show your inner demon.

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| ... |

humming slightly under his breath, jihun’s fingers hovered over the keypad, thinking carefully about what he wanted to type down next. he didn’t really want to just openly admit he had been a part of the whole thing, even if it did seem they had information that he was. no, he needed to be clever about all of this, think properly and try and be coy and as secretive as he could be. there was no need to lay all his cards on the table, not until the person sending these messages did the same thing.

[ message to unknown number ]

- is that so? - maybe people should be thanking whoever was involved in that theft. drugs are dangerous, after all.

Hyuna wondered how he was able to manage a double life as eventful as his. Being a college student seemed stressful enough, and then add being a Hydrus soldier on top of that? What was more important, a major essay’s due date or a high-paying job if they happened to fall on the same day? She could barely find a way to work her real job in between her department store hours sometimes. It just seemed overwhelming to her, why even subject yourself to all of that? Her thoughts were interrupted as she felt the phone buzz again.

Her face screwed up as she read the messages. It looked like she had a wise guy on her hands. She couldn’t say she expected him to get nervous immediately once he realized she knew his involvement in that night. Getting sarcastic with her wasn’t the right response either though. There had to be something that would make him start to crack underneath the pressure. Otherwise, all of this worrying about a potential visit from Hydrus would be for nothing. She began looking through all of her notes and random bits of info. After a while, it became obvious that the answer was under her nose the entire time.

{blocked number} drugs are dangerous, very much so. so are drug dealers as well, especially those offering a lot of money for information about who stole from them {blocked number} i don’t think mommy and daddy would be too happy if they found out you messed up their plan would they?

| ... |

she took a swig of her drink before she started to gather her containers. a small smile creeped onto the woman’s lips as she heard the other’s words. “mm!” she affirmed as she swallowed the alcohol in her mouth. “do you like it? i made it today for my lunch actually!” her smile now brimming. “i was just coming by to grab my tupperware. there is still a bit left if you’d like the rest? i’m always cooking so i probably won’t finish it if it goes home with me.”

naeun’s good mood seemed to have her feeling a little talkative.

How funny was it that the first person Hyuna asked happened to be the one who made the food? It was a good thing she thought it tasted good because if it didn’t she definitely would’ve said something about it. Sure, she didn’t have much room to talk about someone else’s cooking, but it was one of the few things she was honest about all the time. “It’s really good, you might have to start leaving out food more often.” She smiled as she ate the rest of what was in her cup. This was definitely different from what the buffet was serving, but it was in a good way. Homemade food always had that hint of love that made it perfect.

She didn’t want to seem greedy but her rumbling stomach made up her mind for her. “Well, we don’t want the food to go to waste, so I think I’ll help you out.” If anything, it would be wrong to turn down such good food. The rest of the contents went straight into the cup before she packed the Tupperware nicely and handed it back to the girl. It gave Hyuna the chance to actually take a moment and look at her to see if she recognized her. Nothing was really ringing a bell and she was sure she’d recognize someone with bright red hair. “Are you new around here? Or have we never crossed paths before?” It was a possibility, she didn’t come in looking to chat frequently.

As much as Hyuna loved being apart of Corvus, there was still the part of her that wasn’t about to let everyone into her personal life. She always started people off with her alias before slowly encouraging them to call her by her real name. Even that took some time and trust from her to go that far. No one knew of her upbringing or what brought her to become an extortionist besides a really vague story she’d say occasionally. Would she consider herself a walled up person? Perhaps, but it was better to be cautious than open about everything in her eyes. After all, her job was made to exploit those who should have been more secretive with their actions.

| ... |

so she waits in her “office”. operating right out of the laundromat. she awaits the light show with her feet propped up on the desk without a care in the world, knowing she ought to get news of something that happened. and she will laugh.

@circemi

Like any other reasonable person, Hyuna took great pride in her work. She was not someone to half-ass a job, especially when it was a task given to her by higher-ups rather than one she took on by herself. If they thought she was the right one to get the job done, then she had to prove it to them that they made the correct choice. She was their Circe, the one who revealed people’s inner demons for their profit. Most of the time it didn’t require much outside help, but this particular target required the perfect plan to take down.

Finding out what made a man tick and what (or who) he decided to partake in to alleviate his stresses was never the hard part. It was getting close enough to him that made her life difficult most of the time. Sending someone else to get the information that she needed was too risky for her likings this time around, so she had to go straight to the source. This time around, it involved getting into some fancy-schmancy members-only sports club that he frequented often. She didn’t have time to waste waiting for her application to be approved, nor did she want her actual name attached to the membership. So, “Song Chaerin” needed a certain membership form made for her. 

Her usual girl was currently swamped with work, so she had to go out of house to get what she needed. She was more than hesitant to go to someone outside of Corvus, and after this experience, she would never do it again. Imagine the panic running through her mind once the receptionist immediately recognized it as a fake. It was a good thing the guy thought she was cute and appreciated the money she slipped him under the paper with the number to her favorite take out spot, otherwise, she would’ve been tossed out on the spot. But, she still had a major bone to pick.

Hyuna wasn’t sure what kind of trick she was trying to play on her, but she sure as hell was going to confront her about it. The fact that she almost compromised her job was reason enough to ask someone to pay her a visit at that dingy laundromat, but Hyuna needed to speak her mind first. There was a remarkable scowl on her face as she walked in, passing by the rows of washers. She couldn’t give a damn who was in the room as she pushed the door open, coming eye to eye with little miss Athena.

| ... |

Night time’s usually busier, so he’d hate to miss the business of the nightlife. If two bowls were all she was looking for and to wait for her to finish one before proceeding to another meant two bowls profit, three bowls lost in the time spent travelling and cooking for her. If he had to consider cooking for others, he’d have to charge for a hefty price.

At 27 years old, most would expect Hyuna to be able to make a meal for herself every now and then. To give herself some credit, she could make breakfast and anything with clear microwave instructions on it. Otherwise, the results were on the lethal side. No matter how well she tried to follow a recipe, something would always happened that caused her to just throw the whole dish out. It discouraged her sometimes, but her drawer filled with take out menus always made her feel better. Samuel was a couple grades above takeout, however, especially in the customer service department.

She remembered the first time he came over, how incredulous she was that he actually did it. Answering the door in a faded sweater and sweatpants would have never happened if she took him seriously when he said he would stop by. Hence why through the giant pile of clothes, she managed to find a nice sweater and leggings to throw on in between talking. “No no, you can make them one after the other. I’ll probably save the second one for leftovers tomorrow so I don’t have to bother you to come back tomorrow.” As much as she sounded like she was joking, it wouldn’t be unlike her if she sought him out tomorrow night as well.

| ... |

“yeah,” he agreed with a hum and a close-lipped, mischievous smile. “hence why i’m telling you all about him. i think he deserves karma getting him back sooner rather than later.” changyoon was such an evil person seungwoo was sure, if reincarnation existed, that he would come back as a cockroach. he shrugged, though. “my boss always says we’re allowed to say no to anything we’re uncomfortable with, which is especially merciful of him,” part of the reason why seungwoo loved weijun, and why he could never manage to pull himself away from the grotto. “but i just–” (have no self-worth) “don’t really care, usually, but i guess i got tired. it’s kind of just the nature of the job, though.” he didn’t want to get into how much he thought he deserved it– another scoop of ice cream to keep himself from getting too serious in the face of someone he didn’t intend to open up to as much as he already did.

“define frequent?” he asked. truthfully, he often lost track of the days. “i mean, too frequently,” he laughed. 

If Hyuna was being honest with herself, she didn’t know half of the darker activities that could happen on Myeongcho. Her work kept her on a separate path for the most part, aside from when she needed information to hold over people’s heads. Even when it came to that, nothing she learned of was ever too gruesome. In a way, she was fortunate as it meant she personally did not have to resort to such tactics. But at the same time, hearing about others’ experiences showed her how oblivious she truly was. There were many things she still had to learn though she had been apart of the game for a while now.

She was only halfway through her bowl of ice cream because of how much she was scribbling into her notebook. Most of it was random notes that didn’t fit into the core categories, but they were essential still. Possible other leads to follow, reminders to find his phone number. Hyuna barely registered that Seungwoo spoke again until a few moments later. “Oh, thanks, my collection is one of my prides and joys in life.” She laughed as she got off the couch to go grab the bottle. Asking him if he wanted another glass at this point would be like asking a fish if they wanted water.

Hyuna came back and gave him a quick refill before settling back into her chair. The bottle remained on the table this time however just so she wouldn’t have to interrupt her writing again. Plus, her glass was bound to be empty soon as well. “Well, karma’s a bitch. I volunteer to be her messenger.” She laughed a little before taking a sip of her drink. As long as the messenger wasn’t shot, she’d give him a taste of his own medicine.

She wasn’t sure of what to say as he kept talking. It was more of that unsettling comfortableness with what life had thrown at him. If he had the ability to stop it before, why only so recently? Personal questions she didn’t want to get into with him, as she didn’t see it as her place. “Too frequently? So he’s lonely in addition to being a power-tripping fuck, it’s adding up now.” This was a guy who seemed to be attention-starved to her. Maybe he happened to take it out on whoever he happened to pay for that night.

| ... |

It wasn’t the first time she had asked him of this, yet he always made it a point to ask how long and when she needed him for. Time was of the essence, and he also required time to get to her on foot. “Is it at your house again?”

When she first started calling him, it was just to find his location after work. Now that she was upgraded to the “in-home noodle service package” as she liked to call it, it was used quite a bit. “Maybe so, but you know you like cooking for me. I wouldn’t be your favorite if you didn’t!” She said this with the utmost confidence that she was correct. There was no way he was doing this for everyone, right? She had to be the only one special enough to get this privilege. 

If he was coming over, which she assumed he was because he never said no, she needed to change out of her work clothes now. She didn’t know how far he was from her house, so some buffer time to find a different outfit was needed. “Well, it’s 7:30 now...any time after 8 would be great. And long enough to make at least two bowls, please?” She probably wasn’t going to eat them both in one go, but nothing would make her day tomorrow like leftovers for lunch.

| ... |

he took just a moment to think about things before carefully typing out his response, placing his phone back down on the desk in front of him. now, all he could really do was wait and see what he got back.

[ message to unknown number ]

- maybe i do. maybe i don’t - why do you want to know?

tw: brief mention of snakes

Was she risking a lot in choosing him as her next subject? Quite possibly. For all she knew, he could have Hydrus hackers already trying to decipher where the burner’s location was. She never called anyone off of them so it would be hard to use the cell tower’s radius and even then it would only provide an approximation. But, there was always a need to be cautious. She definitely was going to throw out this phone after texting him, possibly farther than the dumpster behind the building. Maybe a trip to the park would provide the perfect drop off location.

For now, she needed to focus on what she was currently doing. How would she break the news to him? It depended on if he was going to act oblivious or not. She expected him to play dumb, they all did, but she was not one to be tricked. There was taking the blunt route－i know you were apart of the crew that stole a drug shipment from him two weeks ago－ or there was slowly breaking off bits of information to keep him interested. She decided to see how he would handle it, and after looking at his messages, the first option seemed better.

{blocked number} i figured you would, he’s a very prominent drug dealer. i heard he sells high-quality goods, though i’ve never had any personally. {blocked number} you know he had a huge part of his warehouse stolen from him? a lot of socialities are missing their nose candy right now because of you little cobra

| ... |

“Please enjoy!” he announces with a warm smile, using a gloved hand to receive the money and return the change while the other hand balances a bowl of Japanese ramen. Every movement he performs before the customers are all part of his little show, serving bowl after bowl without large gaps of waiting time in between. 

Street food had to be fast and convenient.

As he finished handing out the last bowl, there’s a chime in his pocket and he goes to retrieve his phone. “Sam’s Travelling Noodle Cart! How can I help you today?”

When Hyuna had enough money to use it as tissue paper, she was not going to treat the saleswomen who try to help her like shit. Those were the women who wanted to make sure you looked good for the right price. Granted, it was so they could increase their commission, but she was one of the few who actually cared! The fact that someone would treat her like she was the scum of her shoes while she tried to assist them was appalling. At this point, she was just going to relegate herself to cashier duty only.

As soon as she got home from work, she kicked off her heels and headed straight for the kitchen. Nothing got rid of the stress of a hard day like some good food and liquor. She already knew she had the liquor on deck, but the meal was another story. She opened the fridge and could only groan. Absolutely nothing. Tonight was not a frozen meal mood either, so there was only one other option: noodles. And who else to get noodles from than her favorite cart?

| ... |

not very picky in colors, taekwoon held up a brightly colored shirt as he looked around the clothes as well. “i like this?” he said, grinning. he was convinced that was a nice shirt. she may have a different opinion. he then figured that he may as well introduce himself. “oh, since we may be spending a bit of time together while you help me, i’m taekwoon. you may call me leo.” he said, grinning widely at her with a cute wink. 

She was more than happy to help, but getting to have free reign? That was a power she rarely got to have. “Oh, of course. I’ll do my best to find one like that first!” She was not going to even attempt to find a jacket like that. Nevermind the fact that she actually didn’t think they carried a similar one, it was hideous. She could tell even before it was worn to death, it was hideous. She wasn’t going to tell him that, but she hoped she was doing a good job of hiding her discontent with it.

Taking a break from the rack, she started to think of where to start. He truly needed help everywhere. So, if she could send him home with at least one good outfit, it’d look good on her commission report and he’d look decent. Scratch that, with her help, presentable. “Hmm, ok. Formal yet intimidating? I can work with that.” She gave him a polite smile, wondering what in the world she got herself into. Who described their daily sense of style like that? This was going to be harder than she thought.

| ... |

What he does not expect is a barrage of d*** pics when he is finally able to take a peek into his wall and it is awful. He suddenly painfully aware that he is in public, sitting over his lunch, scrolling through virtual porn. He has a strange feeling that everyone within the vicinity are seeing what he is seeing on his mobile screen and he can’t help but look around guiltily, hoping no one saw anything… 

Half of Hyuna’s job was to be a professional snooper. There was no other way to describe it, she had to get into people’s dirty laundry and then use it against them to make money. Any extortionist who said they weren’t nosy was either joking or terrible at their job. She wasn’t afraid to say that she had peeped over quite a few shoulders in her life. After all, she wouldn’t have made it as far as she did without doing so. It wasn’t her fault that people left their screens available for her to look at.

The things she did to other people was the reason why she was so cautious with her information. Her phone and laptop had privacy screens on them so no one cloud glance over and see what she was doing. Everything was backed up to an external hard drive instead of the cloud where someone could hack into it. She had seen one too many data leaks happen from cloud hackers to be the victim of one of them. It was another reason why she hated logging on to public networks.

Her favorite coffee shop had the best staff and didn’t care if she asked for a complicated order, but the cell service was trash. If she wanted to work there, she had to risk it by connecting to their free internet. One of these days, she was going to ask for the secure network’s password. As long as she had been frequenting there, she definitely deserved it. As she waited on her order, she casually looked around the cafe. Nothing too out of the ordinary, well, besides this one guy at the table in front of her hunching over his phone. Her inner nosy radar going off, she just had to lean over and take a look. The last thing she expected to see was what seemed to be an album of nudes.

| ... |

“how do i say,” he began afterwards, and hummed, tone light as always, edging on joking despite the heaviness of the topic. “he choked me until i passed out the other night? i’m one of the only ones that will deal with them, because the others are scared of him.” halfway through, his tone shifted from its inappropriately light-hearted to something more somber, and he reached for his ice cream from where it began to melt on the table, thankful to use it as a distraction. after shoving a few spoonfuls into his mouth, he added, “i guess you’re lucky he did, otherwise i wouldn’t be telling you any of this.”

tw: asphyxiation & prostitution

Hyuna could only shrug back, taking a few more spoonfuls of ice cream. This was new territory for her in terms of an info dump. Her sources always had sources, and sometimes even those people had sources. Rarely did she ever have the chance to not deal with a middleman. For all she knew, this could end up being less productive than hearing it through the grapevine. Life was so much easier when she had other people doing the hard work for her. But, she wouldn’t be making as much as she could off of people if her hands didn’t get dirty in the process. When she really wanted something done right, she did it herself.

Seungwoo outside of the Grotto wasn’t that different than who she had seen on stage numerous times. He was still a lackadaisical flirt for the most part, which still surprised her given the circumstances. For someone who was potentially about to ruin someone’s life, to her he seemed mostly calm about it. “A man of that caliber is not one to forget, though I’m not surprised he likes you. You are definitely high class.” She was very amused, though seeing his feet on the table pained her. It wasn’t cleaned just to be dirtied by the bottom of his shoes an hour later.

She let it slide just to keep him feeling comfortable. If he was lulled into a sense of stability, it inevitably meant more about this man. Maybe even another one at a later date. Scuffs could be cleaned out of a table, but the chance for intel could be lost forever. One thing was for certain, she wanted to know more about this supposed psychopath. If the instant grab for his glass indicated something, it was that this was no game. At least that’s what she thought until he claimed being choked out like it was nothing. There was no hiding the concern on her face as she listened to him talk.

Who: Choi Changyoon, record label exec & a fucking nutjob. What: Soliciting prostitutes and getting way too rough. When: xxx. Where: The Grotto. Why: possible power trip? stress reliever? How: He’s a rich record label exec, he has the money to do it.