Chapter Text
It was after Jinu had decided to shoulder check her in the alleyway that he gotten a good look at her face.
Of course he had known that it was them, having sent a few of Gwi-ma’s lackeys to track the Huntr/x singers down to the busy streets of downtown, where the rest of the boys had spent their time discreetly spreading pamphlets for their first appearance later that day.
He had thought it would be a good idea in the meantime to start establishing a rivalry, assert themselves as worthy competitors to such idolized enemies in the living world.
And so he had pushed her. Hard.
What he hadn’t expected was for her to be so breathtakingly beautiful.
While he had seen videos of Huntr/x’s performances, listened to their music, and studied their choreography extensively in preparation for their mission, he had never quite payed attention to their faces, mostly busy scribbling down notes for chord progressions that they seemed to like, or rhyme schemes that resonated well with the listeners instead of actually watching the videos on his newly acquired Iphone.
Besides, under all of that state makeup, he assumed that these girls were nothing that special to see. They were competition. Enemies. The very creatures that he needed to destroy so that he could free himself of Gwi-ma’s control over him. Why on earth would he ever put a single thought into whether or not he found any of them attractive?
Hell was a damned place, one which sucked any fleeting hint of happiness, of love, and of pleasure from deep within his bones, leaving him as nothing more than a cold, lifeless being, roaming the outskirts of the fiery pits with nothing but his voice and his bipa for company. Even back at the palace, he had turned his nose up at romance and company, believing a creature like him never deserved to have such obsessions.
His life had never held worth. Well, he supposed he had a certain level of responsibility at one point, making sure his sister's belly was full, and that his mothers shoulders were warm, and that his bipa was cradled in his protective arms as he slept to prevent it being thefted, but the moment he had been granted nobility for his voice, the moment the emperor’s guards had stopped him at the gates - telling him that he was to be granted access to the palace if he left his mother and sister at the doorstep…
God, that moment.
He could still feel the guard's hand gripping his forearm, gesturing to his only living family being held back at the gates.
“What’s wrong?” He asked, fear lacing his voice as a slow, creeping panic began to rise deep inside of him.
This was supposed to be it. The day he pulled his family out of poverty forever, and gave them a new life in the palace.
“Only you are granted nobility.” The guard said, his cold eyes unforgiving as his sister began to cry in realization, attempting to break through the barricade of spears and run to grip his leg like she usually did when she was scared.
“No, no! I’m not leaving them!” He cried, shaking the guard's hand off of him and running back towards his mother.
“If you do not comply, the three of you will be banished beyond the kingdom's walls.”
“What?” Jinu cried, staring at the guard with nothing but pure betrayal in his eyes as he held onto his mother for dear life.
“Jinu, look at me.” His mother said, cupping his face and directing it back towards her. “Go.”
“No!” He whispered, his voice breaking as she pushed him away.
“Go!” She yelled. “You’ve done what we couldn’t! You made it out! Take this opportunity!”
His sister was crying louder now, the noise filling the pavilion as Jinu was ushered to the palace doors against his will. He whipped around, just managing to take one last look at his family, at the woman who had cared for him since birth, and at his only friend in the entire world, before the gates slammed closed.
And he never saw them again.
In the cover of night, Jinu had snuck gold coins and paper money from the palace every now and then, paying off a young messenger to deliver them to his old house in the village, but there was never a guarantee that he hadn’t just stolen the money for himself. Jinu on the other hand was confined to the innards of the castle walls, more decorated prisoner than actual royalty. Who knows if his mother even still lived there? What if something had happened, or they had needed to move away to find work?
By the light of day however, Jinu sang.
Whether it be in the courtyards or before the emperor himself, Jinu's voice was never given a rest - more music box than human as he was stationed around like a decoration, an exhibit for the nobles to gawk at. He turned down company almost nightly, the alluring women nothing but smirking reminders to him that he was nothing more than a toy for them to play with and discard, not allowing a single one of them to feel like they owned him, even just for one night.
Jinu may have been fed, but this new hunger - this far worse one - was more insatiable than his growling stomach had ever been, even in the worst of times.
And there was nothing to fill it with.
He had died young, struck by a heart attack in the dead of night. He had opened his eyes in a blind panic for them to shut on him again seconds later against his own will, the life seeping out of him in a silent battle lit only by moonlight.
He had often wondered if it had been his deal with Gwi-ma that had caused it. He wouldn’t have been surprised if fowl play had been involved.
But no matter. He was stuck in hell. And he would never see his family again. He never hoped to as well. There was no escaping this place, and the thought of his sweet baby sister trapped down here forever had him begging the universe that their souls ascended to a place worthy of their presence.
After that damned day, he had lived his life loveless, and unequivocally lonely. He never allowed himself to even so much as acknowledge those ongoings brewing deep inside of him though. It wasn't like he could fix what was broken inside of him anyhow. Gwi-Ma had collected his shattered pieces from the mortal plane and instead of assembling them back together, had had scattered them to the winds.
But now, after brushing off his shoulder mockingly and taking a long look at the hunter he had just sent right into the ground, he couldn’t deny that this singer, - Rumi- he remembered from the posters, entranced him like no other had ever done before, unlocking some long hidden corner of his brain that spilled toxins and chemicals into his system that his body didn't even know how to process, the feeling reaching his legs and making his knees grow weaker with every second.
He couldn’t help but linger a second longer before her, his eyes tracing her likeness with a newfound interest he couldn’t quite describe.
Rumi's dark, expressive eyes gleamed like polished onyx, captivating him with an intensity that seemed to pierce right through his chest. Her pale skin glowed with a subtle sheen that highlighted the sharp contours of her features. The thick lavender braid cascading down her back like a serpent's coil drew his gaze to the elegant curve of her shoulders, and for a moment, he forgot to breathe properly, the air catching in his throat as he took in this enchanting woman before him.
The one, he realized with a sharp drop in his stomach, he had completely just sent straight to the floor.
Her lips were parted in confusion, her hand still slightly raised, as if enticing him to forgo this cocky persona and apologize profusely for pushing her and help her to her feet.
And he wanted to. He couldn’t explain why, but he desperately wanted to.
His eyes locked onto hers, unwavering, and instead of obeying his pounding heart, he issued a gravelly; "Watch yourself." He then fervently shut his mouth to keep anything else from escaping it, anything that he would definitely regret when thinking about this interaction later.
With a subtle nod, Jinu signaled the band to follow him, ending their moment together with a harsh drop back into the reality of their situations.
That's right, he was going to kill her. That's what he needed to do.
As he turned to leave, he allowed himself one last, lingering glance over his shoulder, his gaze drinking in the sight of her. For a fleeting moment, their eyes met again, and electricity coursed through his veins in a way he had never felt before.
Then he vanished around the corner, swallowed by the shadows.
And she was gone.
“What..the hell just happened?” He whispered softly under his breath, putting a hand to his pounding heart.