Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Jinu thought he had thought through every detail of his little plan to destroy the Honmoon and destroy Huntrix—that was until he realized he needed more than just winning music shows and that Daily Idol appearance a few days ago.

Huntrix had concluded their Golden promotions and to his surprise, the song was battling it out with Soda Pop on the charts and steadily winning trophy after trophy, but why was that?

“Put your butts into it, you call that running?!” Jinu yells over the track field, hands over his hips as he watches the four others make their laps around.

Turns out they had a Skipping Man episode with the girls and another girl group, MEOVV that played in the midst of promotions. Clips of them playing games, Rumi playing nonchalant only to lose, chase sequences, and the girls screaming trying to rip each other’s name tags off—scenes of betrayal, and anguish—and Mira and her hoobae getting splashed for failing their mission.

It trended the whole 2 weeks with many charmed by the girls showing a new side of them every time. (The sound bite of Rumi sounding so cute trying to nonchalantly win a game only to lose lives in his mind rent free.) Variety shows are at the core of winning the public over—and fans around the world. So when the casting offers came flooding in after their Daily Idol appearance, Jinu wasted no time accepting it all, casting glamour on Jelly, one of the water demons, and organizing their schedules—much to the chagrin of the other Saja Boys.

No wonder Rumi had Bobby, it was God awful, to act pleasing when accepting appearances and needing to keep in mind modern day musings when negotiating appearance fees. At the very least, he knows the Saja Boys fetched a high price.

But with the rate that Jelly accepted the offers, he didn’t even realize that he’d accepted the invitation to the Starlight Idol Games that happened every year that was happening three days after he had accepted the invite.

It was where rookies competed for the hearts of their fans and their sunbaes come back to prove themselves again and again until they’re popular enough to stop appearing, winning either by earning first place or going viral. It was the perfect chance to grab the public’s attention and keep Soda Pop on the charts. Huntr/x was a group of social butterflies of their own when they weren’t crushing the games, naturally gravitating to rookies to make sure they don’t feel so intimidated. The three hanging out with other idols put fans at such ease, making them feel encouraged.

Huntr/x was there for the fans, not just their own but for others as well, Jinu thinks.

“Lighten up, Jinu—we got Starlight Idol Games in the bag!” Romance exclaims, Baby Saja crossing his arms. “Rome is right. We’re demons, we have the agility, the speed—“

“In demon form. Rome runs like such a wimp and Mist keeps flailing around so weird—ABBY! Don’t make running at that speed look so easy, change back!” Jinu yells, making Abby growl. Jinu sighs, rubbing his forehead. “This isn’t just about making us look cool, if you guys run like that people are gonna get suspicious.”

While a clean sweep would’ve been favorable, Jinu knows if they’re not careful someone other than the hunters would be suspicious–and they already know what’s up.

“Uh, didn’t you four do laps like this during your training?” Jinu eyes the four, stopping in front of them as he huffs. 

“We thought with these demon powers it would be easy… Why isn’t it working when we’re in human disguises?”

“Because your glamour is draining a part of your energy. Which is why you guys need to train. I taught you this.”

“And why don’t you run if you’re so good? You’re way older than any of us.”

Jinu’s jaw slacks, tossing Mystery the timer before heading to the finish line. “Abby, you run with me.” He orders, Abby sighing exasperated as he takes his spot.

Having had 400 years of conserving energy and learning how to use his powers, not to mention 400 years to keep his human form fit—Jinu naturally manages to run the laps and keep Abby’s pace without breaking too much of a sweat.

“Soon you guys will manage too. Besides, you guys are better on variety shows than I am—or at least I’m expecting you to be.”

Silence.

“… Your company didn’t train you for any of that too?”

Baby taps his lips, “Maybe PR classes sure, but not to behave on a variety show…”

“I don’t think our company even thought we could make it past debut.” Rome continued, looking to the floor as he ran his fingers through his hair. Jinu sighed, there was this silent sorry look in his eyes when he thought about what they went through.

Jinu inhales. “Okay well—we’ll all learn this on the way. It’ll be fine. Three months will be enough.” he says, scratching the back of his neck as the four boys stood in front of them, suddenly uneasy when recalling what they went through.

Jinu wrinkles his lips, “... Y’know what? You guys are idols now, that was your dream wasn’t it?” They looked up as he continued, “I know that this is a short ride to rip the Honmoon open and for Gwi Ma to take over—but maybe you could take this time to enjoy the idol life you guys didn’t get to experience… you get to show off what you weren’t able to in the past.”

Mystery looks up, rubbing his arm, “... I always wanted to guest on Skipping Man…”

“Exactly, you get it.” Jinu smiles a bit, “It’s time to take advantage of it while you still can.” he pats all of them. “… now which one of you can play foot volleyball? whatever that is—“

•─────⋅☾ ☽⋅─────•

Back when Huntr/x were rookies, they were still shy when they first had their first variety show, having only come out four months prior. Their feet would shift nervously, toothy anxious smiles at the camera, Zoey tucking her then-blonde short hair. It didn’t take long for them to get comfortable with the camera, giggling and laughing, clapping or hiding their faces when the hosts tried to bring out their variety skills.

Zoey was clearly the favorite, her bubbly energy infectious and bouncing on her toes like a bunny, editing always slapping on squeaky toy sounds on the final cut when she bounces or shows her cheeks. Hosts loved to clown her for being the American member, but nonetheless Zoey proved to be an absolute natural on variety shows without her being from the States overshadowing her variety skill, a meme queen that took the world by storm, gifs of her variety show appearances constantly used in the group chat.

The producers on the Bragging Bros loved bringing in Mira. When Huntr/x made their first appearance for their comeback, their bright cheeriness lit up the classroom set when they happily greeted the cast from the door for the introduction. Mira had a fond habit of bickering with Heechul, smacking his head with the toy hammer while her hit was light on the other cast members. She’d be brought back every few months on special episodes.

And between demon hunting, Mira and Zoey cover when Rumi was asked to be a main cast member on the hottest quiz show on Korean television, Do Re Mi Market, where her linguistic skills are tested by guessing hard to hear lyrics from different songs across all genres and decades. Rumi fairs pretty well on the show, but what captivates the fans more is the cute charm she has when she's playing gags on TV.

And there was the question Celine loved asking: Would Huntr/x be Hunters if they didn’t purposefully crush it at athletic games?

The first time they had the chance to show off their training was a rousing game of Skipping Man, where Huntr/x showed off their athletic prowess, their wit and their sheer strength in the arena of a shopping mall after hours with three other groups. They had stealth, they were swift, and they were able to keep their little bell chimes on their sneakers quiet when catching their prey. When they hit the Starlight Idol Games their first year, winning had come naturally to them. Mira broke the archery camera twice on a bullseye, Rumi crushed the bowling tournament with their seniors team, and Zoey won a solid second place in gymnastics. Plenty of idol teams wanted Huntr/x to be on their team, making their team unstoppable.

So imagine their irritation when they walk into the hall of prep rooms in the stadium where the games were taking place to find the Saja Boys in their obnoxiously hot pink, oversized shirts as staff tied their name tags from behind, their team thankfully not the same.

“We keep meeting like this.” Abby teases, eyeing MIra as she snarls at him.

Rumi grit her teeth, “What are you guys doing here?” she grunts as Jinu leans forward, smirking, “Come on now, Miss Hunter. You didn’t really think we’d stand aside while waiting for the Idol Awards to just happen, did you?”

Zoey huffs, “This isn’t fair, you guys have demon powers!” she whisper-yells.

“On the contrary,” Jinu answers for them, “It actually takes a lot out of us to be disguising as humans and using our other powers at the same time.” he tilts his head, his smirk amused.

Mira narrows her eyes, “So what, you’re like on an even playing field?”

“Even on a fair playground we could still crush you Hunters.” Mystery chimes in cooly, leaning against the table.

“Come on, guys. Play nice.” Jinu smiles wryly, “Of course it’s a privilege to be competing with our sunbaes on something other than the charts.” he then turns to Rumi, her face stoney before the staff come back, the girls immediately feigning pleasant expressions.

“And it’s an honor to show our hoobaes how it’s done.” Rumi says through grit teeth, “But we gotta bounce.” Rumi says, leaning in, sneering silently. “Have fun out there—We’re gonna destroy you.” 

“Not if we crush you first.” Jinu smirks as the Hunters turn around to leave, Rumi fuming. 

“Stupid demon leader, the audacity honestly!” she huffs while entering their own holding tent, momentarily flashing their fellow idols smiles before crowding the corner for themselves.

Mira grunts, “Do they really plan to draw this out longer than it needs to?”

“They most probably do… If they’re smart enough they’ll know how to keep themselves on top, and that means we need to stand our guard.” Rumi says, walking back and forth.

Zoey taps her lips in thought, “Does… that mean the Saja Boys are going to appear on other shows too?” she whispers, eyes wide as she looks at the other two.

“Most likely.” Rumi sighs, pursing her lips. Mira meanwhile is punching out a boxing bag, snarling at the thought. “Stop thinking about it, we have games to win today.”

“Right, it’s a new year, and a whole lot of rookies to root for too.” Rumi puts her hands on her hips. “Remember we don’t just need to beat the Saja Boys here, we’re here for the fans. Not just ours but for our sunbaes and hoobaes too.”

“Right, huddle up!” Mira says, the girls in a circle with their water bottles.

“Happy fans,” they chant, “Happy Ho~nmoon!”

•─────⋅☾ ☽⋅─────•

The Saja Boys come marching in with the Red team, the crowd roaring with their lightsticks in designated sections, the walls of the gymnasium covered with huge support banners from half of every fandom in attendance, the other ones settling with overhead banners hung from the ceiling.

That included the Saja Boys with their banner showing their faces and decorated with their logo and other stickers, the slogan reading: ‘CLAWS OUT, HEARTS LOUD! SAJA BOYS MAKE US PROUD!’

Huntr/x had their own banner next to them—with meme faces of the girls, the caption reading, ‘MIRROR MIRROR ON MY PHONE WHO’S THE BADDEST? OUR HUNTR/X IS THE MOST CUTE AND SAVAGE!’

That one had the boys nearly break, seeing their obnoxiously unattractive expressions on display. But Huntr/x wasn’t the only one with this kind of banner, the others had the same kind of treatment, some are inside jokes, but none of them beat the gag worthy-ness of the ones the  Honhwa thought out for them.

The stadium erupts in screams as Huntr/x comes out in a conga line with their hoobaes in the green team, playfully swaying side to side as they wave to the fans. The idols clap and look around, some of them tapping each other excitedly to point at each other’s banners.

“Unnie, look!”

Their junior Gawon points before the girls snort out a laugh, closing their eyes to cringe before throwing out thumbs up as the Honhwa cheer for them loudly. The Honmoon shimmers in a wave from the boisterous cheers, the girls seeing the fans’ glow in every fandom there is present, bringing the girls a sense of ease in some way.

“Good morning one and all and welcome to our Annual Starlight Idol Games! Hello hello!” The announcer calls, spinning around on a platform as the fans cheer, waving lightsticks with balloons in their hands, “I’m Hyunmoo and I’m joined by my two commentators for this year’s games.” he gestures over to each host to let them introduce themselves.

The taller host with his bright smile waves to the crowd, “Hello everyone, I’m Kwanghee—”

“And I’m your idol caster for this year’s event, Twice’s Dahyun! Good morning everyone~” Dahyun greets happily, earning yells of awe from her own fans.

The competing idols line up in neat columns with their groups or any soloist that wished to join in, Zoey hugging her hoobae Anna from behind and nuzzling her chin into her shoulder, the camera panning to them and eliciting screams from both fanbases as they energetically bounce wave their hands, Jinu watching with interest at the way the fans go wild.

“Welcome everyone to the longest idol athletic competition show running on local television— where your idols test their athletic skills on some of the most exciting sports events their fans have ever seen!” Hyunmoo introduces, drumming up his hands as the fans cheer, idols all either waving or standing shyly, the hosts clapping, “Wah, I didn’t think Huntr/x had time to come and play, though I’m guessing they couldn’t let go of their crown as the reigning golden champions of Starlight Idol Games!”

The girls start posing with muscles, making cute funny faces as the fans cheer before Rumi lets out a laugh and stops to wave at everyone, Jinu unable to tear his gaze away from her.

“They really are Golden, Hyunmoo—from what I’ve heard, Huntr/x currently holds the title of the Kpop group with the most gold medals in the games to date.” Dahyun says, her smile wide as How It's Done plays in the back, the girls blowing playful kisses to their sunbae as the crowd waves along with the music.

“We’re so grateful to have our Huntr/x make the time to come and compete in this year’s games, especially with how busy their schedules are. Let’s have a fun time, all right girls?”

They throw a thumbs up as Dahyun claps and takes a look at the teams, “We’re joined by plenty of idols today, we got Kep1er, my girls Twice, TWS—and we have some very new rookies joining us today, everybody please welcome the Saja Boys!”

The boys strike a pose and Huntr/x swears they hear a chorus any time they do that in unison, drowned out by cheers from the pride.

Kwanghee whistles, “We have some actual day-old puppies here with us who came here fresh from debut, or should we say day-old lion cubs?”

“They really did manage to storm the scene, but the question is will they be able to win the hearts of fans in the next two days? Boys, what do you think?” Hyunmoo asks, looking over to them before the four behind Jinu flash thumbs up, smolders on their faces making the girls scream, Jinu flashes a thumbs up as well with a gentle smile as shrieks fill the arena.

“Wah, Jinu is really handsome, no? Look at him. Someone put that kid on a drama.” Hyunmoo jokes with his co-hosts agreeing as Rumi looks at the big screen at Jinu’s face, trying her best not to make a face.

They were surrounded by a couple hundred… thousand fans in an arena, and she knows all of them are being watched, recorded—something could go wrong, but Rumi trained better for this. Hopefully no one notices how red her ears are, since she doesn’t notice it herself.

“Let’s not waste any more time, yes? Now let’s call on the idols to take on the oath of sportsmanship…”

Jinu does his best not to look around the gymnasium in awe as he follows the oath with the other idols. In a way it was all too overwhelming, more overwhelming than his time as the emperor’s personal entertainment. He was performing for masses unimaginable, and he didn’t just have fans in the stadium. They were all over the city, the country, and the world . He didn’t ever think the world was so wide like this, or that he could even reach the ends of the globe.

“Hey,” he gets snapped out of his trance as Baby nudges him, “You okay? We have to follow the exercise.”

He’s then shown the four idols up at the front podium, one of them being Zoey as they start the morning stretches.

“Yeah, yeah I’m fine thanks.” he flashes a small smile at Baby before he gets back behind Jinu, patting him, “Anything, old man.” he teases as they start to stretch.

“Who will win this fierce battle for the love of the fans? Stay tuned, everyone!”

•─────⋅☾ ☽⋅─────•

Mystery had his gaping mouth plastered on the big screen after watching Zoey bolt from one end of the track to the other with her competitors barely catching up as commentators reacted incredulously, leaning over the caster’s table as the fans chanted out in awe together as Zoey slammed into the crash pad, bouncing with energy like a little bunny, eyes smiling.

“Zoey has done it again! Wah, we could never expect anything less from our energy bunny. She’s won three years in a row.”

“Omo, she zoomed by so quick, that’s one easy victory for the fourth year in a row!!”

The research the Saja Boys had on these games, the competitors, analyzing weak spots and identifying their fiercest competition was nothing compared to seeing Huntr/x winning every preliminary stage of every match. The girls were the only idols who individually competed in more than one event, each competing by themselves in group tournaments including archery, probably due to them overwhelming the competition together for three years in a row before they started only sending Rumi in alone.

But the Saja Boys came prepared. 

No lie, Jinu really thought at first that they were done for after just two days of training, but the rest of the boys proved him wrong. He watched as Baby kept a steady pace, running fast enough to stay in first place but not too fast that there was a more than noticeable gap. 

Mystery had unexpectedly become an ace during kick volleyball, helping his team recover by buzzing over behind his fellow teammates who missed the ball before he kicked it straight into their opponent’s area.

Abby was a self-proclaimed bowling pro, having worked part time in a bowling alley back when he was in high school, and Mystery could attest to that. Abby had dragged Jinu to the bowling alley at night to teach him, having the time of his life scolding his leader who pushes down the urge to hurl Abby down the lane himself one handed as he practiced.

Because of the dwindling numbers of idols who choose to compete, this year’s games had to settle with making a few events co-ed, allowing Jinu and Abby to compete directly with the Mira. Mira was teamed up with Chaeyoung and Yeji for bowling this year, the three having come to that conclusion probably weeks before.

“Good luck, sunbae.” Abby tells her before they approach the lanes, Mira’s teeth grinding as she flashes him a polite smile, “Thanks, but you’ll need it more.”

And for his first round Abby needed it.

Maybe it was the smugness that Abby felt as he approached the lane with his ball in hand, gearing up to speed and swing the ball onto the lane, arm gracefully tossing it on with a thud, his kneeling with his foot making an expert sweep across the floor, the ball spinning—

Straight into the gutter.

The fans coo at his mistake as his face matches his pink hair.

“Oh, and he looked like he knew how to play too…” the bowling commentator notes, “Maybe it’s rookie’s jinx, he can catch up in this second turn.”

Abby scored five pins on his second turn, but he flushes when Jinu raises his brow, leaning in with a smirk, “You really let the hunter get to you, didn’t you?”

The three girls on the other lane snort out little giggles as Mira looks at Abby smugly, picking a ball to play.

“Now I heard Huntr/x draws lots for who plays what events every year. All the girls have all placed gold in bowling since their first appearance, and for the record Mira currently holds the title for idol with the most points in a game in Starlight Idol Games history.”

Abby and Jinu watch as Mira approaches the lane with lax shoulders, eyes focused on the arrows as her fingers grip into the bowling ball holes firmly. With a graceful swing the ball lands on the lane at a speed, knocking out all the pins on her first go.

The fans roar with cheers, waving their balloons and their lightsticks as Jinu approaches the lane. Jinu wasn’t one to enjoy losing games. The charts and earning support from fans was at most a subjective matter—but athletics? Games? He preferred to win earnestly. He had practiced with such intense focus with Abby until he understood how to play it precisely, what weight to play and where to aim.

Rumi watches the game from the waiting tent, the games split and held at different venues, her next event being taekwondo and a co-ed archery preliminary after. Zoey rests her head on Rumi’s shoulder as they watch Jinu.

“... y’know, you two really look cute together.” Zoey teases before Rumi shoves her playfully, “Ew, no, no. Don’t do that!”

“Why not? C’mon if he wasn’t a demon you would’ve totally hit that. Admit it!”

Rumi scrunches her nose before letting out a huff, “We don’t look good together, your shipping radar is going whack again.” she tells Zoey as she watches Jinu flash a flustered smile at the hosts commenting on his good looks. His smile was soft and shy, and Zoey could faintly feel the thud in her chest.

Rumi watches the way his eyes begin to focus, relaxing his shoulders, facing forward with his wrist facing forward. He definitely practiced , Rumi thinks. It was a novice set up as he’s gearing up with what he’s learned in the past few days.

He lunges forward, swinging his arm straight with his eyes locked on the arrows as the ball lands smoothly on the lane—curving to hit a strike on his first strike as the female pride shrieks with joy.

“A perfect strike from the Saja Boys! Well done, Jinu.” the commentator says, “You could tell he was training for this for a while, can he get another one on his second turn?”

Jinu lands eight pins on his next one, which was more than enough as his teammate, Jake, bumped shoulders with a smile. “Nice one, hyung.”

Abby eventually learns to psyche himself up and ignore Mira’s smirk as he lands eight pins then a spare on the next round.

By the end of the game it was almost a close call—with Jinu surprising himself by keeping the scores up. He landed strike after strike and left no pin unstruck, much to Abby and Mira’s chagrin, but it was no match to Mira’s fiery determination, landing more strikes, paired with the consistent wins of Chaeyoung and Yeji. 

“Congratulations to the girls team! You’ll be moving onto the semifinals, but that was a tense game don’t you think?”

“Wah, Jinu was like a silent killer with those moves. Jake did well too, I heard he was a bowling pro, so I expected nothing less.”

"I think Mira has set another record for most strikes in a single game, that was incredible!"

In truth, Abby’s gutterball set them up for failure, as after his turn he was the only one who scored two more gutters in the entire game, the rest of the players having landed spares.

Jake stretches before flashing a bright smile at Jinu and a sulking Abby, bowing his head, “That was a really good game, especially you hyung.” he smiles up at Jinu who scratches the back of his head, “Thanks, beginner’s luck I guess? I only started learning for the games.”

“Wah, really? That’s so cool! I bet you could win next year if you join again.” Jake says before being called by his manager and the event officials, “See you later, hyung!”

Abby meanwhile huffs and puffs, “What was that, old man? I thought you didn’t know how to play?”

“He probably still doesn’t, since you’re both demons.”

The two turn to Mira crossing her arms, “I’m a hundred percent sure you used your weird demon powers for that one, that was all too smooth!”

“She’s right—it’s typical for you to use magic better as the oldest demon in the group.” Abby crosses his arms as Jinu raises his brow at both of them.

“First of all—how cute is it that the two of you are accusing me of using my demon side to win?” Jinu says, the corner of his lip curling up. Mira blinks when she realizes it, looking between the two as Jinu continues.

“Second—winning affection is subjective. If there’s any contest that requires actual skill that I can build on, I work hard to win . I don’t intend to win by having advantages.”

“Oh so you’re playing fair now?” Mira growls, Jinu leaning in, “If I lose to you, I wanna lose earnestly.” he says, stumping Mira for a second. “I might be a demon, it doesn’t mean I’ll take advantage of every trick in the book. C’mon Abby.”

He shoves his hands in his pockets with a smile, turning before Mira clears her throat. “Good… good game out there, I guess.” she mutters, scratching the back of her head, “Also… you suck Abby.”

Abby barks, “Hey!”

Chapter Text

“Wah, those guys really killed it out there! Did you see the way Mystery swooped in behind Bamby and kicked up the ball?”

Rumi overhears as her teammates from the other girl groups came in as she came back from her Archery preliminary. Rumi had scored an average of 9 points across the board, bringing her, Tzuyu and Irene to the semifinals for the next day.

“I know… he’s so cute.” Anna says with an enamoured gleam in her eyes, turning to Zoey, “Don’t you think, Zoey?”

“What?” Zoey looks over and scoffs, “Psh, he’s not cute. Tooootally not cute. And totally not adorable, and… muscular...” Anna shoves Zoey with a laugh, “You’re totally crushing on him!”

“Am not! He’s so gross!” Zoey exclaimed, crossing her arms petulantly.

“In what way?” Ella asks with this confused expression on her face, untangling her braids as Rumi and Mira flash her a look.

The Saja Boys had only been out for about three weeks, with the Starlight Idol Games only being their second variety appearance. Zoey flushes at the realization before stammering and waving her hands, “He… he looks like a wet puppy!”

“But I thought you liked puppies?” Rumi teases as Zoey shoots her a glare.

“Yeah but he doesn’t look as cute as a puppy, definitely not!” she huffs, crossing her arms as the girls from MEOVV continue to tease her.

“Rumi?”

Rumi then turns her attention to Irene as she tugs her over. “I heard about the showcase a few days ago… is everything all right?” she asks, giving Rumi’s arms a squeeze as she tilts her head, that warm gaze that makes Rumi feel safe.

“Huh? Yeah. I’m fine, we’re doing well on promotions and to be honest—I’m getting jitters because, well…”

Rumi puts her hand over her heart, “Golden is a really important release for us.” she tells her, Irene’s eyes growing soft.

Rumi’s walls were so far up that Irene was the only other idol who managed to slip past her guard. She’d reach out to Rumi in small ways—meals, rest and a talk over coffee. Rumi didn’t bond with other idols as well as she did with Irene. There was something in her expression too, a quiet echo of Rumi’s mother in her Sunlight Sister days, something Zoey pointed out once.

“You’re onto bigger things, I get it. This might even be the last time we get to play in the games together.” Irene says, sharing a laugh with Rumi as she waves her hand, “Get real, we have way too much fun at these games to give it up.”

Irene lets out an amused huff then grasps Rumi’s arms, “I know you guys are planning a short hiatus after… so please get enough rest, and don’t stretch yourselves out too thin. You’ve done so much in such a short amount of time and I know that isn’t easy.”

Irene then lifts her hand to pat Rumi at the top of her braid gently, “You’ve been working so… so hard. Whatever you’re working towards, what this new chapter of Huntr/x is… remember that you’re doing well .”

Compared to Celine, Irene felt easier to breathe around. Irene might not be a hunter and might’ve been one of the more reserved idols Rumi’s met, but she spoke from places Rumi hadn’t had time to explore. Her words were more human; she had a lived experience that Rumi hopes to live once the patterns fade, to take in the words she’s long only taken at face value as genuine acknowledgement of her efforts.

Rumi’s eyes grow wide a bit before Irene pats both her cheeks. “Don’t mind me, Rumi. Just getting worried for you is all. Don’t let this psyche you out! This is our first Games on the same team.” Irene laughs, the bubbly sound soothing Rumi as she runs her hands over her own sleeved arms, her eyes growing soft.

She then squeezes Irene’s hands, “Thanks, unnie. I really needed to hear all that.”

“Don’t mention it—and you know I’m always a call away.” Irene says before the two leaders wrinkle their noses at each other before exchanging giggles.

From outside, Rumi’s little laughter rings like wind chimes even a few feet away from the demon leader walking by, returning from the archery preliminaries with Sunghoon and Soobin, thanking them with a gracious bow before joining their own groups, leaving Jinu to unabashedly stare at Rumi from the outside the open flap of the tent. 

He stood at a fair distance, accompanied by Jelly in his human disguise talking to a head producer droning on, the demon only nodding with a tense smile and nodding like a pup, eyes twitching from wanting this conversation over with as Jinu’s own soften at the sight of Rumi’s arms draping over Irene’s shoulders, relaxed as they talk, her own cheek pressed against her senior’s head as she either nods or responds with a pout.

A warmth fills Jinu’s chest like he felt the other day for the first time in decades. The hunters were often seen bouncing with energy, or dripping with girlish suave, but he’s never seen them so… unguarded like this.

Bobby claps his hands as he saunters into the tent, “It’s time to head home, girls! Need to keep that blood pumping for tomorrow’s games!” he jumps around before waving at the other girl groups, Huntr/x bidding everyone good night and a job well done. “You worked well! Let’s win this thing!” Rumi calls out.

The girls stretch as they walk out, slowing down and growing tense at the sight of Jinu and Jelly after the producer left, leaving them with death glares piercing into them.

“Hiya! Jinu yes?” Bobby greets with his eyes bright and unaware, Jinu a bit stunned at how he is before bowing his head, “Yes, uh, mister Bobby sir.” he says, eyes directed at Rumi when he straightens up as her sulky face turns away.

“That was one hell of a game you showed out there today, guess the games has a new golden boy to look out for huh?” Bobby nudges Jinu with his elbow. “Welp, it was a pleasure meeting you Jinu, and uh…?”

Jinu blinks back into the present as Bobby shoots a finger at Jelly, who’s too nervous to answer before Jinu clears his throat, “Ah yes, this is Jelly, our manager.”

Jelly tries not to trip over himself under the discerning gaze of the hunters as he shakily holds his hand out, “Nice to be working with you, Mister Bobby!”

“Nice to be working with you too, Jelly.” Bobby shakes his hand then salutes two fingers with a smile, “Now duty calls. These kids are gonna need all the energy they can get for tomorrow’s games… idols, am I right?”

“R-Right!” Jelly straightens up before tugging at Jinu’s arm, “Now let’s get going, Jinu, the others are waiting.”

As Huntr/x and Bobby make their way through the parking lot, Rumi feels Jinu’s lingering gaze behind her, a feeling in her stomach as she boards the van with the others.

•─────⋅☾ ☽⋅─────•

“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to the most thrilling event of the idol season!”

It was a new sunny day when the stadium roars in applause and cheers as the teams are back in the gym for the Starlight Idol Games, fans and spectators alike looking forward to what’s to come as the stage is set up for the first final of the day: ssireum.

Jinu stood as the Saja Boys went around and socialized with the rest of the male idols, arms crossed as he watched the crew prep the contestants. Turning to the boys it was the first time he’d ever seen the group of idols look alive since coming back as the Saja Boys.

Baby (weirdly) still carried around a baby bottle, insisting he drink his Americano out of it as Bamby and Eunho happily babbled away, Mystery standing nearby to nod and hum quietly to himself. Romance being the oldest Saja after Jinu naturally fell into conversation with the senior groups, exchanging laughs with Eunwoo in the back.

Abby on the other hand rests his arm around Jinu as he watches Rumi approach the stand.

“So what’s the game plan today, oh dear leader of ours?” Abby hums as he watches Rumi approach the stand.

“There’s no plan today. Whatever you and the others are doing right now besides competing is already doing its work.” Jinu gestures to Baby and Mystery’s new friends building a water bottle tower as they wait for the ssireum event to start. Abby raises his brow, “You mean… making friends with other idols? What good does that do?”

“If their fans see us with them, that’s another dozen or so fans that we can reel in.”

“Fair point… but why aren’t you doing it?”

“Me?” Jinu raises his brow.

“Yeah, you’re like, standing around like a loner, so I had to stand by so people don’t think you’re weird.”

“I’m just… not that into it. Not when you guys call me old man every few minutes, every time someone talks to me I feel like I’m not meant to be here.” Jinu scrunches his nose a bit, “Just because I’m front and center doesn’t mean I’m on everyone’s radar all the time.”

“Yeah yeah, I get it. But that’s not what I mean.” Abby says, looking up to Rumi on the stand waiting to enter the ring. Abby clicks his tongue and leans into his ear, “You really gotta be careful… Someone posted a video of you staring at her at the opening ceremony.”

Jinu snaps his head, “What—huh?” his brows knit together.

“You’re making it way too obvious. That’s on scandal 101, don’t let the fans catch you staring.” Abby hisses. “The Games are known to be a hotspot for idols hooking up. And we’re just rookies, don’t give them any reason to doubt us from the get go.”

“... right.” Jinu mutters, eyeing Abby up and down, “Speaking from experience?”

“Not really.” he shrugs, “But you’re not online like we are, we know how fans react to this sort of thing, so I’m telling you right now to go walk around and make friends.”

Abby loses Jinu halfway as the buzzer goes off and Jinu snaps his attention to Rumi going head to head with Hayoung, their shoulders rammed into each other as they both try to push the other to flip over. More notable than Rumi’s strength was her capability to hold back and act like she’s just strong enough. Considering she was part demon, it was an impressive act of restraint.

But of course, after some weighted steps and stumbling from attempts to turn their opponent onto the ground, Rumi manages to hoist Hayoung inwards, throwing her down on the mat as the crowd cheers.

“Hayoung almost had it!” Dahyun says, clapping her hands. “That’s another win for Rumi for the third year in a row!”

Rumi helps Hayoung up with this warm gaze and cheerful smile she exchanges bows with Hayoung as the older woman pats Rumi’s back before they share laughs and wave to the fans together.

Jinu’s eyes lock with Rumi from a distance as she makes her way off the stage, as he and Abby clap, flashing her a small smirk. A quiet huff leaves Rumi’s lips as she walks down, the crew scrambling to prepare for the men’s finals.

“Ah.” Jinu says as they call for the male finalists for ssireum. He turns his head as Rome is trying to balance a bottle tower with the others and the male idols they became friends with.

Jinu raises his brow as Rome delicately tries to balance an empty bottle on top, Mystery crouching down with his hands out as if ready to catch its collapse when Jinu calls to Rome. “Romance! They’re calling the finalists for ssireum!”

“Huh?” Rome breaks his focus, accidentally dropping the bottle and toppling the tower, Eunho rage kicking it before it falls on its own before Bamby and Baby bark out laughs with Rome before he proceeds to jog over to the platform.

•─────⋅☾ ☽⋅─────•

From her seat, Mira’s sulking back against the bleachers with her shoulders raised, watching as Rome flips his opponent over before she and Zoey flinch as the Pride explodes in screams as Romance’s victorious face flashes to blow kisses to the crowd. Mira swears under her breath with her teeth gritting as another round of shrieks almost breaks their eardrums.

As the two receive some corn dogs to munch on, Zoey leans over to whisper to Mira, “Those stupid demons really have it easy…”

“Ugh, men.” Mira mutters as the fans chatter behind them.

“Oh gosh, Rome is so hot .” Mira overhears one of Saja Boys’ fans swooning behind them, sighing. Mira does her best not to let her expression twist as the fan’s friend nudges, “I know, right? It’s a shame it wasn’t Abby who participated, but I did bowling before and I’m telling you it isn’t easy.”

“The way his face scrunched whenever he landed those gutterballs, God he’s so cute. You think Rome would’ve been right next to him if he was on that team instead of Jinu?”

“Wait, wait, but Jinu though? God, he’s a bowling champ, it was amazing!”

Growl~

Mira and Zoey blink and look behind them as the two fans, two young teens, look at them abashedly, both of them holding their stomachs.

“Y-You heard that? Sorry, the line outside is so long and we kinda just figured we’d wait until the gymnastics program start to grab food…” one of them stammers, but Zoey turns and her hand holding her corn dog lifts before the words leave her lips.

“Oh here, you could have a bite!”

“What? No no no! That’s your food.” The girl waves both her hands as Zoey shakes her head, insisting, “No, it’s totally fine! You girls are probably starving.”

“Yeah, no really we don’t mind.” Mira says with a smile, holding her corn dog up to the other teen as they looked at each other nervously.

“You… you really don’t mind…?”

“Absolutely not, c’mon, take a bite! The games are gonna be a while in real life, can’t have you two starving~” Zoey says.

Standing on the floor with Baby, Mystery watches as Mira and Zoey feed two Saja Boys fans as the ones behind them take videos, nudging Abby.

“What?” Abby asks annoyed before he looks up to find Mira smiling and chatting with the fan as she hands over her corndog, reaching to grab another one sitting between her and Zoey for themselves as Abby cranks up his demon hearing to listen in.

The fans have this delighted look after they’re handed the corn dogs, seeing as Mira and Zoey had extras. “Thank you so much…” One of the girls say before Zoey waves her hand.

“Psh, it’s nothing!” Zoey flashes them a smile.

“Yknow, if you guys want, we actually have a food support truck and some coffee trucks outside—we prepared a lot of meals for seconds and thirds in case our fans wanted more for the day.” Mira tells them, “We even have a dinner truck ready to come over before the games end.”

Zoey perks up, “Oh, yeah! We could tell Bobby to let them serve you guys, tell them to let Saja Boys fans grab a meal.”

“Is that really okay?” One of them asks, her eyes twinkle.

“Of course! We don’t like the thought of our fans starving, what’s a few more?”

“You guys are so sweet…”

“Huh…” Abby mutters, gazing at Mira’s gentle expression from afar, nodding as she listens to his fans attentively before the demon turns his attention to Rome, who stretches before grabbing a water bottle. “What’s with you?”

“I think our little spice queen is a lot softer than she looks.” He tells Rome, head nodding back to direct his attention to the hunters talking to the Pride.

“Hey so, we’re curious—” Zoey perks up, “What… do you guys like about the Saja Boys?” she asks, masking her suspicious tone with innocent curiosity.

“Yeah, even we don’t know much about them since they just came out.” Mira adds.

“Well I think you know how hot they are.” The teen says proudly, scrunching her nose, “But also they’re like, crazy cute. Abby was super shy about flexing on Daily Idol—”

“And his laugh…” the other says dreamily.

“Oh, oh! And Baby is so savage, Moli asked what it takes to join a group like the Saja Boys and Baby straight up says ‘good looks’.”

Mira snorts at the response, smiling. “I mean… he’s not wrong.” she laughs.

“What about you two?” The teen asks, tilting her head.

“What about us?”

The girls lean in towards the hunters, “Is there anything you two like about the Saja Boys?”

The two idols are careful not to act repulsed, Zoey quickling holding her finger up to her lips with her head shaking at the teens teasingly.

“Mm-mm, you girls know dang well we can’t be talking out here about no boys.” Zoey giggles.

“Oh come on!” one of them whines playfully, “Y’know I saw Mystery watching you yesterday during the meter run.”

“R—Really?” Zoey squeaks.

“Yeah! Oh, wait—” the girl fishes out her phone to show the video showing Zoey on the screen hitting the crash pad on slow mo, before it cuts to Mystery’s shaggy bangs with his mouth hanging open in awe, the sounds of yesterday’s crowd screaming when he shows up.

Mira’s face scrunches as Zoey turns pink, “He was probably just so surprised at how fast I could run.” she says softly as she munches on her corn dog, eyes still glued to the phone as Mystery’s face remained on screen as Baby whispered in his ear. He whips his head, probably seeing his face before ducking.

The fan giggles, “He’s really cute though, don’t you think?”

Before Zoey could answer, Bobby and Rumi stood at the bottom of the bleachers whistling at them and waving their hands. The two mouth the words ‘gymnastics’ before Mira and Zoey wave back.

“It’s almost time for our other events, thanks for the talk though!” Zoey smiles at the two and bows her head as Mira pats their hands, “You guys go grab some grub, the food truck is at the left when you guys take Exit F4.”

She flashes them another small smile then waves at the other Saja Boys fans. “You guys too! Don’t skip out on meals okay?”

The Pride cheerfully acknowledge in chorus as the two wave, skipping downstairs to follow Bobby and Rumi back out, waving at them as they go ‘eat well!’

Jinu stands on Abby’s other side as they watch Huntr/x exit the gym to prepare for the other events, crossing his arms in thought before their fans spot and yell at them. Instantly the boys band together to wave and smile at them, mouthing questions and what not with the crowds answering yes or no in unison.

•─────⋅☾ ☽⋅─────•

@prideszn on Flitter: omg PSA saja pride!! @HUNTRIX_official is offering the pride attending #SIG rn free meals from their food trucks if you’re hungry!! mira and zoey heard our stomachs growling and gave us their corn dogs and told us we could go get some 🥺🥺🥺[prideszn added 2 photos.] Expand Thread

@r0mecultist on Flitter: honhwa are so sweet, there were some who were still at the food truck and we were all shy but bobby told them to let us have a meal and they gave me and @prideszn freebies🌼🌼 [r0mecultist added 4 photos]

@rumiverse on Flitter: i stan the sweetest girls ever omg 💖

@spiceking on Flitter: forever our thoughtful hunters! #HUNTRIX_GOLDEN #RUMI #ZOEY #MIRA 🌟💛

@hubby4abby on Flitter: holy shit one honhwa was giving out norigaes next to the huntr/x food trucks and these are so cute, tysm!!

@sajawifey on Flitter: thank you so much for keeping our pride well fed @HUNTRIX_official 🥺💖

[BIBBLE] HUNTR/X 도루미💜 posted 3 new photos: everyone please eat well~ 

Flooded with posts from the Pride and Honhwa alike, Jinu couldn’t help checking each and every one of them, eyes low as he read each one on his phone.

Evidently this wasn’t the first time HUNTR/X had been known for their charity. Various local housing programs for special classes would post about donations from the girls, either as a group or individually, they often made unprompted appearances at cupsleeve events or random play dance events on tour, leave generous tips whenever they were in the States with Zoey, who often made the effort to stay back and volunteer at shelters in Burbank while Mira and Rumi flew back to Korea.

Times have truly changed since 400 years ago, the reality of the new world hitting Jinu hard as he scrolls past dozens of posts and photos from the Pride about the evident kindness of the hunters who swore to slay them in cold blood one day. But they were just doing their sacred duties, the benefits of being world renowned artists breaking records and earning billions allowing them to display a level of generosity that Jinu never imagined would have existed, a sort of kindness that he could have benefited from if he and his family were born into this age.

He stares at Rumi’s photos from about an hour ago or so with their food truck meals, holding them up with Zoey and Mira, and one of her own puffing her cheeks with a piece of half eaten katsu on chopsticks, the corner of his mouth curling upwards as the stylist finished strapping him up with protective archery gear.

“Thank you, noona.” He says without much thought, putting his phone away as he walked out of the tent, rolling his shoulder then stretching on his way out.

He stops in his tracks, seeing Rumi stretching her arms by a closed off gym entrance lit only by the gymnasium inside, her eyes far away.

He stands to the side speaking up, “Gotta say, your dedication to the fans is pretty commendable.”

Shing!

Jinu almost stumbles backwards as Rumi’s sword suddenly materializes pointing at his throat, Rumi’s eyes startled before she realizes she'd summoned her sword in response to hearing his voice.

“Ugh, what do you want?” Rumi wrinkles her nose before the sword rapidly unravels into the threads of the Honmoon as she continues her stretching.

“Can’t a fellow idol just wander around curious?” Jinu jokes. 

“Not a problem with that, but I have a problem with demons just walking this Earth unslain.” she fires back. “What are you even doing here? I don’t want to talk to you.”

“Ouch, that hurts.” Jinu tells her. “Y'know it’s not everyday you get to have someone who knows your deepest darkest secret.” he says as he joins her stretching.

“I swear to gods, if you mention it again I will actually gut you this time and leave no trace.”

“Fine, fine. I’ll cut it out.” Jinu sighs before his hands slip into his pockets. “... that was really nice by the way.”

“What is?” Rumi mumbles.

“Mira and Zoey offering our fans food when they were hungry. And then you guys offering the rest of them free meals so they don’t have to wait in long lines with other fans.”

“Happy fans, happy Honmoon.” Rumi says quietly. “It isn’t just because we’re fighting for them, by the way—a little help goes a long way, for all of us. Those girls didn’t just get a free meal, they also saved some money that they could spend on something else or at another time when they need it most.”

Jinu perks up as she continues, “When we have concerts in cold places, we buy blankets to give to all our fans who come to watch us.”

“All of them? You guys have had like—at most a seventy five thousand capacity, and that's one venue.” Jinu recalls as Rumi snorts with a smile, “We’re not exactly hurting for money, we also make sure all the VIP packages are the same across board and are as premium as they come.”

“Wow, you guys really don’t hold back.” Jinu lets out a chuckle, his eyes to the floor as he slumps against the wall, “What I would have given to receive your charity if only you guys existed four hundred years ago.” he mumbles. “Maybe… maybe then I wouldn’t have needed Gwima.”

Rumi pauses, then looks at him.

“I wouldn’t have slipped so low that I could hear him, maybe you would’ve made sure we were eating every night.”

“... I probably would have.” Rumi murmurs, leaning against the wall with her hands back.

“What’s it like? Not being able to hear Gwima in your head?”

“... I wouldn’t know. I’m usually alone, hearing my own voice trying to rush through everything, to seal the Honmoon for good while hearing Mira’s voice snapping at me while I practice by myself… hearing my aunt telling me to cover everything up and to get rid of the patterns.”

Jinu’s head turns to her and suddenly finds her crouched up against the wall, hands on her knees. “I don’t think it’s any different from how you describe him speaking to you.” she says.

“Have you… ever considered that you don’t have to suffer hearing that all alone?”

“If I wanted to suffer with someone, I would’ve made sure it wasn’t with a demon who thinks he knows me.” Rumi’s voice grows stern before glaring at him. “We’re not friends, and never will be with a demon like you. I’ll make sure of it.” She pushes herself off the wall, walking past him.

She suddenly feels herself get yanked by the wrist, eyes wide once she’s face to face with Jinu staring down at her. “You don’t know what it’s like—to live as a demon hearing all your regrets haunt you night after night, to know that you shouldn’t have lived so long to suffer like this for hundreds of years.” He raises his voice, his gaze burning into her own eyes as she shrinks a bit under his golden eyes.

Jinu realizes he’s been gripping her too hard when he notices both their patterns forming on their hands as a defense reflex, Rumi hissing before his fingers loosen. “I… I’m sorry.” he mutters, not letting go. “... you—you’ve been great, by the way. Good luck out there, I have no doubt you’ll beat me.”

Rumi blinks as Jinu walks off.

Soon she finds herself standing at a distance from Jinu as the last archers for the finals, facing Jinu’s broad back as he pulls back his arrow, aiming at the target.

“Ah, yes. The Saja Boys’ golden leader, Jinu himself.” Hyunmoo starts.

“Jinu’s made a pretty remarkable track record for a rookie at his first Starlight Idol Games.” Dahyun notes, “He’s had a decent score average in the preliminaries and the semifinals, averaging out between seven and eight points.”

“Jinu also hit a record with bowling, apparently. Not a single gutterball, and hit a ton of spares. If it weren’t for the girls’ team beating them out, Jinu would have had a chance at the semifinals.”

“Will he be just as successful this time?”

The arrow hits an 8, earning Jinu a few claps and cheers as he flashes a small smile at the crowd and nods in satisfaction as he puts his bow down to watch Rumi.

“Rumi certainly lives up to her title as the Target Monster, she’s managed to break the bullseye camera two years in a row, with her hitting it twice in the same set.”

Rumi smiles as she picks up her bow and takes her stance, braid sitting on her shoulder as the gymnasium hears Hyunmoo speak up.

“If Rumi manages to hit the camera again this year, I’ll treat all the idols in attendance to fried chicken.” The idols react with oohs and ahhs, some clapping as she can hear Yuna from a distance, “You can do it unnie!”

Jinu meanwhile stares at her intently as he swears he can hear the deep breath she takes, aiming at the target that had most of the arrows crowding the 8 and 9 ring.

She shoots, her braid flinging off her shoulder like damn cinema from catching the tail of the arrow—

“Wah!”

The crowd screams in excitement as the hosts and idols in the gym cheer, Hyunmoo leaning over the commentator’s table as Kwangsoo barks in laughter and the idols start chanting for fried chicken, the Saja Boys waving their fists along including a snickering Jinu as he joins in.

As usual, Rumi hit the bullseye camera, much to Hyunmoo’s dismay.

"Sunbae, that's the third time you jinxed yourself this year!"

"I am my own worst enemy, aish."

The game proceeds long after that, with Jinu suddenly unable to focus, scoring lower but never under 5. He even hits the backdrop instead, earning him amused laughs, including from Rumi who scoffs out an amused laugh as he strikes a playful pose, undeterred by his losing streak as the girls scream.

“Ah, so even the great Saja rookie has his weak moments too.” 

“Or a weakness, if I was facing such a goddess like Rumi I would lose focus too.”

Jinu ignores the commentators' last sences as he comes over after the hosts declare the girls as the winners of this year’s archery match, Rumi looking at him and holding out her hand for him to shake. “... good match.” she tells him.

“You did great as always.” Jinu responds, and for a brief second they both feel their hands pulse where their patterns are hidden, the sensation like a spark before they quickly let go. Jinu's eyes linger before he leans in not too close but close enough, "Hope to see more of it, Miss Hunter."

•─────⋅☾ ☽⋅─────•

After a long few hours of competing in sports, another hour taking photos and wrapping up the closing ceremony, Huntr/x proceeded to say goodbye to their teammates, who hug them with with a last burst of energy they have from a long day’s work, the hunters decorated with gold medals.

“Thank you so much for being on our team this year, unnie!” Sooin says, hugging Mira as the pink haired hunter gives her junior a tight, fond hug. “It was so much fun being your teammates this year, I hope we could do it again!”

“Really? You wanna be on our team again?”

“Of course!” Mira laughs, petting Sooin’s head, "Together we could be invincible!"

“You girls have a good night! Thank you for your hard work, everyone~”

On their way out they take photos with Honhwa who were waiting for them, as well as the hard working food truck staff that worked fan support, the girls bowing deeply as the concessionaires wave their hands bashfully as they receive praise.

“Hah!” The girls exclaim as they board their swanky luxury van, wrapped with this white with purple iridescent skin. Zoey was still in her gymnastics costume, settling into the plush seat, “Oh man, I’m so ready for the couch…” she slurs slightly before immediately crashing, snoring with her head snapped back against the head rest.

Bobby soon hops into the van with some iced coffees to give them before the driver starts the van, pulling out of the parking lot.

“Hey Bobby!” Mira and Rumi greet him.

“Hi girls!” he greets as he hands the drinks over, smiling, “You did such an awesome job in this year’s games, absolutely killed it! I’m so proud of you.”

“Thanks, Bobby.” they smile as they take the drinks, only Rumi pausing.

Rumi leaning in, “Hey, uh, Bobby?”

“Yes Rumi?”

“I’m just wondering, with all the time between now and the Idol Awards… how many shows do you have us booked on…?”

Bobby fingers scroll through his phone, checking. “Well, hm, I have a few activities for you girls–” he pauses, flushing, “I may have… just found out that some of them are with the Saja Boys.”

Rumi lets out a long sigh, “Come on, how are they getting on shows this easily?”

“Define some.” Mira snips.

Bobby flashes them a tight smile.

•─────⋅☾ ☽⋅─────•

That night, Rumi finds Jinu’s strange yet adorably blue tiger standing straight in front of her balcony door, another letter stuck on its tongue, its sunset eyes piercing through Rumi’s soul that she almost thinks he’s capable of taking her soul too.

“... No.” she says flatly, shutting the glass door. When neither the tiger nor the magpie leaves, she yanks the curtains closed with a sigh.

Rumi has no idea what Jinu wants from her, or what he’s trying to prove. She was a hunter. She wasn’t going to fall for whatever scheme he has going on, not in this lifetime.

That being said, it doesn’t stop her from trying to search up exactly where Jinu came from out of curiosity. 

She sits in front of her laptop and starts looking up his name. Of course, it doesn’t draw anything conclusive, Jinu is such a common name, names of eunichs, merchants named from several dozen villages established in the Joseon dynasty. If Jinu had the favor of the king he must’ve been a dime a dozen of entertainers housed in the palace, not to mention he never mentioned which emperor.

Was she looking for a hint? A clue to what Gwima had up his sleeve? Or was she just curious of how much he’d lived before the patterns spread and took over?

A flash of red spreads through the waves of the Honmoon, and hears Mira and Zoey calling before she deletes the tab looking for Jinu, making her way out to them so they could find whatever demon decided to interrupt such a peaceful night.