lovesclvb:
𝐉𝐀𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐌 𝐇𝐀𝐒 𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐃𝐀𝐑𝐄𝐃 𝐑𝐄𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐍 𝐓𝐎 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐋𝐀𝐍 𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐒𝐄. He knows that’s where they’ll be looking first. He knows what conclusion they’ll come to when they realize his corpse is the only one missing from the rotting pile they’ll find. But he hasn’t left the mountain.
It’s where they’ll be looking first, but it’s his territory. He has been patrolling these grounds for the Son clan for as long as he can remember. He slayed countless of beings here; hunted animals and humans alike decade after decade. He knows of every clearing, the rivers, and every spot where the trees are thick enough that the smell of the redwoods throws off scent trailing.
Someone is approaching one of those spots. It’s been three weeks since Jaerim murdered his clan, and he hasn’t finished recovering from it. Heeso, Nari, Hyunki, Dohyun, Jiho, Sungho, Youngchul.
Muwon.
His master and his seven kindred.
Jaerim is walking half a mile south from the treeline of Mt. Son when he senses a visitor approaching the foot of the mountain. His fingers twitch and sharp talons grow from his fingernails even as he finishes healing the deep wound in his gut. He doesn’t let his weakened senses lose track of their dulled scent.
There’s only one, but Jaerim doesn’t let himself relax. From the moment he ripped Muwon’s heart out of his chest, he’s been opperating under the belief that the High Council knows of his crimes. They will place a bounty on his head worth more status and pay than the supernatural community has seen in centuries for the one to bring them Jaerim’s head.
He’ll ambush them.
Jaerim moves fast, closing the gap between them within moments. When he’s close enough, though, her scent hits him with all the strength of a forgotten memory.
A hunter. The unnatural predator.
He’s hiding behind the treeline, but Hayoon hears him. His fight against Muwon drained him and left his bones wearied—— he’s no longer bleeding, but Jaerim’s senses are dulled down and he takes longer to breathe with less blood in his body. His heart is beating once every five minutes, and he hasn’t fed in three weeks. His exhaustion is making him sloppy.
But the real surprise is Hayoon. The last time he saw her, she must’ve been half his height. Even from a distance, Jaerim can tell she’s grown taller and, from her words, she must be a fully realized hunter now.
She’s here to hunt him, it seems.
Jaerim is standing forty feet away from Hayoon in the moment it takes for her to blink. He can’t keep up with this speed, but he needs to mask his fatigue well in front of her. He’s no longer hiding in the shadows of the redwoods, he’s illuminated underneath the moonlight and facing Hayoon with an unreadable expression. And cruelly, perhaps, he says:
❛ I don’t recall sending word about a meeting. ❜
the voice starts a blizzard in her chest, coating her bones in snow and freezing every nerve she has. she didn’t think she’d hear it so soon, didn’t sharpen her blades or line the words up on her tongue to spit back the ice growing in her throat. she does her best to mask what catches her off guard with a tilt of her head, a raise of her eyebrows.
it’s not even just his presence that catches hayoon off guard, but his words. it’s an icicle staked just to the left of her heart. she can’t tell if his words are calculated or genuine.
“ jaerim, ” she breathes, unsure if it’s directed towards him or said for her own sanity, to confirm who’s in front of her. “ i waited for your message. ” an undercurrent of for so damn long buries itself in her reply.
she wonders, for how long had he planned to kill an innocent? how long did he know that he would kill her sister right alongside the clan? did he enjoy being the orchestrator of her and her sister’s meetings, knowing full well he’d later split hayoon’s world apart? did he savor the image of saltwater pouring down hayoon’s cheeks?
how much is he like muwon?
how much was real?
the lines are blurred. she hopes clarity will come from spilled blood.
an impulse in her says that she could do it right now, throw everything to hell to get a shot at him. she didn’t even come prepared with her usual set of weapons -- just a stake, daggers, throwing knives. bare essentials that she’s sure her parents would scold her for. but she knows that jaerim is on his guard -- for as surprised as she was to find him hiding right here on his home ground, he was also smart enough to kill his own clan, send the high council to chaos, and still be living. so she switches gears.
“ but it’s not just your word that travels. everyone’s been talking about you, looking for you... it’s hard to miss. ” she knows it’s a laughable understatement -- the bounty is unfathomable. but for her parents, it’s a small price to pay for vengeance and order.
“ but you know, as much as i love sparring, i’m not... actually here to pick a fight. ” she releases her hold on her dagger, rolling up her sleeves and raising her hands to either side of her face, palms out to show him that they’re empty.
“ i want to help you. ”
