Kyra

Mira: unwanted daughter of a rich noble who plans to marry her off for political gain.

At 10 years old, Mira knows her fate is sealed. Her father announced her betrothal and impending marriage before the court, to do otherwise is to risk death, but she has no wish to marry someone 4 times her age or even consider what all her ‘wifely duties’ would entail. It’s when she’s sitting in front of her mirror, that she hears him for the first time, “A family that doesn’t love you? And an unwanted betrothal just to get rid of you? I can change that so long as you make a deal with me.”

As guilty as the string of dead suitors behind her makes her feel, Mira can’t help but feel grateful for the offer, even a decade later with the patterns covering her entirely, as none of it could be traced back to her thanks to Gwi-ma’s deal. Maybe there’d been another way to escape, but not one child her would’ve been able to take a chance on, not without getting caught at least. And at least, when the patterns finally consume her, it’ll be because of her own choices and not someone else’s.

Zoey: only child to a well-off merchant and a foreign merchant’s daughter; her parents are constantly at odds, disputes often turning loud and usually violent

Even though she’s only 5, Zoey knows her parents don’t love each other, and she’s pretty sure they don’t love her either. Sometimes when they’re screaming at each other, she likes to hide under one of the blankets and pretend the noise is actually the ocean, waves crashing against the rocks rather than fists against skin. It’s during one of these moments that she hears him for the first time, “Wouldn’t it be nicer if they could get along? I could help with that, then you could be a real family.”

Now at 17, patterns consuming her, Zoey doesn’t necessarily wonder if it was the right choice, it probably wasn’t, but at least she’s alive to regret the choice. Looking back, it wouldn’t have been long before those fists turned on her so she’s as grateful as she is guilty for taking away the free will of those who were supposed to love and protect her.

Rumi: still half human half demon, except her father was a Hunter and her mom a demon, meaning she was born and raised in the demon world. Her parents did love each other but her father rejected her mother when he discovered she was a demon; unfortunately, Rumi had already been conceived

For 2 year old Rumi, her eomma is her whole world; she always sings to her and brushes her hair. She plays with her, hugs her when she gets spooked by the water demons, and brings her yummy food from the human realm. Only one day, eomma comes back badly hurt, her breath growing shallow before going still. Now Rumi’s always had little patterns freckling her shoulders, soft and muted, but at this, they turn dark and jagged. Her eomma left her, she is all alone.

Nearly two decades later, she hasn’t quite made a true deal with Gwi-ma, but the demon realm is built on survival of the fittest. She doesn’t like working for him, but it gives her protection she can’t afford not to have.

Huntrix: while all born during the Joseon period, Rumi has been a demon the longest while Mira is physically the oldest. Zoey is the baby in both aspects but not by much.

At a glance, the girls look 20 (Mira), 19 (Rumi), 17 (Zoey) even though their actual ages are something like 500 (Rumi), 400 (Mira), 200 (Zoey).

Their “truest demon forms” put them at 10 (Mira), 5 (Zoey), 2 (Rumi)

Saja Boys: the current Hunters that protect the Honmoon

I’m imagining way more hijinxs between the 2 groups since I think the girls would love living it up in the modern era, and don’t really want to be doing Gwi-ma’s bidding. This means suspicious Saja Boys tailing girls day outs and the two groups getting to know each other off-stage.

For all their evil goals, the boys can’t help but to care about the girls. Seeing them just light up from the smallest things, makes them question what they know about demons.