B A Y

Metempsychosis - Kpop Demon Hunters - Jinu x f.Reader

story completed

Reincarnation? Ha! Yeah right, I don’t believe in that. . . Wait. . . Am I dead? No, I’m alive, but I’m. . . Different. I’VE DIED AND REINCARNATED AS RUMI FROM KPDH?!

When Faith Meets Juvenile - As Dusk Falls - Dale Holt x f.Reader

story ongoing - on hiatus

This is a Dale Holt x reader story. There's no (y/n) insert. I'm just avoiding the use of the reader's name, and it is female-based. There are hints of physical appearance but nothing in-depth.

Never Let Go - Four Brothers - Jack Mercer x f.Reader

story in drafts

“…Maybe…

…I wouldn’t mind being betrayed by you.”

-Tokyo Ghoul Volume Five #043 Scar by Sui Ishida

TW: DEATH, GORE & SUICIDAL THOUGHTS

——————————

I finally came to a stop after what felt like hours of running, my body doubled over, and my lungs constricted as I tried to breathe. My chest was tight, and my heart felt like it was ripping in two. The tears that poured down my face blurred everything around me. Every breath I try to take is ragged and sharp. I clutch at my chest, and my eyebrows knit down. What’s happening to me? This feels worse than any panic attack I’ve ever had. I stumble forward into the darkness and fall onto the ground. It’s like my body is shutting down. I curl up into a ball and squeeze my knees into my chest. My tears soaking into my bare knees. I just had to run away in my Anteiku uniform.

As I lay on the cold ground, I could feel the shift in the air as clouds formed in the night sky. The soft glow of the moon and stars that illuminated the area around me was now gone, and my surroundings turned into a vast darkness. The night wrapped around me in a cold blanket. My body shook, but it wasn’t from the freezing air nipping at me. A crack broke out in the sky, followed by drops of frozen crystals that broke as they hit my skin. The wetness seeped into my skin and down to my bones. I couldn’t tell where the rain started and where my tears ended. My body didn’t move a muscle. I just stayed curled up on the ground, numb, and at some point, I drifted off.

My eyes slowly opened as the bright sun beat down on my skin. I blinked a few times and covered my eyes as my head throbbed. My eyes screwed shut and my eyebrows tied down together. As I tried to move, my body felt sore and stiff. Where am I? I glance around at my surroundings and find myself lying in front of an old, worn-down house. It seemed as though the Earth was trying to consume the poor building before me. I peeled myself off the ground and slowly walked toward the house. As I approach the front door, the corner of something shiny catches my eye. I couldn’t tell what it was because weeds and dirt covered the rest of it. I reach out to clear away the debris, and what was hiding underneath makes my heart stop. 

My hand slaps over my mouth, and I take a step back. My (e/c) orbs shake as I read the surname engraved on the gold-shining plate. (L/n). There’s no way. In my moment of pure agony and distress, I found my way back to my childhood home. No matter how hard I tried to look for this place in the past, I could never remember where it was. So much time has passed that I've given up looking for the home where I lived with my parents. I settled with the thought that I’d never be able to collect precious items from my childhood, or grab any photos to remember what my parents looked like. I was so little when everything happened that I didn’t think about the importance of grabbing things after leaving the carnage of my parents’ deaths. 

I take a hesitant step forward, my hand shaking as I reach out to grab the door handle. I turn the knob and the door creaks open. The inside doesn’t look any better from the outside. It’s like I was stepping into an apocalyptic universe. Slowly, I walk inside the house, my eyes wandering around every inch. A fuzzy image of what the inside used to look like forms in my mind, and a weary smile forms on my face. My fingers run along the wall as I walk further inside. My feet come to a halt as I make my way into the living room. 

The faint smell of iron burns my nostrils, and I have to choke down the vile taste that threatens to push up my throat. My head pounds again, and I groan out in pain. I wobble slightly and lean into the wall to brace myself. My eyes screw shut, and I clench my teeth. As the pain starts to subside, I open my eyes, and the first thing I see is what looks like deep rust stains on the floorboards. I drop to my knees and stare at the dark stains below me. My fingers lightly brush the rust color below me. Mom. Dad. Tears start to stream down my face again. I bend over and rest my forehead against the ground. This rust color stain is their blood. I can still smell the faint scent that distinguishes each of them.

*

“Sweetie bug,” My father said as he kneeled to my level. His large hands grabbed my small face. I looked up into his (e/c) eyes, which matched my own. I tilted my head to the side, taking in his panicked expression. I had never seen my father look so scared before. 

“Do you remember where you’re supposed to hide if something bad happens?” My father’s voice shakes as he speaks. 

I have no idea what’s happening, but I can tell it’s serious from his actions. My emotions take over my small body, and tears start to trickle down my soft, plump cheeks. “Daddy, what’s going on?” My small hands grip onto my father’s shirt. I glance up to see my mother looking out the window, but my father pulls my eyes back to his.

“(Y/n), sweetie, I need you to answer Daddy.” My father grips my face more urgently. 

I nodded my head quickly and responded, “I remember.” 

My father smiles, pulls my head to his lips, and gently kisses me. “Good. I need you to go there and stay there until Mommy or I get you. If you don’t hear from us, please stay there for two days. Do you understand?” 

“I- I understand,” I say softly. I stare at my father for a moment before throwing myself into his arms and embracing him in a tight hug. His large arms wrap around me, and he pets my head softly before pulling away and looking at me. My father caresses my cheek, “I love you, (Y/n).” 

“I love you, too, Daddy.” I smile sweetly at my father and then place a sloppy kiss on his cheek.

“Honey, they’re almost here.” My mother turns to look at my father, and he nods. He stands up, embraces my mother, and kisses her before letting go. My father then places himself near the front door, and my mother walks toward me. She swoops me in her arms and pushes my hair behind my ear.

“Okay, baby, it’s time for you to hide.” My mother carries me into the kitchen. “Remember to stay quiet, and don’t come out no matter what you hear.” My mother grabs my face and leans in to place a kiss on my cheek. “I love you very much, my sweet girl.” My mom sets me down on the ground. “Please be strong for Daddy and Mommy.”

I grip my mother’s hand, not wanting to let go, but she prys her hand from mine. “Mommy,” I cry out her name, “Please hide with me.” I grab her hand again and drag her over to where I’m supposed to go. She just shakes her head as a single tear rolls down her cheek.

“I’m sorry, baby, but there’s no room for Mommy.” My mother’s head snaps back as she senses something near. She quickly grabs me and pulls open the oven in our kitchen. Then she lifts the bottom of the oven and shoves me into a small, hidden room that my father had created for me.

“Remember what we told you.” It was the last thing my mother said before closing the door on me. I cried out to her and went to bang against the door when a loud crash rang through the walls where I was hiding. I quickly crawled away from the hidden door and into a corner of the little room. My mother was right; this room was barely big enough for me to fit in. I pulled my knees to my chest and buried my head into my knees. Strange voices shouted above me, but I couldn’t make out any of their words.

Screams and crashes pierced through my ears, and I quickly covered them with my hands. My body rocked back and forth as I tried to stay quiet and drown out the noises above me. It felt like this moment lasted for an eternity. After a few hours, the noises finally subsided. I removed my hands from my ears and stared up at the hidden door, tears staining my face, as I waited for my parents to open the door and tell me everything was okay. But that never happened. I stayed inside the room for about two days, as my dad had told me to. Well, it wasn’t exactly two days, but it was enough. 

I pushed the door open and slowly pushed down the oven door. I crawled out of my hiding spot and took in the scene around me. Everything was thrashed. I stood on wobbly legs and quietly walked out of the kitchen. “Mommy?” I call out for my mother. No answer. “Daddy?” I then tried for my father, and again, no answer. I could smell the scent of my parents' blood, but my young brain couldn’t comprehend what that meant. As I stepped forward, my foot slipped on something slick and I fell backwards. My back crashed into the ground, and I landed in a puddle of something thick. I lay on the ground, not moving, as the gears in my mind worked hard to process everything around me.

I grabbed a fistful of the liquid below me and brought it to my chest. My bottom lip shook, and I choked on dry sobs. I was crying, but no tears fell down my face. My parents are dead, and the doves took their bodies.

*

I was lying down on the ground, on top of my parents' dried blood, the same way I did when I was younger. That memory is burned into my mind and is the fuel for most of my nightmares. I bite my bottom lip and grip my chest. One thing I didn’t realize is that I never told my mother that I loved her back. My arm falls to my side, and I spread my hand on the ground below me. 

“I love you, too, Mom,” I say softly. 

I stay on the ground for a while before I pull myself up. I slowly move around the house, and if it weren’t for the greenery that’s been overgrowing everything, the house would look the same as when I left. Things were thrashed and broken, and there were holes in the walls. My foot kicks against something on the ground, and I look down to see a worn teddy bear. I bend down to pick it up and brush the dirt off it. My heart tightens as quick flashes of forgotten memories flick through my mind. I used to carry this damn bear around with me everywhere until I was about four years old, and I ‘grew’ out of it, but I still slept with it every night. I don’t remember bringing it out of my room that day, so how did it end up out here? 

I held the bear close to my chest. The tip of the bear’s nose brushed against the necklace Hide gave me. I wore this necklace daily, taking it off only when I slept or showered. Hide. He’s probably sick to his stomach thinking about the fact that he was in a relationship with a ghoul this whole time. I wonder if he’ll meet with Amon, the dove who interviewed me, and tell him what he learned about me. It wouldn’t be hard for them to track me down. The doves know my name and identity, so I can no longer show my face. I’ll have to stay in hiding. I never should’ve been this stupid to fall for a human anyway. Now I can’t risk seeing my friends or my self-made family unless I want to put them in danger.

I enter the kitchen and stare at the oven across the room. That hideout—my father was so wise to design something like that—I hate it with every fiber in my body. I wanted to walk closer to it and look inside, but I couldn’t move my body. I just stood at the kitchen entrance, staring at it from afar. I shake my head and turn back around into the living room. If I remember correctly, my mom kept a photo book in one of the cabinets. I start rummaging through things in the living room. I open a door attached to the entertainment center, and see a few things inside. There’s a binder with DVDs of all the movies we owned. I flip through the pages and smile as I read all the titles. I close it up and grab another binder, and when I open it up, my breath catches in my throat. 

Photo after photo of my parents and me were placed neatly in their sleeves. My smile falters as I look at all the pictures before me. The image of my parents was starting to fade from my head, but now it’s like they've been brought back to life. A particular photo of the three of us warmed my heart. It was a more recent one, closer to the time when my parents were killed, with me between my mom and dad, and we all had bright smiles on our faces. I slip the photo from the sleeve and softly place a kiss on my mom and dad. I hold the photo with the bear and walk down the hallway. I move past my old bedroom and down to my parents’ room. 

The door was already cracked open, so I pushed it the rest of the way and walked inside. It’s strange how, when you’re younger, things used to seem so large back then. I used to think my parents had a huge room, and I would often wish for a room as big as theirs. But now that I’m standing back inside it, it’s not bigger than my room in Anteiku, which isn’t that big. I moved to sit on the bed and set the photo and stuffed bear beside me. Their bed was my safe place when I was younger. Climbing into bed with my parents late at night was the best feeling ever, and I always felt so safe whenever I was with them. I knew they would always protect me, and they did, because I’m still alive and they’re dead.

I curl up on the bed and lay my head on one of the pillows. It smelled like mildew, but I didn’t care. I pulled the stuffed bear into my arms and moved the photo to lie before me so I could stare at it. My parents loved each other deeply, and they somehow had room to love me even more. That’s the main thing about them that stuck with me. I always wanted a love like theirs and thought maybe I had found it. I gently touched the H dangling from the necklace I was wearing. Tears prickle at the edge of my eyes, and I take a sharp breath. Even if Hide hates me or thinks of me as a monster now, I’m still grateful to have at least experienced a portion of the love my parents showed to each other.

——————————

Hide's POV

I spent last night trying to keep up with you as you ran away, but it was useless; my human legs were nothing compared to a ghoul's. But that didn’t stop me from looking for you. I spent the whole night trying to track you down, but I had no luck. After leaving multiple voicemails for you and sending numerous texts, I decided that maybe you just needed space, so I headed back to my apartment. I didn’t sleep at all, and every time my phone dinged, I would instantly pick it up to see if you had messaged me back. I wanted to be awake in case you showed up.

Now the sun is blazing through my window, and my eyes burn from the bright light and my lack of sleep. I groan and cover my eyes with my arm as I turn over in bed. You have to be fine, right? I’m sure it was just a big shock to realize you revealed yourself to me and lost your cool a bit. But that didn’t matter to me. I understand why you did it. I just hope you see my texts and listen to my voicemails, and notice that my feelings for you haven’t wavered in the face of this fact. Well, I knew pretty much from the beginning what you are, but you weren’t aware of that.

God, I run my hands along my face. If only you’d show up, I could explain everything to you in person. I’ll give you another day to yourself, but if I don’t hear anything, I’ll just have to go to you. My friendship with Kaneki is already on the fritz, and it kills me that he’s pushing away from me. I couldn’t handle it if you pushed away from me as well.

The day goes on in silence as I wait for you to contact me or knock on the door, but just like before, nothing happens. At some point, I drift off to sleep, my body exhausted from staying up all night and day, but the sound of a ding rips me out of my slumber. I quickly reached for my phone, hoping to see your name on the screen, but it was just Kaneki. My finger slides over the screen and opens his text.

My eyes furrowed as I read over the text messages on my screen. (Y/n) is late for work, and not in her room. I thought you would go home, but that wasn’t the case. My heart pounds in my chest, and an uneasy feeling floods me. Where are you? Are you okay? I hope you didn’t get hurt or, worse, captured by CCG investigators in your moment of panic. I jump off the couch and clutch my phone. My chest tightens, and it takes everything in me not to throw my phone across the room. I close my eyes and take a few deep breaths. I need to calm down. My mind can’t think logically if I’m too distressed, and if I can’t think logically, I won’t be able to find you. 

I make my way outside and stop in front of the bus stop. The area where I ended my search last night was far away, and I didn’t want to waste more time walking there. Once the bus pulls up, I quickly find an empty seat. I pull up my phone and open the Maps app to better look at the area I’m heading to. I’m looking for places that would make sense for a ghoul to take shelter or hide, then jotting those places down in my notes. When the bus stops at my destination, I step out with a determined look on my face. I already created a makeshift map of all the places I found to make searching the area more efficient. 

I spend the next couple of hours doing just that, and stopping every person I find to show them a photo of you. No one seems to have seen anyone similar to you, and I don’t see you in any of the areas I picked out. The sun was starting to set in the distance, and my heart grew heavy as another day passed by, where I didn't know anything about your whereabouts. My feet slowly trudge back to the bus stop to return home for the night. I’ll create another map of additional places to explore tomorrow. Knowing which direction you ran off in helps me plan the areas to look, and I have a rough idea of how far you made it. I'll expand my search zone if I don’t find you within the section I’ve created. 

The next day passed without a word from you or any clue about your whereabouts. My head is spinning with so many possibilities about what's happened to you. 

Fuck!

It’s been three days, and I find myself going to Anteiku. I swing open the door to the cafe, causing the eyes of everyone inside to turn toward me. I move toward the bar and flag Kaneki over to me.

“Where’s Yomo? I need to talk to him.” I said quickly. 

Kaneki looks over my form with concern. I looked disheveled and like I haven’t slept for the past few nights, and that’s because I haven't. I’m going crazy worrying about you, and I've realized I need help. More specifically, I needed Yomo’s help. 

“Um, I think he might be upstairs.” Kaneki speaks with uncertainty in his voice, “Hide, are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” I run my hand through my unruly blonde locks. “Can you get him? It’s important.” 

My dark-haired friend nods his head and makes his way upstairs. I stand impatiently by the coffee bar, tapping my fingers against the wooden top. When the white-haired male emerges through the door, a deep glare settles in his features, and his eyes tell me that if he sees fit, he’ll attack me at any moment. 

“Can we talk?” My golden eyes drift to Kaneki, who’s hovering near us. “Privately?” 

Yomo leads us into a back room away from prying eyes and eavesdropping ears. The large male sits on the couch in the room, and I pace back and forth as I try to figure out how I will word what I want to say. I stop for a moment to make eye contact with Yomo. As I get ready to speak, my olive irises glaze over with a mix of emotions.

“Before I say anything, I need you to promise not to freak out until I’m done speaking.” My voice is surprisingly steady as I speak.

Yomo’s eyes narrow together as he thinks over my words, and then finally nods his head, “Fine, I won’t do anything until you’re done speaking.”

“I know that (Y/n) is a ghoul. I know that everyone who works here is a ghoul, and I also know about Kaneki.” There was no point in beating around the bush. Yomo’s eyes widen, and he looks like he wants to leap off the couch and kill me.

“A few days ago, (Y/n) and I were attacked, and that’s when she revealed to me that she was a ghoul. She fought back to protect me, but when everything ended, she freaked out and ran away.” I take a deep breath and continue.

“The thing is, I already knew she was a ghoul. I’ve known since the car accident. I didn’t want to scare her off by saying I already knew, and I thought it would be better if she told me when she was ready. The fact that she, or any of you guys, are ghouls doesn’t scare me. It never once changed how I felt about (Y/n). Now she’s run off, and I have no idea where she is. Please, I need your help.” 

Yomo stares at me with intense eyes. His face is expressionless, and a few moments pass before he lets out a deep sigh.

“How can I trust that this isn’t a trap? Give me a reason why I shouldn’t kill you right now.” Yomo’s voice is deep, and his underlying emotion hints at his care for you.

“I love her,” my voice cracks as all the emotion I’ve been holding back finally pushes its way up my throat. 

“I love (Y/n).”

——————————

That seemed to be all Yomo needed to hear as we’re currently making our way through the area I planned to search through today. The silver-haired male was impressed by all the work I put into my search for you, but the only thing that bothered Yomo was that I waited so long to come to him. He knew that something was wrong when you weren’t showing up at Anteiku and were ignoring his calls and text messages. Your father-like figure even went out and looked for you in all the places you normally go when you want to be alone, but there was no sight of you. But with both of us out looking, we can now cover twice as much ground, probably even more with Yomo’s ghoul abilities.

As the sun begins its journey down and the moon slowly takes its place, Yomo and I decide to take a brief break. We sat on a park bench, both of us looking over the map on my phone. I’m in Google Earth mode to see the streets and places around in hopes there’s something I missed, or a new place that catches either of our eyes. And with Yomo’s help, he lets me know of what places would be good to search as well, places a ghoul would go to seek refuge, and what places we should stay away from. Having someone who knows the ins and outs of the ghoul world is helpful.

My finger slides along the streets on my phone when Yomo grabs my wrist. “Go back.” His deep voice is demanding, and it sends a chill down my spine. I do as he says and go back to the last screen I was on. The older male takes my phone from my hand and holds it in front of his face.

“This,” Yomo’s voice trails off. He runs his hand over his face and rests his hand on his chin, and he stares at the screen. 

“Does it look familiar?” Hope seeps through my voice as I speak, and I scoot closer to the silver-haired male to look at the screen with him. 

“I think this is where she lived with her parents…” Yomo hesitantly says. “When I found (Y/n), she kept saying she was lost and that she needed to get back home. She told me her home address and asked me to help her. At first, I didn’t think it was my problem, but here was this little girl standing in front of me, covered in blood, and all I could think was that her parents probably think she’s dead. I took her back home, but once we entered the house, I quickly noticed that things weren’t right. We walked into the living room, and there was blood everywhere. That’s when (Y/n) started screaming and crying. I think she blocked out her parents' death, and when I brought her back home, it was like she suddenly remembered. So I decided then I would take care of her, and that I would never bring her back to that house.”

My heart ached with every word that Yomo spoke. To experience something so traumatizing as a young kid like that is unimaginable, but even through all the bad you’ve experienced, you still held yourself together. You could still find it in yourself to smile and laugh, and I couldn’t help but think how strong you are. Not everyone could do that. 

“Do you think she’d be there?” My olive orbs look into Yomo’s. 

“I can’t be certain this is the place, but I think we should at least check it out.” 

We make our way to the street that Yomo had recognized, and we walk down the road looking at each house we pass. My heart feels heavy as we get closer to the end of the street, and none of the houses we have passed caught Yomo’s eye. I was getting ready to say we should call it for the night when my eyes landed on a house tucked in a far corner at the end of the street. It wasn’t fully in view, but from the small glimpse of it, I could see that it seemed to be rundown. Something about it sent a chill through my body, and this overwhelming sense of needing to go toward it flooded through me. 

“Yomo,” I called the older male's name to get his attention. “What about that place?” I point toward the abandoned building.

Yomo’s eyes shift in the direction I’m pointing, and his eyes instantly widen. Without saying a word, the older male takes off toward the old house. It was like in the blink of an eye, and he made it to the front porch. I run after the silver-haired male, breathing deeply once I arrive next to him. Yomo’s eyes are glued to a plaque on the house, so I look to see what it says ‘(L/n).’ 

“This is it.” Yomo’s deep voice is low as he speaks, “I can smell her scent from inside.”

My eyes brighten up at the confirmation that you’re inside this house. I go to push through the front door of the house, but Yomo’s hands grip onto my shoulders, stopping me in place. His silver locks flopping against his face as he shakes his head at me.

“You stay out here. Right now, (Y/n) most likely feels like you’re a threat to her. If she sees you, then she’ll probably think CCG investigators aren’t far behind. Let me go in first, and I’ll talk to her. Then I’ll bring her to you.”

I chew on my bottom lip as I listen to the words that Yomo says. I know he’s right, but I want to see you right away. To see that you’re okay and to tell you that I don’t care about you being a ghoul. That I love you no matter what. I hesitantly nod my head and watch as the older male disappears into the house.

——————————

(Y/n)’s POV

It’s been three days since I found myself in front of my old house, and it’s been three days since I curled up in my parents' old bed. I haven’t moved a muscle. What’s the point in leaving this bed when my presence could be the downfall of everyone around me? I also don’t know if I can go out into a world where the man I was falling in love with hates me for what I am. I curl further into myself, gripping my ratty stuffed animal to my chest. 

I thought about finding something I could use to leave a letter with, so that when the dreaded day comes and someone finds me, my family back at Anteiku could get some closure. But who am I kidding? This house used to belong to ghouls; no one is stepping foot inside. My body will rot here without anyone knowing, and I think it’s somewhat poetic to die in the place my parents died. Death is such a final choice to make, or come to terms with. There’s no point in trying to start over in another ward. Making new connections just to watch them die, or for the people you love to be driven into madness. It’s hard. It’s so fucking difficult to deal with. I can’t go through that pain anymore. This is just the best option, to lie here and rot. 

I was so lost in my depressing thoughts that I didn’t hear the sound of footsteps approaching me or register the comforting scent wafting through my nose. The sound of a deep raspy voice cutting through my ears made my heart stop in my chest, and I quickly whipped my head around to see a large figure standing in the doorway. The figure of my guardian, Renji. My father. Great, I must be hallucinating things now. There’s no way he could've found me here. A deep sigh leaves my chest, and I curl back up into a ball.

“(Y/n),” Renji says my name softly as he approaches me. The silver-haired male sits down next to me and gently lays his hand on my head, and softly pets my hair. 

My body stiffens under his touch, and I look into his grey irises. 

“H-how did you find me?” I say softly.

Yomo continues to gently pet my head. I fight with myself over wanting to lean into his touch and wanting to pull away. So I don’t move.

“I know what happened,” Renji says softly as he speaks to me. It’s almost like he’s trying not to push me closer to the edge. 

“Bub’s, there’s nothing to worry about-”

“Nothing to worry about?!” My voice comes out loud and frantic. I move away from Renji, and a quick look of hurt and worry flickers through his orbs. 

“I have to worry about everything!” My voice breaks as I speak, and I can feel my eyes getting wet. “I ruined everything by letting my stupid feelings for a human get in the way. I didn’t just put myself in danger, but I put everyone in Anteiku in danger as well.” I throw myself back down onto the bed and turn my back to Renji.

“Just leave me here.”

“(Y/n), how do you think I know what happened?” The silver-haired man’s question caught me off guard. 

I peek over my shoulder at the older male, my eyebrows knitted into a frown as I think over what he said. My mind didn’t even register what it meant when he said he knew what happened, but Renji always seems to know everything, so I’m not surprised he somehow found out. 

“Hide came to me,” Renji says, sitting taller, and the look on his face morphs into a more serious one. If that’s even possible. 

“What?” My head pounds in my skull, and I squeeze my eyes closed. Hide went to Renji? Why?

“That boy, he cares about you,” Renji points at me. “He cares about you so much that he risked his life to explain everything that happened so I could help him.”

I stare blankly at the man before me and blink a few times.

“I-I don’t understand.” I shake my head. “There’s no way he cares about me. Not anymore.”

“Bubs,” Renji reaches out and softly caresses my cheek. “Hide has been losing his mind these past few days looking for you. You know I wouldn’t be sitting here telling you this if it wasn’t true.” 

He’s right, Renji would never lie to me about these things. If Hide had ulterior motives, then Renji would’ve noticed it right away, and the older male would’ve stopped Hide before anything could happen to me. This meeting would be very different if that were the case. 

“Hide, d-doesn’t care that I’m a ghoul?” My voice breaks as I speak. The tears that were wetting my eyes began to leak down my cheeks. 

“I don’t.” Another voice drifts through the room. 

Speak of the devil and he shall appear. The blonde male walks through the door, and my breath catches in my throat. My heart flutters in my chest, and it hurts and feels like bliss at the same time. There was a point when I had some hope Hide would accept me as a ghoul, but deep down, I always doubted he would. When you spend your whole life hearing about your existence as a monster, and how humans are scared and disgusted by the creature you are, then it’s hard to wrap your mind around the thought of a human not caring. When I talked with Kimi, I felt like she was the only human in existence who could love a ghoul. 

“Hide.” His name falls off my lips in a whisper, and before I know it, the blonde male is crashing into me. 

Hide’s toned arms wrap around me and squeeze me in a tight hug. “God, (Y/n), I’ve been so worried about you.” 

It takes me a moment to catch up with what’s going on. Hide’s here, embracing me, knowing fully well that I’m a ghoul, and he’s… worried about me. 

I bury my face in Hide’s chest and wrap my arms around his torso. My tears flood down my face, and I cry in relief. My hands grip the back of Hide’s shirt, and I’m scared that if I let go, he’ll disappear. This moment feels so surreal, like a dream, and at any moment, I could wake up and none of this would have happened. 

Hide pulls back and cups my face in his soft hands, his thumbs coming up to brush away my tears, and he leans forward to rest his forehead on mine. 

“Hey, it’s okay.” Hide’s voice is so gentle as he speaks, “You being a ghoul doesn’t change a single feeling I have for you.” His olive eyes stare deeply into mine. 

“It doesn’t change how I’ve fallen in love with you.”

I cry harder.

Not only does he accept me as a ghoul, but Hide LOVES ME!?!?!??! Yeah, I’m ugly crying now, and I have no shame. The most beautiful and vibrant man I’ve ever met just said he’s fallen in love with me. How could someone with my life deserve such love? It doesn’t feel real, and I’m doing my best to ignore the doubtful thoughts in my mind. I just want to bask in this feeling. To fully enjoy this moment. 

Hide leans in closer toward me, our breaths mingling with one another, and he says, “I love you, (Y/n).”

“I-I can’t believe this is happening,” I whisper. “I love you too, Hide.”

The dirty-blonde male flashes a shining smile at me and holds me to his chest, stroking my hair. “Let’s go home.” Hide says softly.

——————————

Renji and Hide take me back to Antieku. They bring me into the building through the back door so that no one else sees me. I looked awful. My Anteiku uniform was torn, and Cain's blood stained the fabric. Then my skin was covered in dirt, dust, and smudges of blood as well. The rain washed away most of it, but there were still some spots where it lingered. I was only gone for three days, so thankfully, I wasn’t starved and being consumed by hunger, but I was dehydrated. My skin was dull, and dark circles surrounded my eyes. You would think I was missing for months with the way I looked.

Once I was brought into my room, Renji excused himself so I could get refreshed, but made sure to give me a long hug and a kiss on the head before leaving. Hide looked just as worn out as me, and I felt bad for putting him through so much trauma these past few days. I grabbed my phone from my pocket and plugged it into my charger. Then, I set my stuffed animal down on my bed, and the photo of my parents and me on the nightstand. I’ll have to buy a picture frame for it. There was one last thing I took from my childhood home, and it was a piece of the wooden floor where my parents' blood was mixed. Some people might find that weird, but I don’t have a grave site or an urn to visit my parents like others do. So I cut out a piece of the flooring before we left. I set the piece of wood on an empty spot on my bookshelf.

I turned around to look at Hide, and he was sitting on my bed, watching me closely. There was no way he was going to leave my side after I disappeared, and I don’t blame him. If our roles were reversed, I would be glued to Hide’s side, and it would take weeks for him to get rid of me. 

“I’m going to shower now.” I say softly. The smell from my filthy clothes is finally making its way into my nostrils. 

The dirty blonde male stands from my bed and follows me into the bathroom that’s connected to my room. I turn around to stare at the male and cock my head to the side. What is he doing?

“Let me help you.” Hide’s voice is deeper than normal as he speaks.

If he said these words before everything happened, my brain would have malfunctioned, and my face would have erupted into a volcano. But I know he was saying those words from a place of care and not from well, his hormones. 

I nod my head softly, “Yeah, that’s okay.” 

Hide moves to the shower and turns on the water, adjusting the temperature so that it’s warm enough. He then moves next to me and helps me remove my soiled uniform, tossing it into a pile in the corner. I stood in front of the blonde male, naked, but I never felt so comfortable around anyone before. Having Hide see this vulnerable side of me felt good. I never thought I could be naked in front of someone and not want to cover up, but with Hide, I know I’m safe. The dirty blonde male helps me into the shower and steps in behind me, clothed.

“Hide your clothes.” I look at the male, my eyebrows squinted down.

“It’s okay.” Hide's lips quirk up into a sweet smile.

He grabs my shampoo bottle and squirts the liquid into the palm of his hand, rubs the soap together in both hands, and then has me turn around. Hide works the shampoo into my roots, massaging my scalp, and after a few minutes, he rinses the suds from my hair. He then grabs my conditioner and runs the thicker solution into the mids and ends of my hair. Most people would find showering with their partner steamy, and yes, there is steam from the warm water, but Hide is fully focused on making sure I’m clean and taken care of. This moment together is not only washing me clean, but it’s washing away any doubt lingering in my mind. Hide truly loves me. 

As the conditioner sits in my hair, Hide sings off-key, making me smile like a dork, and we both chuckle together. When he’s done serenading me, Hide rinses the conditioner from my hair. The blonde male then grabs a rag and pumps a few blobs of my body wash onto it. Hide works the soap into my skin, starting with my arms and working down my body. He makes sure every inch of my body is clean and that there's no sign of dirt or blood. After I rinse the soap from my body, Hide kisses the side of my head and steps out of the shower.

“I’ll grab you clean clothes.” Hide says before leaving the bathroom. 

I soak under the warm water for a few minutes before I hear the blonde male enter back into the bathroom. I turn the water off and step out of the shower, and Hide wraps a large towel around my body. He then picks up my dirty uniform and holds it up for me to see.

“Should I throw this away or try to salvage it?” 

“You can throw it away. Mr. Yoshimura will get me a new one.” I say.

Hide nods his head and excuses himself for a minute as he leaves my room. I dry off my body and hang the towel back up on its hook. I pick up the clothes that Hide set out for me, and I smile softly. Hide knows exactly what I need to wear to be comfortable. I slide on the clean underwear he has out for me, which is a pair of boy shorts, and then I slide sweats over the top of them. And to top it off is an oversized tee. I head into my room and lie down on my bed. So many different emotions are overwhelming my body. I’m so happy that Hide loves me for who I am, but it’s hard to shake off the deep depression that was festering inside of me. Also, reliving one of the worst days of my life has taken a huge toll on me. 

Most nights, I have nightmares of what I imagined happened to my parents. I didn’t witness their deaths, but I heard it. And my memories of that day used to be choppy, only remembering fragments, the same parts playing over and over in my head, but being back in that house filled in the missing pieces. Tears prickle the edges of my eyes, and I bite my lower lip. I’m so tired of crying, but it seems my body hasn’t dried out.

The door to my room opens, and Hide walks in holding some clothing in his hands. “I ran into Kaneki, and he gave me his extra clothes that he stores in his work locker.” Hide pauses as he looks at me. His face fell as he noticed the tears running down my cheeks.

Hide tosses the clothes Kaneki gave him on my dresser and slides into the bed next to me, pulling me into his chest. “Hey, what's wrong?” 

“I-I’m just overwhelmed,” I admit. There’s no need to hide my feelings from the blonde-haired male anymore. It feels good to say how I’m truly feeling.

“That’s okay,” Hide’s voice is soothing as he speaks. “You’ve been through a lot of emotions these past few days.”

The blonde-haired male runs his hand up and down my back, holding me close until I stop crying. Hide apologizes as he removes himself from me, and strips off his damp clothes to put on Kaneki’s workout clothes that he keeps in the cafe for his training with Touka after work. Then he slides back into the bed with me, covers us with my blankets, and spoons me. It doesn’t take long for my eyes to get heavy since I haven’t slept for the past three days. Being in Hide’s arms and feeling his warmth lulls me into one of the best sleeps I’ve had in a long time.

*

The sun shines through my window, causing me to stir and groan. I roll over onto my stomach and bury my face into my pillow. A deep chuckle sounds next to me, and I squint my eyes as I look at the blonde-haired male lying next to me. 

“Good afternoon, sunshine.” Hide jokes, a playful smirk plastered on his face.

“What time is it?” I groan, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes.

“It’s 1:15,” The blonde-haired male replies. 

I shoot out of bed and look at the clock on my bedside table, my mouth hanging open. “Why didn’t you wake me up sooner?” 

“You looked so peaceful, and I assumed you needed the sleep.” Hide reaches out and tucks a piece of my hair behind my ear. 

“I can’t believe you actually love me,” I whisper. 

Yesterday felt like a dream, and I still can’t wrap my head around everything that’s happened. I never thought I’d see the day where a human says they love me while knowing I’m a ghoul. I guess I got lucky.

“(Y/n), there’s something I want to be honest about.” Hide scoots closer to me. 

Those words make my heart race with anticipation, and a small bubble of anxiety forms in my stomach. The look in Hide’s olive eyes tells me it's nothing to worry about, but I can’t help the way my body feels uneasy by those words.

“I’ve known you were a ghoul since before we started dating.” 

My eyes widened, and I choked on the air I breathed in. A fit of coughs racks my body, and Hide gently pats my back.

“W-what do you mean you knew? How?” My voice cracks as I talk. 

“It was after we were attacked by Nishio. We were brought back to Anteiku, and I woke up at some point. You were asleep, lying on my mattress, and I was about to get up and lay you down. But then I heard Kaneki and Yoshimura's voices in the hallway. My gut told me I shouldn’t be awake yet, so I laid back down and pretended to be sleeping. I know I shouldn’t have done that, but I heard everything that was said.”

I blink at the blonde male a few times, taking in what he’s telling me. He was awake the whole time, and that’s how he found out I was a ghoul. I grit my teeth and smack Hide in the arm, causing him to say “Ow,” and rub the area I made contact with. The blonde-haired male pouts as he looks at me.

“I can’t believe you knew this whole time!” I cross my arms over my chest and pout back at Hide. I’ve been going through hell thinking he wouldn’t accept me as a ghoul, but he already knew! All that pain I went through could have been avoided if he had just told me.

“I know, I’m sorry,” Hide grabs my hands in his and stares deeply into my (e/c) eyes. “I feel terrible knowing you thought I would hate you, but I wanted you to feel comfortable enough to tell me yourself. I didn’t want to take that away from you.”

My bottom lip shakes. “You idiot.” 

“All the ghoul research I’ve done is to get a better understanding of who you are, and so I could support you properly. I know a lot of things are happening in the ghoul world right now, and I don’t necessarily like what it could mean for you. I wish I were in your place so I could protect you,” Hide runs his hand through his hair, “but there’s not much I can do as a human.”

The blonde-haired male reaches out and touches the H that's dangling around my neck. “But there are a few things I’ve been working on.” Hide smirks at me.

My head quirks to the side as I stare at the vibrant male before me. “What do you mean?”

“When you saved that CCG member, and they called you in for questioning, I was terrified. I didn’t want them to find out that you were a ghoul. With you having to go into their headquarters, I knew there was a high chance things wouldn’t go well, so I started doing some research. I picked up a job as a delivery boy and hung around their building, accepting any orders that came from inside. Each time I went inside, I would take notes of how the building looked, things to watch out for, and I even asked one of the members how the RC gate worked. I stayed up every night until the interview, putting together a device that would interfere with its readings so you could walk through without it beeping.”

My heart was beating fast in my chest as I listened to Hide. To think he cared about me this much, that he would put in all this work just to make sure I was safe. He might not think he can protect me very well, but he saved my life on that day. If it weren’t for him, the gate would have beeped, and the doves would have killed me. 

“Is that why you pulled me through with you?”

Hide’s eyes shift down to my neck, and he shakes his head. “I pulled you through, cause if you hesitated, that Mado guy would’ve concluded that you were a ghoul or at least hiding something.” 

The bright male flicks his finger at my necklace, making the H sway back and forth. “It’s your necklace. I created the H with a chip inside of it that disrupts the readings of the RC gates.”

I knew Hide was smart and had a mind like Sherlock Holmes, but I didn’t know he was this smart! 

“I thought it was weird that you gave me the necklace then, but I assumed you gave it to me to help calm my nerves.” I sit back against my bed. “One thing I’ve been curious about is why you said yes to the Doves' offer for lunch. I thought you were just being polite, but now I feel like there was another reason.”

Hide laughs softly. “I wanted to say no. I didn’t like the idea of Kusaba buying you lunch, but having the ghoul investigators see you eating was just another way to drill into their minds that you aren’t someone to be wary of.”

I lean into Hide’s side, my cheeks hurting slightly from the smile that’s been on my face while listening to him. All this time, and he’s been watching over me. It seems I’ve been blessed by having people who love me enough to protect me. My parents, Renji, and now Hide. I intertwined my fingers through Hide’s and squeezed his hand. I’ll make sure those who are around me stay safe. I won’t let anything happen to them, I can’t. Hide’s already done this much to help keep me safe, so I have to do the same in return. 

We spent the rest of the day relaxing in my room and talking about everything that we weren’t able to talk about before. Hide asked me questions about ghouls, things I’ve done, and experiences I’ve had. Then I would ask Hide about humans, his life, and what human food tasted like. His descriptions of food were interesting. He tried to compare things to meat or different types of coffee so I could try to imagine what things tasted like. I told him about Ryoko and what really happened to her. When she died, I ran to Hide for comfort, and all I told him was that one of my best friends had died. Now I was able to tell him how the ghoul investigators killed her, and I even opened up to him about killing Mado.

Admitting to Hide that I killed the CCG member was hard, but he listened to me and didn’t judge. He told me I was brave for doing the one thing I hated just so that those I loved didn’t have to carry the weight of it. Talking about these things with Hide made me feel lighter, like I could finally move on from the things I did. This day brought us closer than ever, and I look forward to the future where I won’t have to hide things from the man I love.

——————————

A few days have passed since I got back, and a lot has happened. Renji sat down with Hide and me, and had a long talk with us on being in a human and ghoul relationship. He said we needed to talk with Mr. Yoshimura, that it would be best for the older gentleman to know, so he could help us. Bringing Hide to speak with Yoshimura made me more nervous than the moment when Renji and Hide met for the first time, but it went much better than I thought it would.

Mr. Yoshimura was happy for us that we found someone we love, and told us the story about his love life. I was shocked. I didn’t know Yoshimura’s wife was a human, but it makes sense now why he cares for humans so deeply. It’s rare for ghouls to care for humans in the way Yoshimura does, but I guess if you fall in love with one, it opens your eyes to how we’re not that different from one another. A lot of tears and wisdom were shared during that talk, and Mr. Yoshimura trusted us with things he hadn’t told anyone in years. To have him on our side felt so refreshing, but we all agreed it was probably best that no one else knew about Hide’s knowledge. Not a lot of ghouls would take kindly to a human knowing about their business. So for his safety, only the four of us would know. 

I may have promised Mr. Yoshimura that we wouldn’t tell anyone else, but Kaneki deserves to have his best friend back. So I’ll make sure Hide talks with the dark-haired male soon. Kaneki has been keeping his distance from Hide in fear of the blonde-haired male finding out and in fear of hurting him, but I know Kaneki has nothing to worry about. 

It also seems I missed a lot when I was gone. Kimi, Nishiki’s girlfriend, was kidnapped by Tsukiyama, so the brunette, Kaneki, and Touka ended up fighting against the gourmet. From what Yoshimura and Kaneki have told me, it was a rough battle. Nishiki almost died protecting Kimi, and Touka struggled with the aftermath of everything. It seems that Mr. Yoshimura had a talk with Nishiki about what would be best for him and gave him advice on being in a relationship with a human as well. In the end, Nishiki agreed to get help from Anteiku so he could better protect Kimi. I knew Nishiki had a heart deep down inside and wasn’t the asshole he portrays himself as. Actually, he’s still an assshole.

Today’s my first day back at work, which happens to be the brunette's first day at Anteiku. Kaneki and Touka are also on shift with us, and the cafe is full of customers and familiar faces, such as Hide and Kimi. The blonde-haired male has been spending all his free time around me since I’ve been back, and Kimi is here to support Nishiki on his first day of work. It’s a lively crew of people, but I feel like this is the beginning of something better.

“Do you remember his face?” Hide leans on the coffee bar, eyebrows pressed together as he looks at Kaneki. 

“Remember whose face?” I tucked the tray I was carrying under my arm. Touka and I are serving, while Kaneki and Nishiki are making the drinks. They need the practice, so I reluctantly gave up my position as the barista today. It seems the two males are in a serious conversation as I moved behind the bar. 

“Someone stole Kaneki’s wallet.” The blonde-haired male leans back in his chair.

“I-it’s fine, I barely had any money, and I found all my cards.” Kaneki tries to play down the situation. 

The plum-haired female joins the three of us, rolling her eyes. “Did you at least report it?” 

Kaneki shakes his head, which makes Nishiki huff. “If you didn’t look like such a wimp, they wouldn’t have targeted you in the first place.” 

Hide narrows his eyes at the brunette. “Whoa, Nishio-senpai, you’re dragging down the Anteiku name with your presence.” 

I slap a hand over my mouth and quickly turn to face the wall so I don’t get mixed up in Nishiki’s anger by laughing at what Hide just said. 

“Want me to kick you out, Nagachika?” Nishiki grits his teeth.

“Nishiki,” Kimi's sweet voice pipes up. The brunette-haired male sighs, apologizes under his breath, and then goes back to work. 

I glance at Kimi and can’t help but feel a surge of happiness swell through me. She was my first glimpse of hope that Hide would accept me, and now that he knows everything, I just want to tell her. To let her know that she was right. Kimi catches me looking at her with a stupid smile plastered on my face that I didn’t even realize was there. She quirks her head to the side and gives me a questioning thumbs up, like she’s asking if I’m okay. My smile morphs into a large, toothy one, and I nod my head towards Hide. Kimi seems to understand what I mean and matches my smile. It feels good to have her know. Maybe the four of us can go on double dates. I mean, no one else will understand us besides each other. I think it would be good if we’re there for each other.

A news reporter's voice crackles through the TV’s speakers, taking me out of my happy bubble. Reports of the CCG increasing their forces in the 11th and 20th wards have just been confirmed. A shiver jolts through my body, causing my hair to stand on end, and I lock eyes with Hide. The blonde-haired male gave me a reassuring smile, but it didn’t change the feeling that something big was about to go down. I glance around the room to see everyone else standing still. They feel it too.

——————————

AN: Guys, I don’t know why, but I STRUGGLED with this chapter. I felt so good when I started writing it, and got about halfway, and then started second-guessing EVERYTHING. For some reason, I felt like this chapter wasn’t good and wanted to rewrite it, but I’m so happy I didn’t do that. I hope you guys enjoyed the backstory of the reader, and I was so excited to finally say what Hide did for the reader with the necklace he gave her. 

This was all I could think of after writing "Let's go home." How about no, Hide, let's not. 😭

Three years have passed since we sealed the Honmoon. Life hasn’t slowed down as the girls and I are still very active with our group, Huntrix. The only differences are that we don’t fight demons anymore, all three of us are in loving long-term relationships, and I get to be myself finally. Turns out, when the Honmoon turned gold, I got to stay as my past self. It was sad when I realized Rumi was gone, and I still have guilty moments that I took over her life. After all, this was her world before I was born into it, taking over her life. 

I was worried about how we were going to explain Rumi’s departure from Huntrix and my new position in the group. Fans would be heartbroken about Rumi leaving and not being able to hear from her, and they probably would hate me for taking over her position so quickly. But all that worrying was for nothing. Rumi seemed to disappear from people's minds like she did from this world, and any memory of her was replaced by memories of (Y/n), me. It was hard to process the sudden change in my life, but Jinu has been with me through everything. 

Huntrix and the Saja Boys are hit K-Pop groups, and the thing that the fans love the most is that we’re all dating. Jinu and I, Abby and Mira, and then Mystery and Zoey. The ships are unreal, and the fanfiction about us is off the hook, and yes, of course, I read fanfiction about Jinu and me. And to make things even better, Huntrix and the Saja Boys are on a six-month hiatus so we can refresh our minds, and for the first time since being an Idol, I’m taking full advantage of this time. 

Jinu is taking me out tonight for our third anniversary. I’m not sure where he’s taking me, but he told me to dress up. So, I ended up putting on a long, black fitted silk dress that exposes my back with a pair of sleek black heels. My (h/c) hair is pulled back into a slicked-back ponytail. My ears and neck are decorated with my favorite jewelry that Jinu has gifted me throughout the years, and of course, I always wear the ring that the older lady gifted us back when we first met. 

I grab my favorite lip gloss from my purse and apply it to my lips, finishing my makeup look. Taking another glance in the mirror, I nod my head in approval and step out of my room to see Jinu pacing our living room, wearing a black suit. The way he was whispering to himself told me he was nervous, but he stopped when he finally noticed I was ready to go.

“You look stunning, jagiya.” Jinu takes two long steps across the room and pulls me into a hug, placing a sweet kiss on my head. “If tonight weren’t special, I would cancel our reservations and take you right here.” The dark-haired male whispers, nibbling my ear before pulling away.

He always does this, knowing exactly what it does to me: “I wouldn’t mind staying in and tearing these clothes off.” I look into Jinu’s chocolate eyes, biting my lower lip.

The older male wags his finger in my face; “Not tonight, jagiya. I have special plans for us.” 

Jinu holds his hand out, and I place my hand in his. He leads me outside, where a black car is waiting for us. Our driver is standing outside, holding the back door open, and greets us politely as we slide into the back of the car. Jinu reaches into his back pocket and pulls out a piece of black silk cloth that I recognize from our playroom. 

“Uh, Jinu?” I look at the dark-haired male with curiosity and anxiety. 

We’ve experimented a lot in our sex life, but we’ve done nothing that involves being in the backseat of a car where the driver can hear and see us. My heart pounds in my chest as I wait to see what Jinu is going to do. I’m not against trying this, but that doesn’t make me any less nervous. 

A deep chuckle erupts from Jinu’s chest; “(Y/n),” the dark-haired male leans forward, his breath tickling my neck, “this isn’t for playtime.” He wraps the silk piece of fabric around my eyes and ties it. “Our location is a surprise.”

My mouth forms the shape of an O, and the redness of my cheeks seeps through my makeup. After all this time together, he still catches me off guard and embarrasses me.

About thirty minutes go by when the car comes to a stop. Jinu gets out of the car first and helps me out, then he leads me to where our date is, and helps me to a chair.

“You ready to see where we are?” Jinu’s deep voice floods through my ears.

“Yes!” I say enthusiastically. 

Jinu’s fingers work on untying the blindfold, and gently remove the silk fabric from my eyes. I blink a few times to help my vision readjust to my surroundings. Looking around, I notice we’re inside a chic cafe, and a warm smile blossoms on my face.

“Jinu,” I look at the dark-haired male, “This is the cafe I took you to when we first met.” 

The cafe looks a little different from when we first came here. We’re the only ones here, so I’m assuming Jinu rented the place for the night. The lights were dim, creating a romantic atmosphere, and the table was decorated like a table in a Michelin-star restaurant. We’ve been to this cafe a few times since everything happened, but not as much as I would like. This place has kept up ‌its reputation since it opened, and every once in a while, when we have time, Jinu and I will come here, or I’ll come here with my girls.

A hostess walks out carrying a tray with drinks on it and sets the drinks down in front of us, and then walks away. I look over our drinks and raise my eyebrow. These are the same drinks we had all those years ago. I still love a strawberry matcha latte, but I don’t order it as often. Jinu still loves his sweet drinks, but has been gaining a taste for more bitter-tasting ones. 

“Are we reliving the first day we spent together?” My lips quirk into a smile as I look at the dark-haired male.

“I thought it would be nice to experience the day I fell for you for our anniversary,” Jinu says.

My heart swells in my chest, and I can feel the tears prickling at the edges of my eyes. I grab the napkin on the table and dab my eyes so I don’t ruin my makeup. Jinu has been everything I dreamed of in a partner. I know everything he does for me comes from a place of love, but also from a place of wanting to live for others and not himself. His past still haunts him, and Jinu holds a lot of guilt. There will be nights when he cries in his sleep, and I’ll hold him, whispering sweet words of affirmation to help soothe him. We both carry a lot of traumas from the things we’ve experienced, but we get through them together. With each passing day, we learn how to heal and grow, and doing that together is the most beautiful thing I’ve experienced with someone. 

After the cafe, we headed to the spot where the farmers' market was held. It’s late at night, so only a few people are wandering the area. There are no booths lined up to look at, but just walking down the path with trees lining the sides, with lights wrapped around the branches, creates a breathtaking night walk. I guess you could say we’re taking a walk down memory lane.

As we walk along the path, I notice an older lady sitting on the bench placed under a streetlight, working on what seems to be a crocheted jacket. When we get closer to the old lady, my feet stop, and I can’t believe my eyes. Jinu pauses, looks at me with a quirked eyebrow, and then follows my gaze to where the little lady is sitting. His lips quirk into a sweet smile, and he leads me over to the bench.

“Excuse me, halmeoni,” Jinu bows respectfully to the older lady sitting on the bench, and I follow his actions. 

The little lady looks up at us and her eyes widen; “Oh my,” her eyes crinkle as she gives us a shaky smile, “I knew there was a reason to be here today.”

I hold out my hand to the older lady to show her the ring she made; “We wear the rings you gifted us every day.”

She holds my hand and brushes her finger over the ring. “It seems I made the right choice that day.” 

“We never got your name, halmeoni.” I squeeze the older lady's hand.

“Cho Miyoung.”

When she says her name, my body stiffens for a moment. Miyoung. That was Rumi’s mother's name. The mother who took care of me for the first few years of my life here before she died. 

“That’s a beautiful name,” I say softly, “Thank you very much for gifting these rings to us.” 

Miyoung turns to Jinu, “And you’ve kept your promise.”

My eyes shift back and forth between Jinu and Miyoung. They had a promise?

“Of course, I wouldn’t turn back on the promise.” Jinu lifts my hand that’s still locked with his and kisses my knuckles; “She’s too special.”

Jinu lets go of my hand and leans closer to Miyoung and whispers in the older lady's ear. She covers her mouth to hide the giddy look that takes over her features. The dark-haired male then grabs my hand again, and we say goodbye to Miyoung.

“What was that about?” I look up at the dark-haired male.

“You’ll find out soon,” Jinu’s chocolate eyes look into my (e/c) ones. His eyes might be dark, but every time he looks at me, they light up brighter than the glow his demon eyes used to have.

We ended the night at the aquarium. It’s after hours, so I know Jinu pulled some strings to get us in here this late. This is my first time being back here since we were here together, and all the emotions I felt back then came swirling through my stomach. The affection I already held for Jinu, knowing who he was, and then the nervousness of what was to unfold. Of all the plans and theories I made up, I wouldn’t have guessed what happened in the end. I was hoping to save everyone and the Saja Boys, which I did, but everything that happened afterwards wasn’t something I could’ve dreamed of. 

Things turned out better than my wildest dreams.

“I have another surprise,” Jinu says, fidgeting with the sleeves of his jacket.

“Another?” I look at the dark-haired male in shock. 

Jinu pulls out the silk fabric again, and I stay still as he wraps it around my eyes. He wraps an arm around my waist and walks me further into the aquarium. Jinu guides me to a spot and tells me to stay where I am. I can hear some shuffling around, and my heart beats in anticipation. The waiting is killing me.

“Okay, take the blindfold off.” I can hear a slight shake in Jinu’s usually confident voice. Hearing him sound nervous makes my nerves tingle through my body. It's not normal for the dark-haired male to be this way.

I slowly undo the blindfold around my eyes, and when I see what’s before me, my heart stops. Tears flood my eyes, trickling down my cheeks, and my hand shoots up to cover my face. The scene before me is like a movie. Rose petals litter the ground, creating a heart around Jinu, who's on his knee before me. Large neon lights are set up behind him, spelling the words, “Will you marry me?” And dolphins are swimming in the background.

This is where we had our first kiss, and now Jinu is in front of me… ON HIS KNEE! I think I’m going to pass out from happiness. 

“(Y/n) (M/n) (L/n),” Jinu says.

All he had to do was say my name, and now I’m ugly. My bottom lip is jutted out and shaking, and my tears are most definitely smearing my makeup. But I don’t care. I’ve never been this happy before.

“You were the first person to show me compassion and understanding in the thing I regretted the most. I thought I deserved an eternity of suffering, but I couldn’t handle the pain anymore. You showed up when I reached my breaking point. I mean, I was willing to sacrifice all the souls on this earth just to feel an ounce of peace again, but you made me feel things I didn’t know were possible for a demon. For once in my life, I had hope for things to be better, and it was all thanks to you. (Y/n), you showed me how to live again, how to be human, and I’m forever thankful to have you in my life. These past three years are small compared to the 400 that I’ve lived, but they hold more meaning than an eternity ever could. I want to experience a lifetime of happiness with you, to have a family, and to grow old with you.”

“Will you marry me?” Jinu looks up at me with hopeful eyes.

I don’t hesitate before I jump into his arms, makeup smearing on his shoulder as I bury my face into the crook of his neck; “Yes! A thousand times, yes!” I cry out.

Jinu slides the ring I’ve been wearing these past couple of years off my finger and replaces it with the ring of my dreams. After the ring is snugly on my ring finger, I grab Jinu’s face and smash my lips against his.

Now, let’s just hope I don’t die so I can experience a life with the man I love. 

——————————

AN: IT'S THE ENDDDD… I know this ending is short, but I just wanted to wrap up some unanswered questions and add on to the happy ending. I’m leaving it very open-ended so y’all can imagine what life with Jinu would be like. I had a lot of fun writing this story, and I can officially say I’ve finished my very first story! EVER! I know that in my like twelve years of writing fanfic, I’ve never finished a story. I feel very proud of myself, and I’m so thankful to those of you who have taken the time to read and enjoy my story. My writing is not the best. I lack in a lot of areas, but writing is something I love doing. Please look forward to other stories I have in the works, and if you’re a Tokyo Ghoul fan, please give my Hide x f.reader a read! That story is my heart and soul, and it is ongoing! Also, don’t forget to support writers by liking and sharing the story with others! Again, thank you guys so much <3

The bright sun shining over the horizon stirs me awake. I turn over, snuggling into the warm chest I fell asleep against, and let out a low groan as my body aches. My eyes snap open, and I take in my surroundings. I’m still on the roof with Jinu, and the only thing covering my body is his jacket. I throw on the clothes I was wearing last night, ignoring the soreness in my lower region, and then shake the dark-haired male awake.

Jinu grumbles while turning over, but I give him one good shove, causing him to yelp and sit upright; “What?” His voice is groggy with sleep.

“I have to go! Today is the Idol Awards!” I lean down, pressing my lips against Jinu’s; “Also, from what I saw happen in my past life, Jinu betrayed Rumi, so don’t think you can pull a fast one on me.” My voice is low as I speak, my (e/c) orbs looking deeply into Jinu’s.

I strongly believe that he’s not using me, but I’m not entirely certain. He’s still a demon, and it wouldn’t be hard for Gwi-Ma to turn him against me. 

Jinu tangles his hand in my hair and pulls me back in for a longer, sweeter kiss. “Well, it’s not Rumi I’m fighting to be with; it’s (Y/n).” 

My heart stops at his words. It’s not Rumi he wants to be with; it’s me. After twenty-one years, I finally feel like myself again, not like an impostor. Jinu likes me. I gently bite my bottom lip as I try to hold back the tears that are threatening to spill down my cheeks.

“I’ll see you tonight, Jinu.” 

——————————

Once I got home, I quickly showered and got myself ready for the long day ahead of me. It’s still early morning, so I made a healthy breakfast for the girls and me. We’ll need to keep our strength to perform well and to fight demons. This day won’t be a normal one. I have a feeling things will unfold like they do in the movie—but hopefully with a better ending.

Zoey and Mira slowly emerge from their rooms and take a seat at the dining table, where all the food I’ve prepared is set up. 

“Rumi, this looks amazing! Zoey sniffs the food and breathes a happy sigh. 

Mira loads her plate up. “You always treat us right.”

I chuckle and join the girls at the table. We sit in silence as we enjoy our breakfast. The air is tense with thoughts about what’s going to happen today. My body is riddled with anxiety, with all the thoughts going through my head. My mind is focused on all the dangerous possibilities, and it’s driving me crazy. I try picturing favorable results, hoping not to bring about misfortune through negative expectations, but each positive image I create becomes dismal and macabre.

“Hey,” Mira draws our attention, “We’re going to rock that stage tonight. Golden is a song that unifies us, and I know it’s going to be the song that the fans will connect with.” The pink-haired girl reaches out, grabbing Zoey and I’s hands. “We’re gonna win.” 

I squeeze Mira’s hand, and then reach for Zoey’s other hand with my free one; “You’re right, together we’ll stop Gwi-Ma, and tonight is our night.” My eyes burn with conviction.

——————————

We get to the venue where the Idol Awards are being held. Other K-pop groups are going in and out of their designated dressing rooms to prepare for their performances tonight. We stop in front of a door that has a sign on it with our group name, ‘HUNTR/X.’ I open the door to see that our design team and makeup crew are already set up to work. Not wanting to waste any more of their time, I take a seat in the soft, cushioned chair that’s set up in front of a large mirror that’s surrounded by beauty lights. 

My makeup artist gets to work on beating my face and making me look like a true Idol. Once she’s done, I move over to the changing area and get into my costume. A few people from the design team adjust a few things so my outfit fits me perfectly, and to make sure no wardrobe malfunctions happen. Then I sit back in my chair, which honestly is so comfortable, it feels like sitting on a cloud, and the hairdresser works on my long locks. I feel bad for the hairdresser since Rumi has so much hair. I’ve thought about cutting it, but then Rumi wouldn’t be Rumi if I did that. Her hair is a big part of her character, and I’ve always wanted to feel like a Disney princess with long hair. 

After a couple of hours, we’re finally stage-ready and make our way out to do a soft rehearsal. We did the full-out rehearsal yesterday, but today we’re just walking through our steps to make sure the lighting is good, the camera angles are perfect, and that we look good on the monitor. There are a lot of steps to being on a show like this, and it takes all day to prep for one moment. All this work and hours being put into a three-minute performance, a three-minute performance that will either save the world or not. 

I’m not feeling any pressure, none whatsoever… Ha, ha, ha… 

WHO AM I KIDDING? I’M FREAKING OUT!

I walk to a secure area outside so I can take a moment for myself and breathe in some fresh air. I have to get myself together. This is what I’ve spent my whole second life waiting for, and I’ve trained hard so I could face Gwi-Ma. So Jinu wouldn’t have to sacrifice himself.

“You’ve got this,” I whisper to myself; “You’re a badass motherfucker, and Gwi-Ma doesn’t stand a chance against you. The fans are going to love our performance, and the Honmoon is going to turn gold. Jinu and the Saja Boys will be saved. Everyone will be saved.”

I stand tall in a power stance to give myself confidence. My words won’t do anything unless I say them and believe them. People say that words are powerful; they hold meaning, and you better be careful with what you say, cause it might come true. I strongly believe in this; my words hold power, and I’m going to use them to give me an advantage. So, I repeated those words ten more times. 

“Hyping yourself for tonight?” A deep voice pulls me out of my concentration. 

I turn around to see the dark-haired male slowly walking toward me. My heart skips a beat at the sight of Jinu all dressed up for his performance. His outfit isn’t over the top, but it has that effortless boy band look that still leaves you drooling. 

“Jinu,” A warm smile grows on my face, “I’m so happy to see you. My mind is going crazy.” 

I step forward and wrap my arms around the tall male, and rest my head on his chest to seek the comfort he’s brought to me before. Except this time, something feels off. Jinu keeps his arms at his side instead of wrapping them around me, and his body feels stiff when in the past I could feel the way his muscles relaxed in my embrace. My eyebrows furrow, and I pull away from Jinu. Looking into his dark orbs sends a shiver down my spine. The gaze that once warmed me with care now feels hollow and cold. What’s going on? 

I take a step back, my eyes shifting toward my feet; “Jinu, is everything okay?” 

“Yeah,” the dark-haired male leans against the side of the building. A deep sigh leaves his lips, and he runs his fingers through his hair. “I’m nervous.” Jinu nibbles on his lower lip. “A demon hasn’t fought against Gwi-Ma before.”

I lean back against the wall next to Jinu; “If I’m honest, I’m scared.” My voice is low as I speak, “This is the biggest battle of my life, and there’s no guarantee that things will go in our favor.” I reached out and intertwined my fingers through Jinu’s. “But as long as we fight together, then I believe we can make it.” My (e/c) eyes shift up to find Jinu’s again; “You’re still with me, right?” 

Jinu grips my hand, his eyes burning with fire; “Of course.”

There he is, the Jinu I know and care for, shining through his dark orbs. I press up on my tiptoes and place a gentle kiss on Jinu’s lips. 

——————————

Back in our dressing room, we’re getting ready to go out on stage after the Saja Boys' performance of Soda Pop. Of things, it seems Jinu stuck with performing instead of backing out. My feet pace back and forth in the dressing room. This whole situation feels off, and my interaction with the dark-haired male earlier keeps playing over in my head. Something about him felt different, like he wasn’t himself. Jinu said he was on my side; it seemed like he meant it, but I can’t shake the unsettling feeling that’s coursing through my veins. 

The TV in the corner of our room is showcasing the performances, and the Saja Boys just ended theirs. The crowd erupts with a loud cheer that pierces through the walls. When the MC walks back onto the stage, it’s our cue to head backstage and take our places. We passed by the Saja Boys as they’re heading to the green room, where artists go to hang out and mingle when they’re done. I lock eyes with Jinu, and they flash with bright yellow before going back to his dark brown eyes. I watch him go, and as soon as his gaze leaves mine, his shoulders slump. 

I squeeze my hands into fists and turn my attention forward. I’m not sure what’s going on; something isn’t right, and I need to fix it. Gwi-Ma sees everything Jinu does—wait, oh no, that means he witnessed Jinu and me having sex! That’s so embarrassing; I can’t believe I didn’t think about that before. Gwi-Ma knows Jinu is on my side, and I doubt the dark-haired male could convince the demon king otherwise. Gwi-Ma probably did something to Jinu, making him more demon-like than he was before. Hang in there, Jinu, I won’t let Gwi-Ma take you away. We’ll get our happy ending.

We take our positions on the side of the stage. The MC announces us, and the venue lights extinguish one after another, casting the venue in suspense. The crowd falls silent, breath held in anticipation, as we step into the spotlight. The first notes of Golden ring out, and the roar that follows floods my veins with electricity. This is our first performance of Golden, and I’m putting every feeling I’ve felt from my first life till now into my voice as I sing. The more vulnerable I sound, the more it’ll connect with the fans.

Some fans are singing passionately, some are watching us in awe, and others are crying as they relate to the words we’re singing. Mira and Zoey make their way off the stage for my solo part of the song. This is where things can go good or bad, but no matter what happens, I can’t let it shift my focus from the song. One wrong feeling while I’m singing can throw the fans off, making it hard for them to connect with me. So, I ignore the possible bad things that could be happening, and stay in the right headspace as I glide over the crowd. A ripple of gold covers the crowd, and my heart jumps in my chest. This is it.

When I land back on the stage, I’m joined by my girls, and when we lock eyes, I can feel the excitement bubbling within them. They’re okay; nothing happened, and we’ll be able to finish the song. As we unite, a newfound strength and determination can be felt from us. The light from the fans' souls glows brighter than I’ve ever seen; it’s so blinding it's like I’m staring straight into the sun. By the time we finish the song, the whole stadium is glowing gold. 

“You guys!” I can’t contain my excitement, so once we’re off stage, I throw myself into Mira and Zoey’s arms. “We’re doing it!”

“The Honmoon is turning gold!” Zoey screams.

“We’re going to defeat the demons!” Mira excitedly says.

We hold each other close and jump in a circle. This is the best moment of our lives. We just turned a huge part of the Honmoon golden, and it’s giving us the hope we need to seal all of it. There’s no doubt in mind anymore; we’re meant to turn the Honmoon golden, and we’re going to do it. 

A large magenta puff of smoke explodes between us, ruining the moment we were having. The three of us fell backwards, coughing, but we quickly got back to our feet to see what threat had just appeared. Our weapons at the ready as we stand back to back, creeping in a circle, inspecting our surroundings, but no demon was present. 

“That’s odd,” I lower my blade and turn to face my girls, but when I look at them, they’re taking a step away from me. 

Zoey and Mira are still in their fighting stances and holding their weapons up to me. My brows furrow as I tilt my head to the side, my lips parting slightly, but no words come out. Why are they looking at me like I’m a monster?

“What did you do with Rumi?” Mira hisses, pushing her weapon closer toward me.

I hold my hands up in surrender; “Woah, guys, it’s me.”

Zoey glances at Mira, and the pink-haired girl softly shakes her head. 

“We’re not stupid. Stop playing us and tell us what happened to Rumi.” Mira glares at me.

My heart is racing in my chest, and my head is pounding, trying to make sense of this situation. They don’t seem to recognize me at all. 

“Ah, (Y/n), there you are,” Jinu’s voice ripples through my body as he steps next to me and wraps his arm around my shoulder; “I thought it was time the other Huntrix members got to see your true form.” The dark-haired male runs his fingertips along my jaw and then digs his nails into my face as he forces me to look Mira and Zoey in the eyes.

“This is who your precious Rumi is, a demon named (Y/n).” Jinu looks down at me with sinister eyes; “Isn’t she breathtaking?”

“I-I’m confused.” Zoey takes a step forward, her eyes scanning over my body; “Is that really Rumi?”

Mira holds her arm out to keep Zoey back; “He’s messing with us. Don’t let him get to you.”

“No, he’s right, it is me.” My voice shakes as I speak. I try to wiggle out of Jinu’s grip, but his hold on me is too strong. I look back at the dark-haired male, my body shaking, and my eyes filled with fear. Jinu’s face is warped with an unnatural smile, his eyes glowing brightly, and a psychotic laugh erupts from his chest.

“Let me show you,” Jinu’s voice cracks as he speaks.

A magenta fog swirls in the air, creating an ominous screen flickering to life with moving pictures displayed on it. It’s moments in my life, times when I was younger, when I talked to myself about my past life, about being (Y/n). A single tear rolls down my cheek as it shifts into moments from these past two weeks. Moments that Jinu and I shared. This scene reminds me of when I died, when I was encased in darkness, and a projector showed me all the happy and sad moments of my life. Except this feels worse than death.

I can’t even explain myself; I just hang my head in shame, avoiding eye contact with Zoey and Mira. They’ve accepted me when I told them Rumi’s secret, but that secret is nothing compared to the one I kept from them this whole time. 

“You lied to us,” Zoey’s soft voice breaks my heart.

“You were never Rumi,” Mira’s voice comes out sharp, slicing through me. 

“Rumi has always been me,” I desperately look at Mira and Zoey; “Please, let me explain everything.”

The two girls averted their gazes from me, my heart breaking as I watched them slowly walk away from me.

“No! Please!” I go to run after them, but something wraps around my wrists and pulls me back against a hard chest. My head whips backwards, my eyes moving frantically as I look up at the demon behind me. 

“Why are you doing this? I thought we were together!?” I scream at Jinu, rippling the Honmoon, my hands pulling at the magenta smoke cuffs around my wrists. 

“We are,” Jinu turns me to face the wall, where a large mirror is hanging, “as demons.”

My eyes widen as I take in my figure looking back at me. My hair is unruly, falling out of the perfect braid that once held my hair together, makeup smeared down my face from the tears that are wetting my cheeks, and patterns that covered my whole body. Rumi is gone, and I’m back to my old self. It’s not just Jinu who sees me like this, but it’s everyone. 

“It’s time for the grand finale,” Jinu whispers in my ear before we both vanish in a puff of smoke.

We arrive at Namsan Tower, where the Saja Boys will put on their last performance and take the souls of everyone. Jinu has me tied up backstage. Thick, murky smoke is wrapped around my body and over my mouth. I try to wiggle against my bindings, but my body won’t budge. I can’t even move my mouth. Not only is my body filled with fear and failure, but being bound so tightly and not being able to move my mouth is making everything worse. One of my biggest fears in my past life was small places, feeling confined, and not being able to breathe properly. 

I try to summon my sword, but nothing is working. The beginning of Idol blares through the venue, and my body sags in defeat. How did I royally fuck things up so badly? I thought I was changing things for the better, that Jinu and I had a genuine connection. He gave his soul to Rumi, so I truly thought he was good in the end, but I’m not Rumi. Is that why everything is falling apart? I’m not the real Rumi; she’s supposed to be here, not me. 

My shoulders slouch forward as my body shakes with tremors. Short, jagged breaths coming in and out of my nose as I try to get another breath between my sobs. I feel like I’m drowning in my tears. Soon, everyone will be gone, and it’ll be my fault. In the end, I couldn’t save anyone.

“(Y/n)!” A voice rings through my ears. I must be imagining things. Jinu is currently on stage performing, so why am I hearing him call my name? I must be really desperate. 

Strong hands grip my shoulders, shaking me; “(Y/n), are you okay?” 

My (e/c) orbs move slowly to look ahead of me. Jinu is resting on his knees as he stares at me with frantic, dark eyes. “I’m here now. You’re okay.” The dark-haired male gently caresses my face. He then moves back to look over my figure. Jinu opens his right hand, demon claws emerging from his nails, and he cuts the smoky ropes that wrap around my body.

Once I’m free, I push the dark-haired male away from me; “Is this some sick joke!?” I quickly grab for my sword and sloppily slash it at the demon in front of me.

Jinu jumps back, dodging my attack; “I’m so sorry I’m late.” The dark-haired male holds his hands up in surrender. “That guy on stage right now isn’t me; it’s another demon posing as me.”

My head pounds against my skull, and I tangle my fingers through my hair. “I don’t believe you!” I cry out, my sword shaking in my other hand. 

“Look at me!” Jinu yells out, “Come on, little huntress, look in my eyes.”

Hearing Jinu call me little huntress snaps something inside of me. I gingerly look up, my (e/c) iris locking with Jinu’s chocolate ones. A pull of warmth fills my chest, and for the first time in what feels like an eternity, I take a deep breath. My body relaxes as I take a step forward. I slowly move closer to Jinu, my sword still in my hand, and I hesitantly rest my hand over his chest. A bright blue hue glows from the dark-haired male's chest.

“It’s you,” My body falls forward; “It’s really you.” 

Jinu holds me tightly, stroking my hair and kissing the top of my head. “I’m so sorry I wasn’t here sooner. Gwi-Ma had me locked away. I fought like hell so I could be here with you.” 

The dark-haired male gently grabs my face, making me look up at him. “Can you fight?”

I nod my head, “Let’s kick some demon asses.” 

Jinu intertwines his fingers with mine, and we make our way through the backstage area. As we enter where the floor is, I grip my sword at my side and take a deep breath. This is the moment Rumi sings, and it connects with Zoey and Mira. I hope they haven’t lost all faith in me, and that they’ll still come to fight by my side. Jinu is with me, but I can’t fight against Gwi-Ma without my girls. 

Letting go of Jinu’s hand, I step out of the darkness, my voice ringing out like a siren's call. The Saja Boy’s performance comes to a halt, and the whole venue goes quiet. Thankfully, we could turn a huge part of the Honmoon gold, meaning there are still fractions of the Honmoon attached with flakes of gold in the mix. I didn’t tear the Honmoon like Rumi did in the movie, but I didn’t need to do that. The Saja Boys created a big enough tear for Gwi-Ma to come to the surface. 

“Nothing but the truth now. Nothing but the proof of what I am.” I sing, my heart and soul mixing with the words flowing out of my mouth. My feet take slow steps toward the stage, and I glance into the crowd where Mira and Zoey are. They’re faced forward, bodies stiff, and their eyes dulled. Come on, girls, please feel me.

“I don’t know why I didn’t trust you to be on my side.” My voice cracks softly as I keep making my way forward. At this point in the movie they were slowly making their way onto the stage to meet up with Rumi, but they hadn’t broken out of Gwi-Ma’s control yet. 

“My voice without the lies, this is what it sounds like.” I pause, looking to the side, but nothing. My chest tightens, and I bite my bottom lip. Looks like I’ll have to do this by myself. I grip my sword and steel myself for the fight that’s about to take place. 

“Why did I cover up the colors stuck inside my head?” Zoey’s voice flows through the air. My head whips up to look at her walking toward me, her chest glowing brightly. I turn to the other side and see Mira doing the same thing.

“I should’ve let the jagged edges meet the light instead.” Mira’s voice rings out.

A giant smile grows on my face, and the three of us make our way to the middle of the stage. Stopping once we’re in front of each other, and then pulling each other into a group hug. 

“I love you guys so much,” I whisper, squeezing them tightly.

“Let’s finish what we’ve started,” Mira says, looking into our eyes with a deep determination. 

Gwi-Ma’s voice erupts through the stadium: “Stop this song!” 

Hordes of demons came crawling out of the ground and toward us. Back to back, we face the demons together and easily slice through them. Our voices ring through the ears of those in the crowd, and their souls slowly illuminate. Jinu finally comes out of the darkness, his voice raw as he joins in ‌our song. Mira and Zoey pause for a moment, looking back and forth between the real Jinu and the fake one. The other demon, posing as the dark-haired male, growls and changes back into his natural form. The girl's eyes widen, looking at me for confirmation that Jinu is on our side. I nod my head, and the three of us go back to fighting, now with Jinu on our side. 

His soul was glowing brighter and brighter the more he sang, and I feel like him helping us this way is giving us the boost we need. Like how when he gave Rumi his soul, it made her more powerful, but now by lending us his voice, it’s giving us all a power boost. Then we have the souls of the fans blending, forming with our weapons, making it easier for us to slash through the demons in our way.

We finally made it onto the main stage, where the Saja Boys and Gwi-Ma are. Jinu steps forward, looking at his members, and reaches his hand out to them.

“Join us and you can be free,” Jinu says.

The members of the Saja Boys look conflicted, their eyes shifting from Jinu and glancing back at Gwi-Ma. They’ve spent an eternity serving Gwi-Ma, but in the short time they’ve spent with Jinu, and getting to act like Idols has given them a new perspective. One by one, the Saja Boys slowly walk over to our side, their demon forms disappearing. The only one who stays on Gwi-Ma’s side is Mystery. I can only assume he’s still there because he’s an actual demon and not a human who made a deal. Glancing to my side, I see Zoey’s shoulders sag and her mouth turn into a pout. Goddamn it, I can’t resist her sad pout. I stomp my foot forward, grab Mystery's hand, and pull him to stand with us.

Zoey’s face lights up, and she grabs the poor male’s arm; “Yay! This is so exciting!” The younger girl looks up at Mystery with the widest, bubbliest eyes I’ve ever seen. Hopefully, he won’t be banished to the demon world.

Together, the eight of us lunged forward, weapons and claws out, slashing at Gwi-Ma, tearing him apart as his demonic screeches ripped through our eardrums. The demon king disappears in a puff of smoke. Our chests heaving up and down from the intense battle, but it’s not over yet. We have to seal the Honmoon. I grab Mira and Zoey’s hands, walking to face the crowd. We finished singing What It Sounds Like, but there’s one song I’ve always been positive could seal the Honmoon, and that’s Golden. Without music playing in the background, I start to softly sing the lyrics to our new song. 

Zoey and Mira join in, harmonizing and singing their parts. The Saja Boys stand side by side with us, grabbing our hands, and singing the song with us. The crowd watches us in awed silence, but slowly they all stand to their feet. Intertwining their hands with the person next to them and singing. Their souls burn brightly, a golden hue emerging from their chests. Tears start trickling down my cheeks at the sight before us. It’s beautiful. 

The words ‘When darkness finally meets the light’ have always struck a chord inside of me. In my past life, I thought that demons and hunters would have to come together to fully seal the Honmoon. You can’t have light without the darkness, and here we are, dark and light, hand in hand, doing the one thing my girls have worked so hard for.

A blinding light erupts, spreading over the world, and for the first time since existence, ‌our earth is demon-free. I look down at my hands, my eyes trailing up my arms, and my patterns are gone. I drop to my knees, an overwhelming feeling coming over me, and I cry. Arms circle me, and I don’t need to look to know it’s my girls. We did it. We finally did it; all the training and hard work paid off. 

A deep voice clears its throat behind us. I turn to see Jinu, and my heart soars. He’s still here. My face glows with pure joy, and I jump into the dark-haired male's arms. Jinu catches me easily, my legs wrapping around his waist, and I don’t let a second pass without kissing him. I don’t care that we’re literally in front of a crowd of thousands of people. He’s free. Jinu is free. I pull away and look around to see the rest of the Saja Boys standing by awkwardly. A soft laugh escapes my lips. Looks like everything worked out. I get my happy ending.

——————————

“Ahh, this is so nice,” I sink into the hot water. A trip to the bathhouse after everything was much needed. The warm water seeps through my skin and into my muscles, relaxing my body. 

“It would be better if they weren’t with us,” Mira crosses her arms and glares at the two pink-haired males who are flanking her sides. 

“Uh-huh,” Zoey agrees without paying attention to what Mira is saying. The younger girl is too busy staring at Mystery, who has his hair pulled back. 

I snuggle into Jinu’s side and sigh contentedly. Don’t worry, guys, this is our private bathhouse, so we don’t have to worry about others or having the Saja Boys in the girls' bathhouse. Though I’m sure most girls wouldn’t mind seeing them appear in the bathhouse. Zoey is happy having Mystery; he might be standoffish, but when he looks at Zoey, I can see the corner of his mouth lift. Romance and Abby are still fighting over Mira, but the pink-haired girl is still mad at them for being demons and taking people's souls. I’m sure she’ll forgive them soon, but I’m not sure which boy she’ll choose. Maybe she’ll date them both? Then poor Baby doesn’t have anyone to cozy up to. He doesn’t seem bothered by it, but there’s still a part of me that wants to scoot over and snuggle up to Baby… I mean, what?

“(Y/n),” Jinu catches me staring at Baby. His soft fingers hook under my chin; “Eyes on me.”

“Yes, sir.” My voice comes out breathy, and I can feel my cheeks heat up. 

Don’t get me wrong; my heart is with Jinu. It’ll always belong to him.

——————————

AN: WHAT AN ENDING! Did you guys think that was really Jinu, or did you guess that it wasn’t him? I still wanted a conflict between the reader, Mira, and Zoey, and I also wanted them to find out that the reader was Rumi. While writing this, I felt like Mira thought that the reader was a demon the whole time, pretending to be Rumi and using them. Zoey didn’t know how to feel because she could sense the way the reader felt, like Rumi, but had the same thought as Mira. Then the reader was so overwhelmed by everything happening that she couldn’t tell that Jinu wasn’t actually Jinu, but she did have a moment before that where she sensed something was off. He didn’t feel the same, and being with him unsettled the reader instead of making her feel safe. AND DID Y’ALL LOVE THEM COMING TOGETHER TO SEAL THE HONMOON? I always interpreted the line “When darkness finally meets the light” to mean that the darkness and light needed to blend to seal the Honmoon. So, I thought that having the demon boy band singing alongside Huntrix was the blend of dark and light coming together. I also feel that in the movie, when Jinu gives his soul to Rumi, that's the dark and light mixing together. Anyways, the Saja Boys got saved! The Reader has now taken Rumi’s place (sorry, Rumi), and they can all live freely. Stay tuned for After to see what the reader and Jinu’s life is like afterwards.

Taglist: @acaffeinated-constellation @satansdaughter123

We make it home and take time to patch up any wounds we have. My back is slouched over in defeat as I think over our battle. I was supposed to be smarter when fighting Jinu, and not let him scratch me. He still tore through the protective layering I wore underneath! I cry softly and hit my head against my bedroom wall. Stupid demon claws are just too sharp. I even tried to bring forth my claws and scratch at the shirt, but I couldn’t figure out how to make that happen. I used none of my demon side before, scared that it would turn me more demon, and maybe I shouldn’t have tried. Not that it did anything, anyway. 

“Rumi,” Mira’s voice calls through my door, “you need to come see this.”

I walk out of my room and meet the girls in front of our ceiling-to-floor windows in our living room. Their faces pull down, and they look worn out and defeated. We have experienced nothing like this; in fact, it’s been decades since a trio of hunters has gone through a dark age. For the past three decades, hunters have thrived, steadily strengthening the Honmoon. They’ve only had to handle the occasional stray demon that appeared now and then. Even for us, the beginning was relatively easy. The Honmoon was stronger than it ever was by the time we became hunters; that’s why Celine is so certain it’ll be us who seal it. 

“How did this happen?” My eyes scan over the Honmoon. What once shone brighter than the twinkling stars now had large, dark magenta spots that flickered like flames. So many weak spots that would make it easier for demons to slip through.

“We’ve seen nothing like this before,” Zoey says sadly. Her hand came to rest on the window in front of her.

My face sets into a serious one, and I clench my hands tightly at my sides; “Gwi-Ma knows we’re close to sealing the Honmoon, so he’s throwing all he has into keeping us from doing that.”

“A demon boy band?” Mira hisses out.

A deep sigh leaves my lips, and I cover my face with my hands. I saw this coming, but it’s still heartbreaking to see the Honmoon like this. I’m not as strong as Rumi, at least in certain areas, and I definitely am a crybaby. Tears roll down my cheeks, and the other girls' lips pucker softly as we group hug one another, mumbling incoherent words as we cry together. When we pull away, I wipe away the wetness from my cheeks.

The sound of our front door opening has us quickly putting ourselves back together and beating makeup over our war wounds. Bobby walks into the living room, stress-dumping over the fame and popularity the Saja Boys have gained overnight. He doesn’t even realize how much his words tie into what we’re dealing with right now. I wish we could tell Bobby that we fight demons, but people aren’t supposed to know about that part of our world. It would turn the world into chaos, where people would be terrified all the time, or evil individuals would try to exploit and manipulate it, making it difficult for hunters to do their job.

Bobby puts his phone down and takes a deep breath while looking outside. It’s funny that he sees a tranquil landscape of the city view, but we girls see the genuine danger of what's happening. 

“You know what we need to do,” I smile sinisterly at Mira and Zoey, “Hit 'em where it hurts.”

Mira cracks her knuckles with an evil grin; “I like what you’re saying.”

“Zoey!” I call out to the youngest, making her stand up straight, “We need a new song.”

“I’ve got 23 notebooks with demon insults ready to go!” Zoey shows off her notebooks while Bobby hypes her in the background.

“Mira!” I point to the pink-haired girl. “We need new dance moves.”

Mira looks down at her nails nonchalantly; “I’ll make them even hotter.” She looks up and smirks.

“This is how we’ll win against them,” I say positively.

“We’ll kick their demon asses and send them back to hell!” Zoey shouts out.

Mira and I stare at the younger girl in bewilderment. Zoey rarely cusses, but when she does, it’s funny to see such words coming out of a sweet girl. Then we all shout yeah together and take off into our music room, leaving poor Bobby alone in the living room, not sure about what he just witnessed, but supporting us anyway.

After a couple of hours of spitting out ideas for the song we wanted to make, I finally made my way back into my bedroom. I flop onto my mattress and roll around on the blankets. Ah, it feels so good to be lying down. I had to do too much fighting today. Now, if only I had a boyfriend I could call to come give me a massage. I wouldn’t ask any of the girls to do that because I know they’re just as tired as me. 

The sound of a bird tweeting from outside catches my attention, and I groan as I turn over to see what's going on. I see a dark bird sitting on my balcony railing with bright yellow eyes and wearing a small hat on its head.

“Awww, that's so cute,” I whisper to myself. 

Then its head pops up, revealing two more yellow eyes below the first one I saw. A gasp leaves my lips, and I look at it with confusion. What? This is when Jinu wants to meet up? I’m so exhausted, couldn’t he at least wait a day before trying to get me alone? I groan as I pull my heavy body out of bed and drag my feet out onto my balcony. My eyes glared at the poor bird that did nothing wrong to me. I know I shouldn’t be mad at the messenger. He’s just doing what Jinu asked of him, but the dark-haired male isn’t here for me to glare at.

I turn my head to look at my bushes of plants to see a large tiger emerging from the darkness. If I didn’t know it was already going to be there, I would have peed myself. As the tiger slowly walks closer toward me, it knocks over one of my plants. Staring at the plant with curiosity, he tries to put it upright but fails in doing so.

“Oh my gosh, you’re just so cute,” I bend down to be level with the tiger; “Here, let me help you.” I pick the plant up and put it off to the side, so it’s no longer in the tiger's way.

The blue-striped tiger then sticks its tongue out, revealing a slimy card that falls to the floor. I pick it up gingerly, my face contorting with disgust, as I open up the card to read what’s inside. It says nothing different from the movie. Just an ominous note saying, “Let’s meet up -Jinu.” 

“He really is old, isn’t he?” I say to the tiger, reaching out to pet its head, “I mean, he’s communicating through letters.” I giggle softly.

I stand back up, stretching out my back and looking down at my outfit. I know he makes fun of Rumi for the pajamas she’s wearing, but maybe if I dress up (or down if you get what I mean) it’ll be a little distracting for him. He is ancient, so showing some skin might fluster him. I tell the bird and tiger to wait on the balcony as I rush back into my room. I throw open my closet door and pull out my nighttime drawer. Being dressed in normal clothes would seem weird, so I wanted it to seem like he still caught me off guard while I was getting ready for bed.

I pick out a pair of black booty track shorts and then throw on a black cropped hoodie. Looking in the mirror, I fix my hair to make sure it doesn’t look too crazy, and then I slide on a pair of sneakers. Once I’m back out on the balcony, I nod my head at the creature, and they lead the way to where Jinu is waiting for me. 

When I arrive in the area, I jump up onto the roof of the building and see the manikin that Jinu had set up as a decoy. I slowly walk over to it, scuff, and then push the giant doll off the roof. 

“Very funny,” I say while looking around; “Now come out, I promise I won’t hurt you.” I waited for about thirty seconds before Jinu came out of his hiding spot and walked cautiously toward me. 

I lifted my hands in surrender to show him I was serious. “Why did you want to meet me?” 

“I wanted to talk about your patterns.” The dark-haired male steps closer, but then pauses. Jinu’s dark eyes scan over my body, taking in my exposed skin. “Where are your clothes?” He says matter-of-factly while pointing at my legs.

I follow his line of sight, acting like I don’t know what he’s talking about; “These are clothes.” I stick my leg out and wiggle it. “You caught me before going to bed, so sorry for not dressing appropriately.” My voice drips with sarcasm. 

The tall, handsome male walks slowly around me, still taking in my form. I’m used to having my body on display as an idol, but the way Jinu’s eyes are running over me makes me want to cover myself. His gaze is burning and intense, and I can feel the heat rising in my cheeks. Damn it! He was the one who was supposed to be embarrassed. 

He pauses at my backside and quirks an eyebrow while wearing a devilish smirk; clearing his throat, he moves back in front of me. Leaning in so his mouth is just a hair's breadth away from my ear, he speaks in a deep, whispered tone, “I don’t mind it.”

It’s like he knows what I’m doing, so he’s playing back even harder. Which so isn’t fair. He should be the one weak in his knees right now, not the other way around!

“Are you done checking me out?” I rest my hand on my hip and smirk at the demon male.

Jinu jumps backward, landing on a higher part of the roof, so he’s looking down at me. His eyes flicker, showing off the yellow-golden hue‌ before settling back into his deep chocolate eyes. 

“I don’t think I could ever stop,” the dark-haired male gazes into my eyes as he speaks.

I roll my eyes at the cheesy yet working line that he used. 

“So, did your friends freak out after seeing your patterns?” Jinu questions, stalking toward me. My head quirks to the side in confusion. “I’m guessing they already know about your patterns.”

My mouth opens into the shape of an ‘O’ once I realize what he’s saying, “Oh, yeah,” I wave my hand in the air like it’s no big deal, “They’re my best friends, of course I told them.”

Jinu keeps walking in circles around me like I’m his prey, trying to make me feel like I’m cornered, but I won’t let him scare me. So, I plop down on the roof of the building we’re standing on and swing my legs over the edge as I stare out into the distance. Wow, the view is so pretty up here. Maybe I should come here when I need to clear my head. 

“You sure you should be comfortable?” Jinu narrows his eyes into slits as he watches me closely, trying to read what I’m doing. The look on his face tells me he doesn’t trust what I'm doing. He thinks I’m trying to pull something on him by letting my guard down.

“I’m sure,” I say softly, giving the demon male a sweet smile. I then pat the spot next to me; “Come on, I don’t bite.” My voice comes out sultry, and I move my lips in a way that draws his attention; “Unless you want me to.” I playfully wink at him.

Jinu continues to stare at me for a moment before releasing a deep sigh and making his way over to me. Carefully sitting down, with some space between us, Jinu hangs his legs over the edge as well. I lean back on my hands, my feet sway in the cool night air, and I just stare out at the horizon. A breeze drifts by, lingering on my skin and sinking into my bones. My body shivers, and goosebumps form up and down my legs. I’m regretting not staying in my fluffy pajama bottoms. 

Jinu removes the jacket he had layered on top of his grey hoodie and drapes it over my legs. The warmth instantly relaxed my body, and I just wanted to curl up under his jacket. Or maybe I want to curl up next to him. Is he unnaturally warm because he’s a demon? Jinu’s dark orbs look over to me, softening, and he slides in closer to me. He doesn’t get so close that it fully invades my bubble, but enough so that my leg almost brushes against his, and I can feel the heat radiating off of him.

“So tell me,” Jinu looks into my eyes, “How can a demon be a hunter? How have you been able to hide all this time?” He leans in closer, keeping eye contact; “Don’t the voices drive you insane?”

“Voices?” I say quietly, “The only voice that drives me crazy is my own.” I chuckle softly. Jinu glares at me, not finding what I said funny.

“You don’t hear Gwi-Ma?” The dark-haired male looked genuinely surprised.

“No,” I shake my head softly; “Does his voice constantly ring in your mind?” I look at the male with concern, and I slowly lift my hand to rest on his head. I ease my fingers through his hair, but he quickly grabs my wrist and rips my hand off him. His touch ignites my patterns, causing them to glow brightly.

“How did you get these?” Jinu’s voice is stern as he asks. It seems I struck a chord. I know I struck a chord. Gwi-Ma’s voice is the one thing Jinu wants to stop hearing. It’s the reason he’s constantly reminded of the betrayal he did to his sister and mother. I need to break down his walls faster than they did in the movie. I need to fully remove them. He opened himself up so little in the movie while keeping his guard high. I need him, all of him, if my plan is going to work. I can save him; I know I can. 

Jinu rips his eyes away from mine. The way I was staring so intensely and the determined look in my eyes overwhelmed him in a way he didn’t understand. 

I look down at my arms and push my sleeves up, uncovering my patterns. “I didn’t ask for these,” I finally speak, “I was born with them.”

“What?” Jinu’s eyes snap back at me.

“I don’t know if I’m lucky or cursed, but I remember every detail of my life.” It’s because I died and came into this world with a functioning brain of a twenty-four-year-old. “The day I was born, there was a man in the room. He leaned over the hospital bed my mother was in while she was holding me, and he petted my head while smiling down at me. He had bright yellow eyes. That man was my father.” I looked up at Jinu with one of my eyes glowing in the dark while the other stayed normal.

“That was the first and only time I ever saw him. I don’t know why my mother, a hunter, would have a baby with a demon, but that's the reason I have these patterns.”

We sit in silence for a moment. Jinu is taking in everything I just told him, and I’m just hoping he’ll find it in himself to open up to me. In the movie, the only reason he talks about his patterns is to get Rumi to open up, but I opened up first. I know I’m using his tactics against him, but I genuinely want him to feel like he can talk to me. 

“I’d say you’re lucky,” Jinu’s voice is low as he speaks, and a look of jealousy crosses his face. “Gwi-Ma controls us by being in our heads; his voice is deafening, and I’ll never forget the first time I heard him. It was 400 years ago.” 

If I had a cup of coffee, I would’ve taken a drink just to spit it out at that comment. 400 years! I knew I liked older men, but I guess I’m into ancient ones now. 

“My family was poor, and we were struggling. The only thing I had was an old bipa, so I would take it out and busk on the streets. But people didn’t want to listen to a beggar like me. I was ready to give up when a voice rang through my head saying, ‘You can’t do anything for your family,’ and ‘You’re not good enough for them.’ Gwi-Ma played on my weakness and then offered me a way out.” 

Jinu pauses and takes a deep breath; “I didn’t have any other choice, we were starving, so I accepted it, and overnight everything changed. People actually listened to my voice, praised me, and even the king himself took an interest in me. We got to live on the palace grounds, never having to worry about money or food again.” 

The dark-haired male stares off into the distance, almost like he’s rewatching the words he’s saying, “It was paradise while it lasted. My patterns only continued to spread until they took over my whole body. Next thing I knew, I got ripped away to the demon world, condemned to a life where my purpose was to serve Gwi-Ma for an eternity, and my family suffered even worse once I was gone.”

My eyes never wavered from Jinu as he told his story, my heart aching in my chest as I listened to him. He still lied to me. My face fell in disappointment, and I bit my lip softly. I don’t know why I had such high expectations that he would’ve just told me the truth. He’s still a demon, he barely knows me, and his goal is still his key priority. But I won’t let him think he pulled one over on me. 

“Jinu,” I say the demon's name softly, “That’s such a heartbreaking story.” I rest my hand on his wide shoulders; “But I know you’re not telling me the whole truth.” 

My voice isn’t accusing; it’s warm with understanding. “Gwi-Ma only makes deals either for the person or a deal that benefits another party for the person. He can’t do both. So either you made a deal for your family to live lavishly, or you made the deal for yourself.” 

Jinu grits his teeth and hisses, throwing my hand off him. He quickly jumps to his feet and glares down at me, “You know nothing!” His demon voice screeches, causing the Honmoon to ripple. The dark-haired male was no longer hiding in his human form. His patterns glowed on pale skin, and his eyes shone so bright they could tear through the darkness. Teeth sharp and ready to bite, and nails almost as long as talons.

“You see this!” Jinu’s voice breaks as he motions to himself, “I have to live like this as a reminder of what I did! I was selfish, and I failed them!” 

I stand ‌on my feet, heart racing in my chest at the scene before me. Jinu is breaking. The choice he made 400 years ago haunts him to no end, and the way his eyes glisten shows how much he regrets what he did. Anyone else in this circumstance would either pull out their weapon or run away. Being in front of a demon who’s mad or losing their cool can be scary, but I’m not afraid of Jinu. He’s just hurting inside. I crash into his chest and wrap my arms around his neck, holding him against me. The tall male stiffens, unsure of what’s going on, but then he gives in. His enormous arms wrap around my waist, and he buries his face in the crook of my neck.

He doesn’t cry, but I can feel his body shaking. One hand grabs a fist full of my hoodie, and his other hand digs into the flesh of my back. His touch was warm, sending fire through my skin. It almost feels like he’s holding onto me for dear life, and if he lets go, he’ll fall. This is probably the first time he’s hugged someone in 400 years. That thought breaks my heart, and I lift my hand to run through his dark locks. He’s back in his human form, and his body is relaxing.

“I uh,” Jinu pulls away from me and scratches the back of his neck, “I need to go.” 

Before I can say anything else, he disappears into a puff of smoke. 

——————————

The girls and I spent the next few days working on a new song and fighting demons nonstop. The Saja Boys are taking over everything, and their influence is worming its way into people's souls, causing the Honmoon to weaken drastically. In the movie, Jinu reaches back out to Rumi at some point, which she ignores, but I know once I meet the tiger again, I won’t ignore it. We also attended two award shows where the Saja Boys won for Soda Pop, and while the other girls glared over at the boys, I looked at Jinu proudly. Then at the next awards, our song Golden won, and obviously I couldn’t help but be happy and cheer with my girls.

I’m lying on my stomach on my bed, my chest propped up on my elbows, and my legs kicked up. I’m chewing on the eraser of a pencil as I look over a few different versions of Takedown that we’ve written so far. Unlike Rumi, I think this song is good, but I also know this is not the song that will get fans to turn on the Saja Boys. It will probably make them lean more toward the demon boy band and turn against us, but this song is giving us the determination we need to fight. I’m also trying really hard not to write the whole song and act like I’m thinking hard about what would sound best.

A loud bang against my balcony door causes me to jump. My hand flies to my chest, and I roll over on my back to take a few deep breaths. 

“You guys scared the shit out of me!” I whisper-yell as I make my way to the door and open it.

The bird and tiger were standing on the other side, and I gave both of them some pets. The tiger sticks its tongue out, revealing another card, and I gingerly pick it up. We have to find another way to send notes because I hate slobber. I open the card up and read, “Let’s meet up, same place -Jinu.” I stuff the card on the nightstand next to my bed and grab the jacket Jinu laid on my lap during our last meeting. He took off so quickly and left it behind, so I just brought it back with me. And I may or may not snuggle it at night. I can’t help it! It’s so warm and smells of sweet spices. 

I sit on the back of the tiger, my legs dangling over its sides as the demon tiger brings me back to the place where Jinu and I met previously. The dark-haired male sat ‌on the roof, and I swear I saw a hint of a smile as he saw me. I hop off the tiger, rub its cheek, and thank the blue-striped animal before I hop my way up next to Jinu.

“I see you’ve taken a liking to Derpy.” Jinu looks down at the tiger, who's sitting in a dark corner with the bird perched on top of its head.

“Derpy?” My eyes widen after hearing the name of the demon tiger; “That’s its name?” I giggle softly as I sit down next to Jinu. “It suits him.” I look back at my newfound fury friend with a smile.

When I turn back to the handsome male, I find him intensely focusing his dark eyes on me. I wasn’t sure if he was trying to read into my soul or just taken away by my beauty. I’m hoping for the latter. An awkward smile forms on my face, and I lean back to defuse the intense feeling that’s coming from him.

“Um, is there something on my face?” I ask quietly, turning my face and wiping at it. I was eating snacks, so maybe I have crumbs somewhere?

Jinu reaches out, gently grabbing my chin and turning my face toward him; “Your hair is down.” His voice comes out raspy as he speaks. His fingers run across the edge of my jaw, finding a loose piece of hair, and tucking it back behind my ear. 

My cheeks burn from his touch, and I quickly smooth back my hair. “Oh, uh, yeah, I didn’t feel like braiding it.” Except I remember having my hair braided when I left my room. When did it come undone? I rarely have it down like this; I mean, it’s become such a habit to braid my hair that I don’t even remember braiding it half the time. Maybe I’m tired and didn’t realize I undid it.

“Oh.” My mind tears me out of this burning tension, and I shrug Jinu’s jacket off my body and hold it out to him. 

But he pushes it back toward me; “You should keep it. It looks better on you, anyway.”

Where the hell did this man learn to be so smooth? I’m supposed to be sweeping him off his feet, not the other way around. I need to step up my game, but when he acts like this, my whole body gets flustered. How am I supposed to function properly? I'd be in trouble if this were my first life. Like yes, Jinu Mr. Demon, please take my soul. He’d have me dumb and like putty in his hands. 

I slip his jacket back on, lie back on the rooftop, and look up at the stars. “So, what’s it like being part of one of the hottest boy groups?” I glance at the dark-haired male, smirking. 

When Jinu was a human, he was busking in the streets, so this must feel like a dream come true, even if the fame is coming from manipulation. 

“I already knew this would happen,” Jinu lies on his side, his larger body hovering slightly over mine, with a cocky look plastered on his face.

I roll my eyes, chuckling, and I playfully smack his chest; “No shit.” I give him the best deadpan look I could muster, but my face cracks into a smile. “Now give me an honest answer.”

Jinu rolls onto his back, folding his arms behind his head, and stares off into space—literally space, he’s looking at the stars. I can tell that his mind is going a hundred miles per hour trying to figure out if he should be honest or not.

“It’s hard for me to enjoy it,” he finally answers, “In another circumstance, I would love the attention and support we’re getting, but what we’re getting isn’t real.” 

“Then make it real.” It’s my turn to lie on my side. I prop myself up, so I’m looking down at the dark-haired male. 

“That’s impossible,” Jinu shakes his head.

“It’s not impossible. You’re very talented, Jinu, and people would love you without Gwi-Ma’s influence.” I pause for a moment; “I know I shouldn’t be saying this because we’re enemies, but why not use this opportunity to be real? Let them hear what you really sound like, the whole of Saja Boys!” I raise my hand into a fist while giving off ‘Fighting!’ vibes.

A deep chuckle erupts through Jinu’s chest; “Easier said than done, little hunter.” The dark-haired male pushes himself up, so he’s now in a seated position, leaning back on his hands. Our faces are only a few inches away from each other.

My eyes betray me and flick down to Jinu’s slightly plump lips, but then quickly move to look into his deep orbs. I wonder if Rumi and Jinu felt this burning tension between them in the movie, like I’m feeling with him right now. I long to be with him; we were always meant to be together, but I guess he and Rumi were fated. They just didn’t get a happy ending.

“What are you thinking?” Jinu’s deep voice floods through my body as he speaks, our proximity staying the same.

“What if I could help you?” I say without thinking. 

“What do you mean?” 

“When I seal the Honmoon, my patterns are supposed to disappear. Since you’re not a demon by design, and you only became one because of a deal, then if you’re up here, it should rid you of your patterns as well.” I reach out and grab Jinu’s hand, pressing our palms together, and our patterns illuminate the surrounding darkness.

“You won’t be bound to the demon world, and you won’t have Gwi-Ma whispering in your head twenty-four-seven. You could live a normal life.” My voice comes out so softly as I speak, like I’m whispering a forbidden secret. 

Jinu sighs, looking dejected; “You don’t know for certain if that would work.” He moves back, creating a space between us, letting the chilly breeze wrap around me. “Plus, I don’t know how to be human anymore.”

“What if we make a deal?” I say playfully, “Let’s spend tomorrow like normal humans. If you enjoy it and can truly see yourself as a human, then you follow my plan, but if it’s a shit day or you can’t see yourself as a human, then I won’t interfere with your plan.”

The dark-haired male searches my eyes, then he flashes me that devilish smile, and says, “Deal.”

——————————

I woke up extra early to get ready for the day, trying to figure out how I wanted to look. I didn’t want to cover up and hide myself, but I also couldn’t go out looking like Rumi from Huntrix if I wanted to spend the day like a normal person. So, I open my trusty disguise drawer. Inside the drawer are multiple hair colorings that wash out after one use, wigs, and a few other random things like enormous hats and dark sunglasses. 

Putting a wig on felt like too much work, so I opted for a one-time use hair dye. I grabbed the (h/c) tube and turned it around in my hands. I haven’t had my hair this color since my previous life, and thinking about my hair looking this way even for a day makes my stomach erupt with a bittersweet feeling of nostalgia. Every once in a while, I want to go back to see my old friends and family. I wish I knew how they were doing, but there’s no way for me to find out.

I squeeze the bottle in my hand and turn to head toward my bathroom. After I finish the long process of my shower routine (why does Rumi have to have so much hair?). Once I’m done, I take a step back and admire my hard work. It’s going to take at least four washes to get this out later. I then continue with the rest of my route, which includes brushing my teeth, doing my skincare, and then applying a light and natural makeup look. 

I make my way back into my room and throw open the doors to my large walk-in closet. It took me a long time to get used to this lifestyle from my old life, but at least I have my old life to look back on. It keeps me grounded and humble. I step into my closet, looking around my wardrobe for what outfit I want to wear. Do I go casual, or do I dress up a little? I decided on a simple yet endearing look with a black cashmere turtleneck sweater; to hide my patterns, I needed something that covered my arms and neck. Then I grabbed a black pleated skirt, and to top off my outfit, I grabbed my chunky black sneakers. Simple and cute.

I was about to put my hair up when the image from last night floated through my mind of Jinu leaning in and brushing my hair behind my ear. My cheeks bloom a soft pink color, and I choose to put my hair half-up, half‌-down. Accessorizing my hair with a giant floppy bow. Taking one last look at myself in the mirror, I nod my head in approval and quickly grab my purse and my favorite sunglasses before I run out of the house. It’s still early enough that Mira and Zoey are sleeping or lying in bed and doom-scrolling before dragging their bodies out.

Escaping from our shared home successfully, I make my way through the semi-quiet streets and toward Jinu and I’s meet-up area. As I round the corner, I see a tall, nicely dressed male pacing back and forth. I arrived about ten minutes earlier than our agreed meeting time, so I wasn’t expecting to see Jinu already there waiting for me. His hair was loosely slicked back with one strand dangling down his forehead. He was wearing a black button-up shirt with the top few buttons undone and black jeans. Seeing him looking finer than wine, standing off in the distance, takes my breath away. Why does he have to look so good? And he’s wearing all black, so it feels like we planned to match. What if people think we’re a couple? 

My cheeks grow hot the longer I stare at him, and I have to turn around and smack my cheeks a few ‌times; “Gah, (Y/n) get it together.” I whisper to myself. 

After a few moments of trying to calm my racing heart, I make my way toward Jinu. His large back is facing me, so I reach out and tap his shoulder. The tall male whips his head around but freezes once he sees me. 

“I, uh,” Jinu stutters, “Wow.” 

Oh, my gooooooooood. Did I just leave him breathless? All the work I did to calm myself before coming here was for nothing because now my face is like a flaming hot Cheeto. I’m not even dressed up enough to receive such a reaction. My eyes gaze down at the ground, and I switch my weight back and forth on my feet. 

“Um, I was thinking we could go to a cafe first. Get coffee and breakfast?” I say sheepishly, keeping my face pointed to the ground.

“That sounds good,” Jinu says. I feel his soft fingertips hook under my chin and lift my face so I’m looking into his deep orbs. “Just make sure you keep those eyes on me.”

That’s it, I’m going to end up six feet under the ground if this is how today is going to be. Doesn’t this man know how to chill? I feel like he binge-watched ten different romance K-dramas. How does a demon know how to act like this? I just nod my head in response, not trusting my vocal cords not to betray me.

Walking side by side, Jinu and I make our way through the town. The streets are busy as people are coming out to head to work or to beat the afternoon traffic to get their shopping done. The more people we pass, the more anxious I feel. What if someone recognizes me? Even worse, what if they recognize Jinu, and word gets out about us? The girls would surely question me, and I’m not sure if they’d understand my side of things. Zoey would be more willing to listen, but Mira is a harder nut to crack.  

Jinu seems to notice how my body stiffens up and intertwines our fingers together. He pulls me close to him, and feeling the heat radiate off his body helps me relax instantly. That’s right, I need to relax; I can’t show Jinu a good time if I’m stressed about everyone around us. This day has to be perfect if I want Jinu to feel like he could be a human again. 

We approach a cute cafe that’s been trending on social media lately. I haven’t been here yet, but with all the positive reviews, I can’t help feeling excited. They open in the next thirty minutes, and there’s already a small line outside the building waiting to enter. Gripping Jinu’s hand tightly, I pull him behind me as I rush toward the line to secure our spot. We’re fourth in line, and not even ten minutes later, the line grows by about eight couples. 

“Is this place popular?” Jinu leans down to ask me.

“Yes! And I’m so excited! There are so many drinks and meals that I’ve seen online that look so good. I don’t know what I’ll choose!” I whip my phone out and look up the cafe to show Jinu what I am talking about. His eyes widen, and I swear I see a bit of drool run down his chin. 

“You’re right; those look good,” Jinu says.

We spend the next few minutes in line debating what we’ll want once we’re inside, and when the doors open and the hostess finally seats us, I bounce up and down in my chair with excitement. When the server comes by our table, we tell her our order. Mine is a strawberry matcha latte, and Jinu gets a caramel frappe. Then, for our food, we ordered an assortment of things that both of us wanted to try. 

We make small talk and even take a few photos as we wait for our food. Our drinks came out first, and I wanted to sink into the depths of my chair at how good my drink was. Jinu seemed to enjoy his, and he just sat there and sucked the drink down in a couple of gulps. My mouth hangs open as I watch in shock. I try to suppress the laugh that's bubbling up my chest as I see Jinu’s face turn from delight into horror as he clutches the side of his head.

“Ow, why does my head hurt?” Jinu looks at me as if I had poisoned him.

“It’s called a brain freeze, Jinu. When you drink frozen drinks too quickly, it hurts your head.” I cover my mouth with my hand as a few giggles slip past my lips.

The dark-haired male slumps in his chair across from me and pouts like a little child. I was getting ready to tease him even more, but then the server came in front of our table carrying a large platter with all our food on it. She sets each item on the table, and I’ve never been so ready to stuff my face before. I don’t even care that I’m with Jinu; he won’t hold me back from pigging out and enjoying my food. We each have empty plates and load them up with what things we want. I pick up a piece of food with my chopsticks and groan in pleasure as I take a bite. That’s how good it is, and I’ve never been so happy that something lives up to the hype it gets. Jinu doesn’t even notice the weird sound that came out of my mouth cause he’s too busy experiencing the same thing I just did. Let’s just say there were no crumbs, and we got another drink to go before paying.

We make our way to a bookstore that I spend a lot of my time in. When you walk through the large double doors, it’s like you’re being transported into a fairytale world. The owner of this bookstore knew what he was doing, and it’s become a place where I feel truly relaxed. I don’t even know if Jinu likes to read, but I wanted to share one of my safe places with him.

“This place is amazing,” Jinu says, eyes wide like a child seeing the world for the first time.

A smile blooms on my face, and my heart warms at the dark-haired male's reaction. There’s nothing better than showing one of your favorite things to someone, and they enjoy it just as much as you. 

We spent the next two hours wandering around the store. I showed Jinu my favorite books that I’ve read and explained the plot to him in great detail, probably too much detail, but he didn’t seem to mind. He takes me to the folklore section, tells me stories from his past, and points out a few stories that are based on actual demons. Listening to Jinu telling stories from the time when he was a human intrigued me. The way his dark eyes sparkled back to life made my heart skip a beat in my chest. He misses his time as a human, and seeing him like this makes me more determined to change his fate. 

For lunch, Jinu wanted to go to a sushi place, so I took him to one of the best sushi places in town. Having a full breakfast didn’t keep us from eating all we wanted at the sushi place, but after eating so much, I needed to walk around. So I suggested walking through the market that was set up for today. 

A lot of booths were set up selling knick-knacks, jewelry, clothes, and street food. We stopped at each booth, looking over all the items. I felt like I was in one of those movies where we tried on silly hats, sunglasses, and scarves and laughed our asses off. One booth had beautiful jewelry, and I was amazed by every piece. Each is handmade and unique in its own way. The lady behind the booth watches Jinu and me closely, answering questions we have, but at some point, she turns around and grabs something from a box behind her. 

She sets it on the table in front of us and opens it slowly; “I made this ring set with a very special couple in mind. I didn’t want them on display, because I wanted to offer them to two individuals who are deeply in love.” The older lady explains with a smile so sweet it could give me a cavity. 

Jinu and I glance at each other in the shop, choking on the air. I glance away, my face turning bright red. “T-that’s so sweet, but-”

“Can we try them on?” Jinu interrupts me, catching me even more off guard. 

The older lady quickly agrees, takes them out of the box, and hands the rings to us. Jinu slides the ring onto his ring finger, and it fits him perfectly. He gently grabs my hand, thank God, because I’m short-circuiting so badly I can’t move. He holds the dainty ring in his other hand and slides it onto my ring finger, and it’s like the lady made this ring for me. I just stare down at my hand. This is such an intimate moment, and I never thought I’d have a guy sliding a ring on my finger like this unless he was proposing to me.

“How much?” Jinu asks the lady behind the booth.

She waves her hand; “Take them as a gift.” The lady smiles at us, “It seems they were truly made for you two, and it’ll make this old lady happy knowing that you’re wearing them.” 

“We can’t possibly take them without giving you something.” Jinu reaches into his back pocket to grab his wallet, but the lady reaches out and grabs his hands.

She glances over at me, still staring down at my hand, and she chuckles softly, “Just promise me you’ll take good care of her.”

Jinu leans into the older lady, smiling softly as he whispers, “I promise.”

The dark-haired male grabs my hand and pulls me away from the booth, while simultaneously pulling me back into reality.

“Wait! We have to give these rings back!” I say, looking back at the older lady.

“She gifted them to us,” Jinu says nonchalantly. Like the fact that we now have couple rings isn’t that big of a deal. 

IT’S A BIG DEAL!

We get to the point of the market where a few crane games‌are lined up alongside a few strength tests, and a photo booth that's off in the corner. I challenge Jinu in the games to see who’s better. I beat him at the crane game, picking up a stuffed animal before him, and he demolished me in the strength test. I pout and say it’s not fair because he has demon strength. Once we’re done having fun with the games, I drag the taller male into the photo booth with me. We take a couple of goofy photos and some cute ones. I make sure we do another round of photos so we each get two photo strips. Having photos is important to me because I don’t have any photos of people from my past life to look back on. I want to make sure I can always look back at the memories I created with those I care about the most.

Instead of going out to another restaurant for dinner, we just stop at some of the street food carts and pick up an assortment of different things. We plop ourselves down at one of the picnic tables, enjoying the cool breeze as the daytime shifts into night, and eating our steaming hot food. The day is ending, but my chest feels heavy at the thought of having to part ways. Damn, how could I be falling for him so quickly? I wonder if my past thoughts and feelings have anything to do with it, and I wish I knew how Jinu was feeling. Is he feeling any of the same things? I know he has to be feeling at least something.

“There’s one last thing I’d like to do before the night ends,” Jinu says softly, “I saw a sign for an aquarium on our way here.”

“You want to go to the aquarium?” The thought of Jinu wanting to look at aquatic animals makes my chest tighten. It’s such a cute request, how could I say no?

“I’d love that.”

And that’s how we ended up at the aquarium. Thankfully, they had an evening/night opening for people to come and see all the animals. I’ve never been to the aquarium after the sun has set, and it’s like it has a whole different feel to it. Sparkling lights create a glowing path to the next section, and the only other people I see walking around are couples. It’s as if the mood shifted from family-friendly to romantically charged. There are a few couples who seem to think they’re the only ones here, with how they’re kissing and touching each other. Those poor jellyfish have no choice but to watch. 

Jinu and I make our way to the dolphin section, and I watch as two dolphins swim around each other in what seems like a dance. The area is dimly lit, and the glow from inside where the dolphins are is the brightest source of lighting in this section. Jinu steps close to me, our shoulders brushing against one another, and a sharp tingle shoots down my arm. My eyes lock on Jinu’s dark ones, and the way he’s staring so deeply into my irises tells me he also felt it. That shot of electricity between us ignites a fire that neither of us will extinguish. 

The dark-haired male caresses my cheek gently, his fingers soft and yet slightly rough as he runs the pads of his fingertips along my jaw and hooks them behind my ear. Jinu steps closer, our chests brushing against one another as we breathe in heavily. My eyes broke away from the depths of Jinu’s chocolate eyes to look down at his lips, which were a few inches away from mine.

“Thank you for making today the first day I’ve truly enjoyed in my entire existence.” Jinu’s voice comes out deeper than normal with a slight rasp to it, and his fingers that are cradling my head gently stroke my hair. 

I glance back into Jinu’s dark orbs, my voice breathy as I speak, “You deserve to feel this way.”

Once those words leave my lips, Jinu crashes into me. His mouth fits against mine perfectly as our mouths move together in perfect harmony. Kissing someone has never felt so euphoric before. In my past life, I kissed a handful of people, but never really felt anything with those people. In this life, I’ve been too busy to think about dating or having fun with other people. Jinu is technically my first kiss here. Our patterns glow brightly as our kiss deepens. Jinu’s body pressed flush against mine, his large hands gripping my body like he wanted to be closer to me, but after a few moments, he broke the kiss.

He rested his forehead against mine, and my chest heaved up and down as I caught my breath from the intensity of the kiss. I can’t believe that just happened, but every part of my body, my soul, is screaming that it was meant to happen.

Jinu walks me back to our meeting place, hand in hand, and gives me a soft kiss goodbye as he vanishes into a cloud of smoke. 

The next few days are crazy as the girls and I are busy fighting demons, and everything that has our faces and the Huntrix name on it is replaced with the Saja Boys. It is disheartening to have something you worked so hard on get pushed to the side and overtaken by something new and shiny. Or something that’s wormed its way into the minds of the people. Even though the Saja Boys are our enemy and we’re fighting against them, I still make my way to the secret spot where Jinu and I meet up every night. These past few nights we’ve done less talking and a lot more making out and groping. It’s bad. I need to not get sucked into the sexual tension and stick to my plan!

He’s just so hot! And when he looks down at me with those dark eyes, his gaze holds sinful thoughts that I’m dying to figure out. Yeah, we can’t keep our hands off each other, and all I think about is how I can’t wait to see him again. To feel his body pressed against mine, our lips locked together as our tongues swirled around one another, and the way I can feel his excitement pressing against me while I’m straddling his lap. Oh God, it’s such a distraction that it's hindering my demon-hunting skills. That’s it; from now on, I won’t be kissing him until after I free him.

——————————

It’s the day of the fan meet, and the girls and I are hyping ourselves up for a day of interacting with fans. Events like this are important because they help grow our bond with the fans, which then creates an even more powerful experience when they listen to our music. But obviously, I know the Saja Boys are going to crash our meet and greet, and I plan to use this opportunity to the fullest by showing Jinu how much the fans genuinely love him. He still hasn’t told me whether he feels like he could live as a human again, and I plan to get an answer from him soon. 

The venue doors open, and all our fans excitedly line up to finally meet and interact with us for a couple of minutes. When a small group of people comes to the front of the line in sleeping bags, the corner of my lips twists up, and I have to fight the laughter that wants to break out. I wonder if they stayed out all night waiting in line just so they could make this appearance. As they take off their sleeping bags, the crowd goes crazy at the sight of the Saja Boys. Bobby calls for another table to be added, and I quickly suggest that they put the table with ours. I look at my girls apologetically as the boys come to sit with us.

Jinu slides into the chair next to me, and I look at him with a playful smirk. “So did you guys camp out overnight just to be first in line to see us?”

“Maybe,” the dark-haired male leans into my side, and his eyes roam down my body. Deep roses bloom on my cheeks from the way he’s looking at me, and it’s corrupting my mind with images of his body against mine. His arm is resting on the back of my chair, and he leans in more to whisper in my ear.

“Do they know your secret?” His breath tickles my ear.

I whip my head around to make eye contact with the demon male sitting next to me. The gears were turning in my head about what he could mean. I thought Jinu and I were on good terms, that he wouldn’t be threatening me all ominously like this. 

“They already know,” I say sternly, all the bubbly feelings inside of me now replaced with anxious tremors. 

“I’m not talking about your patterns.” The sound of Jinu’s voice causes a knot in my throat, and I suddenly feel like I can’t breathe. The dark-haired male reaches into my pocket and pulls out my phone. Opening up the camera, he places the phone in front of me so I can see myself. 

The face looking back at me through the camera is one I’ve almost completely forgotten about. (H/c) hair, (e/c) eyes, and (s/c) skin. 

“(Y/n), that’s your name, right?” Jinu purrs into my ear. If I weren’t so freaked out and feeling like I was going to throw up, I would’ve melted at the way he said my name.

I glance over at the other Huntrix girls to see how they’re reacting, but they don’t seem to notice that I’ve changed into a completely different person.

“Don’t worry, only you and I can see the way you look right now. To everyone else, you still look like Rumi.” Jinu leans back in his chair, a sinister smirk plastered on his face, looking proud of himself.

The fan event goes on, but I’m stuck in a void. I’m unable to be present with my fans and give them the interaction they deserve. How does Jinu know about me? Did Gwi-Ma somehow figure it out and is now using it to get Jinu to turn on me? Of all the plans that I came up with, this wasn’t a variant. Will this change everything? 

I shut myself in my bedroom once we got back home from the fan meet. Too many thoughts are going through my head, and every time I peek in the mirror that hangs on my wall, I still look like my past self. What did Jinu do to me? How come every time I look at myself, I see (Y/n) and not Rumi? Did Jinu mean it when he said everyone else still saw me as Rumi? I finally gave in and just stood in front of the mirror. The outfit I wore during the signing was still covering my body. I shrugged the jacket off to see if the patterns were still marking my arms, or if they had disappeared. My arms were bare; nothing was etched into them, and for a moment, I felt relief. If I go back to my past self, does this mean I won’t be half-demon? But as I turned my arm around, the patterns popped out one by one like they were hiding from me, and I finally found them.

“I guess I’m just meant to be cursed no matter what,” I whisper.

I plop back down on my bed and roll into the fetal position. What do I do now? I need to rethink all the plans I made, but most importantly, I need answers from Jinu. Has he always known and was just using me, or did he just find out? I groan into my arms. My heart aches at the thought of him not actually caring about me, and just using me like the demon he is. I tore my guard away in hopes it would help us get closer, but I probably should’ve left at least a few walls up. 

Derpy slowly emerges from the ground with Magpie sitting on his head. I glare at the creatures, knowing exactly why they’re here. 

“So he thinks, after the way he acted today, that I’ll just meet up with him, forgive him, and then suck face again,” I hiss at the demon animals. “Hell no!”

I sit back in my bed and pout. I know I need to talk to him, but I don’t want to see his face tonight. The creatures don’t leave my side and hang out in the room with me as I brood and rethink my plans. But my brain can’t think of anything different from what I already came up with, so I toss my notebook and grab my music sheets instead. It’s time I finished Takedown and see what the girls think.

“A demon with no feelings don’t deserve to live, it’s so obvious.”

I try singing the song, but the anger that’s inside of me bubbles over, and I end up scribbling over the page. A knock sounds on the door, and my eyes dart to the side where Derpy and Magpie are. “You have to go!” I shoo them toward the ground, and they slowly disappear. I watch where I’m going so I don’t knock the trash can over. There’s no energy in me to hide the demon creatures from Mira right now. I open the door to see the pink-haired female leaning against my door frame. Her face is stone cold as always, but her eyes are glazed over with worry.

“Can I come in?” Mira asks.

“Of course.” My voice comes out softly, and I step out of the way to let her in.

“Are you okay?” The older female asks as she sits on my bed, “You’ve seemed weird since the Saja Boys interrupted our fan meet.”

I sit down next to Mira and sigh deeply; “Having them show up like that threw me off, and I know I should’ve handled the situation better than I did.”

“Hey,” Mira looks at me with her intense gaze, “Things are stressful right now, and we’re handling things the best that we can.” Mira glances at the ground and frowns as she sees the sheet music that I scribbled all over. “What’s this?” She says as she picks the piece of paper up.

“I’m sorry,” I say genuinely as I grab the sheet of music from her, “I kind of got angry as I was trying to finish the song. I’ll rewrite it, don’t worry.”

Mira glares at me for a moment. “Is there something else going on that you’re not telling us?”

I fall back onto my back and stare up at the ceiling; “Besides the stress of defeating Gwi-Ma, and getting rid of my patterns? No, nothing at all.” I stare at my arms as the purple markings glow. 

“Well, if anything else is going on, you know you can talk to us, right?” Mira grabs my hand and squeezes it.

I smile softly at her, “I know.”

——————————

It’s the next night, and I make my way over to Jinu and I’s spot with Derpy and Magpie following along beside me. The Idol Awards are in two days, and I need to fix this mess before it gets even worse. I elegantly flip my way onto the roof, where Jinu is waiting for me.

“So you finally decided you wanted to see me again?” The dark-haired male says smugly. 

I roll my eyes and cross my arms over my chest. “Look, Jinu, I need you to answer my questions honestly.”

The tall male nods his head for me to go on; “How long have you known about me? And what do you know?”

Jinu steps closer to me, and runs his hand through his hair; “That day when we met up here, and your hair was down. That was the first time I saw you as (Y/n), and I’ve seen you that way since.”

My mind races to find the memories of what he’s talking about, and it suddenly makes sense. I don’t remember putting my hair down because it wasn’t down. My hair was in its normal braid, but when I saw Jinu, it magically fell down. He was seeing me as (Y/n), my hair was how I normally wore it in my past life, and because of that, Rumi’s hair was suddenly not in a braid anymore.

“You’ve known for that long?” So when we had that day together, he wasn’t looking at Rumi; he was looking at me. Does that mean he likes me more than Rumi? I shake my head. Rumi and I are the same; the only difference is our looks. Then, the realization dawned on me. Jinu only told me he knew about the past me, so he could get into my head. He’s trying to trip me up, which means he’s still working toward his goal with Gwi-Ma.

I rip my sword out of thin air and hold it up to Jinu’s throat. My eyes filled with anger and heartache. I bite my lower lip as I try to hold back tears. “What do you know about me?” The dark-haired male stands on the other end of the sword, face composed in a neutral line, and doesn’t answer. “Tell me!” I yell out. My voice came out coarse, causing the Honmoon to ripple. My eyes glance around as fear crawls its way up my throat. I can’t let the demon inside me take over.

Jinu lightly touches the tip of my blade and pushes it away; “I’ll tell you, but you need to relax first.” The dark-haired male takes a seat on the edge of the roof, and I take a few deep breaths before getting rid of my sword and sitting a respectful distance away from the demon male.

“When we first fought against each other, and I saw your patterns, Gwi-Ma knew instantly that you have his mark, but he doesn’t have control over you. So he did some looking into your past to figure out how you could be half-demon. But he found things he wasn’t expecting.” Jinu looks deeply into my eyes.

“Your mother, Miyoung, wanted to have a baby, but she could not conceive one. When fighting against a couple of demons, the one she was fighting was a higher demon and could see what her desires were. He saw she wanted a child and made a deal with her. That he would give her a child as long as it was his. At first, Miyoung refused, but eventually, she agreed to the deal. She wanted a baby, no matter what the cost would be. When you were born, Gwi-Ma could sense an imbalance in things and summoned your father back. He thought he could overthrow Gwi-Ma by having a child who was stronger than him, and Gwi-Ma didn’t take kindly to being undermined, so he killed him. Your mother died because of the deal she made with the demon, but because it wasn’t a deal with Gwi-Ma, she wasn’t sent to the demon world.”

Tears prickle in my eyes as I listen to the story he’s telling me. I don’t know if I can trust what he is saying, but if Miyoung wanted to have a baby so badly that she’d bear a demon's baby, then that must mean she truly loved all of me.

“While Gwi-Ma was digging into your past, he realized that your soul seemed different from other souls here. He found out you weren’t from this world and gave me the power I would need to see you as you are.” 

We sat in silence for a while‌, while I absorbed everything he told me. I can’t fully accept what he’s said, for all I know, he’s lying about the facts. “How can I trust what you’re telling me?” I look into Jinu’s dark irises.

“Talk to Celine. She can confirm my story about your mother.” A flicker of sympathy takes over Jinu’s orbs as he looks into my (e/c) ones.

I glance over the edge of the roof, looking down at the ground that's far below my dangling feet. “If you know about my past life, then you should know you can trust me when I say I can set you free by sealing the Honmoon. I’ve seen how things here unfold, and I guess I can’t wrap my head around why you wouldn’t trust me.”

Jinu jumps up from where he was sitting and stares down at me in shock. “What?” His hands are shaking by his side.

“You know, in my past life, I saw how things work out-”

“No, I don’t know,” Jinu says sternly.

I look up at the dark-haired male and quirk my head to the side. Oh, no. I fucked up.

“So you’ve always known what was going to happen? That means everything between us was just a lie? A manipulation?” Jinu stares at me with disgust.

“No!” I yell as I stand to my feet, “The day we spent together and everything after that never happened here originally. Everything between us is the most real thing I’ve felt since I was reborn in this world.” I step forward to grab Jinu’s hand, but he takes a step back; “Jinu, I’ve felt strongly about you before I even knew you were real, and I always wanted to save you, to set you free. I’ve always known the real you, and that never changed how I feel. You made a mistake, and you’ve paid long enough for it. Please trust me and let me help you.” I didn’t think I would have to beg Jinu, but here we are.

“I-I need some time to think,” Jinu said before vanishing.

——————————

After the intense conversation I had with Jinu, it was hard for me to concentrate on anything else. There were a few people in the movie they showed getting their souls taken, and I planned to show up and save them. I know it’s nothing to the number of souls they’ll take, but if I can at least save a few people who died in the movie, then that’s a win for me. I had to push through all the emotions I was feeling to make sure I was there for those who needed me, but it was hard. At least I still showed up and saved the girl who was getting a drink. She freaked out when she saw me. We took a few photos together, and I even bought her some snacks. 

I could save the guy at the bus station without being caught, but I paused in front of the missing persons board. So many posters are piled on top of each other, of people who just disappeared. Their poor souls are being taken, and their families do not know what's happened to them. We’ve been working hard and fighting demons like crazy, but unfortunately, we aren’t able to save everyone. 

I make my way back home, shower, and then curl up in bed. Tomorrow is the rehearsal for the Idol Awards, and I want to be well-rested and, hopefully, have a clearer mind.

I couldn’t sleep.

I wake up the next morning feeling groggy, so I wash my face in cold water, hoping it’ll help me look more alive. But I still look miserable. We make it to the venue where the Idol Awards are going to be held, and we take our places on the stage. We get a couple of hours to go over our performance, and as of right now, we have two songs lined up to sing. Golden and Takedown. We go over our Golden performance, and each practice run goes off without a hitch. My voice is back in its best shape, and my heart swells with warmth each time I sing that song. It holds such a special place in my heart. But as we practice Takedown, that emotion goes away. This song is hateful, and it’s going to make our fans question us. We can’t risk that.

“Hey, why are we stopping?” Mira questions. My body stands still in the middle of the stage as I look out where all the fans will be.

“I just—I don’t think this song is the right one to sing tomorrow. The fans won’t react the way we need them to with this song.” I bite my lip as I wait for their responses.

“Really? You’re telling us now? When the Idol Awards are tomorrow.” The pink-haired female crosses her arms and glares at me.

“Maybe we can fix it! What do you think needs changing?” Zoey looks at me hopefully, pulling up her notebook to look at other lyrics we could use.

“The song is good how it is, but it won’t turn the Honmoon Gold. I don’t think we should perform it tomorrow. It’s too risky.”

Bobby slowly walks into the heated scene while holding a basket of goodies for us, but we don’t even get the chance to enjoy what he brought us because the Honmoon ripples. The three of us quickly take off to where the interference is, and we end up on top of a fast-moving train with a handful of demons crawling around it. 

“I don’t understand why you’re having doubts suddenly,” Mira says as she slashes through one demon. “It’s too late to write a new song. The Idol Awards are tomorrow!” 

“Mira, please,” I look at the pink-haired girl, begging her, “Just trust me. Everything will still work, just without Takedown.”

“Guys!” Zoey yells, pointing behind us.

A large magenta hole is ripping through the ceiling of the bridge that the train is moving on, and hundreds of demons fall from it, crawling toward us.

“The tear!” I yell out, my eyes widening. I’ve never seen anything like that before. Looking at it scared me, but I had to quickly pull myself together. I can’t show the demons that I’m scared; they’ll use that against me.

“If you think Takedown isn’t the right song, then let's test it.” Mira looks at me with her sharp eyes.

I narrow my eyes and nod in agreement. I have to prove that this isn’t the right song, and the only way to do that is to show that it’s not as powerful when fighting against the demons.

“I don’t think you’re ready for the takedown! A demon with no feelings don’t deserve to live, it’s so obvious.”

And just like I said, the song didn’t work the way we wanted it to. I got my ass thrown across the train, and we had to use every ounce of strength in us to fight the horde of demons. Our chests heaved as we killed the last one, but it just didn’t feel right. Something was wrong. We quickly made our way onto the train, but it was empty. The people who were once here have disappeared, but their belongings stayed behind in their place.

We hung our heads in shame and defeat. The feeling of depression seeped into my bones after that fight. Fuck! How could I let our feelings get so high and risk all those people's souls? Now they’re gone forever. I can see that the other girls are feeling the same way. Their faces look tired, and the once-soft lines under their eyes have grown. 

“You’re right,” Mira says softly, “we can’t afford to take risks right now. We have to work hard together to get through this.”

The younger girl nods in agreement, her eyes glued to the ground, and the three of us slowly leave the train station.

——————————

I leave early on my way to meet up with Jinu so I can stop by Celine's. I haven’t had the chance to talk to her about my mom and dad yet, but I need confirmation before I see Jinu tonight. Using my key, I open her front door and walk through the large house. Everything in here reminds me of my childhood. All the wonderful memories, but also all the memories I wish I didn’t have. My relationship with Celine is confusing. I love her a lot, but her presence also pains me. She reminds me of everything that’s wrong with me, and I always feel ashamed of myself when I’m around her.

“Oh, Rumi, what are you doing here?” Celine says once she sees me walk into the kitchen.

“Can we talk?” I take a seat on the stool next to the island.

“Of course,” Celine stopped what she was doing and moved to stand on the opposite side of the island, facing me.

“Why was my father a demon?” I don’t bother beating around the bush; “I don’t understand how my mom, a hunter, could have a baby with a demon.” 

Celine stares at me for a moment before sighing, running her hand through her thick locks. “Would you like something to drink?” Celine turns around to open the fridge. She always tries to avoid this conversation. 

“Celine, please, just tell me. I’m not a kid anymore.” I say a bit sternly. 

The older woman closes the fridge and leans against it. The gears rotate inside her head as she thinks things over. “Okay, I’ll tell you.” She moves into the living room and pats the spot next to her. I move next to her, and she grabs my hands in hers. “Your mother always wanted to have kids. Having a baby to love and raise was almost more important than her duty as a hunter. She was in a serious relationship for a long time, and they felt the time was right to have kids. But Miyoung wasn’t getting pregnant. She went to the doctor, and the doctor told her she was infertile. It broke her. For days, she cried, and the man she loved left. He couldn’t be with her if they weren’t able to have babies.”

“That’s awful,” I whisper.

“After that, your mom still wanted to have kids. She never gave up and was looking into adoption, but they told her the only way they would accept her as a candidate was if she were married. She felt defeated. Not too long after, we had one of our hardest battles yet, and one demon wouldn’t leave Miyoung alone. She let her weakness be seen, and the demon fed off of it. He offered her the chance to have a kid so long as it was his. Miyoung gave in and accepted his deal, and that’s how you came to be.”

Tears are trickling down my cheeks at this point. So, what Jinu told me was true. I wipe my cheeks, smearing the salty tracks across my face. Celine reaches out and rubs the wetness away, and then cradles my face.

“Oh, baby, she loved you very much and cherished every moment she had with you. Rumi, you were the best thing that ever happened to your mother.”

I grab Celine’s hands and remove them from my face. “She loved me despite who I am,” I whisper. 

The older woman's face falls. She knows exactly what I’m saying. That my mother loved me despite being half demon, but Celine only loves a part of me. The human part. 

“Rumi,” Celine reaches out to me, but I stand up and put distance between us. “You know I love you.”

“Not all of me, but don’t worry,” my eyes fill with tears again, “We’re gonna seal the Honmoon, and you’ll be able to fully accept me.” I turn around and rush out of the house. Celine followed behind me, calling out Rumi’s name, but I ignored her.

My tears are almost fully dried up as I make my way to Jinu. Once I get near our meeting place, I see him leaning against the building instead of on the roof. He’s petting Derpy, and has the sweetest smile on his face. I walked toward them, scratched the side of Derpy’s face, and gave Magpie some love before leaning on the wall next to the tall male. 

“So you thought about what I said?” My voice comes out quieter than I meant it to.

“All night, but,” Jinu looks deeply into my eyes, “You really know what’ll happen?” 

I nod my head and move closer to the dark-haired male; “Yes, it won’t be easy, Gwi-Ma will fight us, but in the end, we’ll be victorious.” I grab Jinu’s hand. “We can be free to be ourselves, to be together.” I intertwined our fingers. “Don’t you want that?” I look into Jinu’s dreamy dark eyes. Showing him how much he means to me through the look in my eyes. He steps closer, closing the gap, and rests his forehead on mine.

“(Y/n),” my heart skips a beat as he says my name, “You’re breaking through all the dark in me when I thought that nobody could. And you’re waking up all these parts of me that I thought were buried for good. It’s easy when I’m with you, no one sees me like you do.”

A bright smile forms on my face, and I jump into Jinu’s arms, burying my face into his chest; “You’ll do this with me?”

Jinu’s large hands cup my face, lifting my face so our lips are only an inch apart; “We’ll beat him, together.”

Jinu’s lips crash into mine. Our lips move roughly against one another like we won’t be able to breathe unless we do. My feet float off the ground, but at this moment, I don’t even care. Jinu lands us on the roof and lays me down as he hovers over my body. His eyes looked down at me as if I were the only person he cared for. Jinu dips his head down, capturing my lips in a much gentler and arousing kiss. His large hands moved slowly over my body, feeling every dip and curve. Pausing just above the waistband of my sweats.

I break away from the kiss and pout softly. Jinu chuckles at my reaction and leans down to kiss along my jawline; “Is my little huntress wanting more?” He asks in that deep, husky voice that causes my arousal to pool in my thong and then nips at the sensitive flesh below my ear. A gasp leaves my lips, and my hips buck a little. 

“Jinu,” I whine out, “quit teasing me.” I glare at the older male, who’s enjoying my reactions too much.

It’s been too long since I’ve been touched by another person—an entire lifetime, if you will. The only touch I’ve felt is my hand and a vibrator since I’ve been Rumi. I know what it’s like to be with a partner, but being inside Rumi’s body, a virgin, makes everything feel more heightened.

Jinu dips his hand below my waistband and rubs gently against my clothed clit, causing my body to jolt at his touch. He sucks in a sharp breath; “You’re so fucking wet, princess.” He runs the tip of his finger between my folds, pushing the fabric of my thong between them. “Is this all for me?”

I nod my head quickly; “Y-yes.”

“You’re so eager.” Jinu removes his hand from my pants. “Do I need to teach you some patience?” 

I glare up at the dark-haired male and shake my head; “Jinu, please,” I push my hips up so my sensitive part brushes against his thigh that’s positioned between my legs. “Touch me,” I beg him.

“How can I resist when you beg so sweetly?” Jinu looks down at me with sinister eyes, and in one swift motion, he pulls down my sweats and thong. 

The chilly night air hits my glistening folds, adding a fresh sensation that erupts through my body. Jinu sits up and spreads my legs open so he can look at my pussy. His eyes darken with hunger as he looks at the sight of me lying before him. He rests his hands on my hipbones and grips them roughly, pulling me so I’m closer to him, and then he runs his hands up my stomach, tugging on the end of my shirt before ripping it over my head. I wasn’t wearing a bra, so my breasts were completely on display for him. My nipples hardened instantly as the air nipped at them.

Jinu smirks and makes his way down my body until his face is positioned between my legs. He peppers soft kisses on the inside of my thighs and even sucks a few dark spots onto them. His mouth finally meets ‌my clit, and he flicks it a few times with his tongue. A mixture of a gasp and a moan leaves my mouth with each flick. Once he suctions his lips around my clit, it’s over for me. My body writhes in pleasure, my hand shoots into his dark locks, and my fingers tangle in his hair. His assault on my clit is precise, and he doesn’t slow down once, keeping my body in an overwhelming state of ecstasy. 

Without warning, he slips a finger inside of me, a loud moan leaving my lips at the sudden intrusion, and pumps slowly at first, stretching me out a little before adding a second finger. Giving my walls little time to adjust before pumping them in and out of me while still using his mouth on my clit.

“J-Jinu!” I moan his name. My body bucks against him, and the overwhelming feeling is becoming so much that I try to move away. His free arm grips me tightly, keeping me in place.

“Mmhm, baby,” Jinu shakes his head as he glances up at me, “Let me finish my meal.” He slowly licks up my folds while maintaining eye contact. Fuck, how does this ancient demon know how to be so hot? Actually, I don’t want to think about that.

Jinu goes back to what he was doing, and it doesn’t take long before I moan loudly, my body shaking below his, and my juices coat his face. The dark-haired male pulls away from me and licks his lips before hovering over my naked body. “You taste so sweet.” He purrs softly. 

My hands run over his clothed chest, and I grab the hem of his shirt, pulling it over his head. “You have too many clothes on.” Jinu chuckles and watches as I work on his pants next and pull them down. He kicks them off and strokes his hardened member through his boxers.

I bite my bottom lip as I stare at the large bulge straining against the fabric of his underwear. Jinu hooks his fingers in the waistband and slowly slides them down, his cock springing free in release. My jaw almost drops to the ground as I take in the sight of his member. He’s long and thick with a few veins bulging along the length of his shaft. His tip is ‌dark pink and glistening with precum, making my body shudder at the sight.

“Do all demons get this perk, or were you blessed with this cock as a human?” I ask without thinking.

Jinu smirks, pumping himself gently as he looks down at me; “I was blessed.”

Jinu sits up on his knees, grabs my ass, and lifts my bottom. My legs instinctively wrap around his waist, and my entrance brushes against his swollen tip. Just feeling him brush against me makes my eyes roll back. 

“You ready, princess?” Jinu asks, looking down at me with care.

“I’m ready.” 

Jinu pushes his tip into my entrance, stretching me like nothing I’ve felt before. A stinging sensation burns through my body, and I put my hands out to press against Jinu’s muscular abdomen. 

“Jinu, wait!” I say quickly, not wanting him to push any further; “Fuck,” I hiss in pain, “I- I’m a virgin.” I guess it doesn’t matter that I’m in my past body. Talk about becoming a born-again virgin.

“Do you want me to stop?” Jinu asks, a worried look on his face.

“No, just go slowly.” The pain is already easing up with his tip sitting at my entrance, but I know once he pushes in further, the pain will come back.

Jinu slowly inched his way, taking breaks when he felt me tighten, and pushing further when my body relaxed. It takes a couple of minutes before he’s fully seethed inside of me. Our breathing is heavy, and our bodies are ready to feel more than this agonizingly slow pace we’re going at. But Jinu is being such a gentleman, going slow, and listening to my body. Being that his member is huge and I’m a virgin, we need to go slower so my body can adjust well. 

“I- I think you can move now,” I whisper. 

Jinu pulls back slowly and begins pumping in and out of me. He’s moving slowly and lovingly, letting my body relax with his gentle movements. Once he feels that my walls have loosened around his large member, he picks up the pace. Thrusting into me faster and harder. The way he has me propped up and wrapped around his waist makes it so he’s hitting the right spot deep within me. Moans fall out of my lips, and my hands reach out to grab at the roof below me. 

The dark-haired male takes in my pleased expression as a sign to go faster. He moves at a merciless speed and grips my hips hard enough to leave bruises as he pounds into my soaked pussy. My body is tingling with pleasure, and my moans are becoming so loud that if anyone were to walk by, they would hear me. My mind is fuzzy, and the only thing I can focus on is the way Jinu feels buried deep inside of me. 

After a couple more thrusts, my walls flutter around Jinu’s cock, his grip on my hips tightening at this feeling, and he somehow pounds more roughly into me. 

“Oh, my God, Jinu!” I yell out his name as my walls clench down like a vice around the dark-haired male's member. My body convulsed under him with pure pleasure. 

“Oh, fuck, babygirl, you’re so damn tight.” Jinu breathes out. After a few more thrusts, he shoves his cock balls deep into me, his tip twitches, and I feel the spurt of his seed deep inside of me. Jinu groans out as he leans over me, letting my pussy milk him of every drop. He then plops on top of me, his cock still buried in me, and kisses my forehead.

“You took me so well, princess.” As he slides out of me, I can feel the thickness of his cum seeping out and down my thighs. Jinu grabs his shirt and uses it to clean me up as best as he can, and then he pulls me into his chest. 

We stay like that, cuddling on the rooftop, skin to skin, as we look up at the stars for the rest of the night.

——————————

AN: Is it hot in here, or is it just me? What do you guys think of this chapter? It’s a long one! And what do you think of my theory/twist I came up with? The main theory I have for Rumi’s mother is that she fell in love with a demon, and that’s how Rumi came to be. My other theory is much darker, and I would like to think that one isn’t the case. I wanted something different from what I’ve read so far, so I went with theory three for Rumi’s mother, which is that she was infertile but wanted a baby so badly that she made a deal with a demon. In my version of KPDH, only high-ranking demons can make deals, but the human who makes a deal with them doesn’t get sentenced to the demon world like they would if they made a deal with Gwi-Ma; they just die at some point. Then, I also wanted Jinu to experience the reader in their true form to make this a true x reader. As fun as it can be to be in Rumi’s body, it would feel much nicer to have Jinu like you for you. Which he does, he falls for the reader as they are. Also, Gwi-Ma could sense the soul inside of Rumi as being foreign, and could even see what it looked like. Normally, souls look like their outer shell, but Rumi’s looked like a different person. That’s how Gwi-Ma knew the reader came from a different world. When Jinu explained those things, the reader assumed he just knew everything, but really, they had no way of knowing what her past life was like.

Three years have passed since our debut, and we’ve been FLYING! But seriously, we’re flying right now. Anyways, the fans love us, and the Honmoon has never been stronger. I can feel it, we’re so close to seeing gold, but if I’m honest, I’ve been so busy in my life, my craft, and fighting demons that I’ve almost forgotten all about canon. It hasn’t crossed my mind in… three years? Whoops? But don’t worry! I wrote everything down in a journal, and I just have to find where I put it. I know it’s happening soon because ‘How It’s Done’ was dropped in our recent album. The only part of canon that’s stuck in my head is the songs and the Saja Boys. Ahhh, the Saja Boys. I can’t wait to see them in person.

I slump forward on my hand with a dreamy look in my eyes.

“Uhhh, Rumi? What’s with that gross look?” Mira asks.

“Oh! Nothing!” I chuckle nervously and grab the cup of ramyeon in front of me. A photo of myself is plastered on it with my name ‘Rumi’ in big letters. Even after twenty-one years living as Rumi, I still feel like an impostor. The number of times I’ve almost introduced myself as (Y/n) is crazy, and sometimes I just want to shout at people that Rumi isn’t my name. Actually, this body isn’t even my body. My hair is (h/c) not purple, and it definitely didn’t touch the ground when I wore it down. This body isn’t shaped like my past lives, but I am thankful for the healthy body I’m in right now. I’ve never felt hotter. Though I may have added more squats to Rumi’s workout routine. Hello, body-ody with the booty-oty. 

“It’s pre-show ramyeon time!” I call out, trying to get myself back on track with our pre-show ritual. 

Before every show, we like to carb up to ensure we have enough energy to burn while on stage, and today is the biggest show we’ve ever done. So we need a lot of food, and then we end it with ramyeon. It’s the best decision we’ve ever made. The girls instantly perk up and grab their ramyeon cups, and we click them together.

“Happy fans, happy Honmoon!” We all say, but when we look inside the cups, there's no water in them. Zoey pouts, and Mira groans. That’s weird, the staff always knows to have our ramyeon filled with hot water so it’s ready to eat once we’re done. I glance over at the stewardess who’s acting odd. We’ve worked with these people before, and even rehearsed our exit from the plane for tonight's show. She seemed completely normal then. 

“Um, I’m sorry, can we get some water for our ramyeon?” I ask politely while holding up my cup of noodles to show that they’re dry and uncooked.

“O-oh, of course, hunt-Huntrix!” The stewardess chuckles nervously and quickly rushes off to grab some water.

I lean back into the couch behind me, closing my eyes for a moment. My mind flicks to the concert we’re about to perform at, and my heart races in my chest. It’s been a while since I’ve felt nervous for a performance, but a show of this caliber is huge for us. With this many people in the crowd means we can tighten down the Honmoon, and maybe see some gold. The pressure of creating gold has been there since I was young, and once Mira and Zoey joined me, Celine hounded it into us that we would be the ones to reach gold. What if we don’t make it? I don’t remember them achieving full gold in the movie. I know there was a reason for that, but what if even after the events of the movie, we don’t succeed? 

Brinnggg.

The sound of my phone ringing brings me back to reality: “It’s Bobby.”

The other girls slide up next to me as I answer the FaceTime call from our manager, and we’re met with a very distraught look.

“Girls, where are you?” Bobby’s worried voice sounds through the phone.

“Doing our pre-show ritual, and waiting on our ramyeon.” I hold up the noodle cup to show our sad, dry ramyeon as I make a pouty face.

“What about the show? The map shows you guys flying away from the venue!” 

My eyes narrow as it dawns on me why the crew on the plane has been acting weird, sharing a knowing look with my girls, I inform Bobby we’ll be there soon, and then hang up.

“Ughh, why do they always have to show up when we’re eating?” Mira groans as she slides down the couch and onto the floor.

Zoey has been busy stuffing her face with more food, so when she turns to look at where the crew is, her cheeks are puffed out like a squirrel's, her face turns red, and I swear I can see steam coming out of her nose.

“THEY’RE GOING TO FEEL MY WRATH!” Zoey war cries. For being so small and sweet, she sure is scary.

I clear my throat and stand from the couch, and make my way toward the stewardess. I lean against the counter and stare at the lady. She freezes while holding a pot of coffee and pouring it into a plant. I grab the pot out of her hand and set it aside. Poor plant, I mentally mourn for the life of the leafy fellow before turning back to the stewardess. My face morphing into the scariest face I could muster, which isn’t that scary, Rumi is too pretty to be scary, but my aura is killer, and that adds to it.

“Just be honest, you’re a demon,” I say, but the lady turns around to run away. I quickly reach out and grab her arm, where patterns pop out of nowhere. A smirk forms on my face as the rest of the crew takes on their natural forms. Ah, this is my favorite part. Beating some demons while singing. 

When our voices mesh together, causing the Honmoon to glow, it sends chills down my spine; it’s a feeling I couldn’t explain to anyone, and the sparkle of the Honmoon is mesmerizing. It’s more beautiful than looking at the stars in the night sky. My fingers brush over the Honmoon, like strumming strings on a guitar, and then I reach into the Honmoon and pull out a pearlescent sword, my trusty battle weapon, slaying demons along with my voice and friends. 

“Knocking you out like a lullaby!” A smirk plasters on my face as I look at Zoey as she joins in on the next verse, “Hear that sound ringing in your mind!” Then Mira joins the two of us as we gain on the demons, “Better sit down for the show, 'cause I’m gonna show you.” 

“Oh, this is canon!” I say excitedly. Mira and Zoey paused to stare at me, and I shrugged my shoulders in response. The demons take this moment to try to attack us, but I quickly lift my sword over my head, and the other girls get into their fighting stances. We quickly slash the demons in front of us apart, causing them to burst and disappear into the air.

“How it’s done, done, done.”

A few demons escape from the plane that’s slowly falling apart due to the battle that’s been taking place. And call me an aderinle junkie, but knowing we’re about to jump out of the plane sends a thrill through my body. 

“Well, this plane is trashed,” Mira states. 

Zoey and I nod our heads as we take in the scene before us. Half the plane is missing, and its wings have been torn off. We were quickly falling toward the ground, but it oddly felt like we were just floating in the air. I step toward the edge of the plane and salute my girls before leaning back and free-falling through the air. I spread my arms out and close my eyes, enjoying the feeling of the air pushing against my body. Once I open my eyes, I switch back into game mode. Flipping through the air, I make my way to one of the demons and slam the end of my heel into it.

We’re quickly approaching the concert venue, and I know this isn’t exactly how we planned on entering our concert, but it’s pretty badass. We fly through the sky like shooting stars and quickly land on the stage. Loud screaming from thousands of fans could be heard for miles, enough to take my breath away, and put a permanent smile on my face. 

There were a few demons left, but we got rid of them instantly. Crew members came rushing out onto the stage, and we slipped our earpieces in and got straight into our performance. Singing and dancing like we didn’t just fight a bunch of demons, and seeing the excitement on the fans' faces reminds me of my old life. The good ol’ days of fangirling over K-pop groups, and losing my mind when I finally got to see them live. Seeing their reactions gets me hyped up like I’m in the crowd with them experiencing my ult group. Except I’m the one on stage that they’re screaming for. 

It’s the moment during the song that I hit my high note, taking a deep breath, I ready myself, and I kill it! The crowd erupts into a fit of screams and jumping, and the Honmoon glows brighter than the light sticks, covering the stadium of fans, and in a small flow within the Honmoon, we see a flicker of gold. I want to drop to my knees and cry in joy, but I have a show to finish! I can celebrate this moment with my girls once the concert is over.

——————————

On our way down from the concert, the three of us are squealing and yelling like schoolgirls in excitement. Our voices yelling over each other, talking about the flicker of gold that we saw. In the movie, Rumi was so excited and determined that she released Huntrix’s new song right away, but that two weeks of vacation sound ABSOLUTELY needed. We idols need rest, and I would hate to make Mira and Zoey sad by taking away their couch time. 

As we step off the elevator, a crew of people surrounds us and walks with us as we move through the backstage. They’re fixing up our makeup, fanning us, giving us sips of water, and even feeding us a few snacks. I love being pampered, and our crew members are the best. I’ll have to make sure they get a good bonus and gifts for all their hard work during this tour. People might think we work the hardest just cause we’re on the stage, but those behind the stage work just as hard. 

I look ahead to see Zoey and Mira skipping away from everyone while chanting “Couch! Couch! Couch!” Bobby is stopped in front of me, squeezing the bridge of his nose, and exhaling a large sigh. 

“What happened?” I ask our manager as I sling my arm around his shoulder. Bobby is honestly more than a manager; he’s one of my best friends and does so much for us.

The shorter male sighs again, “I booked you guys a staycation at a resort for your break, but those two are more excited for your couch.” 

I laugh at the rejected male and look over the info pulled up on his phone screen. Wow, this place seems nice.

“You know what, Bobby, you should go to the resort and treat yourself for once. You deserve it after everything you’ve done for us.” 

Bobby waves his hand bashfully in the air, saying there’s no way he could do that, but then quickly does a 180, “Who am I kidding! Someone robe me, I’m a 34 short, please.” 

“Yes, king! Treat yourself!” I yell back at Bobby as I run to catch up with my girls.

——————————

When we get back home, I take a long, warm shower and do my extra-long skincare routine. Getting to take off our costumes and makeup at the end of the day is equivalent to taking your bra off after a long day. I feel refreshed, relaxed, and ready to binge-watch shows while stuffing my face. The girls and I put on our spa-time robes, gather large piles of food for ourselves, and sink into the soft cushion of our sofa. The three of us just sit in silence for a moment as our muscles relax and lose the tension they’ve held throughout the day. 

My plan is for everyone to relax for a week, and then I’ll launch Golden. In the movie, Rumi has issues with her voice, and her patterns grow down her arms. My theory is that her patterns grew because of the stress she was under, trying to turn the Honmoon gold, but also in trying to get rid of her patterns so she could be normal. Keeping that secret and hiding something that you deeply hate about yourself grows a seed of bad feelings, feelings that she kept hidden, and feelings that festered inside before they became too much for Rumi to handle. Then everything blew up, and the part of Rumi that was demon fed on those negative feelings, which gave it a reason to grow. My patterns barely touch my elbows and don't even reach my collarbones.

I told Zoey and Mira that I was half demon, which elevated a lot of those feelings, but the need to hide and fix myself is still strong. I do a lot of things to try to keep myself relaxed, calm, and not festering over my bad feelings. I need to stay level-headed and not lose myself. Canon has officially started. My girls, the fans, the Saja Boys, and, most importantly, the world needs me. I’m going to save everyone, and to do that, I need to make sure I rest before dropping Golden.

This next week, I’m going to rest my voice, drink lots of soothing tea, and meditate. There’s no reason for my voice to crack, but even if it does, it still gives me time before the idol awards to figure out why my voice isn’t working. But if my voice does crack during that promotion rehearsal, I don’t know what I’ll do. I internally cry. Everything I’ve done up till now, I’ve done it with the forethought of losing my voice; it’s the only thing that’s stuck with me these past few years. My voice is crucial to being a hunter, so taking care of it has been my main priority. 

Now, to come up with a game plan. I stand up from the couch and excuse myself from the girls for a moment. I make my way through our shared home and into my bedroom. Closing the door behind me, I quickly get to work looking for my journal. As soon as I was old enough to write decently, I wrote down everything about the movie. I repeated every scene like a mantra in my head once I knew where I was. The fact that I watched it five times and thought about the movie constantly before dying was pretty helpful. But once I wrote all the words down, I finally stopped thinking about it.

I’ve been living in the moment and focusing on my mental health the most. I’m so happy, but at the same time, my depression threatens to take over. I can’t let it do that. It’s game time more than ever, and I need to get my head in the game. My decisions right now can either change everything or destroy everything. Or maybe what I do won’t affect the story at all, and the outcome will be the same.

“No,” I shake my head, “I’ll save everyone, even you, Jinu,” I whisper to myself.

I find a familiar purple notebook with stickers and glitter all over it, and I quickly pull it out of the pile hidden within my closet, “Aha!” I flip through the pages, reading over each word. 

I spend the night in my room planning out what I would need to do, different outcomes, and how I would handle things if they went to shit. 

“This is perfect,” I say, looking over my notebook, which is now full.

Now I just have to hope.

——————————

A week has gone by, and we’re sitting in one of the studios in our company building. Mira and Zoey are hovering over my shoulders, and Bobby is sitting across from us. All our eyes narrowed in on a large tablet with the cover for our song, Golden, on it, with a big green button across the screen that says ‘Launch.’ I knew once I brought up wanting to release it early that everyone would be game, so here we are. My hand slowly reaches out toward the tablet, and my finger presses the button.

“It’s uploaded!” Zoey jumps up and down with excitement.

“Let’s get you girls ready!” Bobby rushed us out of the studio and toward the dressing rooms.

Our new costumes are hung up and waiting for us to put on with our fashion crew and makeup crew on standby to make us look even better. It’s promotion time, baby!

We released the song earlier this morning, and everyone is going crazy about it, and it’s already the number one trending song. This song is everything, our hearts and souls, and it has the power to turn the Honmoon golden. I doubt we’ll succeed with this song like they did in the movie, but it would be pretty cool if we could. It would also make things so much easier to just have the Honmoon turn gold like what was originally planned in the movie. But I doubt that will happen, and that’s why I’ve come up with a plan A, B, C, and D! Can’t be too careful! I felt like Doctor Strange looking at all the outcomes of defeating Thanos, and out of 14,000,605 possibilities, they only won in one of them. 

I mentally groan, and if I could slam my head against a wall right now, I would. One chance, that’s how it feels, and even though I have multiple plans, I’m sure only one of them will work. I’m voting for plan A, yes, plan A will work, and I won’t have to rely on the other ones.

——————————

We make our way to a talk show for our promotion to talk about our new single, Golden, and later tonight, we’ll have our first live performance of the song. We haven’t rehearsed the song yet, I’ve been resting my voice, so I’m not sure how my vocal cords are doing. The rehearsal before the performance will be the big reveal on whether what I’ve done was helpful or if it didn’t matter at all.

My nerves are through the roof as we make our way to the venue. I have my earbuds in and I’m doing my best to calm my nerves and get into the right headspace. Mira notices the slight twitch in my leg, grabs my hand, squeezes it, and gives me a reassuring look. I smile softly at her and take a deep breath.

Everything was going good during the rehearsal, and I didn’t feel any kind of strain in my vocal cords. My confidence was rising, and my worries were slipping away. I think everything will be fine! My voice sounds good, and it feels fine while I’m singing. I lose myself in the song and go to hit one of my bigger notes, but my voice cracks. Everyone pauses and looks at me. My face has fallen, and I can’t look at anything but the ground. Fuck! I worked so hard to make sure this doesn’t happen. Maybe I’m just in my head? No, that can’t be it, I was so lost in the song, there’s no way, but maybe subconsciously my body knew I was worried and betrayed me? Yeah, that has to be it.

“Sorry guys,” I say sheepishly, “Let’s go from the top again.” I move back into position.

Mira and Zoey follow, giving me small pats on the back before taking their places in the formation. The song starts back at the beginning, and everything flows smoothly until my voice cuts out again. There’s no way. This can’t be happening.

I run off the stage and into the dressing room designated for HUNTR/X, and throw myself in one of the private dressing rooms. I look into the mirror and take a deep breath. This has to be all in my head. Rumi’s patterns were already down her arms and up her throat, and if my theory was correct, my patterns shouldn’t be the issue. Steadying myself on the desk in front of me, I take a moment before I rip my jacket off. 

The sight I see in the mirror causes a small scream to leave my lips, and I quickly cover my mouth. My patterns, they’ve grown, just in hours! They trace over my whole arms, ending at my wrists, and creeping up the base of my throat. How did this happen? Tears wet my eyes and threaten to spill over. My theory couldn’t have been completely wrong if I’ve kept the patterns at bay for so long, but what triggered them? Were they always meant to get this intense? I just wanted to take my nails and scratch them off. These were never supposed to be part of me. I was never supposed to be here. I’m (Y/n) (L/n) not Rumi. 

The door to the dressing room bursts open, and I quickly grab the robe next to me and cover myself. Zoey and Mira are standing in the doorway, their faces coated with concern as they take in my disheveled appearance. When I realize it’s just them, I drop to my knees and cry. The two girls rush to my side and encase me in their warm embrace. Only with them do I feel truly safe and accepted. 

“What happened?” Mira looks deeply into my eyes.

My bottom lip juts out like a little kid's, and I inhale a few wobbly breaths. I slowly remove the robe I was wearing to show them what my patterns currently look like. This moment is giving me flashbacks to when I first told them I was half demon. 

“Oh, Rumi,” Zoey says in her soft voice. Her hand gently running over my arm, where the patterns are.

“I don’t know how this happened,” I choke out, “My patterns looked the same this morning. Now they’re all over my arms and on my neck,” My hand rests on my throat, “What if they’re the reason I can’t sing?” My eyes search my friends with worry and fear, looking for a glimmer of hope in their irises. 

“I don’t see why they would,” Mira says earnestly. 

Zoey’s voice piping in with a “Yeah!” 

“I think you’re just stressed and tired,” Mira pulls me into her side, “We all are.”

“Mmhm,” Zoey nods enthusiastically, “We may have had a small break, but maybe taking the full two weeks off was what we should’ve done.”

“Yeah, maybe,” I smile softly at my friends.

“Oh! How about we go out to eat?” Zoey’s bright smile almost blinds me.

“I like that idea,” Mira smirks.

“But what about the show?” 

“Bobby can handle it!”

Bobby, in fact, couldn’t handle it. Actually, he could, but that didn’t make it any less hard to deal with thousands of disappointed fans.

I sulked over the soup I was eating and pouted the whole time. I just wanted to do good, and do good by Rumi. She deserves so much better, and I thought I could be the change. My hand grips my spoon. This is only the beginning. The plan I have is solid, and it’s going to work. I can do this!

“So what do we do? Should we call Celine? Maybe she can help!” The younger girl goes from concerned to hopeful within seconds. 

Oh, Zoey, how I wish I had your optimism. 

“No, she would only tell us one thing,” Mira glares at Zoey.

“We are hunters, voices strong. Your faults and fears must never be seen.” The three of us say in unison, and we chuckle afterwards. 

“But she’s right, if we show fear or that something is wrong, our fans will start to lose faith in us.” I groan and let my head fall onto the restaurant's table.

“What if we take a real break?” Zoey says softly, “Like skip the Idol Awards and have a few months to just breathe.” 

“No!” My head shoots up as I shout. “I’m sorry, but we can’t skip the Idol Awards. It’s our biggest show and strengthens the Honmoon for a whole year.” 

It’s also the main event during canon. I can’t let Saja Boys win, steal everyone's souls, and feed them to Gwi-Ma. That would be the end of the world. The Idol Awards are the most important.

“We’re also so close to sealing the Honmoon and getting rid of my patterns.” My eyes shift down to my hands as I turn them over in my lap.

“Rumi’s right, if your patterns are the reason your voice is in trouble, then sealing the Honmoon as quickly as possible is our best bet.” Mira’s deep voice flows through my ears.

Zoey leans over the table and rests a hand on my shoulder, “Don’t worry, we can get through anything as long as we do it together.” The younger girl sits back in her seat and pulls out her phone. “Leave it to me to help your voice, Rumi! I know something that’s totally legit!” She winks at me.

I giggle softly and shake my head. Zoey’s plan to help me is not legit, but I can’t bring myself to say no to her when she’s just so cute!

——————————

Zoey was able to book me an appointment with this doctor the next day, and that’s how we find ourselves walking through a crowded market. We made sure to wear things that kept us hidden, but didn’t go the full nine yards to hide our identity. I tried to get us to wear sunglasses and masks before going out, but the other girls said we’d be fine. It’s a weekday, and this area isn’t that busy during this time. Little do they know.

We make it into the doctor's office, and the photos hanging on the wall are more terrible in person. They looked almost believable in the movie, but seeing what it would look like in the real world is so laughable. They’re totally edited! Anyone would be able to guess that. I side eye Zoey to see if she’s questioning herself on her choice yet, but she just smiles brightly and gives me a thumbs up. Oh, sweet baby, she’s so naive. I need to wrap her up and protect her forever. I mean, what?

The doctor finally walks in and gets to ‘inspecting’ me right away. Eyes widening as he leans in closer, trying to read what’s wrong with me, but his face is so funny there’s no way I could take him seriously. So I burst out laughing. Mira joins in with a laugh of her own, and Zoey sits back with a pout plastered on her face.

“I see that you need to take this seriously,” The doctor says sternly.

“Okay, I’m sorry,” I clear my throat and settle my face, but when the doctor leans back in to read me, I start laughing again. My hand goes up to cover my mouth, and I wave my other hand in the air, “I’m so sorry!”

The doctor growls and narrows his eyes at me, “You’re hiding things.” 

My back straightens, and all the giddy feelings I had quickly vanish. Is he just saying that because I was laughing, or can he tell? He then turns and closes in on Zoey. Her face quickly drops, “Um, why are you looking at me?” Her eyes shift to every part of the room that isn’t the doctor's beady eyes. 

“You want to please everyone,” The doctor states.

“What? No way, psh, I’m not like that,” Zoey tries to shake off what the doctor just said, “Right?” Her dark brown eyes shift to Mira and me to see what we thought.

  The doctor then whips his head toward Mira, squinting his eyes, and zoning in on her, but Mira squints her eyes right back and doesn’t back down. The pink-haired girl then bares her teeth and growls at the doctor, causing him to yelp like a puppy and jump backwards. I couldn’t help the chuckle that fell from my lips at the interaction. I love Mira, she’s so badass.

“Just give us the damn tonics already,” Mira rolls her eyes.

We finally got the box of tonics. I know these won’t do anything for me, but the fact that Zoey wanted to help feels like it’s healing me. I grab one of the packets, open it, and start sucking on it. It’s just normal juice, but hey, at least it’s a good brand. We made our way down the alley where the shop was located. Mira and Zoey cheer for my voice to have a speedy recovery when we see shadows about to emerge from around the corner. This is the moment. My eyes widened with sparkles, and my heart stopped in my chest. I’ve been waiting my whole second life for this. 

Mira and Zoey freak out thinking they’re fans and quickly hide behind me, throwing my hood up, and pulling my head down so I’m hiding behind the box of ‘tonics’ that I’m carrying. Awww, now I can’t see them properly. I pout. Thank god the girls can’t see my face. When the group of very attractive men comes into our sight, the girls pop out behind me and look at the males with their jaws on the floor and drool coming out of their mouths. I, of course, followed suit, dropping my box of juice pouches in the process, and the pouch I was sucking on dropped out of my mouth. Their good looks make me weak. THEY’RE SO MUCH BETTER LOOKING IN PERSON. OH MY GOSH, BABY IS SO HOT! AH! ABBY’S ABS ARE KILLER! ROMANCE LOOKS LIKE HE’S PRINCE CHARMING! AND I WANT TO RUN OVER TO MYSTERY AND LIFT HIS HAIR OUT OF HIS FACE SO I CAN FINALLY SEE WHAT HE LOOKS LIKE. 

Then Jinu spawns in behind the group, and it’s like the world slows down. Wow, this is happening in real life. I thought time only slowed in the movies. Does this mean Rumi and Jinu are really fated to be together? I watch him walk past me, and I move to the side subconsciously so he doesn’t bump into me. My mouth was still hanging wide open. I glance over at Baby and mentally apologize for thirsting over Jinu this much. Baby, my bias, I’m so sorry. I cry internally. We aren’t fated to be together. My eyes shift back over to Jinu, who’s looking at me with a smirk on his face. Once they’re out of view, the three of us faint over on each other, fanning ourselves.

“Oh my god, they’re so hot!” Zoey says, and Mira and I agree. 

“Who even are they?” Mira looks off into the distance where the men walked off to.

“My soulmates,” I say mindlessly while Zoey nods, agreeing with me.

While the three of us are still caught in our daze, we pick up my juice packets when we hear music playing off into the distance. We quickly rush over to see what it is, only to find the boys we just had an encounter with coming out of a cloud of pink smoke.

“They’re a boy band?” Mira’s eyebrow quirks up. 

I take this moment of us not knowing they’re demons to fangirl. I drop the box onto the ground, squeal, and scream for the boys. The fangirl in me didn’t get left behind in my old life, and Mira and Zoey fall victim to this side of me often. At least Zoey joins in with me, and Mira quietly fangirls in the corner. We also aren’t mad at them since I moved out of the way and didn’t give Jinu the chance to be rude. But then Jinu pulls out one of my pouches and starts drinking it. He still stole one? I quickly count the number of pouches in the box. Wait, there’s only one missing, and all of these are closed. My eyes trail back up to Jinu as he’s performing, my cheeks turning a deep shade of red as I realize he took the one I was already drinking from.

The dark-haired male sees my reaction and smirks at me, throwing the empty pouch my way, and I catch it. That dirty demon, he knew exactly what he was doing. Damn it, he’s so hot. Zoey grabs my arm and shakes me while screaming, but the moment is ruined once they show a glimpse of their patterns and eyes.

We all gasp, “They’re demons!” While Zoey says, “Magicians!” Mira and I look at Zoey, judging her only slightly. Again, I must wrap her up and protect her. 

I also want to experience the part where we all gag over the boys, so better late than never, right?

“They’re not even that hot,” I say while sticking my nose up into the air.

“They’re so ugh,” Mira grimaces.

“No, they’re bleh,” Zoey makes a disgusting face.

“They’re,” We all make retching sounds. 

“Let's kill 'em,” Mira starts stalking toward the men, but I quickly hold her back.

“We can’t, not yet.”

“Plus, they look pretty friendly!” Zoey points at the demons.

“Demons aren’t friendly!” Mira glares at the younger girl, but Zoey’s eyes drift toward me as if to say, “But this demon is friendly.”

My hands instinctively shoot up to cover my arms even though they’re already covered by my jacket.

“Rumi doesn’t count,” Mira groans.

“I don’t?” I tilt my head to the side, looking at the older, pink-haired female. 

It’s so odd, does Zoey see me as a friendly demon? And Mira doesn’t see me as a demon at all? I wonder what they think of me. 

When the Saja Boys were done performing, they properly introduced themself, and promoted how they’ll be on a variety show later tonight. Of course, they’d get on the most famous variety show as soon as their debut. I wonder how they manipulated their way to the top so quickly. 

“We’ll get them tonight,” I narrow my eyes as I watch the men disappear in the same way they appeared. “Let's get battle-ready!” 

Normally, when we fight demons, it just randomly happens, but when we get chances like this to prep for battle, it makes it more fun! I love being hot as hell when slaying demons, and I even made sure we didn’t wear leather pants! I mean, why did they do that in the first place? Fighting in leather is so not practical. 

We make our way to the studio where the variety show is being filmed and sneak in through one of the back doors. Being able to do this should be impossible. Why did they leave a door unlocked, and why wasn’t anyone standing guard? Idols need all the protection they can get. My mind is racing a mile a minute, writing a lengthy letter on security to send to the management here. 

We take our places behind the stage and hide in the darkness. I led us to another part of the stage in the hope of not being seen. The goal is not to kill them, but to still have the upper hand. Also, this new spot gives us a great view of the show as it’s taking place. Oh my gosh, this is so funny to watch in person. I could never drink hot sauce like that, and how does Baby make it look so attractive? Like damn, he knows it’s the hot sauce that can’t handle his heat. Stop it (Y/n), I chide myself. How do I expect myself to get close to Jinu when I keep thirsting over Baby?! My eyes glance over to the tall, dark, and handsome male. Butterflies flutter in my stomach as I take in his appearance. I guess it won’t be that hard to get close to him.

“You know, I think I understand how your mom ended up with a Demon,” Zoey mindlessly says, and Mira elbows her in the side.

Suddenly, bright lights are shining in our faces, and our weapons quickly disappear. The crowd that came here to support the Saja Boys started going wild and screaming our names. I blink a couple of times as I try to process what is happening. They still knew we were here? Damn it!

“What do you say? Why don’t you play with us?” Jinu’s sinful smile is plastered on his face as he looks into my eyes. Ugh, I want to both slap and kiss it off his face.

“You guys are too kind!” I put on the best smile I could, “We just stopped by to congratulate our hoobaes!” I discreetly elbow the girls next to me.

“Oh, yeah, congratulations!” Mira and Zoey chuckle awkwardly. 

Wow, the air is so tense. Either with hostility, sexual tension, or both. I can’t tell. Actually, the sexual tension is probably one-sided, by me. Whoopsie.

“Aw, come on, for the fans?” Jinu looks at me with puppy dog eyes, and I instantly cave.

“Of course, for the fans!” I chuckle nervously. Totally for the fans, and not because of your face.

“Bring out the slides!” Jinu yells over to the crew.

The fans are cheering us on to get on the slides, and I thank god I made sure we didn’t wear leather. Now we can have a proper, funny moment for the fans and not ruin their eardrums. We climb up the slides and position ourselves at the top before we swish down into the ball pit below, and the fans cheer loudly while laughing. We pop up out of the ball pit, where we thank the fans and have a respectful bowing competition with the Saja Boys. 

Once the curtains close, the demon boys run away, and we follow after them. They rush into a bathhouse, and we burst through the doors behind them to find we’re in the men's bathhouse. This is so embarrassing. 

“Wow, I’m surprised you followed us in here,” Jinu says in his deep voice.

“I’m not surprised, they keep looking at me.” Abby glances at us girls.

We all shake our heads and quickly deny, but then his shirt lifts, revealing a portion of his abs. Okay, yeah, I’ve been looking at him, and it seems I’m not the only one. 

Demons start emerging from the ground, snapping us back into gamemode, striking our fighting stances, and we get ready to battle. 

“Have fun!” Jinu calls out to us, and he turns around to leave, slipping on a puddle of water. 

I suppress the laugh that wants to escape my lips, slash the demon that was in front of me, and chase after the handsome male. Listen, ladies, don’t follow after me; the men do the chasing, we don’t. Anyways, I follow Jinu through the bathhouse and into one of the sauna rooms. My blade slashing through the air, just barely grazing the dark-haired male.

“Hey, watch the face!” Jinu raises his hands in surrender, “I need it to steal your fans.” 

I know what game he’s trying to play at, and I slash the bucket he throws at me with ease. He still somehow manages to slash my arm, but Ha! In his face! I wore a protective layer underneath that’s hard to slice through, so he wouldn’t see my patterns. I glance down at my arm with a proud smirk, but growl when I see the purple hue of my patterns. Ugh! He just had to ruin my plan! The anger flows through me as I jump on Jinu, holding my blade to his throat. I wanted us to have a special moment in the future where I show him my patterns and be like, “Oh, Jinu, I’m more like you than you think.” Show him my patterns, “You’re not bad because you have patterns.” Create an enteral bond, fall in love, get married, and then have babies. But noooooo, he just had to ruin it!

“Damn, you’re strong,” Jinu huffs as he pushes back against my blade, clearly working hard to overpower me.

“Of course I am!” I growl, pushing against him even harder.

If I weren’t so upset about my plan being ruined, I would’ve been very embarrassed about straddling his lap right now—wait, I’m totally pressing up against his… As that thought crosses my mind, my face turns into a literal tomato, and my push against Jinu lightens. He throws me off him, and my body tumbles into the hot ground of the sauna.

“You have patterns?” Jinu looks down at my exposed skin.

Before I can say anything, a large hole blows through the wall of the sauna, and Mira and Zoey are on the other side, struggling against a horde of demons. Jinu rushes toward me. This is my moment, I think to myself. He grabs onto my shoulders, spins me around, and I can’t help the way I rest my head on his chest. Is he still going to cover my patterns up? What a hero—he throws me into my besties, causing us to tumble over like bowling pins.

“That asshole!” I yell out.

“Rumi!” Mira yells.

Right, demons to slay. We jump back onto our feet, and with the three of us being back together, we’re able to clear the demons out. I find it endearing that we’re at our strongest when we’re all together, but I also wish we didn’t have to rely on one another so much. There will be times when we can’t always fight side by side. We finally cleared out the bathhouse. Our chests heaving from one of the bigger battles we’ve had. I don’t think we’ve ever fought so many demons at once. The Honmoon is already getting so weak.

“Hey! This is the men's bathhouse! Get out!” An older man yells at us.

“We’re so sorry!” We bow to the man and quickly leave.

Wait, am I forgetting something? 

The old man!

I quickly turn around and go back into the bathhouse. The old gentleman who warned us of being in the men's bathhouse was sitting down and scrubbing his back while singing Soda Pop. A demon emerges from the water behind him, and before it even has the chance to suck the older males soul I slash through it.

“Sorry! Forgot my necklace!” I hold out the necklace that I was wearing previously, bow to the older gentleman, and then run back out of the bathhouse. I wiped at my brow and sighed deeply. At least I saved one extra person so far.

——————————

AN: YESSS WE ARE THIRSTING HARD! As you guys read, the reader decided to have a week's break, hoping that her voice would be fine for the promo instead of releasing it right away like Rumi did. My theory is that yes, Rumi’s voice was tired from the nonstop work, but when her voice breaks and she notices her patterns have grown, she freaks out and thinks that’s the reason. I personally don’t think the patterns have anything to do with it, but I did want the reader to question it. I think Rumi’s thing with her voice was overuse, and then a mental block, thinking it’s because of the pattern growth. That’s why when she finally has a break, and can relax with Jinu, it helps her sing again. Because she’s been resting and Jinu helped the mental block go away. Also, I’m down bad for Baby, sorry not sorry, and I have the biggest crush on Zoey. Can you tell? I also wanted the girls to have a real moment of fangirling over the Saja Boys, cause, duh, I would be fangirling. And the reader's plan of waiting to show Jinu her patterns was part of plan A. Just minus the other things lol. Reader thought that if she willingly showed Jinu her patterns, it would open up a door for him to be truly vulnerable with her, and not in the fake/real way he was in the movie. Now part of the plan is shot, but could the reader still get to that deeper bond she’s trying to create? Keep reading to find out! And no, Jinu did not cover readers' patterns. She wasn’t freaking out like Rumi did in the movie so he didn’t feel the need to hide it for her.

Three years later

I’m three years old now, and my life has been good, well, except for when I found out that I was reincarnated as Rumi from KPDH. I had a mental breakdown for about a week straight, and my poor mother had no idea what was wrong with me. One doctor's trip later, I decided I was being dramatic, and it was unfair to the woman who was caring for me. It also dawned on me that at some point during my childhood, my mother would pass away, so from that point on, I was well-behaved and the best little girl I possibly could be.

I also felt bad that my mom was on her own. After my birth, I never saw my father again, and my mother didn’t seem surprised by his disappearance. There are so many questions that I have, but being only three, I still don’t talk well. There’s also the fact that asking such complex questions would be weird coming from a child. I mean, can you imagine your daughter asking, “Mommy, did you love Dad or did he manipulate you into sleeping with him?” 

Yeah, no. That would be too weird. Maybe I can ask something simple like “Where’s daddy?” I doubt my mom would tell me the full truth, but even a sweet version of the truth could tell me a little bit as to why my father was a demon.

But it seems I’ll never get to ask her that question. 

The second Celine came rushing into the daycare center to pick me up, I knew what had happened. The older woman's face was distressed, and salty tracks stained her flawless cheeks. This was the first time I’ve seen Celine look broken. The mantra she lived by, “Our faults and fears must never be seen.” Was one she followed to a tee. Celine and my mom were best friends, so I’ve been around the two often, and Celine always held herself together. During moments where she might crack, I would hear her repeating those words.

The tall, beautiful woman picked me up and squeezed me tightly in her arms. Her tears stained my shirt, and as a child, I had to act like I didn’t know what was happening. I lifted my little hand and rested it on Celine’s dark hair, and ran my small fingers through the thickness of her locks. 

She brought me back to her home and sat me down, doing her best to explain to poor three-year-old me, no three-year-old Rumi, that her mother died. I cried. We spent the night cuddled up together, and I couldn’t tell who needed it more, me or Celine. Miyoung was a part of my life for three years, but I lived a whole twenty-four years before those three. I also had two loving parents. It was hard for me to see Miyoung as my actual mother; I saw her more as Rumi’s mom, but that didn’t change the fact that I still grew attached to her. I think I mourned more for Rumi as a little girl who lost her mother than for myself, who lost a second mother.

——————————

Two Years Later

Celine has started to teach me how to sing, and teaching me about demons and the honmoon. She tells me it’s up to me and the next set of girls she finds to strengthen it even more, but she also makes me hide myself. This was something I was always aware of. I know she told Rumi to hide her patterns, to not let anyone know that she was half demon, but being told those things over and over again for the past two years messes with your mentality. It’s hard enough as a twenty-four-year-old, but as a five-year-old, that’s detrimental. I can only imagine how much Rumi despised herself for being half demon with all the things Celine has said, I mean, fuck, I’m starting to hate msyelf too. In my past life, I struggled with insecurities and things I didn’t like about myself, but this is on a whole new level. I feel disgusted. Looking at the patterns on my shoulders makes me sick.

All these thoughts are running through my head as I sit in front of Celine. We’re in the garden that connects to our house, and we’re about to start a sparing session. For about a month now, Celine has been giving me fighting lessons and has even started with some dance lessons. She’s getting me ready to become a hunter. The thought of having to fight demons scares me, but I won’t lie, learning how to fight, dance, and sing is pretty fun. I feel like a badass, and I never got to feel this way in my past life. But it does come with a lot of downsides, like being depressed at five years old!

“Here, let me do your hair.” Celine's soothing voice seeps through my ears.

This has become a routine of ours.  Before any lesson, she does my hair, braiding it, and she has me sing the song of the hunters. It’s supposed to get me in the right headspace, but it honestly relaxes me more than anything. Also, it reminds me of the scene in Tangled when Rapunzel is getting her hair brushed by Mother Gothel when she's younger, and her hair glows. Which, now that I think of it, probably isn’t a good sign that I connect these two things. Oh well, I just wish my hair would glow too. 

Celine grabs a brush and begins getting the knots out of my hair. I start by humming the tune of the song, and once she starts braiding, is when I begin to sing the words. 

“We are hunters, voices strong, slaying demons with our song. Fix the world and make it right. When darkness finally meets the light.” 

 Celine joins in and sings the last part of it with me, and I can’t help but turn around and smile at the older woman. Her voice is so angelic that it gives me chills. That’s when I remember the scene in KPDH when it shows that part during a flashback. My face fell as I remembered what had played out. It was a moment where little Rumi was looking for some sort of acceptance, to be told her patterns weren’t bad, but again, Celine says she must hide them, and it must feel like the only way Rumi could be fully seen is when the Honmoon is sealed. When it’s turned golden. 

“Celine?” I turn around to face my mentor.

“Yes, Rumi?” Her face softens as she looks at me.

“Could we visit Mother today?” My voice comes out small and uneven as I speak.

The dark-haired woman looks at me with care and nods her head. She pulls me into a warm hug and places a kiss atop my head. 

“Of course.”

Once we were done with training, we made our way to my mother's grave. Sitting in front of the stone, I think about everything that’s happened. My past life, my death, my rebirth, and my new life. It’s hard to wrap my head around that this is my new reality. Even after five years of living with it. I could be stuck in a convincing coma spell for all I know, and wake up one day to find out none of this is true. 

A small laugh rips me out of my thoughts. My eyebrows knitted down in confusion as I glanced at Celine, who was giggling at me. 

“What?” My small voice felt foreign in my throat. 

“You’re a mess after training.” The dark-haired woman motions for me to come closer. “Let me fix your hair.” 

I do as she says, and she undoes my braid just to do it all over again. 

My mind goes back to what little Rumi asks, and I decide to ask my version of it.

“Celine, do all demons deserve to die?” I want to see if her response to this is the same as what Rumi asked in the movie (i.e., “Do Hunters kill all demons?”). 

“Yes,” Celine answered with no hesitation. 

My shoulder’s sagged, and my face screwed up into a mixture of sadness and dissapointment. I lightly lift the sleeve of the cardigan I was wearing to look at the small number of purple patterns that covered my shoulder. 

“So anything with patterns deserves to die?” My voice gives away all the mixed feelings inside of me. 

Celine quickly grabs the sleeve of my cardigan and pulls it down, hissing, “Cover those up!” She flinches at her harshness and takes a deep breath before trying to explain, “You only have those because-” 

“My dad was a demon.” I cut her off by saying what I know. We don’t talk about my father or why I have these patterns. The only thing I hear day in and day out is how they should stay hidden. 

Celine pulls me into her chest with a deep sigh, “You’re not a demon, Rumi. You are a hunter.” The older woman's face turns serious, and she grabs my chin to turn me toward my mother’s grave, “Like your mother.” Celine smiles softly, “Once the Honmoon is sealed, demons won’t be able to walk on this world, and your patterns will be gone with them.” 

The dark-haired woman gazes down at me with hope. I offer her a small smile, but deep down, I’m disappointed. I was hoping for a different outcome, but what did I expect when nothing about this timeline has changed?

Maybe that’s what I was put here to do: to change the future of KPDH. But how would I do that for the better?

——————————

Six Years Later

One day, Celine showed up with random girls who looked around my age. At first, I was so confused, but it took only a second for me to realize it was Mira and Zoey. I was so excited to finally be meeting them that I squealed so loudly and pulled them into a group hug. 

“I can’t believe I finally have sisters!” I yelled out.

The two girls were very confused, not knowing exactly what they were here for besides Idol training, but Celine chuckled, knowing I’d been waiting a long time for the two girls she would choose to fight beside me.

I’d already been training for six years, and now I’m eleven and my skills are better than most people my age. Mira is a year older than I, and has been taking classical ballet lessons since she was three, thanks to her rich family, but has always wanted to do hip-hop. She loves dancing, but never liked being confined to a box and standards that suited others and not herself. Her family was, unfortunately, very happy to let Celine take her off their hands. Mira was becoming a ‘problem child’ and they didn’t want to deal with her.

Then there’s Zoey, she’s a year younger than me, and knows her way around words. Celine read one of her poems in a newspaper that Zoey won an award from, and knew her words would touch the souls around her. She just lacked in the singing and dancing department, but that’s something that training can help with.

Since that day, an unforgettable bond has been made.

Training with them was better than when I was alone, and when our voices mended together, it was ethereal. The first time we made the Honmoon light up with our voices was one of the best days ever. We were extremely proud of ourselves because it felt like we had finally reached the goal of becoming the real hunters we needed to be. 

Celine would even have us busking to see if our voices would reach the souls of those listening to us, because it is the light that comes from the people that strengthens the Honmoon and gives us the ability to fight the demons. Without the people, our fans, we wouldn’t be able to do any of this. The feeling of each accomplishment only strengthened our bond together, and the faith in what our duty is as hunters. 

But as time passes, I feel the weight of not being able to do everything I’d want to with my friends since I’m confined to hiding who I am, especially from them. From the moment I reincarnated, I knew the one thing I wanted to change was not hiding my patterns from Mira and Zoey. I just couldn’t tell them right away because I need them to know me as a person first, and for us to have a bond strong enough that they wouldn’t just turn on me. 

——————————

Two Years Later 

I finally feel like the time is right for me to come clean. I wasn’t going to bother with asking Celine's permission, because I already know what she’ll say. This secret is my secret; I get to choose who I share it with, and I choose my two best friends. If they can accept me in the future, they’ll accept me now, I hope. 

It's Friday, which means we get the weekend to relax with no more lessons and training. It’s also sleepover night! If you look at the fact that we all lived together, then technically every night is sleepover night, but on Fridays, we set up a blanket fort in the living room, eat junk food, watch movies, and have deep conversations. There’s no other night that would be perfect to have this conversation. 

It’s hitting around two in the morning, and we’re getting low on snacks, and we’ve cuddled up with our blankets and pillows and have started talking about our lives, things that have hurt us, crushes, and silly things. The conversion finally takes a serious turn, and Mira and Zoey have already shared a few deep things that they haven’t told anyone before. Their eyes land on me. I nervously nibble on my lower lip and grip onto the teddy bear that's in my arms to keep my hands from shaking, or at least being noticeable. Any time my body fills with anxiety, I start to shake uncontrollably, and I can’t stop until I’ve finally calmed down. They’re not big shakes, and can be hard to notice unless you’re paying attention. Which, Mira, is very perspective and has caught me in this state a few times. 

I take a deep breath and finally speak, “I have something I’ve been keeping from you guys, and I don’t want to hide it anymore.” 

Zoey reaches out and rests her hand on my arm, smiling sweetly, “You can tell us anything, Rumi.” 

Mira nods her head, face stoic as ever, but her eyes shining with care, “Yeah, we’re here for you.” 

It took everything in me not to start crying right away. I can’t have my hopes up that they won’t hate me, telling them this early could be beneficial or ruin everything, but I feel like it’s a risk I must take. 

“You guys already know about my mom and how she was a hunter with Celine, but I haven’t told you about my dad.” I pause for a moment to look at their faces; they’re listening intensely while holding my hands. 

“My dad, he, uh,” My gaze drops, “He was a demon.” 

Zoey gasps loudly and grips my hand harder while Mira lightens her hold on my hand, her face contorting in confusion, but she doesn’t let go. 

“What does that mean?” Mira asks.

A silk robe was wrapped around my body, hiding the patterns on my shoulders that were given to me by my father. I slowly push the silk fabric to rest around my elbows, showing the two girls the markings that have haunted my existence. 

“I’m part demon.” My head hangs in shame as I finally tell them my secret, “Celine told me I needed to hide it, but I couldn’t keep this from you guys. I- I would understand if you hate me or can’t trust me.” 

Zoey throws herself into my arms and hugs me tightly, “I could never!” 

Mira sits off into the side, face set in deep concentration, “Never,” She shakes her head, pink hair falling in her face as she does, “I guess I just have some questions.” 

I nod my head, scooting closer to the girls, “Ask me anything, I’ll tell you what I know.”

“How did your mom end up with a demon?” Zoey asks out of nowhere with her head tilted to the side as she looks at me.

“That’s a good question,” I pat the younger girl's head, “I never got to ask my mom how that happened, and Celine doesn’t talk about it, so if she knows the reason, then she hasn’t told me.” 

“Is there a chance you could become a full demon?” Mira asks the question I know they both are worried about.

I sigh deeply and run my hand through my hair, “As far as I know, no, but I’m not entirely sure. My patterns have never left my shoulders,” My fingertips gaze over the skin where my patterns are, “But Celine says that once we seal the Honmoon and banish the demons below for good, then my patterns will be gone.” 

“Really? That’s good!” Zoey squeals in excitement, “We’re totally meant to turn the Honmoon Golden.” The younger girl smirks.

A smile spreads on my face, and I nod my head, “You’re right! We’ll be the ones to seal the Honmoon!” 

The three of us yell in excitement and squeeze each other in a group hug. When we pull away, there’s just one more thing I need to say. 

“If there is a chance I ever become a full demon, I need you guys to promise me you’ll get rid of me.” 

Mira and Zoey share a look and turn to face me, speaking at the same time. Zoey yells, “Never!” while Mira says, “Yes.” With the blankest looking face I’ve ever seen. We all share a look, and I blink a couple of times at the two answers, then we all burst out laughing. 

——————————

Five Years Later

“Alright, girls, I think you’re ready.” Celine looks at us proudly. 

We’ve been training hard for a long time, our minds, bodies, and souls are finally ready to take on the task of being hunters alongside being K-pop stars. Our first album is finished, and we’ve been waiting for Celine to give us the go-ahead. We’ve filmed a few video diaries to upload pre-debut to get fans excited, and everyone's anticipating the debut of the hottest rookie group. 

“Remember, the world will know you as pop stars,” Celine looks into each of our eyes, “But you’ll be much more than that, you’ll be hunters, and it’s your voices that will create the golden Honmoon. Don’t forget your true purpose.”

I reach out and grab Mira and Zoey’s hands, interlocking our fingers as we speak in unison, “Yes, Celine.”

Celine nods her head in approval, “Tomorrow you’ll be meeting with your manager Bobby, and you guys will go over your debut. Congratulations, Huntrix.” The older woman smiles warmly at us. 

We finally break from the serious atmosphere and jump up and down while cheering. Our hard work has finally paid off, and it’s time to do what we’ve trained so hard for. Everything is looking up, and I just hope I don’t die like I did in my previous life after things started going good. Now, I just have to make it to canon. I wonder how long it’ll be till then?

——————————

AN: Here’s the before! I know it skips a lot of time, but I just wanted to hit some important points. I wanted to include the scene of Celine and Rumi in front of Miyoung's grave, and give a little insight into Rumi’s younger self. Also, instead of Rumi’s mom dying when she was an infant, I changed it to her dying when Rumi was a toddler. There’s a reason for that that will be explained in a later chapter! There’s not a lot I wanted the reader to change before the movie, but the main and most important thing is telling Mira and Zoey about being a half-demon. This will change A LOT of things, but will it keep them from falling apart later on? Who knows? Actually, I do, hehe. ;)

It’s another hot sunny day as I walk down the street. My (s/t) skin glistening with a sheen layer of sweat, but it doesn’t bother me for once. Normally, I’d hate walking outside in the hot, humid weather, I mean it’s barely noon, and it’s 88 degrees outside, but it feels like 92 with 64% humidity. Disgusting. But nothing is going to ruin my mood! 

My (h/c) hair is pulled up into a high ponytail, the ends swishing against my upper back as I sway my head to the music flowing through my ears. White chunky headphones hug around my head and cover my ears, muffling the sound of the outside world. I was wearing a cropped tank top and denim shorts with platform Dr. Marten sandals adorning my feet. A tote bag was slung over my shoulder with my laptop and a book stuffed inside, along with other things. I was making my way downtown from my apartment to my favorite coffee shop to either read or work on a new fanfiction idea. Preferably, the K-pop Demon Hunters idea that’s been running through my head after watching the movie five times, after it has only been out for a week. 

Baby is my favorite, and I’m thinking of something along the lines of Zoeys younger sister x Baby Saja. Ahhh! It’ll be so good! 

My body shakes with excitement as I think of the new story. I should probably look over a few emails from the new job I just got as well. My dream job! Can you believe it? I’ve worked so hard to get to this point in my life, and I’ve never been happier. After everything I’ve been through and all my hard work, my life is finally looking up. Now all I need is to find myself a dreamy man, like the Saja boys, wait, no. I shake my head. I can’t keep drooling over fictional characters. 

The song on my playlist switches, and a squeal escapes my lips, causing onlookers to glare at me. 

“I love this song!” I say to myself, not even caring about the few people around me on the sidewalk. I’m encased in my bubble right now, and there’s nothing that can pop it.

“You're my soda pop, my little soda pop.” I sing quietly to myself. My shoulders wiggle like they do during the movie when they perform the song for the first time. 

Not paying attention to my surroundings while dancing and singing along to this bop, my feet find their way off the sidewalk and into the crosswalk. I didn’t even bother looking both ways or checking to see if the walk signal was on or not because I wasn’t aware I needed to. Whoops?

People were yelling out to me and there was a truck honking off into the distance, but damn, my headphones were really good at canceling out noise! It wasn’t till the screeching sound of brakes and another loud honk that I looked to my left. A large semi truck was hurtling toward me, and the look on the driver's face told me everything I needed to know. 

My bubble was about to be popped.

The truck slammed into my side, flinging my body like a rag doll, and splattering me against the burning asphalt. My headphones flew off during the collision, and the last thing I heard before everything went dark was the terrified scream of the onlookers and a song playing through my phone. 

Living in your mind now

Too late ‘cause you’re mine now

I’ll make you free

When you’re all part of me.

At least my phone survived. 

——————————

Everything is dark. I’m surrounded by something thick a murky, and I can barely make out my hands. Where am I? Could this be my subconscious? Oh my god, am I not dead? Just blacked out? Or maybe I’m in a coma? A light flickers over my head like a projector, and a picture forms in front of me. It’s like a highlight reel of my life, showing me happy and sad moments from my birth onward. My bottom lip juts out, and tears stream down my face as I relive everything that warmed my heart and crushed it. 

“Damn it,” I rub my cheeks with the back of my hand, “there was so much more I wanted to do.” 

The moving picture made its way to me just moments ago, dancing out into the middle of the street. My heart pounds in my chest, which is funny since I’m dead, and I quickly close my eyes.

“Wait, no! I don’t want to see that!” I yell out into the void of nothingness.

Then, a bright light flashes, burning through every orifice of my body, blinding me with pure whiteness even with my eyes closed. Am I going to heaven? Did God actually accept me? I cry out in joy and open my eyes to see the beautiful sight, only to be met with a white ceiling and a strange doctor looking at me. 

Huh? 

Wait, did I not die? That’s even better! I cry out in joy, again, but for a different reason this time.

“What beautiful lungs!” The doctor laughs, “You have a healthy baby girl!” 

My head cocks to the side as I feel the doctor lifting me up and then placing me on something, no, someone. What is going on? Why am I so small? I look around me and look down to see—Oh my gosh! Why am I looking at bare breasts? I quickly look away, only to see a man with dark hair standing over me, and his eyes are glowing a bright yellow. His large hand is petting the top of my head with an evil smirk.

My heart is racing and I can feel the color draining from my, apparently, tiny body. He has demon eyes. Why am I being met with this? Is this somehow my punishment for something I did when I was alive? Wait, I’m alive right now, but how? And what’s going on?

“She’s beautiful,” A calming voice speaks, “I think we should go with Rumi.” 

My eyes drift up to an angelic face with the sweetest smile, and a soft coo leaves my lips. Such a difference between the two people looking down at me. Are these my parents? My new parents? It finally clicks into place. I’ve been reborn. This is sooooo weird. Reincarnation wasn’t something I believed, so this was the last thing I expected to happen. But cool, I guess? I have another chance to live my life, and maybe I’ll have more opportunities. Knowing my past life going into this one should be beneficial as well. 

Guess I’ll embrace being a baby! I smile up at my new mother, and then glare at my new father. I don’t like his vibes. And how cool is it that they named me Rumi! Just like Rumi from K-pop Demon Hunters, wait, is that a coincidence? Or? Nah, there’s no way. I’ve watched too many animes and read too many fanfictions in my past life. There’s no way I’ve been reincarnated as Rumi from KPDH.

——————————

AN: AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

HI, I’VE BEEN SO OBSESSED. There was no way I couldn’t hop on this train. My hubby and I just got back from vacation, the day KPDH dropped. We got home and unpacked, gave our kitties love, and then needed to go grocery shopping. He put this movie on for the cats, but I got distracted and stood behind the couch watching it before being forced to leave lolol. Then, when I got back, I replayed it so I could watch it for myself, and instantly fell in love. Two ideas have been floating through my head on a fanfic, this one, and the one I mentioned above, hehe. This is going to be a mini-series, and it’ll follow the plot of the movie. If you look at the masterlist for this story, you’ll see the parts called scene one, two, and three. That will be where canon is, and the other parts will be my little additions. I’m SO EXCITED for the rest of the story. I hope you all enjoy. ILSM <3

K-pop Demon Hunters just dropped, and I’ve watched it five times already… whoops. Oh well! IT'S SO GOOD! And life seems to be looking up for me as well, but maybe not as much as I thought. BECAUSE a truck is hurtling toward me. My life flashes before my eyes, and then suddenly I see a bright light, but instead of rising up to heaven or descending down to hell, I see a face. Huh? I’m a baby again, and I’m SO CONFUSED. It won’t be long before I realize what world I was reborn into.

Welcome to the world of Metempsychosis.

You have entered into the character of Rumi. Can you handle the pressures she’s faced with?

Change fate?

Or let it all fall into ruins?

I don’t allow anyone to copy my story, publish it on other platforms, or alter it as their own.

Total WC for series: 34,054

Prologue

Before

Scene One

Scene Two

Scene Three

After

The plot of K-pop Demon Hunters and the characters are not mine. They all belong to the rightful creators.

AN: Keep in mind while reading that I don’t fully know all the lore or details of each individual character, so I get to play around with my own theories and ideas. If facts drop that I don’t notice, please let me know, and I’ll adjust some things if it works with the storyline!

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