. We were not the same, and I had to stay out of it.

I would stay out of it if not for someone standing in the hotel room a couple of steps behind me. I felt an unfamiliar energy, but I immediately knew what was going on. Not moving a centimetre, I waited patiently for their move, listening carefully. One step closer, and another one. Their feet made almost no sound, but still enough for me to be able to approximately say how far away they were from me.

Third step.

I quickly dodged a punch, lying down on my back again and materialising a sword in my hand. I smiled, seeing a confused demon's face above me. An earth demon. Now we'll have some fun.

I lifted both of my legs, punching the demon in its face, which set him back, so I could easily stand up, already attacking him again. This one was quite fast, but still surprised enough to not be able to dodge all of my attacks. I was confused why he tried to attack me just now. It really isn't difficult to know who I am, especially because of my hair, and yet it was another one who didn't know who I am.

Okay, now he was aware I was a demon hunter, but before, he didn't recognise me. What if it was another Bo-Ra's doing? She brainwashed the demons so they would forget that the three of us are hunters. But could this help her in any way? How would it help her?

I slashed through the demon's stomach, and six other demons appeared on the roof. I turned to them, surprised, realising I might have difficulties fighting with all of them at once. Wasn't I supposed to rest more now because my body was poisoned? What if Bo-Ra sent them to exhaust me so I still die?

As if I let anyone kill me so easily. I smirked, tightening the grip on my sword. Send me even one hundred demons, Bo-Ra, I'm not afraid, and I will not lose.

The second I lifted my sword, Mira and Zoey jumped right in front of me with their weapons ready. They turned back to look at me with a smile.

"You don't think I wouldn't feel the presence of these bastards here?" Zoey laughed. I smiled back, while the girls turned to face the demons again.

We quickly jumped to fight them, the girls taking five demons immediately, while I was only left to fight one. Normally, I would say something, but not only I couldn't speak, I also didn't want to. It was probably smarter for me not to take too much if I wanted to properly heal. Instead of pushing myself, I should start taking proper care of myself, so that I have energy later.

I quickly cut off the demon's head, realising that more of them appeared on the roof in a couple of seconds. There had to be some issue with the honmoon. It was terrible news, my voice couldn't even lead the voices of the girls to seal the honmoon properly again, which meant that until healer Han comes with his magical remedy, we will have to fight a lot of demons here. And what if some of them try to enter the hotel and attack someone inside? We couldn't let them do that.

I kicked off the demon that just tried to jump on me, realising that the aching pain in my hand was slowly showing up. I changed the sword to my left hand, grateful I never skipped training with both of them. I had to let my right one rest from now on, or the pain could get worse.

My sword smoothly operated, slaying more of the upcoming demons. Even though I trained a lot with my left hand, the weapon was still heavier when I was holding it in it. Unfortunately, I wasn't ambidextrous like Zoey, and I couldn't magically change it. I just needed to work more with my left hand again, so this won't be a problem anymore. I turned to see Mira free a couple of souls before killing one of the demons. Those couple of seconds were enough for me to painfully land on my stomach. I rolled to the side, barely avoiding the disgusting claws.

"You know, we can't go back until we get the job done," the demon smiled, attacking me again, unsuccessfully. Not only did my right hand ache from the poison, but now I also felt my pyjama pants getting a little heavier from the blood. I had to wound my leg during the fall. The job done? Did they come to kill me then?

I shook my head. I already promised in my head I'm not getting myself killed. End of discussion. My sword cut off the demon's hand during his attack, which left him scared enough for me to get up again and use the opportunity to get rid of him. Three others tried jumping at me, but I also got rid of them. There were too many of them, and I wasn't in my best state to be able to successfully defeat all of them. We were having a terrible situation here.

Good thing I couldn't curse right now.

"Jinu?!" I turned towards Zoey's voice. A second later, I was hugged tightly by my demon. What was he doing here?

Before I could even look up at him, he lifted me, moving me out of the fight. His hand landed on my cheek before kissing my forehead. "You're so irresponsible," he whispered before jumping right back in to fight the demons.

Zoey and Mira smiled at him as he slayed the demons around. I blinked, surprised to see his weapon. His fighting style changed; he moved more elegantly, while striking confidently and with great precision. I was hypnotised by him right now, admiring his cold gaze and fluid moves. I still had questions, but I knew there would be time after they defeated all of those demons that appeared.

Right now, I decided to admire my boyfriend fighting with the last weapon I would have thought of.

A navy blue dual scythe.

Notes:

I'm curious what you all think about Jinu's weapon

Chapter 76: Chapter Seventy Five

Notes:

I just want to say this: this fanfiction is fully made by me. My ideas, my interpretation, my choices, everything. Please stop asking me to write here the scenes you headcanon or want to see, I never said I will make commissions. If you want to see your headcanons written down, I'm sure there are people who will gladly write them down for you, but I'm not one of them

Anyway, sorry for the long wait, but I don't want to change quantity for quality, so I prefer to take things slow, but in the way the chapters are still carefully written <33

The stars seemed to shine brighter every time a demon was slayed by one of them. I was sitting with my knees drawn up to my chest, observing the fight carefully. It was difficult to just sit back and watch, but just now I could feel the aching pain slowly fade from my hand, so I knew I couldn't risk it again. I just wanted this poison to completely go away from my body; I've had enough. I raised my right hand, looking at the shining marks. They were already changing their colour to blue, which was a very good sign.

I heard a scream, turning my head to see a demon falling off the roof behind me. How did he even get there?

"Since when can demon boy fight?" I heard Mira's voice. I watched her body that sternly moved, assassinating more and more demons. She was quick, decisive, and bold in every fight. Each of her weapons was deadly only because she carried it. "Or did you pretend to be such a loser before?"

"I still can't fight," Jinu shook his head, swiftly spinning his scythe around to push back the demons. "It's thanks to the weapon. I just grabbed it and knew what to do with it."

"Unfair! I had to learn how to fight completely!" Zoey scoffed, throwing one of her Eunjang-do's at a demon that tried to jump on her. She always moved softly, her attacks complicated but impossible to avoid. She was cunning, fluid, creative and all over the place. "Now I want to become a demon too! Who wants my soul?"

"I don't think that's how it works," Mira laughed, grabbing three souls from one of the demon's stomach and setting them free. She then easily held him by his neck and stabbed him with her Gok-do. Before three others jumped at her, she dodged, crouching.

"Anyway, isn't a scythe a bit impractical in a fight?" Zoey asked. She used four of her Eunjang-do's to get rid of four other demons, leaving two of them to fight the ones left. "At least that's what I heard. I never tried it."

"Everything sharp is practical if you can use it," Mira scoffed. "So I wouldn't say that, especially since demon boy seems to be not that bad at what he's doing."

"Wow, that was almost a compliment, Pinky," Jinu laughed. He made a quick spin, slaying five demons around him. He then divided his scythe into two smaller pieces, twirling them with ease again, and smoothly attacking another demons.

"Almost, remember that," Mira said quickly, kicking off two demons.

Looking at the fight carefully and seeing how it was going, I was very sure it would end soon, and I didn't even have to worry.

Actually, no, I did worry. I worried that I couldn't sing. Usually, the girls I sang to during fights also strengthen the honmoon immediately, so no demons escape while we are fighting these. Now, my voice was missing, and it felt like the worst timing possible. Probably everything was planned by Bo-Ra again, knowing how she played. But that knowledge didn't help the fact that the honmoon was again in danger, and now I couldn't do anything for a while yet.

My voice was gone. I hated every second of it. Should the girls try singing by themselves? Maybe it will at least help a little, maybe the honmoon would get a little stronger. Just enough so we won't have to worry about the holes.

But didn't we completely cut off the demon realm? Where did these bastards come from? Was there another place we didn't know about? Was it created by Bo-Ra after she ran away from her prison? Was the second demon realm maybe in the same place as her prison? I felt like we should also figure it out to know how to deal with the demons this time. Many rules have changed since we defeated Gwi-Ma, and many facts have changed, even since we also found out a lot about ourselves and the demons. But the more knowledge we had, the bigger chances we had to defeat Bo-Ra and trap her forever.

Since I was a half-demon and probably from the first demon's blood, maybe I could use it in a way I still didn't know. Besides witchcraft. I felt like Zoey had a better knack for it than me, although I decided to still try, especially since we still had to protect ourselves from Bo-Ra during the full moon. I looked up in the sky to find the moon. A waxing crescent moon, we were much closer to putting the spell than I thought. I was hoping Zoey was prepared for it.

It would also be helpful if we finally tried the scrying thing, but we still needed to make some preparations. I was wondering if we were able to make it so I could somehow talk to someone who knew more than me. Maybe I could connect with one of the previous hunters somehow? I still didn't have all the answers to my unending questions, and it was really becoming difficult at times. My head was always filled with millions of "why", "how", "when", and "what if", and none of them had yet been answered.

I looked back at the fight scene that was already much calmer than it was minutes ago. They were handling it exceptionally well. I smiled, my eyes subconsciously focusing on Jinu. He was focused; he didn't even bother to smile like he did when we were fighting, still enemies at that time. His eyes were fierce, his lips curled. I leaned my chin on my hands, observing him with a smile. It was nice to see Jinu so serious for some reason, especially since it wasn't an often situation. I decided to enjoy this as long as I could.

Jinu's weapon was also interesting. I would never think that he would carry something like a scythe with him, but seeing him now, everything made sense. It seemed to be a weapon he was born with, not something he just found out about. The blades were impressively big and reflected every smallest light coming from the city under us or even the moon. The scythe didn't glow like our weapons, though; it seemed like a normal weapon that just had an insane amount of detail and was made by request. It was beautiful, just like Jinu.

I watched him smoothly slay three demons as our eyes met when he turned around. For a split second, he smiled. I felt my heart beat faster, while his expression returned to being all serious, and he continued the fight. I started tapping my cheek since I was getting bored. I should be the one standing there and fighting; I should be the one who sees the atrocious faces of those earth demons when they get stabbed or slain. And instead, I was sitting on the side, being forced to watch because of some stupid poison.

No voice, no strength to fight, no power to keep the sword in my hand. What was next? Becoming a full-time vegetable? I shook my head quickly, knocking twice on the roof. I shouldn't be thinking these things, even sarcastically.

Some demons screamed, and when I lifted my head again, there was not even one of them anymore. Jinu quickly sat down next to me, making his scythe disappear, while Mira and Zoey sat next to us. They were all exhausted, breathing heavily and sweating a lot. Mira's back of her shirt was all wet, while Zoey had sweat still running down her face. Jinu seemed unaffected, probably because he was a demon. I always sweated much less because I was a half-demon, so I guessed it was one good thing about the marks, even at that time.

Normally, I would say something, congratulating them on the fight, but I couldn't even do that. What was the point in my even being anywhere if I couldn't communicate with the people important to me?

"I guess Bo-Ra really decided to take the opportunity," Mira sighed, while Zoey laid down on her back. "This quack doctor better come, or I can't promise what I will do to him."

"He will come, I'm sure of it," Zoey breathed out, her voice barely making the necessary amount of sound. "By the way, Jinu, how did you know we were here?"

"The stalker demon showed up again," Jinu scoffed, also breathing heavily. I couldn't stop smiling. It reminded me of our training last time when I destroyed him. I was now wondering if the same thing would happen if we chose to fight with our weapons. Could I still beat him?

"Stalker demon?" Mira scoffed. "This guy doesn't have much to do, does he?"

"It seems like it," Jinu groaned, lying his head on my knees. I just smiled, starting to play with his hair. I think it was one good thing about him being a demon: I didn't have to worry about him being all sweaty; he would be the one worried. "I was in our room when this lunatic suddenly appeared on the windowsill with a huge smile. He told me it's time to speed things up, cause Rumi might be in danger. I got all paranoid then."

"I hate this guy," Mira rolled her eyes. "It's so difficult to figure out what the hell he wants or what he's trying to do. He appears out of nowhere and then basically tries to piss everyone off, but he always says something useful, so he knows he will be able to come back," the girl sighed, looking at the sky. "I don't know..."

"I completely agree with you, Pinky," Jinu nodded. "He gets too much satisfaction from bothering everyone, but I can't just forbid him from coming, since I know he always tells me something I didn't know. And to completely ignore that would be stupid of me," he sighed, looking at me quickly, then smiling. "Anyway, I didn't believe him at first, but then he told me about a hole in honmoon that appeared two streets away, and that some of those demons going out are sent by Bo-Ra. And maybe I would still stubbornly disagree if my marks didn't start flickering like some Christmas lights. That's what you call it, right?" Jinu asked, looking at me again. I nodded. "So Christmas lights. And I remember Rumi telling me something similar happened when I was attacked by the demons, so I couldn't ignore it anymore."

"So you two are connected!" Zoey sat up with a huge smile. "I knew it! Who was right?"

"I guess there has to be some connection," Mira nodded with her arms crossed.

"It's because Rumi has Jinu's soul," Zoey scoffed. "It's obvious. You are now connected forever! Isn't this romantic?"

I felt my face warming up again, hoping nobody could see it in the dark. My chest immediately warmed up at the simple thought of me and Jinu being so connected. I wasn't sure if I was comforted or more nervous because of it, probably both at once. Who would have thought something like that could even happen?

"I don't know if it's that romantic," Mira raised her eyebrows, making me smile amused. She was a mood killer, but by now I've already got used to it. Zoey groaned, annoyed, and hit the girl in her arm. "What? So they're connected in some weird, magical way because demon boy gave up his soul. I would be more creeped out."

"Just admit you're jealous, Pinky," Jinu scoffed, looking at me this whole time, while I avoided making eye contact.

"Of what?"

"Of us have such a good relationship of course."

"Relationships aren't for me, thanks. Rumi, enjoy your dumbass."

"Hey!"

"Loser," Mira added with a smirk. Jinu just rolled his eyes.

"So how did you figure out your weapon? And how to materialise it?"

"The stalker showed me," the boy sighed. "After my marks started flickering, I realised the danger is real and almost jumped at him for only telling me instead of helping Rumi. He just laughed and said the two of you probably are already there, and he can't fight some demons for a reason he didn't explain. He said the blue-marked demons have limits, but nothing more. As always," Jinu scoffed. "He explains something, but not enough for anything. He then explained to me how to materialise my weapon. You have no idea how surprised I was to see what was in my hands."

"I can imagine, I would never think of a weapon like that in anyone's hands, but especially yours," Mira laughed. "I mean, you're a total disaster in a fight, and a scythe is a pretty complicated and difficult weapon."

"If I didn't have it in my hands when fighting demons, even the smallest one could probably still win," Jinu sighed, looking at me again. "I will need our training; I can't be so weak without a weapon." I nodded, agreeing. Jinu stretched out his hand, tucking some hair behind my ear. "I miss your voice."

"It hasn't even been much," Mira said, her voice still softer and sadder. "But us too..."

I also missed it. I hated being like this. Being so weak.

Notes:

Also, a funny thing, me and descriptions have constant beef, and I wish I could sometimes just skip them, but every time I get myself to write them, they end up even longer than I intended to

Chapter 77: Chapter Seventy Six

Notes:

I'M ALIVE, EVERYONE

Sorry for such a long break, but so much has happened lately that I guess I didn't have much time to even comprehend what's going on

I still remember the faces of our parents when they saw that I had been accepted into the university I had told them about. I was also still surprised that I managed to make such a change in just a year. In just one year, I managed to be at the top of my class and got into medicine. My whole life took a completely opposite direction from what I expected it to go, but I was proud of myself. I remember the warmth spreading in my chest when our parents got up from the table to hug me tightly, proud of me. I was also proud of myself. I managed to achieve something great, and I wanted to go forward.

But the most important of them all was the reaction of my sister, Yeseo. Her eyes were flickering in the same way as they did whenever she was eating her favourite cake. I loved to see her this happy. I was hoping that her career choice would bring her just as much joy, especially since she decided to become an actress.

That was another surprise that happened last year. Yeseo, a girl who was the best student, an ace, and the prettiest girl in our school, decided to become an actress. And yes, she often heard she should become someone famous from others because of her beauty she so smoothly showed, but she enjoyed studying too much to even think twice about it. She was like a perfect daughter, smart, pretty, good at makeup, with a huge circle of friends. Even though some of them were jealous, Yeseo did manage to meet some genuine friends who were supporting her no matter what.

The two of us were a perfect twin stereotype. Same faces that had completely different lifestyles and interests. I was the one who had medium grades, I didn't enjoy school, and I was only known in our high school as Yeseo's "brother", cause that's what some of the kids liked to call me. Yes, I looked like a boy. Short dark hair, no makeup, baggy clothes, and skateboarding was my whole life. I did have some male friends whom I enjoyed going out with, but I also had girl friends who enjoyed similar things to me, although they still liked makeup and dresses. Teachers still liked me, cause I tried to focus on the lessons, I only brought trouble during breaks, attempting dangerous stunts and hoping to one day become some kind of professional skateboarder. Or maybe just end up behind a desk in a store with skateboards. It was fine either way; my ambitions weren't high.

So what exactly changed that I decided to go to university while my sister took the path of an unstable career? Two completely separate things that made everything go in ways I never expected them to.

For me, it was a simple accident. Yes, a literal accident. I got trapped for three hours in a cave with my friends in the middle of a forest. Not my brightest moment, I am aware. I was barely seventeen, we wanted to explore a little, go on an adventure and then... we got stuck. That's what you get when four teenagers who love risk and adrenaline are let free to do whatever. The problem with this cave was simple: it was so huge inside that we got lost midway, and our only way out seemed to be a pretty tight hole in the ceiling that seemed impossible to reach unless we could fly. Mind you, those were still the times without phones, and we were supposed to come back late at night, so our parents wouldn't start worrying until after the next morning. And we needed a way out right now.

In hopes of anything to happen, we decided to take turns screaming for help, while also saving the food and drinks we brought with us. We had no idea how long we would stay there. During that time, Daewon started panicking, telling us the walls are moving and we will get smashed. He sat down on the ground, not getting up and not hearing anything we were saying. I told Minho to take care of her while Soojin and I were still taking turns, screaming as loud as we could. Sometimes, Minho joined us as well, wanting to help as much, but someone had to look after Daewon.

It was a terrible "adventure" and we were all completely traumatised after what happened. But we were saved by a kind older man who had really huge eyes for a small head. He let down a rope and even calmed down Daewon, also taking care of all the bruises that we got while getting out. He introduced himself as healer Han, which then made my mind shift in a completely different direction. We never told our parents about what happened; some bruises were probably normal to get by teenagers who went to the forest alone. But we did change. We became more careful, Daewon disappeared from school for some time, and the rest of us never entered a forest again. Oh, and I decided I wanted to heal and help people. I stepped up my game and started studying. I still went to skate with my friends, but it wasn't every day like before.

All of my efforts paid off the day I got admitted to medicine, and I could study in Seoul. And that's also when I found healer Han again; it turned out he had some weird place of his own, and even though he was pretty odd at times, I still admired his medical skills. So between the classes I came to his small house, where he sometimes had some clients, studying for my university and also learning different treatments that he showed me. They were much more impressive and much easier than all those chemical things I was learning, although my professors would kill me if they heard me say that.

In my senior year, he was already used to me enough to start telling me strange stories about demons and demon hunters. About magic, spells, magical remedies, and souls that can be stolen. And even though they were strange, I started believing them when I realised his father looked the same as him. And his grandfather. And when I tried asking about the female side of his family, he told me they lost everything after their first house burned down. But could it be that healer Han was just... immortal?

While trying to uncover this mystery, my sister got incredibly famous, becoming one of the faces of our country. It was such a pride for my family. One daughter was studying to become a doctor, and the other was unbelievably rich and loved by people. Both were successful in completely different ways. Just like we liked to do.

During all my years at university, my biggest priority was still Yeseo, although she wasn't aware of this. Every time she called, and her voice was even a little sadder than normal, I was there in an hour. No matter what happened, I left everything to be there for her. Because she has always been there for me. When I decided to become a good student, she was my tutor, and she taught me for free. She was right before signing a contract for her acting career with an agency, but she still found time for my stupid brain and made it work properly. If it wasn't for her, I would have failed a long time ago, and I didn't want to let her trip either.

Ever since we were little, even though Yeseo and I were complete opposites, we always stuck together. All the kindergarten, primary school, and high school, we always had each other's backs. We may have had completely different friend circles and been in different classes, but it didn't stop us. All of our friends knew that lunch break was our time to catch up. All of the classmates or people in our schools in general quickly found out they can't badmouth one to the other, because it always ended badly for them. Broken jaw, bleeding nose, lost tooth, twisted wrist. And not every one of these was done by me. Even though my sister loved pastels, dresses and cute things, she was as feisty, if not even more, than me.

Another thing was that we always exchanged what we knew. I taught Yeseo basic skateboarding tricks and self-defence because I begged our parents when I was seven to sign me up for Taekwondo. She taught me how to handle the teachers and always cut my hair when it grew longer than I wanted it to. She shared her face masks with me, while I lent her my sneakers and hoodies. She plucked my eyebrows, and I massaged her after every ballet lesson she attended until she was sixteen. We were inseparable, and it stayed through the years, even when Yeseo got an unfortunate boyfriend.

I'm saying unfortunate, because this bastard Kang-Dae didn't deserve my sister. They met when she was seventeen, and he was the son of the CEO of one of those huge companies that manage celebrities. That was exactly how Yeseo became an actress; Kang-Dae convinced her to be one. It was the stupidest thing my sister has ever done in her life, listening to a man, although we weren't aware of how bad the consequences would be.

I guess I started suspecting something was wrong after Yeseo's third role, this time as a second lead, when, after watching the movie in theatres, we went back to the apartment she was given. Not only did she look exhausted, even with the perfectly made-up makeup, but she also said something that should have alarmed me much sooner.

"Jina, how are you handling things when I'm not there? Are you keeping up with everything at university?"

A seemingly innocent question that I didn't expect to be what it was. I would never expect Yeseo to ever want me to learn to be on my own.

"Oh, you showed me how to study in our last year in high school, and I guess that it has now become much easier," I smiled. "So yeah, I guess I'm handling things well."

I remember she smiled there. It was one of the last smiles I've seen on her face that showed those beautiful sparkles in her eyes.

"I want you to achieve great things, Jina. You're smart, you'll be a great doctor."

"Someone has to heal you after doing some of those crazy stunts like the ones in your last movie," I laughed. "Besides, it's not like you're any less smart. If it wasn't for you, I don't know what I would do."

Now I realise those words made her wait longer. Yeseo was only stuck for so long because of me. On one hand, it makes me happy every time I think about it, but on the other, it makes my heart break into even smaller pieces.

There are always signs, I don't know how it can be that so many people are still blind like we were. We, I mean me, and our parents. And the people around Yeseo, but did they know her? After she became a popular actress, she was left with two friends and a small family, nothing more. She also broke up with Kang-Dae; their secret relationship lasted less than eighteen months. Still much too long. I always blamed him the most; he was one of the worst scumbags I have ever met. And I met a lot, after all, I pretended to be Yeseo's brother countless times, just to get rid of some of them.

Kang-Dae was the worst, because not only was he hiding well his true nature, but he was also privileged enough to not face any consequences, no matter what. That's what the real world is about. Privilege. I learned that too late.

But it turns out that sometimes fate can smile on you, even in the darkest moments. Because I was the first one to find Yeseo that night. She called me before, thanking me for being her sister and telling me she's proud of me. Something in her voice...

I don't know what I would do if she didn't call me. I would live in mourning for the rest of my life. But I ran to her. I found her, her body already becoming cold, and her pulse had completely disappeared. It was maybe two at night, my eyes were blurred from the tears, I wasn't thinking straight, I was panicking, whispering to Yeseo not to leave me. How could she just try and leave me? How could she give up so easily? She was too good to just do that; she didn't deserve it. If only there was a way for me to help her, to do anything to...

And somehow, through the fog of grief and fear, despite all the emotions that were drowning my mind, I managed to make one smart move.

I ran with her to the new place of healer Han. Fortunately, I was always the strong one, and Yeseo also lost a lot of weight over the last year.

Healer Han, the only man who was my hope. The person who once saved my life, and now I was praying he could save the more important life. Yeseo's life.

"I'm begging you," I cried when he opened the door. I was shaking when he let me inside. He didn't say a word when I laid Yeseo on his couch. "Those stories about demons and magic have to be true. I saw your books, I know you've lived more than forty years, you've got to help me, I'll do anything."

I think he needed a couple of hours to explain to me what it means in the spiritual world to save someone's life. And telling me how he became a demon. Because my head was too lost in everything, this poor man had to repeat himself a lot of times before his words finally got to me. But I had no doubts, no second thoughts. To give my soul to Yeseo? We were connected since the beginning as twins; it wouldn't change much.

"Jina, you will become a demon. You will have to drop everything, you will never become a doctor, you will never be the same," he told me again. I only nodded.

"I will do anything for her. But she can't go back there, she can't..."

"She can continue what you started."

The path Yeseo should have chosen instead of me. I looked at her face. She looked peaceful. Her skin was pale, yet she still looked amazing, out of this world. She blinded with her beauty, no matter what.

If her life ended happily, I would never think about bringing her back. I would let her have her peace. But I couldn't let my sister leave in such a disastrous manner. I couldn't bear the thought of her leaving out of fear and sadness, because she didn't deserve such an ending.

And so I gave her a new one. I gave her a second chance she deserved.

Notes:

Good news: I can now describe a proper making-out session better (not leading to sex, you're not getting smut, sorry)

Bad news: the AO3 curse hit me with feelings instead of a car (I'd rather get a car)

Chapter 78: Chapter Seventy Seven

Notes:

I tried to write this chapter like ten times over and over until today, I finally knew how I want it to look. Anyway, I hope I didn't get any worse after such a break

I was still washing my small wounds from the fight with all the demons on the roof when Zoey entered my room. I first heard a recognisable knocking, and then saw my friend slowly entering. Rumi had already fallen asleep, and Jinu stayed with her that night, probably too excited to see the crazy healer Han with his miracle remedy to even consider going back to his room. I chuckled at that thought—such a fool in love. I raised my head at Zoey, who sat next to me on the bed.

"The hammer demon appeared on the hotel's roof again," she said. "We talked about this before, so I'm telling you already." I smiled, grateful.

"I will tell you if my theory is correct," I quickly explained. She only laughed.

"If you wouldn't, I would threaten you with your pictures in a cat costume," Zoey stuck out her tongue, while I hit her on the shoulder, annoyed. "You didn't really think I deleted any of your embarrassing photos, did you?"

"That would be stupid of me to believe you," I sighed, closing my eyes. "Okay, I'm going out then, you better go to sleep, cause you're so exhausted you're barely sitting straight," I scoffed, and Zoey rolled her eyes, but didn't argue. "Goodnight!"

"And good luck to you!"

I quickly left my room, put on my shoes and a hoodie, and then entered the hotel corridor. I would normally share a theory of mine with both girls, as it obviously included all of us in some way, but this one was crazy enough in my opinion that I didn't really like the idea of being that wrong. It wasn't difficult to get back on the roof, although I felt my body was exhausted too. The fight with so many demons really drained the energy out of me, and I knew it was also one of Bo-Ra's reasons to let out so many of these bastards here. Even if we succeeded in getting rid of all of them, we would obviously have much less energy. Zoey and I were still humans, so our bodies had even worse limits than Rumi's. Although the poison clearly made her completely out of shape.

But none of them were the reason I decided to meet with our crazy hammer demon. The second I landed on the roof, I saw the known silhouette, although it only made everything clearer.

I shook my head, not believing how blind I was before. I ignored this demon because I genuinely thought we would only see him once, and he would disappear. That was my mistake. I should never ignore anyone just because I'm convinced they will never appear in my life again. It's not a valid reason for not paying attention to details.

"You're actually surprisingly short," I said. It was clear this demon already knew I had come there, waiting to know what exactly I wanted.

"Am I?" After turning to me, I wanted to slap my face, unbelieving. How could I ever believe such a bad illusion? "I guess it never really bothered me that much to realise."

"I figured," I scoffed, crossing my arms and finally sitting next to the demon. "You're also very bubbly and have soft facial features. Your voice isn't even low, and your moves are very light and cat-like. Oh, and you really resemble a manager of the Saja Boys, who openly hates their leader. I don't know how I could be so blind before, but people make mistakes sometimes," I turned my head to see a smile on her face. She looked genuinely happy that someone finally figured it out. I sighed, still embarrassed by my stupidity. "Is your real name Jina, or did you choose it to pretend to be a manager?"

"I wouldn't choose a name that is similar to Jinu's," she scoffed, clearly offended. "My real name is Jina. Has been since my birth."

"But you're clearly confusing others with your masculine appearance," I continued, zipping my hoodie. The wind was quite chilly, especially so high, but it wasn't as bothersome. Especially since the conversation was going much better than I expected. "You seem to have the most problems with Jinu."

"I just have problems with purple-marked demons," she shrugged with a smile. "It should be obvious why. He was one too, and I don't trust men, so why would I be nice to him?" I nodded. A completely valid answer. The girl laughed, seeing my reaction. "You're not going to defend him?"

"What am I? His mother?" I scoffed. "He can defend himself if he wants to."

"That's true."

The more I looked at Jina, the more obvious it became that the annoying demon we were talking so much about was a girl all this time. It's definitely the clothes and the short hair that confused me, but I still felt really stupid for making such a mistake. Seeing her now, I could only see a girl. A young girl at that.

"When did you become a blue-marked demon?" I asked, but then quickly added: "If you don't want to tell me, you don't have to, though."

"Isn't telling you equivalent to telling all huntrix?" She laughed. It was a beautiful sound that reminded me of a small fireplace dancing in the winter to heat up a house. I remember when in my childhood I spent all days in winter hanging out in one of the living rooms, the one with a fireplace, because it was so relaxing. It was also the only way I could feel the warmth from any outside source.

"How much do you know, exactly?" I tilted my head, curious.

"A demon has exceptional hearing," Jina explained, moving her face closer to mine with a smile. "And exceptional sight, of course, but only after we learn to use it," she smiled, moving back again. "I'm pretty sure Jinu hasn't figured out the full potential yet. He's really slow."

"So you're basically a premium stalker of huntrix?" I raised my eyebrows. "Can you hear our conversations from here? Or from the hotel room?"

"Not all the time, only when I focus. I have to know what place I want to listen. I don't usually look, cause I would feel like I'm crossing too many boundaries."

"I'm surprised something like boundaries exists," I laughed, making Jina roll her eyes.

"Very funny. Well? Will you tell Huntrix?"

"Not if you don't want me to. I will tell them that you're the manager of the Saja Boys, though. That's not up for discussion."

"Yeah, I could guess that..." Jina slowly lay on the roof, looking at the stars. "You know, the same night I had a little conversation with Rumi, and now you came to me. Should I expect Zoey, too?"

"Maybe not tonight anymore," I smiled, looking at the girl's face that was now relaxed. She observed the sky above us with a calm expression. "The conversation with Rumi was probably mostly one-sided, though. I'm surprised you could talk for so long."

"Oh, I like to talk to girls. I don't enjoy being Jinu's nanny," she grimaced, and I couldn't stop a chuckle. She was very expressive, which was a nice change, as someone who was mostly surrounded by other idols or serious people in our company. Except for Rumi and Zoey, I didn't see a lot of emotions around me. Since I was a child, actually. "I made myself so masculine because it was already natural for me, as I dressed similarly when I was still a human, and also because then people don't connect me with my sister."

"Your sister?"

"She was a rising actress who is still recognised. It would be bothersome if people mistook me for her even as a demon. We were twins. She was the one I gave my soul to."

"How did you know about it?"

"I was saved by healer Han in my teenage years. I found him and decided to study medicine. I also visited his place, which was in another place at the time, and slowly gained his trust to listen to his crazy stories about some demons and souls. I guess I was stupid enough to believe the stories when the time came," she chuckled, turning to lie on her side. "I'm guessing you wouldn't really give your soul to anyone in your family."

"It's not like they ever had souls," I scoffed. "You know unnecessarily a lot. That means you're also a danger in Bo-Ra's eyes, right?"

"That's why I'm also hiding like that. Even other demons refer to me as "him". After knowing one truth, nobody bothers to check it, really. And it's not like I ever said who I am either, but it does make things easier. Although I was still ordered to look after the Saja Boys and you three, unfortunately, I have to stick around."

"I won't ask who is giving you orders, as I'm guessing you won't tell me."

Jina laughed again, as I bit the inside of my cheek. Yes, her laugh definitely gave me the same feeling of warmth as the fireplace in cold winters in the house where I didn't feel wanted and couldn't feel like I'm enough. The sound brought the same feeling of comfort I didn't think I would ever experience again.

"You know, you're actually my favourite," she said, making me look at her. I didn't have magical eyes and incredible sight. I barely saw Jina's face from this distance, but I still saw enough to hold eye contact with her. "If I were a fan of Huntrix, you would definitely be my bias."

"That means you have great taste," we both laughed. "You helped us tonight, although from behind the curtains again. You're not really showing yourself to Bo-Ra, are you?"

"She is deeply connected with the purple-marked demons from the demon realm now, especially after Rumi killed Gwi-Ma. I'm afraid she can see through their eyes at times, although I can't be sure. But she is definitely powerful enough to suspect that."

"Wait... killed Gwi-Ma?" Something about that choice of words made me wary. Yes, we did defeat Gwi-Ma, but we definitely didn't kill anyone.

Right?

"Yeah! I don't know how Rumi managed to put such a powerful spell on her sword and change the material of the blade, but at least it worked. Now she just has to do it again, and..." Jina stopped, looking at me carefully. "You didn't know Gwi-Ma is dead, did you?"

"What do you mean he's dead? Like dead-dead?" I asked, my thoughts spiralling. Material of the blade? Spell? Again? Do what again?

"Like... he will never bother us again, his existence disappeared kind of dead," Jina said slowly. Her eyes widened, clearly shifting her expression to a terrified one. "I thought you already knew..." she whispered, her voice trembling. "Oh no, this is bad, I shouldn't... I talked too much..."

Before she could get up, I acted instinctively. I materialised my Wol-Do and jumped on Jina, putting the blade to her throat. She closed her lips, but we both knew she had no way to escape this situation now.

"I don't yet know a lot about blue-marked demons, but I'm pretty sure that if I cut your throat, you will disappear from the earth and end up somewhere else," I said slowly. Good thing the demon had no way of materialising her own weapon, because I wouldn't win that fight. My body didn't have enough time to rest. "And I'm sure you have too much to take care of here to waste time on jumping between some realms," I continued. "So you better talk right now, or I will not hesitate, I can promise you that. And after I get rid of you for some time, I'll wait for another occasion. Every time we would meet, I would fight until you finally told me the truth. How exactly did Rumi kill Gwi-Ma, and since when can the Great Demons be killed?"

"Iron," Jina whispered, sighing in defeat. "Iron can kill a demon, no matter how old and how great they are. That's why healer Han is hiding, since he wouldn't win a fight with Bo-Ra. But I don't know more. I only know Rumi's sword somehow turned to iron during the Idol Awards because it got rid of Gwi-Ma for good. That's why Bo-Ra got freed. All of Gwi-Ma's spells obviously stopped working after he vanished. That's what Bo-Ra is also afraid of. Rumi clearly has the capacity with her sword to kill her, so she is trying to break her before she can control her power. That's all I know."

I looked at Jina carefully, analysing every word I just heard. Iron could kill a demon? We could get rid of Bo-Ra for good? Why would healer Han hide? Unless...

"Why are you all so afraid of helping us openly? Just how powerful is Bo-Ra?"