The parts my editor cut

Ford has rehired hundreds of senior engineers after replacing them with AI backfired and has cost the company billions of dollars.

Yes, JJ, sissy that walk.

So I think after debute and before Miyeong died, Celine's favorite mentor -- her second mother, if she was being honest -- died. Her other two mentors had always been a little more leery of Celine shifting so she tried to limit it around them.

When Miyeong and Third died, Celine just fell apart. She shifted into a wolf and just disappeared for months after leaving baby Rumi with the (remaining) mentors. When she came back, the mentors sat her down and told her that she had a responsibility to a baby now and she couldn't just shift into a wolf and run away from her problems anymore.

"No more shifting, no more running away, Celine-ya," Eunji said.

And Celine had agreed.

So there really had been no point in telling Rumi (and Mira and Zoey); she wasn't planning on shifting again. They had no reason to be told something that would only scare them.

After the Idol Awards, Celine feels like the worst person in the world so she shifts into the worst version of herself -- a giant, monsterous half-wolf, half-human creature with none of the good qualities of either side of her.

When the girls come up to the hanok to speak with Celine, because Celine hasn't responded to any of their texts or calls, they see Eunji-nim outside, with a giant butcher knife, cleaning a whole sheep.

"Grandmother?" Rumi asks, tilting her head.

The last surviving mentor spent most of her time in her villa, in a community of equally old retirees. And rarely came out this far. It was usually her and Celine visiting Eunji-nim.

"Oh, did Celine-ya finally come to her senses and let you three know she's alive?"

When the three of them shake their heads, Eunji sighs.

"That girl has always been so dramatic," she says. "Ever since she crawled out of the woods and we took her in --"

"Wait what?" Zoey asks.

"Crawled out of the woods?" Rumi looks confused.

Eunji comes to the hanok when she sees the aftermath of the Idol Awards (that Huntrix had apparently broken up briefly and that the CEO of Sunlight Entertainment, Kang Celine, will not be making any public statements).

She knows that when it comes to overwhelming life events, Celine hides inside of her wolf self and will not come out until her heart has calmed. So does not surprise her that she arrives to the hanok and finds that a wild animal has torn it apart. Nor does she find it disconcerting to hear anguished howls outside in the middle of the night.

It was times like this she missed Hana the most. Their youngest always had a special bond with the pup they'd taken in and when she'd died, their pup had acted like she'd lost her mother.

Hana could get Celine to transform back just by calling her name. She certainly would not need to find a sheep to butcher and grill and hope the smell lured the pup close enough to her that she could talk some sense into her.

When her grandchildren -- true, they shared no blood but they shared a duty and a history and that made them family -- arrived, she realized that Celine hadn't bothered to tell these hunters what she was. And had also neglected to tell Eunji what Rumi was.

"So Celine's a demon!?" They had yelled.

"A wolf spirit of a sort," Eunji said. "Never under the control of Gwi-ma like I assume your father must have been?"

The grilling meat had lured Celine close. But the moment she laid eyes on Rumi, she whined and lowered her head. And started to slink back into the forest.

Celine: So, do you want to go out?

Miyeong: Celine, you’re great—

Celine: Oh, no.

Miyeong: I had so much fun these last few days.

Celine: I am going to kill Bobby.

Miyeong: I have a daughter.

Celine: What?

- @lelitachay

I love this so much. Miyeong is fully ready for Celine to just dismiss her once she finds out about her daughter (which she honestly prefers as opposed to Celine saying she’s fine with it then deciding 3 months later she’s not) because what famous pop star who’s done concerts all over the world is going to like a single mom.

She heard a disbelieving giggle from Zoey and for a moment, her heart felt full while they floated back down to the stage. As the skies that had lit up with their success faded back to night, she felt Rumi lean into her, weight slumping against her right side. She gripped her, eyes turning to their leader, “Rumi? Are you okay?”

When there was no response, the taller woman’s eyes glanced worriedly to a confused Zoey and back. Zoey gripped Rumi too as they quickly helped her off stage, the two waving at the cheering crowd so as not to cause suspicion. Mira guided them out of the audience’s sight, easing her to sit before taking Rumi’s face into her hands. “Rumi, can you hear me?” Taking in her vacant eyes and slack features, her voice took on an urgency, “Talk to me, Princess.”

“Rumi?!” Mira’s head snapped up to see Celine running towards them. “What happened? She’s-?”

Zoey’s voice wavered, “We don’t know. She just kind of… drained? And isn’t responding. Shock, maybe?”

Mira took in Celine’s eyes tracing the new paling patterns on Rumi’s arms up to her face. Her hands hovered, not quite touching Rumi, “Rumi.” Mira felt the urge to berate their mentor, but before she could, Celine looked at her. “We need to get her out of here.”

As much as she wanted to give the woman a piece of her mind, Mira was just as anxious to get Rumi to the safety and comfort of their penthouse too, so she nodded, scooping Rumi into her arms and swiftly standing. If Zoey or Celine were surprised, they didn’t comment. Celine began clearing the way for Mira to carry Rumi out while Zoey spoke soothingly to Rumi. 

“Girls!” Bobby called out from behind them. They didn’t stop, but he quickly caught up. “Rumi! Is she okay?”

Zoey responded, “We need to get her home.”

He hurriedly nodded, immediately calling for their driver to bring their car around so that it was waiting when they exited. He rushed forward to open the back door, Zoey sliding into the back seat to help guide Rumi’s limp body in with her, Mira sliding in too. Celine got into the front passenger seat as Bobby told the driver to take them home and that he would follow shortly.

~

Dullness hummed in her ears. Blurriness hazed her vision. Numbness overwhelmed her entirely. She was only vaguely aware of her surroundings.

Had they actually succeeded? Was she dead? Would she ever get to see the women she loved again?

The thoughts flickered through her, but the only thing that stayed was the hum that came with the numbness.

~

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Kara.