#romancec

“R-R-Ruuuuuuumi!” Mira’s voice erupted around the penthouse.

It bounced off the high ceilings. The glass windows shook.

The faint sounds of giggles echoed behind it.

“Zo-Zoey, get ahold of yourself. Ugh- come on!”

Mira charged through the penthouse toward a bedroom door that was left closed at all times.

“Rumi.” Her fists pounded against the door. “Rumi!”

The door squeaked open. “Mira, hey.” Rumi peeked out. Her mouth held an awkward smile. “You’re home.”

“What the hell is this?” Mira asked.

At the end of her pointed finger stood four members of the Saja Boys, their rival boy band. Romance, Abby, Mystery and Baby glanced, unbothered by Mira’s fury, at Rumi. In the kitchen of the penthouse that Huntrix lived. Demons. In their home. In their kitchen.

Jinu was noticeably absent, but there was no doubt WHERE he was.

Zoey giggled. Her eyes were glued on Mystery’s hidden face. She bit her bottom lip , trembling as she slid closer to his side.

“WHY are they - Zoey!”

Zoey’s arm slapped down to her thigh. 

The rest of the Saja boys looked over. The heat of their gazes blistered a blush across Zoey’s round face. She darted her eyes upward at the ceiling, trembling in embarrassment and excitement.

“Why are they here?” Mira finally demanded.

Rumi flashed an apologetic smile. “Look. I’m sorry. I-I invited Jinu to stay. He had no place to go. It was either this or the demon realm to suffer for all eternity. Gwi-Ma would have punished him. I had no choice. We made a deal that he would remain topside on the Honmoon as long as he followed the rules. And you know how a deal with a demon goes.”

Mira’s deadened face did not flinch. “That explains Jinu. Not them.” 

Abby smirked. His hips shifted. It brought attention to the risen hem of his shirt and the hint of muscles below it. “Like you aren’t happy to see me.”

Mira's eyes widened. She swung around to face the arrogant demon. Her finger pointed a very threatening point. “How are you even here? Didn’t I kill you?” 

“Heyyy, yeah.” Zoey finally piped in. Thoughts were given space to roam. Now that the excitement was died down. “We sent you back to Gwi-Ma.”

“We’re demons,” Abby replied.

“Technically, we were never alive,” Romance said. 

“All you did was tickle me.” Abby grinned. “A little.”

He winked at Mira.

Her Gok-do appeared in a silvery sheen from the Honmoon. “Let me do it again.”

She stalked toward the demons. Abby eagerly met her challenge. 

“Try to make it more than a tickle.” He pushed his defined chest out proud, as if offering it to her weapon's tip.

If there was one member of Huntrix not to tempt into anger, it was her. The fiery pink haired hunter had a thirst for all challenges.

“Oh, I will.” Mira said.

Rumi leapt between the two before they made good on their threats. Her hands rose in the air.

“Look. They were a part of the deal,” Rumi explained.

“What!” Mira blurted.

“Gwi-Ma is punishing them too. Not just Jinu. An-and Jinu owed it to them to figure it out. They can’t go back home either. They’re stuck here with him.”

“We have the room,” Zoey said. 

“They’re demons! We can’t trust them. What if they start killing people?”

“We no longer serve Gwi-Ma.” The voice echoed throughout. 

The high energy of the room fell. Jinu stepped out of the lofted bedroom above their heads.

A cloud of maroon mist poofed from the doorway. Suddenly he appeared in front of them.

“Souls no longer call to us. We do not have to deliver any,” Jinu explained. “We will not hurt a single human while we are here.”

“That is part of the agreement,” Rumi added. “None of them can harm a person or they’ll be voided of the arrangement.”

“What happens then?” Zoey asked softly.

“We go back to Gwi-Ma,” Jinu replied blandly.

“Suffering our punishment under him for all eternity,” Romance said. 

“We are leashed and chained. No better than the dogs in the street,” Baby languished.

“No. Those dogs have better manners,” Mira retorted. “And I’d sooner pet one of them than you.”

Rumi blushed. “Mira, please. They needed help.”

“Yeah, Mira. It’ll be okay. We have the room.” Zoey touched her friend’s arm. “Plus, it’ll be easier to keep an eye on them if they just live here.”

Mira groaned. Her hands fisted in anger, then released. “Whatever. I’ll do it for you, Rumi. And Jinu.” Her eyes glanced at the others behind Rumi’s back. “Not them.”

“We aren’t thrilled about it either.” Abby frowned. His large arms crossed against his chest. “I have to feel you looking at me all the time.”

“You wish, pal!” She shot back.

Rumi awkwardly shifted further between Mira and Abby. “It’ll take some getting used to. That’s all,” she assured. “Soon we won’t notice them here.”

“We’re on a three-month vacation!” Mira blurted.

A collection of sighs released from everyone’s mouths. The long stretch of time looked back at them like an insurmountable challenge. 

Three whole months. Trapped together.

The vacation looked a whole lot longer with this complication.

“What about when we go on tour?” Mira then asked.

“We’ll take them with us,” Zoey murmured. "A dual K-pop world tour. The fans go crazy for those. It would the biggest world tour in history even, if we pulled it off."

Her eyes were twice as round. Their shimmers were lost to the mystery of Mystery.

She didn't realize how true her statement was. A world tour with two of the hottest pop bands. It would break records. Fans of every nature would come to their shows, just to see one band and then the other. The Honmoon would strengthen harder. The more shows they played, the more they enforced its protections.

It was a plan that made perfect sense.

Mira tilted her head back and groaned loudly.

“You won’t even know they’re here.” Rumi’s smile turned painful. “Right, guys?”

“Not a sound,” Baby said. He swooshed his teal across his forehead, feathering the hair across his skin. 

“The time will go faster if we make the attempt to respect one another," Jinu said. "We should get to know each other. I'll go first. I'm Jinu. I lived in the demon realm for 400 years."

Mira and the rest of the Saja boys audibly bemoaned the idea with a loud belted groan. All except Zoey - who was too stricken by Mystery to listen to the conversation - and Mystery - confused why Zoey kept staring at him - were unhappy with the suggestion.

They all shuffled off to their prospective rooms. None wanted to be a part of a forced meet and greet. It was bad enough there was no choice in the matter. 

Zoey was dragged by the front of her sweatshirt toward Mira's room. Mira refused to let go. There was not going to be another love-struck couple in this penthouse. It was all Mira could stand to have the one, messing it all up.

What was wrong with a long-distance relationship? Writing letters was romantic. Plenty of people did it in the old days. Jinu was from those old days. He'd love it!

Why would demons have to be in the penthouse?

Rumi and Jinu were left in the tense quiet. They forced awkward smiles at each other to alleviate the tension they'd built in themselves. All of their friends were put in the middle of their complicated love life.

None the happier about it.

"I knew this wouldn't be easy but..." Jinu pondered aloud.

"Mira is important to me, Jinu. We have to make this easier," Rumi murmured. She stepped close to Jinu's side. "I don't want to lose her."

Jinu nodded. "I'll talk to them. They will stay out of her way. I promise."

"That should work." Rumi smiled. "Thank you."

The afternoon kept quiet. Mira stayed quiet within her room once Zoey left. Well, technically she didn't. Her music blared through the walls. The flooring vibrated from the steady beating bass of her speakers. 

But, for Mira... it was positive.

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