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Chapter Text

The crowd cheered as they awaited the arrival of the famous K-pop band who was about to end their world tour with a concert in their hometown of Seoul.

The Huntr/x group consisted of 3 girls who were very skilled and talented in many ways, not only in singing. They were like a family and the world adored them.

They had released many singles, they were number one on Spotify, not to mention the world charts on Billboard where they were number two, their fame preceded them everywhere.

The group was made up of three members: Vaggie, the main dancer, known for being the black sheep of her own family due to her tendencies to be more rebellious than the others.

Then there was Niffty, the girl with a heart of gold and an iron tongue who wrote all the lyrics for the band, she was also the main rapper and I say she wasn't joking when she started creating rhymes without having a specific text or reference.

Finally, there was Charlie who was the lead singer of the group. She was known for her very developed singing skills and for being the daughter of one of the members of Sunlight Sisters, a previous band that was also very famous in Korea.

Despite her popularity, Charlie was certainly not just famous because of her mother, even if one might have thought so if one didn't know her. Her talent perhaps surpassed even that of her mother, who had certainly also been very famous for her talents and abilities.

Their manager, Emily, was already at the concert venue which was the biggest stadium you could find in Seoul, but she noticed that there were 5 minutes left until the concert started and the band still hadn't shown up.

The stadium was filled with fans who were just waiting for the start to support their favorite member or hear some good music, there were people with signs or with personalized glowsticks of the group.

Emily worriedly made her way through the stage hands to find a quiet place where she could call the missing group who didn't know where they had gone. As she picked up the phone she almost dropped it from her hands.

She dialed Charlie's number and she would probably answer before the others. It took them a while to answer but eventually Emily moved away from the phone to make a video call.

"Hey, where are you? The concert is about to start!" She said as she tried to analyze the background behind the members "Oh hey Em, we're coming, don't worry too much!"

She then heard Niffty's voice yelling, "Charlie! Ask the stewardess if they have any hot water for the ramen, okay? I'm not eating it raw!"

"Um, I'm going to say goodbye now, just know that we'll be there in a few moments! Give us 5 minutes, okay? See you soon!" Charlie hung up on her and in the meantime had placed her phone on the table between the various chairs where she and the others were sitting.

"Excuse me, ma'am, do you have any hot water?" "Y-yes, of course." Charlie looked at her, analyzing her in detail, and Vaggie took him aside. "Don't you suspect that she's a demon?"

She looked at the woman who was looking for the kettle "You know what? I believe you, let's get to it." She got up from his seat and didn't feel anyone's airsickness.

Niffty and Vaggie stood up next and all 3 of them took their weapons which had the power to cut the skin of demons "Excuse us, but the plane should be landing now." Niffty said and the captain replied "Not if we kill you first!"

"Ready to show some beginners how it's done?" Vaggie said, holding her spear, ready to move with everyone else in a compact and rapid manner without wasting time getting to the concert.

Charlie took her sword and began to sing "Ugh, you came at a bad time. But you just crossed the line. You wanna get wild?"

She took a running start to jump on the stewardess who had transformed into a demon as expected along with the flight attendant and the captain "Okay, I'll show you wild!"

While the others fought together trying to repel other demons that were coming out of the floor of the plane the girl kept trying to hit the demon "Better come right, better luck tryin' gettin' to our level."

From behind he also noticed the demon officer who was about to strike her from behind, she kicked the demoness and devoted himself to defeating the other "Cause you might die, never the time, tryina start a battle."

Vaggie looked at her for a second and then acted in the most logical way possible, which was to entrust the other demons to Niffty while she fought by herself to the stewardess and the captain.

As she struck with her scythe she began to sing in place of Charlie who was busy "Bleedin' isn't in my blood, ppyeosokbuteo dallaseo, beating you is what I do-do-do yeah!"

All three of them formed a triangle when Charlie then started rapping as she killed one of the demons that were about to attack them "Body to body, I'm naughty-naughty, not even sorry."

"When you pull up, I'll pull up a little late to the party. Locked and loaded, I was born for this. There ain't no point in avoiding it. Annoyed? A bit. Bureul bichwo da bikyeo, ne apgireul ppaetgyeo."

Niffty broke away from the group to see what time it was on her cell phone since they had promised that they would have to hurry to the concert and be there on time for their performance.

"Y'all, we only have 3 minutes! We have to hurry!" She said waving her arms to get their attention as they fought off at least 5 demons that came out of nowhere.

Vaggie and Charlie stood next to each other, the girl with the scyte began to sing "Knocking you out like a lullaby!" While the other one took control of the situation again while she continued singing "Hear that sound ringing in your mind."

"Better sit down for the show, cause I'm gonna show you how it's done-done-done!" As more demons formed, the group continued to kill enough to maintain a stable balance and not succumb to the number of demons attacking them.

They all started singing together "Huntr/x don't miss, how's it done-done-done! Huntr/x don't quit, how it's done-done-done!" They didn't realize that there was only one demon missing and it was very close to the start of the show.

2 more demons spawned from the floor as they continued to sing "Run, run, we run the town! Whole world playin' our sound! Turnin' up, it's goin' down! Huntr/x show this! How it's done-done-done!"

"I think we should go even if there are 3 demons left!" Because in the meantime 2 more had come out of nowhere once again.

"I have half an idea of what to do, follow me everyone." Vaggie said and with her scythe she split the plane in half "Shall we go?" She threw herself down dragging one of the demons with her and the others did the same.

Charlie threw herself after her "Yeah, something about when you come for our crown, that's so humbling, huh?" She watched as Niffty also jumped down with a demon following her.

"Gapjagi wae geurae? meonjeo geondeuryeo, wae?
Ijeya pogihae, what?" Vaggie continued as she sat on her demon like it was a chair while they were still in free fall.

Niffty then did the same thing to imitate her "Nothing to us, run up, you're done up, we come up. From sunup to sundown, so come out to play."

Charlie, seeing the others, tried to do the same thing and with great difficulty she managed to get on the demon's lap "Won either way, we're one in a million. We killin', we bring it, you want it? Okay. Heels, nails, blade, mascara"

Vaggie grabbed her phone to take a picture of herself “Fit check for my napalm era!” as she snapped from different angles before deciding which of the 10 photos came out best.

"Need to beat my face, make it cute and savage. Mirror, mirror on my phone, who's the baddest?" Niffty said as she looked in her mirror to adjust her makeup before going on stage.

They reached the dressing rooms where they took their demons to kill them one by one, but Charlie noticed that one was missing. "Where did he go..? He can't be that far away."

Meanwhile Emily entered without knocking "Hey! How are you? You got back just in time! Can you imagine what the higher ups would have said if you hadn't come?" She said giggling as she scratched her neck.

Luckily Niffty and Vaggie had already killed the two remaining demons before she entered so she wouldn't notice and discover their secret.

"Sorry Em, but I think we have to go now, right?" Charlie said looking at the others for complicity in their eyes. "Oh, yes! The fans can't wait!" "Absolutely right!"

They left the dressing room and headed on stage where strangely they found the demon there "We need to get rid of this right now! I say let's make it part of the performance, okay? Let's not let anyone know that it's true."

When they were seen by the fans they started greeting them and immediately resumed the song from where they had left off.

They got into position with Charlie in the center and the other two on either side "Knocking you out like a lullaby!" Charlie said and then switched to Vaggie "Hear that sound ringing in your mind!"

Vaggie returned to her original position to help Niffty who was holding the demon at bay with her knives "Cause we're gonna show you!"

The girls backed up Charlie as she sang "I'm gonna show you! How it's done-done-done!" They tried to incorporate the demon into the choreography that had already been established months before the tour and it was more difficult than they thought.

Vaggie took center stage again while Charlie decided to try to eliminate the demon once and for all "I don't talk, but I bite, full of venom! Spittin' facts, you know that's-"

The audience waved their glowsticks or even jumped and finished the line "How it's done-done-done!" The group on stage was happy with the result and decided to continue this strategy to keep everyone entertained while they killed the demon.

Niffty swapped with Vaggie, high-fived some fans and then continued rapping "Okay, like, I know I ramble. But when shootin' my words, I go Rambo. Took blood, sweat, and tears, to look natural-" And fans responded by saying, "That's how it's done-done-done!"

Charlie then returned to center stage with the demon behind her "Hear our voice unwavering. 'Til our song defeats the night. Makin' fear afraid to breathe. 'Til the dark meets the light!"

The fans as expected also finished the line "That's how it's done-done-done!" They were almost going crazy at the end of the song, but there was still one more piece missing.

Vaggie took Charlie and Niffty and they all stood in the front center with no distance and then she kept singing "Run, run, we run the town!"

Charlie leaned on his shoulders and then immediately got up again "Whole world playin' our sound!" Meanwhile, the audience continued to sing in the background, creating a magical atmosphere.

Vaggie resumed singing "Turnin' up, it's goin' down! Huntr/x show this, how it's done-done-done!" Then all 3 of them held hands to finish the last verse with the grand finale, killing the demon.

Charlie and Vaggie stood in front of Niffty who was killing the demon with her knives while singing along with the others "We hunt you down, down, down! We got you now, now, now!"

Niffty finally killed the demon who disappeared into thin air and returned to the front with the others "We gotta show you how, how, how! Huntr/x don't miss, how it's done-done-done!"

The world loved them, they had a standing ovation and all the fans were praising them even if the compliments did not stand out in the sea of screams of joy and words flowing towards the stage.

They had once again saved the world from the demons and had repaired the Honmoon, the barrier that protected everyone thanks to the demon hunters, or maybe not?

Chapter Text

The 3 girls had officially finished their world tour and would now dedicate themselves to their much-deserved break after months of hard work.

They had promised themselves not to work for at least a month after their recent physical fatigue which had also been caused by never having a moment to themselves.

They had never stopped working on themselves not only as idols but also as guardians of the Honmoon which had recently been in excellent condition.

They hadn't seen demons in... well, let's say a few hours? That was already quite an achievement for a city whose underground was filled with these horror-movie creatures.

Demon hunters were once priestesses of ancient arts that were passed down from generation to generation and which they still practice today to protect the world from demons.

Charlie had been the last one to be passed down from her mother these traditions and values that had to be protected at all costs.

She and her friends had grown stronger and stronger, and they were now like inseparable sisters that the demons would never defeat, just like all the other hunters who had come before them.

Even though the world was unaware of their existence, or at least few knew of their role, the hunters still remained satisfied with their job well done.

Simply put, it was nice to be both roles at two different times.

People loved them as idols and the world knew their names, now they could stop being in the shadows and enjoy the superstar life on a break from their usual routine of interviews and concerts.

The 3 of them headed towards the exit after finishing all their fan interactions and songs, they deserved the rest that awaited them a few minutes away.

"Girls! Wait!" Emily said as she chased them toward their taxi which was about to bring them finally home after everything they had just done.

They turned to see Emily panting and trying to say, "I booked you a two-week vacation to Hawaii! Are you happy?" She smiled sweetly as she waited for an answer.

"You know Em... you've also worked so hard these past few months... what do you say if you go on vacation?" Charlie replied with a wink.

"Are you sure you don't want to go?" The others nodded and she looked at them almost with tears in her eyes "Thank you so much.. I'll see you in two weeks then..!" She hugged them and they said goodbye.

Emily and the rest of the backstage crew headed back into the arena to clean up before heading home, or even better, on vacation, to celebrate the end of the long-awaited tour.

"Girls, now we just need to relax.. and I know the perfect place to do it.. are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Vaggie said looking them both in the eyes "Couch!!" They screamed in unison.

They frantically got into the taxi and said to the driver, "Can you take us to Sogong 4 ro jil?" The taxi driver meanwhile was left speechless "You're Huntr/x!!"

While the taxi driver was visibly excited, the three girls, on the other hand, were made uncomfortable by his discovery, as they often wandered around Seoul in disguise so as not to be recognized.

In the end the girls didn't say a word and enjoyed the ride home, which was a very spacious penthouse that overlooked the rest of the city.

As soon as they reached the landing after riding in the elevator for five minutes, Vaggie took her keys and opened the door, revealing a large corridor.

In the corridor there were two display cases that extended along the walls where all the outfits from concerts or from the various music videos of their songs were displayed.

As the girls chatted their way through the living area of the house, which included the living room and kitchen, Charlie stopped to admire one of the outfits, which was black with gold details.

"You know, Nif, now that I think about it, Charlie's never been in a sauna!" Vaggie said as the other girl burst out laughing. "Why not? She doesn't like the heat?"

"Well, maybe it's one of her quirks." The two walked past the living area and into their respective bedrooms, where they put on two bathrobes as temporary clothing.

As soon as they left their respective rooms, the two looked at each other and said, "Sofa!" They started running towards the kitchen and grabbing whatever snacks they had in the cupboards or fridge.

They sat on the couch and turned on the TV while stuffing some barbecue-flavored chips into their mouths. "What are we going to watch?"

"How about a K-Drama? I read that Kim Taemin is the lead in the new movie called 'Summer with You'" "Perfect, then I'll watch that one!"

"What do you say Cha-" Niffty said then stopped to look around while Vaggie was just confused and tired "Where's Charlie?"

“Here I am!” Charlie said as she hurried to join them from her room, only she wasn't wearing a bathrobe and wasn't eating any snacks.

The two looked her up and down and noticed various oddities, then Niffty naively asked her, "Why are you wearing Golden's outfit..? You don't want to ruin it before the song's release, do you?"

Vaggie then realized the cruel truth, as the K-Drama continued to play in the background she leaned over the back of the couch to look Charlie in the eye and said "Don't tell me that.."

"That's right! Look at this, I posted Golden!" Charlie said, showing off his phone, which was on the Huntr/x YouTube channel, as Golden's video continued to go viral.

“Isn’t that fantastic?” she asked at the top of her lungs while jumping up and down in joy. “NO!” the other two shouted back.

"Maybe you didn't realize we wanted to rest! What was the point of the break if not for this purpose?" Vaggie asked, and Niffty sarcastically replied, "Vags, she doesn't know the word rest."

Meanwhile, Charlie's cell phone rang and on the screen was a picture of Emily with two buttons to answer or hang up, and of course they answered.

"Hey Em! How's it going in Hawaii?" Charlie said as the others huffed and puffed from exhaustion and the stupidity of Charlie's action.

"I'm flying back because I saw you finally released Golden, you know... I wasn't expecting that!" Vaggie and Niffty looked at each other and replied annoyed, "Neither were we."

"We have to start the promotion campaign for Golden! Starting tomorrow, you'll be performing your new song on various talk shows and channels! Some shows will be recorded to be aired later, so we have more time!"

"Okay Em, see you tomorrow then!" Charlie said as he hung up the call. He turned around and saw the other two writhing on the couch. "What if I buy you two dinner at the hotpot nearby?" "Okay! Then we're on stage tomorrow!"

Meanwhile underground...

"You guys are truly pathetic! You're such delusions! And I thought I'd hired demons good enough to defeat the hunters!? Get out of my sight!"

"B-but ma'am.."

"I said get out of here before I finish you off myself!"

"Y-yes ma'am!"

The reddish mass of fire then spoke again. "You all... you're pathetic! If you really want me to continue increasing your demonic powers, then get to it! Is that clear?!"

"And if anyone has anything to say, then let them say it clearly!"

"Well, if I can express my opinion freely and without constraints, then I have something to say."

A black-clad demon sitting on a pillar of a shrine gate spoke while holding a biwa. "Are you really so naive as to hire demons of such rank to eradicate the threat forever?"

"Don't you think it would be better to employ professionals instead of novices? It would be more efficient, and the hunters would be eliminated forever."

"You have failed too many times to find the right people, and from generation to generation and hunters continue to return, ever stronger, to exterminate us all, down to the last demon."

The fire then interrupted him. "So what would you do to stop them? You don't think you're going there alone, do you?"

"I have a plan, but of course I won't be the only one to execute it." Four more men wearing the same hat and black suit appeared.

"What do you think you're going to do? Go in there and try to kill them like at least 100 others have done?" She said in an interested but incredulous voice.

"Not really, first we'll steal the souls of those who are in some way the lifeblood of the Huntr/x." He said, approaching the fiery entity.

"And who would they be?"

"The fans, of course." The others teleported over to him as the fire responded, "And how do you plan on doing that? This is all starting to get interesting."

"Like this." They all posed in front of the millions of demons who were watching and who also began to become enchanted by their charm.

"Okay, that sounds like a good idea.. but I know you're certainly not doing this for free, right.. Alastor?"

He began to smile less and less and said, "Exactly, I'd like a small favor in return... I want you to erase all my memories."

"So be it, we have an agreement."

"Great, then I'd say it's settled. Huntr/x don't have long left to live."

Chapter Text

"The premiere of Huntr/x's new song is about to begin! Everyone tune in to your favorite idols' channels to hear 'Golden' first!" That's what Emily had just posted on the girl group's Twitter page.

They were all 3 sitting on the couch with a giant bowl of buttered popcorn, the TV was on and ready to play the new song in 5 minutes.

The world had been waiting for that single for a whole month, they had anticipated it with tons of shorts on YouTube where they showed some steps of the choreography or maybe a piece of the music video that would be released that same day.

"Girls!" said a voice not too far away, running towards them. "Make some room for me on the couch! I deserve it after making your song a hit before it came out!"

Vaggie moved closer to Charlie, so Emily sat right in the middle of the couch, next to the popcorn that three of them had been devouring for 10 minutes.

"Ahh! This is so exciting!" Niffty said as she stared at the screen where the television screen was fixed on the premiere which was adorned with golden streamers for the occasion.

"Who wants to take a picture before the premiere?" Em said as she grabbed her phone from the table in front of the couch and the others posed. "Say cheese!"

After taking the photo, she put her phone back where it was before and noticed that 4 minutes had passed on the screen, just in time to post the photo with some hashtags and get comfortable for the new song.

The countdown on the screen began and the numbers quickly decreased from 10 to 9 and so on, before the screen went completely black.

The music began with the word 'Golden' emblazoned in gold on the screens of nearly 1 million people across Korea.

The video started with Charlie in her bed with some particularly golden sunlight shining on her, Vaggie was on a rooftop watching the sunrise and Niffty was leaning on a locker in a school.

With a rather elaborate transition they moved on to the three of them in a car still with this golden light that was the whole point of the song.

The timer reached zero when the music stopped and then started playing even louder than before, the video paused for a second and went black again.

"I was a ghost, I was alone.." Said a Charlie who passed from her bed with a transition into a forest where she wandered as if lost with a coat that covered her whole body.

The video continued amidst laughter and shouting from the 3 girls "어두워진... 애길 장에" It looked like the modern version of Little Red Riding Hood getting lost in the darkness.

"Given the throne, I didn't know.." With a transition the scene changed and there was Charlie on a throne that had the typical Korean style still with the same coat covering her "How to believe.."

Then she suddenly rose from her throne to remove the coat and reveal her new outfit full of golden elements that matched the whole theme, throwing it off-screen. "I was the queen that I'm meant to be!"

Within seconds, Niffty appeared on the screen, appearing to be in a school, near some lockers with a diary or notebook and a pencil in his hand that he was writing with.

She had headphones on like practically every day of her life, her passion for music was boundless and she took a lot of inspiration for her rap verses from Eminem or even lesser-known rappers like NF.

"I lived two lives, try to play both sides.." Then she saw herself being pulled by two hands to one side and the other as if she were a rag doll.

In the background, two different cities could clearly be seen, representing her half-Korean, half-American origins, contrasting but creating her persona.

Then her outfit changed from a casual T-shirt and regular pants to a very Charlie-like black one with gold details, then she was seen skateboarding somewhere "But I couldn't find my own place!"

And just as this golden light was seen in the video the scene got darker with Vaggie posing for a family photo with her family and her sister Lute whose faces were obscured.

They were all in a formal pose except Vaggie who was sitting arrogantly on the only chair in that gray and dull room "Got called a problem child 'cause I got too wild.."

Like the others, there was a very rapid change of image and from the ugly family photos and her very creative poses came an airplane on which she was standing "But now that's how I am getting paid!"

"끝없이 on stage"

In the next frame, there were the Huntr/x all in the same car driving towards this golden light that embraced them as if it had been waiting for them for a long time, as if they belonged to it.

"I'm done hiding, now I'm shining like I'm born to be.." They had a contented and at peace with the world expression as Vaggie drove the car that was taking them towards the horizon and the other two sat enjoying the view as if they were on a journey.

"We dreamin' hard, we came so far.." It went back to the first frames where Charlie was in her room, but she was moving toward the golden light coming out of her bedroom door as if drawn to it like a moth to a flame. Vaggie was looking at the light from a rooftop while dressed very casually, and Niffty was distracted by it.

Before you know it, the world was loving the song and the comments under the live stream were exploding in a good way:

"I LOVE IT ALREADY!!"

"THIS IS PEAK!!!!!"

"GIVE THEM AN AWARD RN-"

"Now I believe..." The video continued incessantly as all of Korea went crazy for the new single, giant screens in the squares creating echoes of the song that had become an obsession for anyone who had heard it at least once and was now haunting everyone on the streets.

In the subways and on the buses, the world sang the refrain as if they had heard it a thousand times before, as if it were a pre-written routine but that in reality they didn't even know where this need came from.

"We're going up, up, up! It's our moment!"

Choirs of children, teenagers, and adults joined in one voice to hum the song as the video played everywhere, Huntr/x had hit the mark with this new song that would surely protect the honmoon once and for all.

People would go out and create covers of the song, or maybe dance the same choreography 100 times in a row just for the satisfaction of having done it, and this made the hunters feel good.

For generations they had enchanted people with their music to protect the world from demons who had so far had little luck in exterminating and decimating the souls of all those citizens.

"You know together we're glowing!"

"Gonna be, gonna be golden!"

And this was the rhythm that made millions, nay, billions, of hearts beat. The rhythm of the success of three girls who, simply by being themselves, had conquered world podiums with their albums and singles.

Soon, Huntr/x were asked to appear on interviews, reality shows, and many other programs with a certain level of relevance and ratings, which kept Emily busy managing their schedule.

Every day they continued to train, never stopping for the next show, which was getting closer. As soon as they finished one, they had to do another; that was their life.

As true idols they always had to be cute and cuddly, not to mention the number of forced smiles they had to put on to make every fan feel appreciated by their favorite girl, or maybe by all 3.

As their manager, Em was always concerned about their health, never neglecting it or leaving details untouched, unlike many other agencies in Korea that made the lives of their idols and trainees difficult or even impossible.

She provided food when they were hungry, water and juice when they were thirsty, new clothes when they got dirty, but above all moral support, which was needed in certain occasions.

Sometimes he refused events so as not to tire them too much, after all they were human too and had to have a private life, which meant no cameras or extra photo shootings when they were not necessary.

Each of them had to feel more than comfortable in everything they did, if Emily noticed even the smallest sign of being tired in their faces she would make them stop for their own good, not to limit them.

Dancing, singing, and performing were no small feat. It was demanding, and couldn't be taken lightly, which is why discontent quickly develops in many K-pop groups, while Huntr/x found only harmony and friendship.

And that was what made them unique.

Or perhaps we should say..

Golden like no others.