Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Once, there was a young woman and her band. Their music broke records and they were adored across the world.

They weren't only a band, however.

Beyond the catchy songs, impressive choreography, and harmonies so perfect that listeners swore they felt their souls ablaze at the sound, they had a much more dire challenge. 

Demon hunting.

For several years, they balanced their lives as pop stars and as protectors of the world with grace and ease. All was well, until a new demon broke into their world.

He was stronger than any demon they had faced. Much smarter, too. He took pleasure in taunting them. Especially the young woman who led the band.

Stubborn and easy to rile up, the young woman rose to his every provocation. She was determined to wipe the smug grin off his face. 

The young woman and the demon danced around each other in dangerous harmony for months. Like the tide and the moon, like the sun and the planets, they pushed and pulled and fought and chased, never far from each other's reach.

So it was, until one day, when the young woman was separated during a hunt and badly injured. 

The demon found her in the alley, unable to defend herself. Rather than attack or continue his pattern of torment, the demon helped her down the empty streets in the night to a room in an old motel. There, with a gentle hand, he tended to her wounds.

"My name is Sejagma. Are you ever going to tell me yours, or are you going to glare at me silently for the rest of the evening?" He asked as he bandaged her arm, that smirk still on his face. The young woman continued to stare at him for a long moment. She hadn't been sure what to say. It was her job to kill him, he was her enemy, and yet he helped her all the same.

"Mi-yeong," She eventually responded. She wasn't sure she should have. "Why are you helping me? I thought you'd kill me the first chance you got."

"I've never tried to kill you. I've always left that part to you," Sejagma shrugged. Mi-yeong's first reaction had been to argue with him, but as she thought about it, she realized he was right. He had taunted and teased and tormented the hunters, but never had he fought. He dodged and took hits like it was nothing, but he hadn't ever attacked.

"Why not?" Mi-young had asked instead.

"Well, where's the fun in being a nuisance if you're dead?" He responded. She laughed despite herself. She cringed as her ribs ached.

That one night changed everything and, at the same time, nothing. Sejagma continued to taunt the hunters, but Mi-yeong often found that his teasing made her grin. Their combat was fluid and patterned like a waltz, and they danced in each other's presence like choreographed partners. 

Over time, they slowly transitioned from constant fights to meeting in the late hours of the night, just to talk. They could exist in each other's company shockingly well. Supposed enemies, and yet they seemed to be anything but.

The hunters may never have been able to catch him, but for some reason, when Sejagma was the only demon on their side of the Honmoon, no people disappeared. Souls were not sent to Gwi-ma. He merely existed as any other person would. Mi-young didn't understand why.

"Why are you here?" Mi-yeong asked him one night, as they sat on a rooftop and watched the sleepy traffic below.

"I'm not sure what you mean."

"No one goes missing when it's just you here. If you're not stealing souls or trying to kill us hunters, why are you here?"

Sejagma thought for a moment.

"I just want to enjoy the world," He said simply.

"That's all?" Mi-young raised an eyebrow.

"Do I need more than that?" He looked at her, his eyes glowing gold in the dark.

"Seems like a lot of work to come through the Honmoon to watch traffic," She gestured vaguely in front of them. He sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"I'm... one of the more powerful demons. Gwi-ma has a harder time infecting my mind here. When I'm beyond the Honmoon and out of his reach, I can keep him out of my head. It's quiet. I just like the quiet," He admitted softly. "I don't want to hurt anyone. Not really. It's not like it's fun or anything. It's just what Gwi-ma demands. It's what feeds his power, but I personally don't get anything out of it. I have my power set as they are. Why would I hurt people and then have to return to him when I can ignore him and enjoy some alone time for once?"

Silence fell over them for a few moments.

"I don't know why I believe you. Everything I've been taught says I should hate you and disregard everything you say," Mi-young finally broke the silence.

"But...?" Sejagma prodded.

"But... for some reason, I can't help but see the best in you. I can't help but like you," She nudged his shoulder with her own. He huffed a small laugh, flashing a set of fangs in a little smile. 

"For some reason, I can't help but like you, too," Sejagma responded in a gentle tone.

Mi-young told her fellow hunters eventually. About the demon who was different. The demon who just wanted to enjoy the peace of the living world.

"He's not like the others," Mi-young insisted, "We all know that no one goes missing when we close the tears, even though he's always on this side of the Honmoon. He's funny and gentle. He helped me."

"He's a demon, unnie. Are you sure we can just take his word?" The band's lyricist had asked gently. She wasn't totally unopen to the idea, but cautious.

"Let me introduce you properly, Soo-jin. You'll see, I'm sure of it," Mi-young insisted.

"We can't do this, it goes against all of our training. Demons have to die, that's how we protect the Honmoon. We all know that," the band's maknae had cut in. "I won't believe a word of it."

"Please, Celine. Just come talk to him with us. Please," Mi-young took her hands in her own, squeezing tight. "I promise it'll change your mind."

Celine remained skeptical, but eventually agreed.

Despite initial reservations and nerves, after many months, Sejagma gained their trust. He never joined hunts, but he never stopped them either. He never hurt anyone. He helped them with injuries and house chores. 

In a year, he was a part of their found family. Soo-jin and Celine called him a friend. 

Mi-young, two years from first meeting him, called him the father of her child.

Once, there was a mighty demon king. For thousands of years, he ruled with a metaphorical iron fist. His flames grew so strong and so hot for so long that he eventually could no longer contain his strength alone. 

He separated a portion of his immense power into a new being. A son of his own sole creation. The prince of the underworld.

The king tormented his son's mind, just as he did the minds of every other demon. He forced his son to collect souls among the rest of his demon army.

The king never realized the resentment he had instilled in his son. He never saw how his needless torture of the prince destroyed any loyalty the demon boy had.

Until the hunters came and put up a barrier. They weakened the king down from a roaring inferno to crackling embers. And in desperation to save himself, the king sent his son beyond the Honmoon to destroy the hunters. To end the hunter cycle by destroying all three of them at once, there by keeping the knowledge from passing to the next generation born with their abilities and leaving the barrier to break without them.

He didn't predict that his tortured son would disobey him.

The king heard not from his son again for many years. With the barrier between them and the king so weak, his son was able to sever the connection between their minds. The king could sense him as he could sense all his demons, but no longer could the king torment his son.

The king was furious and disgraced by his son, but the last straw came when a new being met his senses. With no deals struck, no new demons created by his hand, no possible way for a new demon to emerge, the king felt a new demonic presence in the world. 

A demonic presence that held a piece of his son's power. A demonic presence tainted with the mortal stink of a living human.

His foolish, traitorous son.

The king was so enraged by his son's actions that he used nearly all of his remaining strength to gather his strongest demons over the course of three days.

Then, he tore a hole in the barrier.

Once, there was a battle between a found family of five and thirty merciless demons. It was brutal and vicious and horrible.

There were no winners in this battle. No side succeeded. No one person stood tall in the remnants. All that was left were survivors.

Thirty-one demons were killed that night. Two humans were killed alongside them.

In the end, of all the beings that were involved some way in the fight, there were only three who remained.

A demon king, a skeptic, and a baby.

Chapter Text

It was always the same.

The smell of breakfast in the air. The morning sun through the blinds, gold stripes on the floor. The radio on the counter quietly played a slow love ballad.

Crash!

The Honmoon suddenly trembled and shrieked all around, pulsing with an ominous alarmed magenta.

The front door flew off its hinges and skidded across the floor.

All hell came through the open doorway.

"How did so many get through!?" Came Soo-jin's panicked yell. She was in a onesie and big fluffy pink slippers, running down the hall of their dorm in a frenzy. It was almost funny. Almost.

"Take Rumi! Get out of here!" Sejagma barely got the words out before he was slammed into the kitchen island hard enough to crack the marble countertop.

There were so many. Too many.

Celine shoved herself in front of Mi-yeong protectively as the new mother bundled her baby in her arms.

Rumi was wailing.

Celine's blades clashed with a demon broadsword with force enough to send sparks flying. Mi-yeong ducked away as the demon was driven back.

Around then was when Celine lost track of what was happening around her.

They never seemed to stop. They just kept coming.

Gnashing teeth, claws like daggers, demonic weapons that gouged massive scars into the walls and floors.

Something caught Celine in the thigh. Her blood spattered across the floor. She didn't know what it was that landed a blow.

She ran, limping on one side. She didn't know where she was going.

She passed the radio. It was on the floor in pieces.

Her socked foot slid on the floor as she stepped in something slick and wet. It soaked into her sock; a black ooze like blood. A demon had been killed. Not banished back to the underworld, but really properly killed. 

Where was Sejagma?

Celine saw Mi-yeong in the back room, defending the door on shaky legs. Only the ferocity of a protective mother kept her upright, but she couldn't stop them all. Mi-yeong fought tooth and nail to defend her daughter, but she didn't have the stamina. Not three days after giving birth.

Celine didn't make it in time.

She never saw what happened to Soo-jin or Sejagma. The aftermath, she remembered all too well, but she never saw the action.

Mi-yeong's last moments were burned into her brain, however. Stamped on her retinas for her to revisit regularly as she closed her eyes.

The blade, the scream, the fall, how Celine had gotten a last wind of desperate energy and ripped through every demon in front of her like a bat out of hell to reach Mi-yeong, but there was nothing she could do.

Hot blood soaked her sweatpants as she knelt next to Mi-yeong.

"Take care of her... please, Celine... promise you'll take care of her..." Those were her last words. Gurgled and choked out from a mouthful of blood. The air around them stank of iron.

"I-I will... I... I p-promise..."

Mi-yeong smiled. She went still.

Laid in a laundry basket in the back of the room, Rumi still wailed.

Celine awoke with a start, her heart pounding in her chest. She sat up abruptly, her neck twinged painfully. Panicked irises flicked around the room.

The open window, the blue rug, the wood panelled walls, the laptop in front of her. She had fallen asleep at her desk in her home office.

Again.

Celine looked at the clock through bleary eyes. It was just after five thirty. She should have just finished work.

She rubbed her eyes with a heavy sigh and tried to ignore the heavy scent of iron that seemed to linger in her nostrils. 

It probably wasn't a good thing that she had gotten used to it. She had revisited that day again and again so many times at that point that she could calm down again in a few moments after waking up. It was life after it all. Any sleep she got was disturbed and unrestful, haunted by the day she wished to forget. She rarely slept at all as a result. There was no choice but to deal.

It took a moment for her to register that the sound of a baby crying was still ringing in her ears. It wasn't just her dream.

Celine got out of her chair with a groan and stretched sorely as she made for her bedroom, where Rumi was supposed to be napping in her crib.

Rumi was five months old. It was a weird thought. Celine had never wanted kids, never wanted to get married, she had never even dated someone before. On her list of priorities, that sort of stuff had always been on the bottom. But here she was with a five month old who wasn't exactly hers, but well, she was doing all the work.

It had started just as a debt and a guilty conscience. Just Celine doing her best to honour Mi-yeong's dying wish. Just Celine trying to make up for not being good enough when everyone needed her. 

As time went on, though... maybe Rumi had grown on her a bit. At the very least, she gave Celine a reason to get up and get on with life every morning, which was no small feat given the circumstances. Rumi made it all a little bit more bearable.

It certainly helped that Rumi was almost painfully cute. Celine had never been one to coo over a baby, but something about Rumi's pudgy face and eyes that always looked vaguely startled was impossible not to love.

Plus, Rumi was a pretty easy baby for the most part, which Celine was endlessly grateful for. She hadn't been very fussy until recently, which Celine had consulted several frantically purchased parenting books to deduce that she was likely teething.

She had given Rumi a teething ring before her nap, which seemed to have done the trick until now.

Celine pushed open her bedroom door and flicked on the light, as the curtains were drawn. The first thing she saw was the teething ring on the floor by the crib. 

Or at least, what was left of it. The light blue silicone was in pieces. Nothing but chunks with bite marks all over like a dog had eaten it.

"What the...?" Celine awkwardly sidestepped the broken teething ring and approached the crib. 

She felt the panic she had just calmed return in full force. Rumi was squirming and crying, with blood smeared around the little mattress, her footie pajamas, and her face. Celine tried not to lose it as she scooped her up. 

"Rumi, what happened?" 

Celine frantically checked her for injuries, instinctively bouncing her to try and calm her down. She swallowed the bile that burned in the back of her throat at the smell of blood. She forced away images of gore and last words and bodies.

Eventually, she found the origin of the blood. Four little puncture marks on Rumi's chubby little hand. Two on the back of her hand, two on the palm, all situated around her thumb.

Realization hit her. She briefly glanced down at the tatters of the teething ring.

"Oh, no... don't tell me..." Celine carefully opened Rumi's mouth. Four tiny little canine teeth, far too sharp to be normal, protruded from her otherwise toothless gums.

"You're kidding me..." Celine mumbled. Rumi had mostly calmed down as she was held and looked up at Celine with her usual slightly startled expression. "You can play dumb, but we both know those aren't human teeth." She said flatly.

Of course, as it seemed for Celine these days, nothing could be a simple thing for her to deal with. Even Rumi couldn't be a simple normal baby.

It started with the patterns she was born with, two little swirling purple marks that followed the muscle of her bicep and tricep. And then came the eyes that glowed yellow in the dark depsite being normal in the light (which had nearly given Celine a heart attack the first time). Then her hair started to come in purple. And now, fangs.

Celine had no way of knowing how demon-like Rumi would be. She didn't even know that much about demons aside from the bad things. Sure, she had talked to and spent time with Sejagma and had considered him a friend, but it's not like she thought to ask him what demons were like as babies. Or if demons ever were babies.

Celine sighed heavily and inspected Rumi's injured hand again.

No use worrying about that now. One thing at a time.

"I guess we should get you clean and then figure out what we're doing with the daggers you have in your mouth, huh?" Rumi stared at her. Then, she put her hand in her mouth again, which Celine quickly grabbed. "And let's not eat our fingers today, please."

One bath, one rubber duck tragically lost to a set of baby chompers, and a fresh outfit later, and Celine and Rumi were out the door.

Clearly, normal teething toys wouldn't be up to snuff against Rumi's new teeth. So, Celine had a better plan.

She pulled into the parking lot of a pet store and got out of the car. Rumi was placed in a baby carrier on Celine's chest.

"Okay, we're going to be nice and normal and not show everyone our weird vampire teeth today, okay?" Rumi looked up at her blankly. "Good."

She pulled down her hat and pulled up her face mask. She desperately hoped she could avoid getting recognized.

Being in public was hard enough as an idol. Being in public as an idol who had recently been the sole survivor of what the world saw as a mass murder of the rest of the band was even harder. 

A demon baby strapped to her chest didn't help avoid attention.

At a certain point, Celine had to put her faith in the Honmoon. She couldn't wrap Rumi entirely in blankets and hope no one ever looked at her. She couldn't leave her unattended at home, either.

So, she did what she could to make them both look average, and left the rest to the Honmoon.

In a way, the Honmoon acted as a disguise in and of itself. It wasn't as if demons and hunters were perfect. They were seen a lot, actually. They could and had been in broad daylight in blatant view of civilians before, but the Honmoon kept them from noticing.

It had once been explained to Celine that the Honmoon had the ability to manipulate people's perception of mundanity. In other words, it could skew the average person's view on what was 'normal' and plant a strong benefit of the doubt in their heads so that, when they saw beings that interacted with the Honmoon like demons and hunters, it wouldn't cause panic. They might have a thought or two about how weird the situation was, but they'd leave it at that. Usually they didn't notice at all.

In all the times that Celine had taken Rumi out, no one had really said much about her. People had cooed at Rumi and asked the usual baby questions, but no one said anything about purple hair or the patterns Celine couldn't cover on a hot day.

It seemed no different now, as she walked into the store and past other customers who barely spared them a glance. She made a beeline for the dog toy aisle.

She grabbed a handful of chew toys that were labeled 'for aggressive biters' that also seemed small enough for Rumi's mouth. Rumi reached for the toys, so Celine handed her one of them. The baby gladly got to work chewing on the neon green rubber bone.

"Hopefully, that will work. I don't know what I could get that's stronger," Celine said softly.

As Celine turned to head to check out, a little boy, probably around four years old, down the aisle gasped dramatically. He pointed at Rumi, eyes blown wide with shock.

"W-what's wrong with it?" He asked shakily.

Right. Of course.

There was one problem with the Honmoon's mundanity manipulation. It only worked on those who had a good grasp on the mundane. The boring, the familiar, the simple. 

In other words, kids who hadn't experienced very much life yet and still found wonder in what adults found mundane, were largely unaffected. Of course, parents wouldn't believe their kids talking about demons and famous idols fighting monsters, so it didn't matter for the most part.

But kids, when Celine would run into them, tended to have strong reactions to Rumi. Not necessarily from her appearance, but more like they could sense something was different about her. Like they subconsciously knew she was part demon. Like they saw her as a monster.

The boy's father grabbed his still pointing hand and shoved it down.

"Jiho, don't be rude!" He turned to Celine with a tense smile, "I'm so sorry, his older brother watched a horror movie with him last night and he's been so paranoid and jumpy today."

"It's okay. Don't worry about it," Celine tried not to look as uncomfortable as she felt. She really hated when this happened. It was so awkward. Especially because she and the kid knew something their parents didn't know, and she had to try and act like she was clueless too.

Celine scurried away before the conversation could continue or, god forbid, the man figured out it was one of her songs that was playing over the crappy store speakers.

The woman behind the counter smiled as Celine approached, eyes trained on Rumi.

"Your daughter’s beautiful," The cashier said politely as she scanned the dog toys. 

"Oh, uh-" Celine never quite knew how to respond to that. Rumi wasn't her daughter. Celine never wanted to replace Mi-yeong in Rumi's eyes and she simply hadn't been very good at parenting so far to have earned the title, in her opinion. At the same time, there was always a little pride she felt. Rumi was a cute kid, after all.

"Thank you," She finally said.

Rumi reached for the toy bone once the cashier scanned it. As soon as it was back in her hands, she gnawed away on it.

"Might be hard to get her to give that one up to the dog," The cashier joked. Celine nodded awkwardly.

"Yeah, right. The dog."

When they got back home, Celine got to work preparing a bottle for Rumi. She put Rumi in her high chair and busied herself mixing formula. Rumi happily chewed on her bone. The rubber sqeaked against her fangs.

The phone rang as she worked. Celine picked up the landline and put it on speaker so she could continue.

"Celine speaking."

"Hi, Celine! It's Bobby!" Came the cheerful greeting on the other line.

Bobby was Celine's assistant. Mi-yeong had suggested she should get an assistant when Celine took over her work while she was on maternity leave. Originally, Celine had been against the idea, certain she could handle it. 

But when she had suddenly taken on the workload of 3 people and had a demon baby to raise at the same time, just couldn't keep up.

Along came Bobby. A man only a year younger than her, who had originally dreamed of being an idol and had done a good portion of training before his mother got sick and he gave up his dream so he could stay near to her. Not one to forgo his dreams altogether though, he had decided that working for a record company would be a happy medium for him.

And just in time for Celine to snag him.

Perhaps, it would have been wise of her to pick someone who was more experienced. Celine was just barely twenty-five and Bobby was twenty-four with no experience running a company before, but if she were being honest, she needed a cheerful presence more than she needed some old crone telling her how bad she was at her job.

They were figuring it out and, for now, Bobby mostly handled the busywork that would otherwise keep her from more important matters. He had been a valuable asset and a pleasant companion for the past several months.

"Bobby, what do you need?"

"I just wanted to let you know that I got the contract renewal with Kitten Glow this morning and I just finished updating the paperwork, so it's all ready for you to look over when you're ready," He said. Celine could hear him smile through the phone.

"That's good to hear. Thank you," She said softly. Then, she glanced at the clock. "It's past six, Bobby. Why are you still working?"

"Oh, don't worry about it! I was just doing some last edits to the paperwork. Figured I'd just get it done as soon as possible for you. And don't even think about paying me overtime, I only stayed an extra half hour," He chuckled into the phone.

"But-"

"No, buts. Have you eaten dinner?" He asked easily.

"Uh... no, I'm just making a bottle for Rumi and then I was-"

"I'll be by in fifteen with barbecue!"

"Bobby-"

"Okay, see you soon!" He hung up on her.

Celine huffed and put the phone back on the receiver, though she couldn't help the fondness in her gut.

"Can you believe that man, Rumi?" Rumi babbled around her chew toy as she was addressed. "My thoughts exactly."

Just as he promised, Bobby was at the door with a bag of takeout fifteen minutes later.

"You don't have to bring me food. You're my work assistant, not my life assistant," Celine said flatly even as she took the food from him.

"Let me do a nice thing every once in a while," He responded with a smile. He patted her arm and took off his shoes. "Besides, it's an excuse to see the girl."

Celine followed Bobby into the kitchen, where he promptly snatched Rumi from her high chair. 

"The girl!" He proclaimed, lifting her up in the air. Rumi giggled and babbled at him. He lowered her onto his hip with a big grin. "What's up with the bone? Are you in your punk rock era already, Rumi?"

"Teething, but close enough," Celine responded. She set the food on the table and grabbed plates.

"Ah, she's growing her superstar smile. Of course." He set Rumi back down in her chair so he could sit at the table with Celine.

Bobby often did things like this for Celine. She had been working from home so she could care for Rumi and do her job at the same time, so Bobby often stopped by during the day to discuss business with her, but also to bring her food or even just watch Rumi for a bit while insisting she take a nap.

At first, she had resisted him every time, insisting she needed no more help than he provided by contract and that he shouldn't bother himself with her. Bobby never let it stop his efforts. 

In all honesty, she was deeply thankful for him. He was really her only companion. He was the only person she had spent any quality time with since that day, even if that time was limited. It was better than nothing.

They ate in silence for some time. It was peaceful. Simple.

"You don't have to keep doing this, Bobby," Celine eventually broke the silence. She was a broken record. She always said something along those lines, every time Bobby did something kind.

"I'm here because I want to be. Besides, someone's gotta look out for you these days," He responded easily.

"What do you mean by that?" She raised an eyebrow. He hummed a little awkwardly. "Bobby?" Celine prodded.

"Okay, okay. Look, not to be a downer or anything, but you're not exactly in a good place right now. Everyone knows it and, given everything you've gone through, no one expects you to just be fine. But you haven't taken a single break and... no offense, but it shows. You look exhausted. And generally kind of miserable. I just can't in good conscience leave you alone like this. You need support right now and you don't really have anyone," He spoke gently and slowly, clearly trying to be considerate of her feelings while also being direct. "I'm more than happy to be a friend. Especially when someone clearly needs one so badly."

Celine didn't know what to say to that. A large part of her ached at how right he was. She was so painfully alone these days. She lived alone aside from Rumi, in the old hunters cabin in the woods with almost none of her old belongings because she couldn't set foot in the Sunlight Sisters dorm again, she rarely left the house, and hardly spoke to anyone outside of business. She barely slept either. Rarely stopped working because she tried so hard to keep up with so much work.

Celine looked across the table at Bobby, who met her gaze with a comforting smile. The food he had brought her was on the table between them, as was Rumi, who gnawed on her chew toy with her little demon fangs in her high chair.

It wasn't normal. She was certain life would never be normal again. But it was something close. 

"Thank you, Bobby."

"Any time, Celine."

Chapter Text

"Rumi, come here! Get down here, baby. Doooown," Celine waved Rumi's favourite bone chew toy in the air as she stared up helplessly.

As was becoming more and more common, Rumi had found a new way to make Celine stress. Not that it was Rumi's fault, she was only a baby still, but Celine could have done with a few less heart attacks in her life.

The newest predicament? Rumi had begun crawling.

Well, perhaps 'crawl' wasn't the right word. Rumi was a bit too good at it and she seemed to come by it too quickly. It was more like one day, out of the blue, Rumi started scampering around on all fours and following after Celine like a lost puppy. 

A little weird, but fine. Celine could handle that.

But, around that same time, Rumi had also figured out how to unsheath claws that Celine didn't know she had, and had begun to use them to climb all of Celine's furniture, the curtains, and often Celine herself.

Which was how, while Celine had turned her back on the living room for just a minute to answer an important but short call, Rumi had somehow ended up on the ceiling, clinging on by her claws.

Celine was trying to keep her composure, but she had no idea how to get Rumi down and was terrified Rumi was going to fall.

"Come on, how did you even get up there so fast?" Celine groaned as she stared up at Rumi. The now seven month old was totally disinterested in the toy Celine was trying to coax her down with. She seemed far more interested in trying to clamber her way to the celing fan, which was thankfully turned off.

Celine sighed heavily and dropped the toy. 

"Ugh, Rumiiii... I'm not that tall, baby. I can't grab you from here. How am I getting you down? You're going to fall," Celine carefully followed below Rumi, just in case she lost her grip and Celine had to catch her.

As she followed the baby, she went through her options. She had tried coaxing her down with a spoonful of peanut butter, which had become Rumi's favourite treat ever since Celine had carefully introduced her to it, but that didn't work. Toys didn't work. Celine was sure she'd have to get up there somehow, but she didn't think she had a ladder or a step stool around. If she did, it was in the basement or something, and she wasn't going to just leave Rumi alone to look for it.

That left the most unsafe, but quickest solution.

Celine grabbed a chair from the dining table and hurried back under Rumi. The chair was a little wobbly on the carpet. She clenched every muscle she could clench to stay stable as she climbed up and reached for Rumi.

She carefully got her hands around Rumi's waist and tried to pull her off. The baby stuck like velcro to the celing and made a little spitting noise like a kitten at Celine.

"Hey, don't use that tone with me," Celine said firmly. Rumi went quiet, but fixed her guardian with a very unimpressed upside-down stare.

Celine tried a few more times to pry Rumi off before she finally managed to move her in such a way that her claws slipped out of their grip. She sighed in relief as she once more had an arm full of baby.

Rumi glared at her.

"Don't look at me like that, you can't be on the celing. You're not even eight kilos, if you fall from that high, you'll-" Celine didn't dare finish that thought. Never. 

Rumi babbled at her like she was arguing back. She waved her tiny hands at Celine like some impassioned lawyer.

"No, I'm making a rule. Babies don't get to be on the celing. End of story," Celine said firmly. Rumi garbled more nonsense at her. Celine sighed heavily. "Why am I arguing with a baby?"

"Um, Celine?" Bobby's voice came from behind her. She startled hard, not expecting him, and the chair tipped sharply backwards. Celine threw a hand over Rumi's head, the other clutching her tight to her chest. She didn't even try to catch herself over protecting the baby.

Bobby shot forward and grabbed the chair with one hand, the other hooking around Celine's thighs and heaving her back upright. The chair wobbled, but Bobby held it firm.

"Bobby! What are you doing here?" Celine couldn't help the snap in her voice, but it also shook from a near fall with Rumi in her arms.

"You gave me a key! I thought you heard me come in!" He carefully reached up to help Celine down. 

Right. She kept forgetting that.

Bobby's visits had become more and more frequent over the past couple of months. Eventually, he had worn her down and she had given him one of the spare keys. Mostly so she wouldn't have to listen to him knock on her door incessantly every day.

Part of her felt a sort of relief in his company. In the days she would walk downstairs with Rumi in her arms and find Bobby already in her kitchen, still in his pajamas from home, making coffee. In the days that he'd remind her to take lunch and they'd cook together. In the days Bobby would keep an eye on Rumi for a while and force her to take a nap.

It was the same sort of casual domesticity that Celine had gotten used to when she had been constantly sharing space with two, and eventually three, other people.

But, Bobby's constant presence was also where the other part of Celine stressed. He kept walking into the house while Rumi was doing something undeniably weird and inhuman. She often worried that one day he would take her for an hour or two so Celine could try and sleep, and while she was out, Rumi would do something too bizarre for her to explain away.

It was all fun and games until Rumi teleported or something in front of Bobby. Not that Celine was sure Rumi's human half would allow for teleportation, but that didn't mean she didn't worry about it often. 

She didn't want to tell Bobby. Well, she did for her own sake, but she didn't for his. It was against everything hunters were taught to tell people about demons. The last thing they wanted to insight was panic. Panic causes people to become irrational and aggressive, not exactly conducive to connecting people and encouraging peace, which were the things that specifically fueled the Honmoon.

Plus, she couldn't deny that Bobby had his charm. She liked the guy, she didn't want to freak him out. She didn't want to scare him away.

She didn't want him to leave.

"Are you okay? I didn't mean to scare you. What were you doing on a chair with the girl, anyway?" Bobby asked, gently brushing Celine's shoulders like he had gotten dust on her.

"Yes, yes, I'm fine. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you," Celine said gently. "I was just... um... there was a spider on the ceiling and... I guess I'm just tired and didn't think about putting the baby down..." It was a lame excuse.

Thankfully, Rumi saw Bobby and reached towards him excitedly, smiling with a few more teeth than just her canines now. Rumi babbled as Bobby grinned and carefully took her from Celine. It was a welcome distraction.

"You're this excited to see me? Awe, I'm going to blush if you keep that up," He chuckled. Rumi grabbed at his chin, her little fingers clutching at his short facial hair.

"Why am I the one taking care of her and yet she's more excited to see you than me?" Celine huffed, though she didn't fight the small smile that made its way to her face.

"It's just the novelty that I'm around less than you are," Bobby said kindly. He carefully pried Rumi's hand from his chin before she could start yanking. "Anyway, I came because we have plans."

"Since when? It's the middle of the afternoon. We still have work," Celine raised an eyebrow.

"Not anymore, we don't! I took care of anything urgent and cleared our schedules for the rest of the day. We have a whole Friday afternoon to enjoy!" Bobby cheered quietly, waving one of Rumi's arms like she was cheering with him. Rumi giggled sweetly.

"What? Bobby, you can't just do these things!" Celine gaped at him, "We have schedules for a reason! There are two hundred seventy-six bands under our label, we can't just-"

"Ah, ah, nope, I don't want to hear it. Celine, you're probably the only CEO in history who hasn't booked off at least two months of paid vacation for yourself just because you can, you're probably one of the only CEOs in the world who actually does anything all day, and you're actually in a situation where you deserve and need a break. You run yourself ragged constantly. You can take one afternoon off to spend some time with your little nugget," He held Rumi in front of Celine emphatically. Rumi smiled at Celine, clearly having forgotten to be upset about the celing incident.

Celine sighed. She knew she wouldn't be able to argue with Bobby. He was a lovely soul and one of few people who could match her in sheer stubbornness. Plus, using Rumi's pudgy fanged face as persuasion was a dirty play.

"My nugget?" Celine said instead. 

"She's a total nugget," Bobby nodded. "Now come on, we're going to have a little picnic and it'll be totally relaxing and fun."

"I don't know about that, Bobby. A park is-"

"Very public and you'll be recognized? You live on the outskirts of Seoul in the woods, we can literally go anywhere around here and it'll just be us."

Celine huffed, but she had to hand it to him, Bobby had a point. And he always thought of everything.

It probably made Celine a terrible guardian that she didn't recall ever taking Rumi outside and just letting her exist like this.

She seemed absolutely enthralled as they sat by a creak in the woods with a series of random snacks Bobby had grabbed on the way over. Celine watched carefully as Rumi took it all in, scampering after a bug on all fours like the odd little critter she was, staring wide-eyed at the trees, sitting quietly and watching the stream trickle by. 

"I'm really not good at this," Celine muttered, grabbing a handful of shrimp chips.

"Not good at what?" Bobby asked, politely covering his mouth as he was still chewing.

"Raising her," Celine sighed and watched Rumi roll onto her back in the grass. "I have no idea what I'm doing. I don't even think I've ever sat outside with her like this. That can't be good for her... I barely leave the house these days. I didn't even think about how that might be bad for her."

Bobby set down the last half of his choco pie, looking thoughtful.

"No one knows how to raise a kid first try. Everyone just does their best. Besides, your situation is... complicated. I think you're doing really well all things considered," He responded.

Celine huffed. She didn't feel like she was doing well. She could hardly take care of herself these days, she had no idea what she was doing with a half-demon baby. Everything was a struggle. She was sure that Mi-yeong and Sejagma wouldn't have had such a hard time.

"It's so unfair to her that she's stuck with me," Celine muttered. She felt Bobby's eyes on her. She didn't meet his gaze.

"I think she's very lucky to have had someone willing to step up and take care of her. She'll at least know of her family because of you. She won't end up in an orphanage or in foster care or something because of you. That's a good thing," He said.

Celine watched Rumi poke at a grasshopper. It jumped away from her. Rumi giggled.

"Is that enough?" She asked.

"It's more than a lot of people have," Bobby shrugged. "You're not perfect, but so what? No one is. And you're in a really difficult place, but you take it head on day after day. It's admirable. I think, Rumi will grow up knowing know you love her and are doing everything you can to make the best of your situation. At the end of the day, if she ends up a decent person who knows she's loved, then you've done a good job. Maybe not a perfect job, but a good job."

It was nice of him to say, even if she wasn't sure how much she believed it.

There was a beat of silence.

"I think you missed your calling as a therapist," She gave him a half-hearted smile. He chuckled lightly.

"Maybe. But I think I like being your assistant more."

"So that you can deal with all of this?" She gestured vaguely to herself and Rumi, who was poking the grasshopper again. 

"Believe it or not, I have fun doing my job and I like being your friend," He grinned cheekily at her, "Besides, I've got the bragging rights to tell people that I work with and am friends with one of the Sunlight Sisters, I'd be crazy to give that up. You guys were everyone's favourite band."

Celine couldn't help a slight laugh at that. It was a little melancholic. Wistful, griefstricken, but genuine.

"Yeah, I suppose we were."

It hurt to think about them. God, it ached. It weighed in her chest and ate her alive from the inside every day. But, at the same time, there was a sort of relief that came with acknowledgment. In thinking of something other than the screams and the blood and the death, but rather the time that they were together and on top of the world and faced with smiling fans every time they made an appearance. It hurt to think of how Mi-young and Soo-jin were no longer there. But it helped to think of how, even if it was for too short a time, they had been there at all.

She tried to think about those things more. When she could actually get any control over her own head, she would try to think of the things she had loved about being their friend. About being a hunter and an idol alongside them. It still hurt, but it was a better hurt than focusing on their deaths. It was a productive hurt, she thought.

"You know... there was this one time, we were touring America and our baggage got lost... We were in a private jet, and still somehow lost our bags. We only had two pairs of clothes each. We went to a random store near the airport to get something else to wear and... I don't know why, but we thought it wouldn't be a big deal since we were in America... we got recognized instantly and got swarmed and they had to call security... it was a mess... and then we found out someone in the ground crew stole our luggage to sell on some internet forum. Mi-young was so mad. She said we had officially gotten too famous and we had to cancel our tour because 'weird Americans' were selling our underwear online. Soo-jin was just upset that they had taken her favourite slippers. I was glad to see those things gone. I think she must have had them since she was 12 or something like that, they were disgusting," Celine wasn't sure what prompted her to tell Bobby that. But it made her smile. Not exactly a happy smile, but a smile all the same.

Bobby snorted next to her.

"Maybe I should be glad I didn't become an idol. At least, I can be assured that my boxers and slippers stay with me where they belong," He giggled, playfully knocking his shoulder into Celine's. She met his blinding smile with a smaller one of her own.

Ahead of them, Rumi was still enthralled in her grasshopper tormenting. They watched her quietly for a while.

"If you want to talk about them, you can," Bobby eventually said. "Everyone who manages to get an interview with you only seems to want to ask about the bad stuff, but... I'd like to hear more of the good stuff, if you'd like to share."

"Yeah... maybe."

The moment was broken as Celine suddenly felt a sharp pulse around them. A thick magenta ripple washed over the landscape in her vision. The Honmoon tugged sharply on her soul, calling for help.

Crap.

While it seemed Gwi-ma and the demons had needed time to rejuvenate after using so much energy to rip a large hole in a steel-strong Honmoon that day – which had left Celine blissfully demon-less for several months – her luck had been turning in the past month.

And not for the better.

Demons were getting through the Honmoon again. Not a lot of them, not very big ones, nothing she couldn't handle, but they were periodically appearing and requiring her urgent attention. And of course, like all things in her life, it was always as inconvenient to her as possible.

She couldn't just take Rumi along. She couldn't leave her alone, either.

Celine stood up abruptly.

"I-I need to- I forgot to- Bobby, watch Rumi for a while, please?" She could hear the urgency in her voice.

This wasn't the first time she had suddenly had to leave to tend to a demon thing and asked Bobby to watch Rumi. It was actually probably suspicious how much it had been happening.

"Woah, what? Again? What's wrong?" He shot up next to her, looking up at her worriedly.

"I'll be back, I promise, I just have a-a thing- I forgot about," She started backing away. Bobby looked confused and concerned.

"What sort of-"

"Bobby, please, just- just watch Rumi, please. I'll be fast, I swear! Just watch her for a little while!"

He studied her for a moment, clearly trying to decipher what was going on. He knew something was fishy, of course he did. Bobby wasn't stupid. Celine would never even suggest such a thing.

"Are you going to tell me why?" He asked quietly.

"Later, okay? I just- I need to go."

Bobby sighed and walked over to pick up Rumi. 

"Okay..."

Celine had not been fast. She tried to be, really she did, but even with the Honmoon's help, she had to cross a significant amount of distance to get deep into the city where the tear was.

And then there had been more demons than she had been forced to handle alone before. Seven of them.

And well, Celine was horrendously sleep deprived and distracted worrying about what she would tell Bobby and about Rumi possibly doing something weird in front of Bobby while she was away.

She had won, but she had been sloppy.

She had more than a few cuts and bruises to prove it.

The worst was a gash in her side from a swipe from claws that she didn't quite succeed in dodging. It wasn't too deep, nothing she couldn't handle, but it made the long walk home pretty miserable.

It was dark by the time she made it back home. The porch light was on, as was the light in the front entryway, but otherwise the cabin was dark. She prayed that meant Bobby had gone to bed in the guest room and she could get herself patched up without him knowing.

Celine unlocked the door as quietly as possible and stepped inside. She winced slightly as she kicked her shoes off, one hand pressed firmly against the wound in her side to try and keep blood inside of her and also off her floor.

She hung her keys on the key hook beside the door, then turned back to enter the house.

"Where have you been?" Celine jumped as the light in the hall came on and Bobby came around the corner from the living room. He frantically waved his hands about as he talked, his body wrought with tension. "You've been gone for hours and you didn't tell my why or how long you'd actually be or where you were going, I was getting ready to call the police if you didn't come back! I had to put Rumi to bed and she was fussy and wouldn't sleep and I ran out of lullabies to try and sing her and the only thing I could come up with was Wonderwall for some reason and-"

Bobby suddenly got really wide-eyed as he finally took a proper look at Celine.

"What happened to you!? Did you get jumped or something? Oh my God, your side- did you get stabbed?" His tone totally changed from frustration to complete panic. He darted to her side and pried her hand away to look at the claw marks in her side. Celine instinctively flinched back and covered the wound again, but he had already seen it. Bobby went several shades paler. "Wh-what... what did that? That's like... like... I don't even... how did that happen?"

Celine didn't know what to say. She stared at him silently. Her heart pounded hard enough that she could feel her pulse throb in her neck. She couldn't hide this. She couldn't lie her way out of this. Bobby was going to know. Bobby was going to leave.

She opened and closed her mouth. No sound came from her. He eventually shook his head.

"Okay, okay, just- let's just get you cleaned up, and you can explain. A-and you're going to tell me the truth and I'm going to listen and it'll all be fine." Bobby finally said. He took a deep breath, visibly trying to calm down, and then took her free hand and led her towards the bathroom.

Celine followed stiffly. She heard a ringing in her ears.

He was going to leave. She was going to tell him and he was going to leave.

And she was going to be alone again.

Bobby made her sit on the toilet lid and he dug around under the sink, grabbing one of many first aid kits Celine kept in the house.

She sat uncomfortably as he cleaned and dressed her wounds. Silence hung heavy and think between them, a far cry from the peaceful quiet it had been a few hours before. It was suffocating.

Celine felt a bit sick. She didn't want to have this conversation. Not even a little bit.

"I can do this myself," She had to break the silence. It was killing her.

"Don't be ridiculous," He responded firmly. She could see worry written all over his face. "Can you... please tell me what happened? Honestly. You keep disappearing and leaving Rumi with me and I just... want to know what's going on. I want to know who... hurt you." There was an unusual ferocity behind his words at that last part. Slight, but noticeable.

Celine swallowed thickly. She fidgeted with her hands as he cleaned a small scrape on her elbow,

"You'll never believe me."

"I'll keep an open mind," He said resolutely.

"It'll freak you out."

"I'm not backing down, Celine."

She chewed her lip nervously. Bobby stared her down firmly. She knew he meant it. She knew he wasn't going to stop pushing.

"Okay, just... you might want to sit down. This will... take a while..."

Celine took a deep breath and tried to force down the panic that made her stomach churn. This was going to be hard.

Chapter Text

Like many things, it started with a rumour. A whisper in the world, driven through the masses in hushed voices and excited snickers. A soft word here, a smile there, so quiet and yet so loud as everyone chattered to each other in near silence.

They whispered and giggled and snuck excited smiles in the school cafeteria, on the bus, even during class when the teacher's back was turned. Whispers about a legendary band and an opportunity of a lifetime. Supposedly, they were going to host auditions to take a handful of aspiring musicians and give them the chance to learn under their hand and become a band of their own. 

At that time, a sixteen-year-old bookworm still stuck in foster care wanted just enough to get away to take a chance. To throw caution to the wind and give the impossible a try.

Armed with a resume that had only her name, age, and two barely relevant experiences listed, she walked into a huge waiting room. All tense shoulders and nerves, taking a total shot in the dark with the prickling, burning desperation of a scared child.

She ended up in a chair beside a girl who wore all neon colours, smelled like a strawberry threw up on her, and had a pair of headphones around her neck that blasted an English death metal band's roaring vocals uncomfortably loudly. 

The other girl nearly shouted her name in her face,

"Good morning, I'm Soo-jin! Do you want an Apollo stick?" She waved a bag of multicoloured candy around. "Sugar helps me calm down in stressful situations!"

She didn't seem all that calm.

"No, thank you," Came the timid response.

"I'd like one," Spoke another voice from the sixteen-year-old's other side. A little deeper, far less piercing and far quieter, with just a tiny bit of texture around the edges.

That girl was in ripped jeans and a hoodie that had paint all over it. She had beat up rollerskates on her feet that had little broken hearts drawn on the toes. She grabbed a blue candy from the bag.

"Go ahead, stranger!" Soo-jin grinned, showing off a gap between her front teeth.

"Mi-yeong. What's your name?" She nudged the sixteen year old as she rolled the candy stick between her fingers, fidgeting before committing to eating it.

"Um... Celine..."

These people were bizarre. Uncomfortable. Abnormal. Unprofessional. 

Over the next hour of waiting, Celine somehow couldn't stop talking to them.

Soo-jin was eighteen and had just moved into a three-bedroom apartment with five other girls. She paid rent with a job at a record store and claimed the employee discounts on albums was the only reason she hadn't lost her mind yet. Mi-yeong was nineteen and lived with her parents still, which she seemed quite unhappy about. She kept going to auditions only in the hopes she could travel the world, instead. Celine was still in high school, had the social life of a snail under a rock, and just wanted some stability.

They had vastly different personalities. Soo-jin was energetic and overwhelming, Mi-yeong was snarky and cool, and Celine was a ball of awkwardness and anxiety. Still, they got along almost too easily.

Soo-jin apparently hadn't brought a resume at all. She wrote her name on a sticky note when Mi-yeong told her it was necessary. Mi-yeong hadn't been able to get a ride from her parents, so she had to rollerskate to the audition and she forgot to bring a change of shoes, so she was going to have to try and not fall on the carpet during the whole thing. Celine only had two years of piano lessons and elementary school choir listed as her experience and, as Soo-jin pointed out, was two years too young to be there. 

It seemed pretty likely that none of them were getting in; there was just no way. Still, they sat and chatted like there was no one else in the room, inexplicably drawn to each other despite having so few things in common. It was fun, even if they weren't going to make the band.

And then they made the band.

All three of them.

Only the three of them.

It started with idol training: dancing, singing, acting. A new apartment they would share, provided to them by the company. Normal stuff. A lot of it hard stuff, but fun stuff. A weight off all their shoulders, in a way. It got them away from their less-than-ideal situations, at least.

Then, one day, in the middle of winter, they were taken to the woods. Creepy. To a graveyard. Creepy. Under a giant, old, leafless tree. Creepy.

There, they were told that they were going to be demon hunters. The girls had shared a look and laughed.

Apparently, it wasn't a joke.

Overnight, new lessons were added to their schedules. Hand-to-hand combat, demon hunter history, how to connect with some magic world blanket that they would apparently learn to conjure weapons from.

It was absolute insanity, but they were locked in by contract. They hadn't read the fine print, rookie mistake, and now they were smacking each other with sticks and being told some garbage about demon marks; it made no sense. It was crazy. Weapons didn't come from thin air, demons weren't fightable threats ruled by kings, and idols didn't slay demons. They thought it was total garbage.

Then, they had gone out for dinner late after practice. They were starving, walking through the dark empty streets and debating where they could go that was still open. They came across a man in the middle of the road. He had patterns, exactly as they were taught. Purple, swirling, jagged, erratic. The man smiled at them with thick white fangs and glittering gold eyes. He attacked. In their panic, Mi-yeong somehow pulled a bow from thin air and struck him with it. Not the intended use of the weapon, but it worked. He puffed into smoke.

The girls paid a lot more attention in their lessons after that.

Slowly, things made sense. It was no less crazy, but it made sense. 

There was a barrier between humanity and demons, which was held together by the united souls of humans. Those souls could only be united by the power of music. The only music strong enough to touch souls was the music of the barrier's chosen hunters, who were gifted voices that layered with one another in a divine perfection that no regular band could rival, no matter how skilled. 

The hunters built and maintained the barrier and the barrier took care of them in turn, passing on weapons and voices and accelerating their healing when they were injured. The three girls learned how to give and take with it. 

They learned how to be successful idols. Successful demon hunters.

Then came a demon who was different. One night when a hunter could not be counted for. Secrets, sneaking around, eventual love.

An impossible battle, a final promise, and a baby.

And one hunter was left standing, with the weight of the world on her shoulders.

"Demons haven't been coming around again until recently. I assume Gwi-ma was trying to regain what's left of his strength. The Honmoon is stronger than it's ever been, it's taking a lot of work for him to create any tears. As long as I stay on top of it, he shouldn't be able to do much more than he is currently. Small rips, small demons. Nothing I can't handle. I just... can't let him get any souls. It's only me left, if he gets stronger before I've found and trained the next hunters, then we're all doomed. That's why I keep leaving so urgently, I can't waste any time," Celine wrapped up. She wasn't sure how long they had been in the bathroom. She tried to be as clear and concise as possible, but there was only so much she could do while dropping bomb shells like this.

She had tried to start from her beginning as opposed to the beginning of the whole hunter legend, since that version was immediately head first into demons and magic and seemed a bit much. It certainly had been for her.

To his credit, Bobby stayed quiet throughout. Celine hadn't looked at him the entire time, not wanting to see his reactions for fear she might lose her nerve and stop talking. Instead, she had stared resolutely at the ceiling and tried to tell it all with a safe detachment and not too much detail around that specific day. She wasn't in the mood to shed tears.

Finally, she looked down at where he sat on the floor at her feet. He looked pale and stricken, wringing his hands nervously.

"That... is... a lot to-to take in," Bobby mumbled. He took a slow, deep breath and exhaled heavily, puffing out his cheeks as he did so. He ran a hand through his hair, "It's- you know- it's hard to believe, but..."

"Oh, right, I should just-" Celine pulled a ssang-geom from the Honmoon. The sword drew to her hand with a swirl of multicoloured light and a soft, delicate ring. "There. See? Proof." Bobby's mouth fell open in shock.

"You... you really just- you pulled that out of-of thin air! That's- oh wow, that's- that's just- very cool but also absolutely insane," He babbled. Celine let the blade fizzle back to the Honmoon, carefully inspecting Bobby's expressions.

"Are you... alright?" She asked nervously. "I'm really trying not to scare you, but this stuff is a lot, I know. Is there something I can do?" 

Celine didn't want him to freak out and run. That was the last thing she wanted. God, she didn't want to be alone again. She just wanted to soothe his curiosity and help him understand. It was a very fine line to tread.

"Me?" He breathed, his voice tight with disbelief. "Am I okay? What about you? You're running a company and raising a baby and fighting demons and are traumatized and physically injured right now! Yes, this is crazy and a lot for me to process, but I'm just like- a hundred times more concerned about you! How do you get anything done? Do you ever sleep if I don't make you?"

"I'm fine," Celine responded. It was more a force of habit than anything. Bobby looked at her for a long moment.

"Well that's a load of shit," He eventually blurted out.

"Excuse me?" Celine wasn't even offended, just shocked at what had come out of his mouth.

"I'm sorry, but I just got a good long look at all your injuries and I can say with certainty that just that aspect alone isn't okay!" He took a deep breath again. "I'm not- I'm not trying to be mean, but... God, Celine, could you get a grip for a moment? This isn't normal! It's not okay! I don't even know why I bothered asking, because it's not and you're not!"

Celine was quiet at that. As per usual, Bobby was right. It wasn't normal or okay for her to be in this situation. She knew that, logically. She knew that the way she felt every day was not healthy or normal, but what choice did she have? There was no one else to do it. She had to protect the Honmoon and raise Rumi and stay in loop in the music industry so she could eventually find the next hunters. It was her responsibility.

She had to keep going. She had to struggle. She had to miss sleep. She had to feel awful. It was for the good of everyone else. It was so the world didn't end. No matter what, she had a duty of care.

Everything was her responsibility.

Always her responsibility.

Hers alone, now.

Bobby was hugging her. She was on the ground next to him. When had that happened? She didn't know. It took a moment to realize that she was crying. She had tried so hard not to cry tonight, but alas, things still couldn't go her way. 

Celine sniffled and hiccuped against Bobby's shoulder. She cried eerily quietly, she knew. It was a learned habit, both from her childhood and from trying not to wake a baby while grieving her friends.

Bobby held her close, his grip firm but tender. He rubbed her back with a warm hand.

"I'm here for you, alright? I may not be able to help with this... demon hunting stuff, but you know damn well I'm not leaving you with a baby and a company all on your own. I'll help however I can, I promise," Bobby spoke softly in her ear. She gripped his shirt tightly, wrinkling the fabric and pulling it from where it had been neatly tucked into his belt.

"You already help," Celine mumbled against his shoulder.

"Well, I'm helping more." 

"Bobby-" She pulled away from his embrace, only for him to place a steady hand on her cheek, his thumb swiping away her tears. His other hand rested on her shoulder.

"Celine. You are going to end up dead in a ditch if you don't let go of some of your responsibilities. I'd say you're burning your candle at both ends, but it's more like you've taken a knife to your candle and exposed as much of the wick as possible so you can just burn it all at once," He squeezed her shoulder tightly, "If you expect to take care of so many things, you have to take care of yourself first. You need to be in fighting shape. Literally, apparently. And right now, you're stressed out of your mind, sleep deprived, and running on fumes. Let me help you. Please, for once, stop fighting me at every turn and let me help. At the very least, let me help more with the girl." Celine sniffled wetly,

"Rumi is-"

"Part demon. Yeah, you told me," His voice remained gentle and understanding.

"You don't get it, Bobby. She's not- she's not like a normal baby... the Honmoon hasn't let you see it, but n-now you know and- and you're probably going to see it now and-" 

"Celine, it's okay. I'll handle it. It'll be jarring I'm sure, but if you can handle it, then I can handle it," He smiled sweetly at her, "I'm not going anywhere, alright? I promise."

"But what if-" He pulled her into another hug.

"I promise."

Celine forced herself not to argue. He seemed so sure. So genuine. Besides, no matter how much she fought, she knew she did need help. She needed Bobby. She wanted Bobby to stay.

Slowly, she relaxed against him, her face tucked close to his neck where she could smell his citrus cologne. He rubbed her back in gentle circles.

Their little cuddle session on the bathroom floor was cut short by a crashing sound upstairs. Celine was on her feet and out the door before she even registered what happened. Bobby yelped and scurried after her.

"What was that!? It's not demons, is it!?" Bobby asked as he frantically tried to keep up with her.

"It's one demon, for sure," Celine responded as she took the stairs two at a time and came to her bedroom door. She threw it open and was met by two little glowing eyes in the dark, on the total opposite side of the room from where they should have been. She heard Bobby gasp behind her at the sight.

She flicked on the light, which revealed Rumi curled up at the top of Celine's bed with her thumb in her mouth. The lamp on the bedside table was knocked over and smashed on the floor, and there were scratch marks on the side of the table where Rumi had clearly clawed her way up to get to Celine's pillows.

"Rumi, what on Earth are you doing? You've never tried to get out of your crib before," Celine carefully approached, avoiding the glass on the carpet. Rumi saw her and immediately started fussing, reaching tiny clawed hands towards Celine. 

"She- she... clawed her way over there?" Bobby exclaimed, studying the claw marks on the top of Rumi's crib near the wall, down the wall to the floor, up the side table, and onto the bed. "Claws?"

"Apparently," Celine responded as she picked up the wailing baby. "Shhh, okay, okay, I'm here. What's the matter? What's gotten into you?" She gently rocked from foot to foot to calm Rumi.

Rumi buried her face against the flat of Celine's chest, her little claws digging into the fabric of her Celine's shirt. Celine patted her back in a soft steady rhythm. Bobby cleared his throat.

"Well, I did mention that she had trouble sleeping for me. I think she missed you." He slowly stepped up beside Celine and inspected Rumi quietly for a while. "Okay, it is kind of jarring. I don't... I don't know how I didn't notice all the... demon bits." He gestured vaguely towards all of Rumi.

"The Honmoon changes most people's perception, it doesn't let you see the 'demon bits'," Celine responded as Rumi's cries quieted.

Despite how Bobby still clearly looked surprised and a bit shaken, he placed a hand on Rumi's head and gently stroked her short fluffy locks of purple hair.

"Well, demon or not, she's still pretty cute," He said with a tiny smile.

As Celine kept Rumi close to her chest and Bobby smoothed down her puffy hair, there was suddenly a small rumbling noise between them. Celine felt Rumi vibrate. Every little exhale against her collarbone was matched by a low rumble, then a slightly higher one as Rumi's chest rose with an inhale.

Celine looked at Bobby.

Bobby looked at Celine.

"Is... is she purring? Does she do that? Has she done that this whole time and I never noticed?" Bobby asked.

"No, no, she's never done this before," Celine responded, looking wide-eyed down at Rumi.

"Okay, yeah, that's... really weird, but still kind of cute. Weird cute," He gently scratched Rumi's head. She kept on purring.

"Welcome to my life for the past several months, learning all the weird things about Rumi," Celine gave a half-hearted chuckle. Bobby looked up at her with a tender smile.

"Well, you know, I'm glad to finally be a part of it. All of it," He said warmly. 

"I'm... glad I told you. Even if you can't fix it and even if you are never going to face any dangerous demons, if I have any say in it. It's... nice to have someone else in the loop again. And you know, to not have to worry that she's going to be weird and I'm going to have to come up with an explanation," Celine grinned awkwardly.

"Yeah, I'm really glad I didn't see her eyes glowing in the dark and faint or something," He chuckled. Celine let out a small laugh of her own.

It would be an adjustment for both of them, but at least they were on the same page. Bobby understood most of it. Him being in the know was a tiny bit of weight off Celine's shoulders. But maybe setting a pebble down from the world she bore was enough for now.

Especially since Bobby was still there. Bobby was going to help more. Celine wasn't alone. And maybe, in time, it would feel more like Bobby had taken a country off her world to bear. Maybe even an ocean. Maybe he would hold up the world with her, one day.

For now, though. He took a pebble.

And Rumi, content under the loving hands of her guardians, purred.

Chapter Text

It was just after Christmas, which meant Rumi was officially ten months old. It was getting closer and closer to a whole year since Rumi had been born. It was kind of unbelievable to Celine.

Other than her demon quirks, Rumi was progressing normally as a baby should. She was at the point of pulling herself up onto furniture to stand and was really trying to walk. A little on the earlier side but not out of the ordinary. She had even more or less figured out how to address Celine and Bobby.

Celine did feel a little bad that she hadn't made it easier on Rumi, but she still didn't feel right taking the title of 'mother' from Mi-yeong. She wasn't Rumi's mom, Celine knew that. If the thought started to ache a little more each day, she didn't acknowledge it.

Instead, Rumi had done her best with her nonexistent language abilities, and the closest she could get to 'Celine' at the moment was 'Ween'. Which was objectively hilarious, so maybe it made not being mom a little more worth it. 

Bobby's name was a bit easier, two syllables mostly made up of Bs. Rumi was a lot closer to that one, though she often decided to add several extra syllables and didn't always get the vowel changes, so sometimes it came out more like, 'Beebeebeebee' when she got excited to see him.

Bobby had also been a big help with suggestions for Rumi. One of the most helpful of his ideas was the playpen. Perhaps a silly thing for Celine not to have thought of, but in her defense, she wasn't exactly in the perfect state of mind to think of simple solutions like that.

The playpen was just something to keep Rumi contained more reliably while Celine was working or needed to take her eyes off the baby every once in a while. Something to keep Celine from finding Rumi on the ceiling or on top of the cupboards or yowling like an angry cat because she got her claws stuck in the curtains and couldn't get down.

It only really worked because Rumi was entertained. Celine kept toys of all kinds in there and would occasionally bring some snacks to her, little things that would make Rumi want to stay in the pen rather than busy herself trying to escape it. It was honestly a weight off her shoulders that she could put Rumi in the pen and work or do chores around her.

At that particular moment, early on a Saturday morning, Rumi was busy in the living room playpen wrestling with a poor, defenseless stuffed cow. She was on her side, her jaws locked around it while she kicked at it with her back feet like a cat would a mouse. Little tiny growls came from her throat, muffled by the fluffy brown and white fabric in her mouth.

Weird, but cute. As per usual.

Celine still kept an eye on her, but was much more comfortable looking away to mop the non-carpeted parts of the living room floor. It was badly needed, she hadn't been cleaning nearly enough amongst the endless list of other things on her plate.

Just as she finished up, the phone rang. She set her mop aside and walked over to the line in the living room.

"Celine speaking," She answered.

"Celine, this is Hyun Lee," A gruff male voice came through the line. Celine felt a cold chill down her spine. The calm domesticity she had been enjoying was thrown out the window. "I'm really sorry to drop this on you out of the blue, but now that the police are done investigating, everything's been cleaned, and the lease is ending, I need you to decide what you'd like to have done with all your belongings here. I can arrange to have a company come and throw them out if that's easy for you, and I suppose I could theoretically renew your lease, but you have to understand that I have other people who are interested to buy and-"

Celine didn't register much else of what he said. Hyun was the building manager from their old dorm. Celine hadn't spoken to him since they had renewed their lease the year prior, just a couple of months before everything happened.

Celine felt a bit sick. She lowered the phone from her ear.

God, she didn't want to go back to that apartment. Just thinking about it made her stomach churn with anxiety. But at the same time, there was no way she could let everything that belonged to Mi-yeong and Soo-jin to be thrown out. Somehow, that made it too real. As though, not only would they be gone, but the proof that they had once lived would be too.

She couldn't take everything, either. The cabin wasn't that big, and she wasn't going to pay for a storage facility just for their memories to rot alone somewhere else. They were already rotting in that godforsaken apartment.

So, that left one option. She would have to go back and sort through it.

She swallowed a lump in her throat and forced herself to lift the phone back to her ear. Hyun was still talking.

"I'll be by later to collect a few things. The rest... whatever I leave can be thrown out," Her voice rang hollow in her ears as she interrupted him. She didn't bother listening to his response before she hung up.

She stood quietly, looking at the phone in her hand. She didn't want to do it. No part of her wanted to set foot in that apartment, but... she'd do it for them. It was a little easier if she framed it like that. She would go and grab a few things, if only to preserve a little bit of their memory. To make sure she never forgot that for nearly a decade, Mi-yeong and Soo-jin had been at her side. They had lived. They had existed.

Celine would collect a few important things, and then never have to go back to that horrible place again.

With a steadying breath, she dialed Bobby's flip phone and brought the phone to her ear. It rang once. Twice. Thrice.

"Good morning, Celine! Happy Saturday!" He chirped as he answered.

"I'm sorry to bother you, Bobby. I know you're visiting your mother today," Celine began.

"Don't worry about it, she doesn't want me here anyway," He chuckled.

"What do you mean by that?" Celine couldn't help the concern that bled into her tone. Old habits die hard and Celine never had a tolerance for parents mistreating their kids.

"Oh, don't worry about it, I'm only kidding. Er... mostly. As much as I love her and want to help her, she's a stubborn woman and doesn't really like to be helped. Plus, I think she feels a bit guilty about my job situation and not becoming an idol, but that's really not her fault! It was my own choice and I'm more than happy with it. Still, she only lets me visit twice a week and even then, she's real grumpy about it. I definitely didn't get my gentle, approable nature from her, let me tell you." Celine could practically hear the fond expression that was on Bobby's face. "Anyway, why are you calling? Is this about that last-minute venue change we were being asked about funding for? Man- I can't remember which band that was, but are they bothering you again? We still have a week to figure it out, tell them I'll-"

"No, no, it's not about that. I just... I know this is last minute, but I was wondering if you could take Rumi for a couple of hours," Celine cut in.

"Is it because of the... you-know-whats?" He whispered that, as though someone would know what he was talking about.

"It's not demon related, no. It's a personal matter. It's not really going to be a baby friendly activity," Celine responded stiffly.

"Oh... is everything okay?"

Celine caught herself before she said yes. No, it wasn't okay. She wasn't okay with this. And she didn't have to lie about it. Bobby would put up a fuss if she did.

"I got a call from my old building manager. He wants to sell the apartment. I was just going to go collect some of... the things there," Celine said carefully.

"I see. Would you like some company?" He asked gently.

"Company?"

"Sure, I can come help with baby stuff AND boxing stuff and then both me and Rumi can keep you company. I'm an excellent multitasker, you know this about me," Bobby suggested.

"Bobby, it's the weekend and you want to be with your mother. It's already too much to ask you to watch Rumi."

"Believe me, my mom would be more upset if I didn't come help you. She thinks I fuss over her too much already and she raised me better than to leave a lovely lady in distress," He spoke that last part with a teasing lilt.

"Please never call me a 'lovely lady' again," Celine responded flatly.

Bobby only laughed.

"I'll head over right away. I'll grab some boxes on the way and-" Celine heard a muffled woman's voice on the other line. Undoubtedly, Bobby's mom. "Wh- what!? No, I'm not talking to my girlfriend, I don't have one! Celine's just asking me to watch Rumi and- No, Rumi's not my baby, either! I- no, we're not involved! She's my boss and- I- wha- no- mom- please, this is humiliating! Just- let me hang up- okay, Celine, I'll be there in a while, talk later, okay bye!" 

Celine raised an eyebrow as the call dropped. She put the phone back on the receiver with a huff. 

Even Bobby antics weren't enough to soothe the nervous ache twisting in her gut. She wasn't sure how she was going to handle this.

"Ween! Ween!" Celine turned to look at Rumi, who was stood at the wall of her playpen, holding tight to the thick plastic bars, and peering up at Celine with big eyes. She tipped her head to one side as she looked at Celine, a sort of curious expression on her face.

"Rumi, Rumi," Celine responded, mimicking Rumi's tone. A small smile came to her face as she walked over to the pen and sat down just outside of it. "What is it, baby?" 

Rumi only responded with babbles, but lifted one little hand towards Celine. She made a little grabbing motion.

"Weeeeeeen," Rumi whined, as she kept reaching for her. Celine couldn't help a little chuckle. She reached over the little wall and picked Rumi up, setting her in her lap.

"Is that what you wanted?" Celine asked. Rumi sat facing her, looking up at her with those giant brown eyes. She put her little hand on Celine's belly, smiling up at her.

"Ween," She said almost matter-of-factly. Celine snorted,

"Yes, good job, I'm Celine." She couldn't resist stroking Rumi's chubby little cheek. 

Rumi broke into a purr and turned to press her entire face into Celine's hand. Her nose squished against Celine's palm, and she puffed out heavy breaths as she practically smothered herself with her guardian's hand. Celine barked out a laugh and moved to lift Rumi's chin instead, so the baby could breathe properly.

"What are you doing, silly girl?" Rumi just purred and rubbed her chin against Celine's hand. "God, you're cute. In the strangest, most unnatural ways."

Celine sat with Rumi purring away in her lap until Bobby arrived. It gave Celine pause when he called to let her know he arrived and Celine realized, she was in a better mood. If she didn't know any better, she would have thought Rumi had purposefully weaseled her way into her lap to calm her down.

"Alright, baby," Celine took a steadying breath, "Let's be brave and... we'll go get some things from your eomma."

Celine managed to maintain her decent mood until they got inside the building. Then it all felt wrong. Th heating felt too high, even for winter. The elevator to the top floor felt too cramped. The hallway to the door felt too long.

Celine's heart was in her throat by the time they reached the apartment door. She felt like she was going to be sick as she fished the key Hyun had given her from her pocket. 

The door was clearly new. Not only obvious because the old one had been destroyed by demons, but the new one didn't have that worn spot near the floor in line with the handle. Soo-jin always led with her feet, as Mi-yeong once put it, and always pushed doors open with her foot as she turned the handle. The old door had been missing paint where Soo-jin nudged it open with her shoes over the course of nearly a decade.

Celine swallowed thickly and unlocked the door.

Everything seemed so remarkably ordinary when the door opened. Evidence had been taken, bodies removed, blood cleaned, damage repaired. Everything had been returned nearly to how it was before anything happened.

She hated the way a little part of her imagined that they would be there. That any moment, she would be greeted by cheerful voices and a hug. 

The apartment taunted her with promises of things that could no longer be. It wore their memories and echoed their voices in a pale imitation of who they were. The walls held her in a familiar way that whispered of home and love and joy, but Celine knew it was a lie. Just like every family she had been juggled between as a child, there was no fairytale ending to be found. She knew better than that.

She didn't say a word as she took off her shoes and entered fully. She walked slowly through the little front entryway straight into their living room. 

There was still a book on the coffee table. Some terrible monster romance novel that Mi-yeong had been reading at the tail end of her pregnancy. She and Sejagma had been reading a lot of them together to pass the time during Mi-yeong's maternity leave, purely to make fun of them and compare the terrible narrative to their own situation. Celine and Soo-jin had constantly come home to their laughter.

The kitchen was directly to the left, with a dining table close by. The space the radio had once occupied on the counter had not been refilled, but the island had been fixed. Celine tried not to shudder at the image of Sejagma being body slammed into the marble that flashed behind her eyes.

She shook her head and pressed on.

Beyond the living room and the kitchen was the hallway that led to their rooms. Celine's door first, on the right. Soo-jin's just a little further down on the left. Celine's bathroom door next. Soo-jin and Mi-yeong's shared bathroom was an ensuite between their rooms, which couldn't be seen from outside. Mi-yeong's room was on the left at the end of the hallway, and then...

Celine stopped at one end of the corridor and stared all the way to the other end at that door. It stared right back, tauntingly open a crack. Perfectly clean and pristine, like nothing happened. Like everything was fine. 

That damned room, with nothing but a small office space and their stacked laundry machines inside. Where on one terrible day, there had been a basket with a baby in it. Where a mother had made her last stand to defend her. Where Celine had held Mi-young as she choked out her last breaths.

"Celine?" She jumped hard as something brushed her shoulder. She spun and drew her ssang-geom before she even registered what happened, the dual blades pointed at the threat.

Bobby protectively put his hands over Rumi, who was in her carrier on his chest.

"Woah, sorry, sorry, watch the baby!" He exclaimed. Celine dropped her weapons with a sharp exhale. They seemlessly folded back into the Honmoon. She was shaking. She didn't know when that had begun.

"I'm sorry, I didn't- you- I'm sorry, I couldn't..." She didn't know what she was trying to say. Her breaths were ragged and felt heavy and tight in her chest.

"It's okay, nothing happened," Bobby said gently. He didn't try to touch her this time. "Are you... going to be alright? Maybe you could make a list of things you want or something I can get them for you if this is too much. You don't have to be in here if you can't handle it, there's no shame in that."

"No, no, I just- I just want to-to get this over with a-and move on," She stammered. She glanced down the hall. The door glanced back. A shiver ran down her spine. "I-I can't- that room I- it's- that's-"

"Hey, breathe. Just breathe. It's okay, you don't have to tell me and you don't have to go in there. We can avoid it like the plague. Just take a minute, okay? We're not in a rush," He spoke evenly and tenderly. Calm and collected and everything Celine couldn't be in that apartment anymore.

She inhaled sharply and tried not to heave it out in a desperate pant. She forced herself to hold it and exhale like a fairly normal person.

Rumi strained to turn in her carrier as she was facing Bobby, trying to look at Celine. The woman placed a hand on Rumi's head, idly stroking her silky lavender hair as she tried to get her bearings again.

"Ween," Rumi mumbled. It did make Celine's lip quirk up a bit despite it all.

"Okay... okay... let's um... I don't really have much I want from my room, so- so let's start with um... with Soo-jin's room I guess," Celine suggested, pointing shakily at the one door that was painted bright pink. It had that worn spot in the paint still from Soo-jin leading with her feet. Bobby nodded and opened the door for them both.

Celine almost laughed when she stepped inside. Nothing was funny, not really, but a laugh still caught in her throat and bubbled in her chest. Soo-jin's room was just as much of a mess as ever. A chaotic blend of colours and patterns across the walls, curtains, and bedding. The last clothes she had worn before the last time she slept were still on the floor. There were empty waterbottles all over her desk.

Of course, the real shining star of the room was the far wall. Big bookcases, painted in a sweet pastel yellow, that took up the wall on either side of a table that held an amp, a cd changer, a tape deck, and a record player. The shelves were filled to the brim with albums. Vinyls and tapes and cds in all genres in multiple languages.

"That's a lot of music," Bobby gasped as he approached the shelves. He carefully peered at the titles on the spines. "I've never even heard of most of this stuff. Is this one in French?"

"Soo-jin's grandfather on her dad's side was from Senegal. She learned French from them," Celine felt a sad but fond smile creep onto her face as she stepped up next to Bobby. She pulled a random cassette tape off the shelf. The name 'Spacehog' was written on it, with a cover designed to look like a United States Visa. "She listened to anything and everything. Didn't care about genre, just the lyrics. If it was in a language she spoke and had interesting lyrics, she listened to it."

"She must have spoke a lot of languages," Bobby looked up at the towering shelves.

"She was fluent in Korean, English, and French, but she was also more or less conversational in Japanese, German, and Manderin, if I remember correctly. She once said languages were her first love, music was her second, and Mi-yeong and I were her third. Mi-yeong got so offended when she said that," Celine felt that sad smile on her face again as she carefully slid the cassette back into its place. "Soo-jin was our main lyricist for a reason."

Celine tapped her finger absently on the shelf, studying the names of all the bands Soo-jin had made her listen to. A lot of them were good. A lot of them she couldn't understand. A lot of them Celine hated, but it had always been worth it to see her light up and explain what it was she loved about the message. The lyrics. The word play.

"I'm taking it," Celine finally said. "All her music. I can't just... she spent years collecting this. Someone should take care of it."

"All of it? Wow, okay, starting strong. Let's get going, then!" Bobby clapped his hands. Rumi clapped with him. "Yeah, that's the spirit!"

Celine collected a few other things of Soo-jin's. Her stereo, her walkman, the old stuffed bear on her bed that she had had since she was a toddler, her camera. Just the most important things. Things she knew Soo-jin would have wanted looked after.

They moved on to Mi-yeong's room. Celine stared at the floor the whole way there, refusing to look at that door at the end of the hall.

Mi-yeong's room was peacefully lived in. That was Celine's first thought. Fairly organized, but the bed was still unmade, the walk-in closet was open, and her maternity clothes were all at the front still for easy access, there were still newborn baby clothes on top of the dresser for a three day old Rumi to be changed into after a bath that never happened.

Celine swallowed thickly as her gaze trailed over Mi-yeong's silly romance novels, her binders of sheet music, the endless pictures on the walls. Soo-jin may have been the one who took most of the pictures, but Mi-yeong was the one who seemed to keep every single one. Not just in frames, but in a nine part series of photo albums, one for every year they had known each other, neatly lined up at the back of the dresser beneath the picture frames on the wall.

"Celine..." Bobby had a funny tone in his voice. She glanced over and found him looking at the small picture frame on the nightstand. It faced Mi-yeong's side of the bed. He picked it up and Celine peered over at it.

It was a picture Soo-jin had taken just after Mi-yeong had announced that she was pregnant. It was honestly kind of hilarious. Mi-yeong had an almost smug expression on her face at the reactions she had gotten out of them all, Sejagma - in his demon form with his patterns and claws and horns, hulking over them all like a giant - was bawling, Celine's mouth was hanging open in shock, and Soo-jin, who was holding the camera towards herself to get all of them in frame, only had her eyes visible and they were almost manic with excitement.

Of course, Mi-yeong had framed it and set it right where she could see it every time she woke up during her pregnancy. And of course, in the white margin of the frame, she had written, 'My loves' with a big heart and an arrow through it.

Bobby looked at the picture, then at Celine, then back at the picture. She couldn't decipher the expression on his face.

"What, Bobby?" She prodded. He opened his mouth, then closed it again. Instead, he walked over to the wall of photos. Celine followed him quietly.

Mi-yeong's favourites were up there. The very last addition that had been to the wall wasn't even framed yet, just stuck to the wall with a thumb tack. 

It was an almost perfect replica of the one by the bed, all four of them in frame, taken by Soo-jin who looked positively exhilarated. But Sejagma was smiling almost painfully even as he cried again, Mi-yeong looked exhausted but glowed with pride, and Celine looked like she was about to pass out, which she definitely had only a few moments before the photo was taken and was why she was in a chair instead of standing with Sejagma and Soo-jin. And of course, the one little addition to the picture, a tiny little wailing newborn in Mi-yeong's arms.

She didn't know which pictures Bobby was looking at. She could only look at that one.

"I fainted, you know," Celine finally broke the silence, her gaze stuck on the photograph. "When Rumi was born... everything happened so fast for Mi-yeong. She went into labor and, it wasn't really, but it felt like it was only minutes before she was ready to push. I just remember we were in the room and Mi-yeong was struggling through it and everything was so intense and stressful... and then I caught a glimpse of blood and for the first time in my entire life I felt woozy at the sight of it... and the mext thing I remember I was on the floor and Soo-jin was laughing at me. She said the blood I saw was the brand new baby just being shown to her parents for the first time and I took one look and dropped like a rock. She just barely caught me."

"You were in the room?" Bobby asked, that odd tone still in his voice.

"All of us were. Home birth, you know. We had to be a bit quiet about a half-demon being born, we didn't know what to expect. We couldn't let a whole triage of nurses and doctors see Rumi, for all we knew she was going to come with horns and a tail," Celine responded. She finally looked at Bobby, but he was looking at the framed pictures still. She followed his gaze.

There were photos of all of them, even some that Soo-jin hadn't taken herself. Posed pictures, candid shots, silly ones, cute ones, all sorts. 

"Celine, I have a question. One that... I'm not sure how you're going to take, but I want you to be honest," He turned to face her seriously. 

"Um... okay?" She faced him as well. Bobby glanced at the wall, then back at Celine.

"Were you... were you..." He took a breath, "Okay, I just need to rip this off like a bandaid... Celine, were you romantically involved with both of your band mates?" Bobby blurted out in a rush.

Celine blinked.

"What!?"

"I-I'm sorry- I really don't mean- it's just- Celine, look at these pictures! Look at those ones!" He pointed to two of the candid shots. One of them was of Celine blatantly kissing Mi-yeong. The other was the same, with Soo-jin. "That's a crazy way to kiss platonically, Soo-jin's got your whole head in her hands squishing you to her like she's trying to smother you to death!" He exclaimed. He seemed surprised, but not upset.

"Wh- but- no, it wasn't- it's not like that!" Celine stammered. She looked at the pictures again. "I- okay- maybe I kissed then once in a while, but it's not- we were just- it wasn't like that at all!"

"Mi-yeong had her boyfriend, Soo-jin, and you with her when she gave birth? Home birth or not, you know as well as I do that women often give birth without family- that's a crazy thing for you all to have been there for," Bobby continued.

"Yeah, but- it wasn't-"

"She called all of you her loves?" He held up the little frame from the bed. She hadn't noticed that he was still holding it.

"It's just- she was just-"

"What about this one?" He pointed to a picture she was pretty sure Sejagma had taken of the three of them on the couch. They were awfully close, sure. Soo-jin hand an arm around Mi-yeong's shoulders and a hand on Celine's thigh, okay. They were asleep watching a movie late at night, yes. But that didn't mean...

"That's not anything, that's just sitting on the couch, everyone does that! I mean- okay- what Soo-jin and Mi-yeong did was- maybe something, but I wasn't part of that! I wasn't involved!" Celine insisted.

"So- so Soo-jin and Mi-yeong were dating but Mi-yeong was also dating Sejagma and you just kissed them for fun?" He raised an eyebrow. Celine stuttered uselessly for a moment.

"I wasn't- really, what they were doing didn't involve me! I was just- I'm not- I wasn't going on dates or something, never! And I didn't- you know, I've never- that's not something I'm interested in and- it's not- God, why would you even imply such a thing?" Celine felt a burn in her cheeks. Her chest ached.

Bobby looked at her for a long moment.

"There are a lot of ways to be in love, Celine," Whatever shocked exhasperation he had exhibited before dissipated to something gentler and almost understanding. "There are a lot of ways to have a relationship that's meaningful, even if it's not traditional. It's okay if you loved them in your own way. Maybe not exactly as a typical romantic partner, but something close."

Celine swallowed thickly. She glanced back at the photos. She felt hot with shame.

"I'm sorry for pushing, Celine. I... I'll take your word for it if it really didn't mean much to you, but... it seems like it meant something to them. Like you meant something to them." He took a step closer. "You know... you know I would never tell if there had been something there, right? If you told me, I wouldn't judge... I'd never hurt you or betray you like that."

Celine barely heard him. Her heart was racing.

He couldn't be right. He couldn't be.

Celine couldn't help the thoughts that raced in her head. So maybe she had kissed them before. They kissed each other, too. In different context and far more often, not like Celine who only ever wanted to once in a blue moon and was met with eager enthusiasm like she had just hung the stars in the sky. It was different. Very different.

They never pressed for more. More kisses or more contact or more intimate things, but they always met her where she was and surely that wasn't romance. Not like each other. Not like Mi-yeong and Sejagma.

Yes, Celine had nodded along when Sejagma started dating Mi-yeong and Soo-jin told him he had to share her with them, because they had her first. But that was just a joke. Just something funny. 

Their relationship wasn't jealous like couples were in the movies, it wasn't filthy or obscene like Mi-yeong's books, it wasn't oppressive or pushy or rushed. It just was. It was good, it was real, it was gentle and sweet and... and...

And love. 

A different love than the world said a relationship should be, but it was love all the same.

Mi-yeong always addressed Rumi as 'our baby' while she was pregnant, no matter who she was talking to. Like Rumi was all of theirs. And maybe she was. Maybe Mi-yeong had never doubted that Celine, despite all her reservations about children and relationships, would take care of her. 

Was Rumi hers? Really hers? Had they been hers, and Celine never knew?

"Don't, Bobby. Don't... don't say things like that," Celine shook her head. There was a lump in her throat. Her stomach ached.

The nicknames, the kisses, the gentle touches, the loving looks, the shared spaces, the quiet moments, the laughter, the baby- God, Soo-jin called Celine 'girlfriend' and Celine had only chuckled and asked what she needed. 

"Celine-"

"You can't- you can't say things like that- it wasn't- we weren't-" Celine's vision blurred with tears.

Mi-yeong's voice, Soo-jin's gap-toothed smile, their late nights writing music until the sun came up, their days sightseeing on tour- had those been dates the whole time?

The Honmoon bound their souls. Is that what it meant? Had it been fated since the day the Honmoon chose them? Is that why she felt like someone had ripped her soul from her body every day that she was without them? Was it deeper than friends? Was it more than Celine realized?

"I'm sorry, Celine. I didn't mean to... I'm sorry," Bobby put a hand on her shoulder gently. She stared at his feet as tears dripped down her cheeks.

"...you're right, aren't you?" Celine hiccuped. "You're a-always right and... and I... I didn't even know... and they- and-" She put a hand over her mouth, a feeble attempt to halt the way her voice cracked.

"Celine..." Bobby barely spoke, his voice was nothing but care and worry.

"How did I... I didn't... I didn't know... I really didn't know..."

How could she have been so foolish to not even see what was happening? How had she not realized? Did they even know she didn't know? Did they think she was in on it? Had they died thinking that Celine knew what she was to them?

Her teary eyes slowly lifted to Rumi. Though her tears made the world blur and warble in messy silver hues, she could still see the fluffy purple hair and two giant eyes of her baby peering back at her. Celine put her hand on Rumi's back, feeling her tiny breaths.

She choked back the loud sobs that tried to rip through her. She forced herself not to wail like she had lost them all over again. The cavity in her chest seemed impossibly wider. Emptier. 

What had they been, really? Celine would never truly be able to answer that.

"Ween," Rumi whined softly. She started to squirm in her carrier, like she was trying to get away from Bobby.

Celine had a baby in her arms before she knew it. She pressed her nose to the crown of Rumi's head, tears still rolling down her cheeks. Soon enough, a soothing rumble rolled across Celine's chest as she held the baby. 

Her baby.

Celine didn't say much else as they grabbed a few more things from the apartment. Mi-yeong's old rollerskates, her guitars, one electric and acoustic, the pictures, the sheet music. 

If he saw Celine grab a couple of Mi-yeong and Soo-jin's shirts before they left, Bobby politely didn't comment. 

She sat in the backseat next to Rumi while Bobby drove, the boxes stacked in the trunk of his van behind her. All she could do was stare at Rumi in her carseat and hold her tiny hand in her own.

Celine hadn't felt the ache so deep since the day she lost them. And just like that day, the one thing that kept her tethered and present, the one thing that just barely kept her head above water as grief tried to drown her, was Rumi.

"How did I not know you were my baby this whole time? Just as much as you were theirs?" Celine barely whispered.

Rumi only looked up at Celine, her big brown eyes full of pure raw innocent adoration, and smiled.

Chapter Text

Once again, Bobby had gone behind her back for the sake of 'the greater good' as he put it. He had sent out a mass email to the company on a Friday at the very end of February saying that Celine was taking the next two weeks off and no one was to disturb her, lest they face his wrath. 

Whatever that meant.

So, on the following Monday - the week of Rumi's first birthday - Celine found herself with no work to do. Not one email or phone call came to her. No one answered her, either when she did look for something to do. She had no idea what was going on until she called Bobby and he happily told her what he had been up to.

On one hand, she would have appreciated having work to distract from the complicated emotions the week brought. On the other, Celine got to spend more time with Rumi than she had in the entire year since Rumi was born.

It's not like they were never together, Celine worked from home to care for Rumi twenty-four seven, but she was doing just that all the time. Working.

For the first time, Celine had nothing to take away from baby time. It was quite nice.

Plus, Rumi was a little more entertaining to play with now, seeing as she played more like an animal than a baby half the time. Sure, she liked to match shapes and colours and put things in her mouth just as much as any baby, but she also liked to wrestle, play bite, scurry after thrown toys on all fours, among other things.

Celine found out the hard way that day that those things apparently extended to her, as she sat on the floor that Tuesday morning with Rumi and was almost immediately subjected to the cutest demon attack she'd experienced.

Rumi grappled with Celine's hands and crawled all over her, growling and smiling all the while. Her bites were gentle and her claws were sheathed as she swatted at her, though she did use them to cling to Celine's clothes and climb her like a tree.

Celine chuckled as Rumi rolled onto her back on the floor. She lightly scratched Rumi's belly, only for her hand to be snatched again, and tiny teeth nibbled her finger.

"Oh, my weird girl. What am I going to do with you when you're running around and chasing squirrels? Hmm?" Celine asked fondly as Rumi growled at her hand.

Just then, the door opened.

"Good morning, ladies!" Bobby cheered as he stepped inside.

"Good morning, Bobby. I thought you were in the office today," Celine spoke easily, even as Rumi rolled around and yanked her hand along with her.

"Someone has to watch Rumi while you're out," He waltzed into the room and sat down next to them with a shrug.

"Bobobobbyy," Rumi clawed over Celine's legs to grab onto Bobby's arm instead. She immediately started chewing on his wrist.

Bobby gasped dramatically and managed to wiggle his hand away long enough to pick her up under her armpits, and he held her out in front of him.

"It's the girl! Look at her! You're getting so big! Can you believe you turn a year old this week?" He grinned. Rumi kept babbling Bs and random vowels at him. She turned her head to lightly bite his thumb.

"Sorry, hold on, what do you mean while I'm out? I have no plans," Celine interrupted. Bobby set Rumi in his lap and she busied herself batting at his tie.

"You certainly do! I booked you a spa day. And I already paid, so you have to go out of guilt," He said with an all too pleased smirk.

"Bobbyyy," She whined. He only chuckled.

"Don't even start. I know this is a tough week for you, which means you're stuck with me trying to make it as enjoyable as possible for you," Bobby patted her shoulder. "It'll be good for you, Celine. Get a massage, sit in a sauna, get a fancy cleanse, they even had an option for a private bath so you can enjoy the bath house without risking being gawked at by fans."

"I don't know that I need all that-" Celine began.

"Yes, you do. And if you don't come back glowing and relaxed, I'm sending you right back," He insisted. Celine huffed and leaned back against the couch.

"You know any reasonable boss would have fired you for going behind their back like you do," Celine said flatly, though a small smile tugged at the corner of her mouth.

"Well, just my luck that you're a pushover," Bobby joked, lightly elbowing her.

"I am not."

"You are for some things," He gestured to himself and the baby yanking on his tie. Celine could only sigh and roll her eyes.

A moment passed where the only sound was Rumi's little growls and her hands slapping at the fabric around Bobby's neck.

"What time am I supposed to be there?" Celine finally relented.

"Noon," He looked very pleased that she agreed.

Okay, so maybe she had needed it more than she thought.

She knew she had been stressed and on edge for a year and she knew it had been worse leading up to that week, but she didn't realize how bad it was until she had gone through hours of pampering and otherwise doing literally nothing.

Sure, the massage had hurt like hell as every tense spot she had been unable to relax for twelve months was pressed and kneaded until soft. But, once that hurtle was crossed and she was in one warm, pleasant smelling room after another, she wasn't sure she had any bones left in her body she felt so good.

She hadn't done anything like that since losing her girls. It was undoubtedly lonely doing it on her own, she was used to laughing and chatting with them the whole time, but at the same time, it was very peaceful. Celine hadn't had a lot of peace in recent memory.

By the time she had left and arrived home, she simultaneously felt heavy and light all at once. Like a weight had been taken off her shoulders, but also like she could hardly get her relaxed muscles to work. It felt good either way.

She hummed pleasantly and opened the front door. 

Of the things she expected returning home, she was a bit taken aback when she heard an all too familiar song emanating from the living room. It was accompanied by an unfamiliar singing voice, though she was sure she knew who it belonged to.

She came around the corner and found Bobby next to Soo-jin's stereo in the living room. The first Sunlight Sisters record was on and Bobby was singing and dancing along, much to the delight of Rumi, who held onto the coffee table and stomped her little feet to the song.

Celine hadn't listened to the album in a long time. She had performed a few of the songs on their last tour, but she hadn't sat down and listened to it in years.

It was nice, in a bittersweet kind of way, to hear Mi-yeong's lead vocal, backed up by Soo-jin on an airy soprano line and her own voice bulking out the alto underneath. It was the first time she had heard their voices since they passed. In a way, it hurt to know she'd never hear them again, but at the same time, it was comforting to hear them sing.

And at the very least, it was funny watching Bobby perfectly replicate choreography that Celine could perform in her sleep. If she didn't know better, she would have assumed he had been part of the band. 

That particular song - Paper Heart - was probably one of the cheesiest songs they had ever written. It was a song Mi-yeong had pitched, mostly as a joke, to bulk out the album a bit more. 

It was about her middle school boyfriend, who at thirteen would make paper flowers for her and spray them with perfume, because she had a pollen allergy, and made a mixtape of love songs for her that was now in Soo-jin's music collection somewhere, Celine was pretty sure. Mi-yeong said that that boy, who still had a squeaky puberty voice and could hardly talk to her when they first met, had given her high standards for relationships.

"If he could do it before he could grow a mustache or speak a sentence without a voice crack, fully grown people should be able to do that and more. The youth need to know what they deserve," She had said. It might have been a good message to try and tell people not to settle for subpar treatment. Celine still thought it was silly, more than anything.

It was just a catchy, lighthearted tune that was easy to dance to and had enough cheese to be endearing to anyone. It reeked of Mi-yeong's love for romance in the most delightfully ridiculous way.

Naturally, Bobby sang along like it was a gospel song in a church. It was funny to hear it taken so seriously when even the three girls who wrote it always wore goofy smiles when they performed it and had giggled through recording it.

Celine bit back a chuckle as she watched Bobby perform to his audience of one very invested demon baby. While it wasn't surprising that he could sing as he had been on his way to becoming an idol not too long ago, Celine was rather impressed by his voice. He had a strong, confident tenor and kept up with Mi-yeong's belting serviceably.

Perhaps, it was the relaxed mood she found herself in, or instinct from hearing a song she had known and performed for the better part of a decade, or maybe some little voice in the back of her head that sounded a bit too much like Mi-yeong egged her on. Either way, before she could stop herself, Celine picked up her own part at the bridge, effortlessly harmonizing with Bobby on the lead.

"Behind the school with hands held tight, long past the dying of afternoon light, you kissed my cheek, afraid of my lips, then pressed a tape to the player on my hip"

Bobby looked at Celine with absolute delight. His beaming smile was almost blinding to look at. Thankfully, he spun away to continue his choreography recreation before his teeth were burned into her retinas.

"It sang of dates to arcade malls, of nervous sweats in crowded halls, of shaky smiles and a tender hold, and my anxious boy trying to be bold"

Bobby pretended to swoon at that last like, which certainly wasn't in the choreography. He draped himself on the arm of the couch. It made Celine snort.

"You, my dear, are my first love
You treat me like the stars above
And one day, we may grow apart,
But flowers bloom in my paper heart"

The chorus repeated twice more before the song ended, and the record came to a finish with a crackle. 

"Awe, Celine!" Bobby was in her face before she realized he had moved. He grabbed her biceps and nearly shook her. "Your voice is so beautiful live! Ugh, I love altos, no one does it like you girls."

Celine chuckled a little awkwardly. She never got used to being complimented, no matter how often it happened as an idol.

"Ehh, I'm alright. But you've really got a voice on you, Bobby. You know, if you change your mind about being an idol you can say the word and I'll get you a manager," It was a little bit of a deflection, but she did mean it. Bobby chuckled and blushed. He waved his hand dismissively.

"Ah well, I appreciate it, but I'm more than happy where I'm at," Then, he got a little smirk on his face, "But maybe you can treat me to another duet sometime?"

Celine chuckled softly.

"I don't know, maybe. I think that was the first time I've sung something since... I don't even know. Our last tour? ...Or maybe it was some dumb little song Soo-jin made up that got stuck in my head. She used to do that every time she did chores. Drove me nuts, I'd be trying to deal with the company accounts and be stuck humming a little tune about laundry detergent or sweeping or something," She wasn't sure where she was going with that anecdote. She felt tired and heavy after her 'spa day', words were just coming out of her at that point.

"Well, you look pretty sufficiently relaxed. Should I count this as a successful self-care day?" He asked after a moment of quiet. Celine chuckled.

"Yeah, I think so. I feel like jelly," She responded with a sleepy grin.

"That's good to hear!"

Bobby smiled softly and walked back over to the stereo system. He pulled the record off the turn table and slid it back into its cover. The image of Celine and her girls plastered on the cover looked back at her. She sighed bittersweetly and shifted her gaze down at Rumi instead, who was still glancing between her and Bobby like they had just hung the stars in the sky.

"Hey, um... sorry if it was too soon to... you know," Bobby gestured vaguely to the album, "I was looking for something to play, 'cause even after you set this up you never put anything on - which is totally fine! But... well, I pulled this one out and Rumi got excited when she saw you on it, so I thought she might like to hear what you sound like when you sing. It was a very pleasant surprise to get a little mini live show from you, but... I understand if it's a bit much to hear." He put the record back in one of the many boxes.

Celine sat down on the floor beside Rumi, who excitedly crawled into her lap and butted her head against Celine's stomach. She purred and kneaded Celine's thigh gently with her claws.

"No, it's... it's okay," Celine said softly as she stroked Rumi's soft lavender hair. There was another long moment of quiet. "It's a bit weird, honestly... I still work in the music industry, but I don't listen to it anymore. I can't remember the last time I actually sat down and listened to an album. I guess... I guess I sort of... relate it all to them so much that I've had a bit of a hard time stomaching it... there was never a moment of quiet in our dorm. The radio was on or Soo-jin's stereo could be heard through the walls or Mi-yeong was playing guitar or... just some song was always coming from somewhere."

Bobby sat down quietly next to her, his shoulder brushing hers. She sighed quietly and leaned her head back on the couch. She was tired. She felt physically relaxed for the first time in who knows how long and it seemed like that had eliminated her ability to filter herself.

"I think there's part of me that... I don't know... it's like I have this guilt that I could dare listen to a song without them. I... sometimes, it feels like I did something wrong by surviving, I guess. Like I have this... shame that I made it out alive. And I guess in some ways, I've been punishing myself for it... I guess you see that, though. You have an uncanny ability to see right through me." She huffed and glanced at him. 

His expression was sympathetic and sorrowful, but he listened intently and took her hand, letting her speak.

"I don't do anything I like anymore. I don't even do the bare minimum to not be miserable, if I can help it. No movies, no books, no outings that aren't necessary... I barely even play with Rumi... and music... it's like- that was our life, you know? That was what we did together and what we bonded over and... I guess part of me feels horrible to think that I could enjoy music without them. And part of me feels like I don't deserve to enjoy anything at all."

Bobby was quiet for a long moment. They just regarded each other silently. It felt good, she thought, to get it off her chest. To admit that, although some of her struggle was out of her control, a lot of it was and a lot of it was purposeful. And she knew that, she always had, but saying it felt like lettimg out a little relieved exhale.

Finally, Bobby got up. He picked Rumi up and set her in her pen, much to Rumi's frustration until she latched onto her stuffed cow and shook it in her teeth.

"Come on, up you get," Bobby held his hands out for Celine.

"What?" Even as she asked, she let him take her hands and haul her up.

"What do you want to hear?" He asked as he led her to the boxes.

"Um..." 

"Pick an album. Anything. You're going to pick something you like and you're going to dance with me and we're going to sing and we're going to have some fun," He smiled.

"Don't you think you forced me into enough self-care today, Bobby? I spent like three hours being pampered," She smiled along, depsite herself.

"No, I don't. Because you do deserve joy, Celine. And, from what I know about Mi-yeong and Soo-jin, they would have never stood for you not allowing yourself enjoy music, of all things. So, music was your life with them. Do you really think they'd want you to stop living with them just because they're not here physically anymore?" He squeezed her hand and Celine felt a lump in her throat.

She couldn't find a response to that.

She was physically exhausted, her muscles felt like jelly, she had a sort of brain fog that she couldn't shake, but...

"Well... maybe... maybe just one album," She relented.

Rumi's birthday wasn't much of an event. Bobby got a small cake that Rumi couldn't eat since Celine was strictly avoiding giving Rumi any sweet treats until she was older, so Celine and Bobby had each eaten half instead. Bobby bought Rumi a new chew toy as a present, which seemed to suffice.

Celine didn't think it mattered much how the day went, since Rumi was only a year old and would have zero memory of the day anyway. She just enjoyed spending time with her baby and her friend. Rumi was delighted either way.

And then it was the day before the anniversary. Almost an entire year since everything changed.

Celine had an overwhelming sense of foreboding as she got out of bed. Nothing was going to happen in the next two days, surely. It wasn't like that specific time was cursed to be horrible every year. No way. That wasn't how life worked.

No amount of rationalization calmed her down.

Maybe she was in a bit of a vulnerable state and a bit desperate not to spiral, so when Bobby asked if she would want to come with him to visit his mom, she had agreed without much thought.

Which was how she ended up having lunch with one of the tiniest, yet most intimidating women she had ever met, desperately praying Rumi could be fairly normal for a couple hours.

Mrs. Park had said only about two words to Celine since she walked in the door and then had been utterly silent until they sat down for lunch. Celine wondered if she was welcome at all, though Bobby had claimed that his mom wanted to meet her.

And then, as soon as they had food, Mrs. Park was all chat. She asked Celine about a million questions about her job and her personal life. She definitely kept an air of stoicism about her, though. Celine tried to stay polite and professional, even as she held Rumi on her lap and tried to eat with a pair of little hands batting at her chopsticks.

"Thank you for lunch," Celine said politely when there was finally a moment of silence.

"My pleasure. Bobby seems to think I'm utterly helpless these days, but I'm not dying yet and I happen to enjoy cooking," Mrs. Park smiled broadly, a little snarky lilt in her tone.

"I don't think you're helpless, I just think you deserve a bit of help considering the circumstances," Bobby responded easily, unbothered by his mother's comment.

"I only have Barrett's esophagus," The older woman said flatly.

"You have a severe case of it and refuse to make the necessary changes to your diet. That's a precancerous condition, it could get bad if you don't start being careful," Bobby said firmly. His mom rolled her eyes fondly and looked at Celine.

"He's so much like his father. Such a worrier. It's isn't even cancer yet, but here he is setting aside his dreams to bring me groceries and fix my tv every once in a while." Celine saw the little flicker of regret behind her eyes. She didn't comment on it.

"I see," She said instead. Mrs. Park regarded her quietly for a moment.

"So, when's the last time you two had a date?" She asked. Celine felt an awkward blush lick at her cheeks.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Mom! We've talked about this, Celine and I are not dating!" Bobby exclaimed.

"Okay, okay, fine," Mrs. Park put her hands up in surrender. "You aren't dating, she's just the only woman you spend any time with and you go out of your way every day to help her with her daughter and personal matters. Sure. You should still take a lady out to eat once in a while, Bobby. Get her off baby caring duty for a while." Her son groaned, visibly embarrassed.

"I don't really leave Rumi much. I prefer to keep her close by if I can help it," Celine responded with a slightly strained smile.

"I get it. Believe me, when Bobby was a baby, I couldn't do anything without him. I thought he'd combust or something if I wasn't looking at him all the time. But that isn't good for you and it's not good for her, either," Mrs. Park said sternly, but kindly. "If she's going to be comfortable going to school and getting a job one day, she has to get used to not always having you. Unfortunately."

Okay, the resemblance between mother and son started to become apparent. Celine just sort of hummed, unsure of how to respond.

It was more complicated with Rumi. She wasn't all human, it made things riskier to leave her unattended with someone who didn't know about her. At the same time, it was true that Rumi was probably lacking in socialization considering she almost exclusively kept the company of Celine and Bobby and, anyone else she encountered, were random passers by when Celine took her grocery shopping or something of the like. It also probably wasn't a good thing that Celine was so accustomed to having her girl with her all day, every day.

"I mean... mom does have a point, Celine," Bobby said after a long moment. His mom grinned triumphantly,

"I often do." 

"I mean, I know it's a bit difficult and complicated when it comes to Rumi, but... I think, especially given the time of year, maybe it would be nice to do something just the two of us. Mom can watch Rumi, right?" He turned to his mom.

"Gladly. Bobby prepared me for anything a baby could throw at me. He was a huge challenge until he was eight," She grinned. 

"Thanks, mom," Bobby huffed.

"What about..." Celine looked at Bobby, then firmly down at Rumi, hoping he'd get the idea that she was referring fo Rumi's demon traits. 

"I handled it, right? Rumi can behave for a couple hours."

Celine grumbled under her breath.

Once again, Celine was questioning her decisions. The week was messing with her head.

Somehow, she had agreed to dinner with Bobby, no baby involved. It was kind of weird having it be just them. Not like Rumi had much to add to the conversation that made any sense, but she babbled enough and caused enough of a ruckus to provide a bit of a buffer between them. So did work.

Now, they were just seated in a nice restaurant. It was bizarre. Not bad, but out of the ordinary for them.

"I'm sorry about my mom. She's got a good heart, but no filter," Bobby chuckled. He sipped his water.

"It's fine. I've had worse interactions," She shrugged. She looked at the menu for a long moment. "We definitely aren't dating, right?" Bobby nearly dropped his glass.

"What? No! Of course not! Do you think we are?" He asked frantically.

"No! Sorry, I didn't mean- I just- I have to ask. I spent- what? I think they started... so like six years. I spent six years in a relationship that I had no idea I was a part of, I have to make sure I didn't accidentally get into another one," Her voice came out more exasperated than she expected. Bobby laughed awkwardly.

"Okay, yeah that's... that's fair," He scratched the back of his neck. "But really, I'm not interested like that- not that you're not a beautiful woman! Or anything like that, just- you know- not my type."

"I'm not offended that you aren't interested, Bobby. It's honestly kind of a relief. I don't think I could handle it after what happened last time," She fidgeted idly with the corner of the menu, skimming the appetizers.

There was a long pause.

"I'm gay," He eventually blurted out. Celine glanced up at him. He blushed and smiled uncomfortably. "Sorry, I just now realized I never actually told you that even after I kind of forcibly made you tell me about your kind of platonic complicated lesbian throuple thing you had- which also wasn't cool of me by the way, I like couldn't stop the thoughts from pouring out of my mouth and then I realized you didn't seem to realize it was a thing and I thought you should probably know and- and anyway, it's probably only fair that I tell you about me and-"

"Bobby." The stern tone of her voice made him snap his mouth shut. "It's okay. All of it. It's... fine."

He nodded tensely and leaned back a bit in his chair.

"You haven't told your mother?" Celine asked after another long moment. "I assume, considering she seems to think we're involved." He sighed heavily.

"It's not like... it's not like I don't think she'd be understanding - actually, I think she'd be fine with it honestly, but it's... well, my mom always says dad was the worrier between them, but she's just as bad as he ever was. She just shows it differently. And I know telling her that there's another thing that makes my life a bit more complicated would just make her worry more about me. I don't want to stress her out," Bobby shrugged. Celine hummed.

"I can't tell you what to do with your life, Bobby. But, I know you're worried about her health and... well, I can say from experience that you don't want to end up with things left unsaid. It might do you well to tell her. And then you can let men be the conversation between you two, instead of me," She tried to let that last part ring as a bit of a joke. She was pleased to see Bobby huff a little laugh.

"I don't know that I want to gossip about men with my mom," He blushed a little uncomfortably. 

"Is that weird? I thought that sort of thing would be amusing," Celine shrugged.

"With your mom?" He visibly cringed.

"I don't have one, how should I know?" She asked. He leaned forward on his elbows,

"Right, okay, how about this, do you want to try and discuss attractive people with Rumi when she's an adult?" Celine found herself smiling fondly at the thought of what Rumi might be like as an adult.

"I don't care. She can tell me anything she'd like, I'll be on her side one hundred percent," Celine responded confidently.

She meant it, too. She hoped with all her heart that Rumi would grow to trust her with anything and would count on Celine to be there for her no matter what. Celine would do anything in her power to support Rumi. Even if that support was to listen to boy trouble or what girls she thought were cute or whatever other silly relationship things most teenagers and young adults busied themselves with. 

"Eh... I guess you're right, it doesn't really work the other way. If Rumi wanted to gossip about boys she likes one day, I'd probably be totally invested," He chuckled softly.

"If it doesn't work the other way, maybe that means your mother would be interested in what you have to say. Even if it isn't about boy gossip," She suggested. Bobby took a deep breath.

"Maybe..."

When the waiter eventually came, Bobby asked Celine if she wanted soju. He would pay, after all. She considered for a moment, she hadn't had a drink since Mi-yeong got pregnant - it seemed deeply impolite - but she supposed a little wouldn't hurt.

A little had somehow turned into Bobby convincing her to go to a noraebang down the street after dinner, where he ever politely kept their glasses full until they were giggling like children and couldn't sing in tune because the karaoke tracks sounded like incoherent noise and they couldn't find a beat.

The next thing she knew, she woke up on her bathroom floor. She had no idea how she got there or when. Her head was pounding. Her mouth tasted sour bile and felt impossibly dry. The ceiling wouldn't stay still in her vision as the light above pierced deep into her skull.

Celine grumbled miserably and slowly inched herself onto her side, away from the blinding bathroom light. She squinted at the tile and the soft bath mat she had made a pillow for herself on.

"Bobby?" She grumbled. She wasn't even sure his name came out of her mouth coherently. 

A groan came from somewhere vaguely above her. She forced her gaze up along the pale porcelain tub, where she then found Bobby asleep in the otherwise empty bathtub.

"Bobby," She tried again. She reached mindlessly for the plunger and smacked it on the side of the bath. Bobby startled awake.

"Wha?" He mumbled. His brow furrowed and he rubbed his eyes with a miserable whine.

"Good, you're awake," Celine slowly forced herself upright. A sharp pain exploded in her ribs. That was a deep bruise. She hissed through her teeth, but didn't give up her mission. If she could get up, she could get something for the hangover. Then it would be fine.

"Celine, why am I in your bathtub?" Bobby muttered.

"I dunno..." As she got herself up to a seated position, she kicked something on the floor.

The first aid kit spilled across the tile. A vague memory flashed behind her eyes. She had grabbed it for a reason. She had grabbed it for...

Celine felt a sudden jolt of adrenaline and was up on her feet in a flash. Her head swam and felt too heavy on her shoulders, but she leaned over the tub to grab Bobby's sleeve. She pulled the fabric back.

Her work was shoddy given her intoxication, but his arm was more or less wrapped in gauze. Still, the wound beneath had bled through a bit. Claw marks.

"We got attacked by demons last night," Celine blurted. Bobby squinted at her for a long moment, processing what she said, before realization dawned on his face.

"Oh man... that was awesome! I know you said you were a demon hunter, but you should've seen yourself! That was bad ass!" His voice was a bit slow and slurred, but his excitement was genuine.

"Let me see," She carefully unwrapped the bandages and got a good look at the cuts. They weren't too deep, just enough to look a bit scary. They had scabbed over in thick platelets overnight and didn't look irritated or inflamed. At least she had had the sense to clean the wounds, apparently. "Not bad... should be healed in a couple days." She said groggily.

"Days? I'm not a hunter," He let out a breath that may have been a lazy laugh.

"Oh right... ugh, I'll rewrap this and... and-" Celine's hungover mind once again caught a moment of lucidity and sent her into a panic. "Oh my God, the baby!" They both flinched at the volume of her voice, but once it started she couldn't stop. She reached down and grabbed at Bobby's jacket, frantically searching his pockets for his flip phone. "What the hell was I thinking!? I left Rumi for a whole night and I didn't even bring an overnight bag or give any instructions on Rumi's bed time routine and Rumi has so much trouble sleeping without me putting her to bed and-"

She statched the phone from Bobby's inner pocket and found his mom's number in the contacts list. She called frantically.

"Well, good afternoon!" Came Mrs. Park's voice over the phone.

"Mrs. Park, I am so so sorry, I don't know what I was thinking, I left Rumi with you all night without any warning and-"

"Don't worry about it. Rumi is just fine. A little fussy without her mom, but I have a few tricks to deal with a crabby baby. She's nothing compared to Bobby, let me tell you. I can drop her off if you'd like. I assume, considering that it's already one in the afternoon, you may not be in the safest position to get her yourself," Mrs. Park's voice was easy and casual. Celine felt relief wash over her so hard she could have fallen over, especially with how her head swam. "Thankfully, Bobby's father was a bit of a hoarder and kept all of Bobby's baby things. I've got a car seat around here somewhere."

"Yeah we... we left my car somewhere downtown by the restaurant, I guess I'll have to go get that at some point," Celine sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose as her pulse throbbed painfully under her face. "Thank you. Really, this has all been very kind of you."

"It's really no problem. It's good you two had some fun last night, from what I can tell you both needed it. You take it easy. Rumi's in a good mood and ready for a nap, so she'll be nice and ready for cuddles once she's home. Take some Tylenol, drink some water, have some greasy food, you'll be alright," Mrs. Park said.

"Thank you," Celine repeated softly.

There was still a dull throb in her temples, but it was improving. The medication helped. Besides, this was too important. She had to be there before the day was over.

The evening March air was cool and crisp as she walked slowly through the winding paths of the forest. Spring hadn't quite set in yet. There was still a bit of snow here and there and nothing had begun to bud or turn green yet. Still, the setting sun shone in beautiful amber hues through the barren trees and kissed the melting snow to sparkle.

She walked with a purpose as the breeze nipped her ears, and the sun was just barely warm on her cheeks.

Eventually, she reached the winding, seemingly endless rows of graves. She paused for only a moment, before she took a deep breath and padded slowly to the spot she hadn't had the guts to be in since they had been laid there.

Celine swallowed thickly as she finally came to a stop. She quietly studied the two stones. One bearing a single name, one bearing two - the second name on the second stone had been hastily scratched in by Celine's own hand, as she hadn't known how to explain a headstone for someone with no last name, no record, and no body, but she knew the person who was buried there would have wanted him by her side in some way.

Celine took a deep breath. She let it hurt. Let the tears burn in her eyes and trail warm on her cold-flushed cheeks. She let her chest ache and her breath catch. She let herself sit in the wet dead grass on her knees and think about the blood and the loss and the sleepless nights and the loneliness.

And then, when her tears finally stopped flowing, and she felt like she could breathe again, she felt a tiny bittersweet smile grace her lips.

"I... I'm sorry I haven't visited sooner... I have a lot to tell you."

Chapter Text

Grief did not go away with time. Celine learned that the hard way. Frankly speaking, she despised the notion people spread that it did. 

Grief was just love. Misplaced, lost, confused love. All of the adoration that could bubble in light fizzy feelings and overflow in breathless giggles, that sometimes roared and boiled over in a ferocious need to protect, that would roll like a slow burbling stream over stones in a calm, constant desire to be near. All of that love, that once had so many outlets and so many ways to be shown and caused so many other overwhelming feelings, no longer had anywhere to go.

So it sat like a loyal dog at a door, wagging its tail, waiting needily for people who would never come home. No matter how obvious it was that no one was there, love never left. Stubborn and clingy, it never gave up its hope to give itself again to a person who could no longer receive it. 

No, that desperate dog never gave up and never went away. But, over time, as it got older, it got easier to keep it comfortable. To lay it down comfortably beside the door instead, in a soft bed of memories, with coping mechanisms for company, and a healthy amount of tears to tuck them in snuggly. To give that feeling somewhere warm to stay, that slowly felt less like an empty oppressive cavity on the verge of collapse, but more like a quiet and cozy home that spoke of a life that was once there, even in its silent emptiness. Like a house just after everyone left for work, that had warm patches of early sunlight on the floor and still smelled of coffee and the woody musk of the morning newspaper.

Grief never went away, but one could keep it company just as much as it kept theirs. That was what made it easier. The acknowledgment of it, working with it, spending time with it, until it became a quiet companion rather than a haunting monsterous shadow.

Over the past couple of years, Celine had done just that. Not moved on. No, she knew she never would, but she lived a little easier with the pain.

She certainly didn't feel sick to her stomach anymore being near their graves, which she was busy washing in the summer heat. It was actually rather comforting to be near, even if they weren't really there.

She hummed under her breath as she crouched and carefully cleared the grime from craved names in the stones with a soft brush. Natural soap and clean water in a bucket by her side as she scrubbed.

Celine was so preoccupied, she didn't realize she had let her guard down. She didn't feel the stare on the side of her head. She didn't hear the little rustle of leaves.

There was a flash of lavender in the corner of her eye a moment before a small weight collided with her side. With the position she was in, it was enough to knock her sideways. 

She grunted as she landed funny in the grass.

Rumi giggled triumphantly as she sat on Celine's stomach. Rumi was three now, which was always a bit of a shock to Celine. She was a lot more of a person these days rather than the feral wiggly potato she had been as a baby.

"Celine!" Rumi cheered.

Celine did tentatively try to get Rumi to call her 'mom' for a while - she kept Eomma reserved for Mi-yeong - but Rumi had been very stubbornly determined to learn Celine's name and, without anyone else enforcing it, Rumi just didn't pick it up. Bobby offered to call Celine that to try and help, but they both found it was a bit weird. She figured she would leave the option there if Rumi ever wanted to take her up on it.

"Where did you come from? You're supposed to be with Bobby having a nap," Celine couldn't help but smile up at Rumi, even as she laid on her back in the grass. Rumi shrugged and tapped her hands idly on Celine's stomach.

"I not tired. I smelleded you and find you," Rumi smiled, all fangs and big eyes and little purple pigtails. She never ceased to be adorable.

"You smelled me? From the cabin, and then followed me here?" Celine asked, instinctively raising a hand to brush Rumi's bangs out of her eyes. She needed a trim.

"Yep," Rumi responded happily. 

"Huh. You've got quite the nose, love. Your pouncing is improving, too," Celine hummed. "May I get up?"

Rumi grinned proudly, then scooted to the side and plopped off of Celine onto her butt in the grass, her feet sticking out in front of her, slightly to the sides. She looked over at the graves with a curious expression.

"What you doing?" Rumi asked, moving her feet back and forth in front of her.

Celine got up and brushed grass off her pants. She looked at Rumi and then at the names carved in the stones. She didn't think the toddler was ready for the real answer, but Celine wasn't going to lie either.

"Just cleaning up for some... friends of mine," Celine responded instead. She crouched down to collect the brush she dropped.

"You friends with rocks?" The toddler asked genuinely. Celine could help a chuckle.

"No. But these are special to them, so I try to take good care of them," She dipped the brush in the bucket and got back to work. "I'm almost done here, then we can go, okay?"

"Can you put songs at home?" Rumi asked. Celine chuckled softly.

"Are you going to be crabby if you don't have a nap first?" Celine gently scrubbed grime out of Sejagma's shoddily scratched name. She did wish she had done a better job of carving it.

"Nope. P'omise," Rumi insisted. 

Celine finished up and dropped the brush into the ground along with the sponge. She stood and grabbed the bucket, which she dumped into the bushes a little ways away, then came back to collect the other cleaning supplies. She dropped them in the empty bucket and turned to Rumi, offering a hand to her.

"Alright, I'm trusting you. Come on. You can pick whatever you'd like," Celine said gently. Rumi stood up and took Celine's hand, her tiny palm grasping only a couple of Celine's fingers. It made Celine melt every time.

It was slow going with the tiny steps Rumi could manage on her little legs, but eventually, they got back to the cabin. Rumi immediately let go of Celine's hand, dropped onto all fours, and bolted for the living room while Celine went to put the bucket in the bathroom to clean later.

When she returned to the living room, Rumi was sitting on one of the many shelves that Celine had been put up on the walls that now held Soo-jin's music collection. Rumi held onto the wood with her claws and studied at the albums.

As Celine walked into the room, there was a loud snore from the couch. Bobby was sprawled out, drooling on the cushion, fully asleep. She sighed fondly and prodded his shoulder.

"Bobby, you were supposed to get Rumi to nap," She shook him awake. Bobby grumbled as he awoke and rubbed his eyes.

"Yeah, she's right-" His mumbling was cut off as he looked down at his side, presumably where Rumi had been. He startled and sat up. "Gah! Where did- She was just here!"

Celine chuckled.

"It's okay, she came and got me," Her tone got more serious. "But don't let it happen again. I don't want her in the woods alone. Ever."

"Yes ma'am, understood, never again," He gave her a little salute with his fingers, a little flash of fear behind his eyes.

Rumi carefully clawed back off the shelf and held out an album for Celine to put on. It was, very unsurprisingly, a Sunlight Sisters album. Bobby had made sure Rumi was quite a fan, especially when she finally really understood that Celine was one of the singers.

Their last recorded album was Rumi's favourite. Celine was sure it was just because of the songs, they were definitely some of their best musically even if they weren't the most popular, but Celine found a certain poeticism in Rumi's favourite album being the one that they had finished touring for in Mi-yeong's early pregnancy. Perhaps some part of her had heard them before.

"Are you sure you want that one? Haven't you heard it enough yet?" Celine asked as she pulled the CD from Rumi's hand and walked over to the stereo.

"That one!" Rumi insisted.

"Alright, alright," Celine changed the input on the amp to the CD changer and put the disk in.

Rumi was already right in front of one of the speakers, hopping between her feet excitedly. Celine chuckled and walked over to the couch, lifting Bobby's feet so she could sit down, then dropping them back in her lap.

Celine and Bobby sat quietly, watching Rumi dance around.

In all honesty, Celine was overjoyed that Rumi loved music so much. Even more so that Rumi loved her music. She wished Mi-yeong and Soo-jin could see how Rumi would hop around and spin and giggle to songs they had written and performed. They would have been thrilled.

Celine was pulled from her musings when Rumi started to sing along. She had never done that before.

She didn't really know most of the words, but she mimicked as best she could. It was what anyone would expect from a toddler, wide vowels and a little less than pretty, but she was admittedly impressively in tune. Especially for a three year old.

Celine sat up a little straighter and felt a big smile spread across her face as Rumi sang along to their song, twirling and grinning all the while. It was one of the most delightful things she had ever witnessed. It was sweet. Adorable. So unapologetically Rumi.

The song crescendoed, and Rumi went right along with it. She certainly didn't sound very good as she mostly just yelled the higher parts, but she went for it with the biggest smile on her face.

And then there was a sharp pulse around them. Celine felt her breath leave her as the Honmoon reacted to Rumi.

It lit up suddenly and powerfully, a white light so bright that the house, the daylight, everything around disappeared beneath its glow. She squinted painfully, her eyes watering. The light pulsed out across the Honmoon out from where Rumi stood, and only a second or two later, a second bright pulse came rippling back across the threads. A third came back a few moments later, from further away.

The glow died down as the song ended and Rumi swung her arms happily, totally unaware.

Celine could hardly breathe. This couldn't happen. No, no, the Honmoon didn't just do that, surely.

"Celine?" Bobby put a hand on her bicep. "Are you okay?"

Celine glanced at him briefly. Her heart pounded in her chest. She dropped her head into her hands. She felt shock and fear squirm in her stomach and pour ice down her neck.

"Hey, what's going on?" Bobby asked gently. He squeezed her arm.

"The Honmoon... it just... it just chose its next hunters..." She mumbled. She felt a lump in her throat.

"That's... a good thing, right?" He asked tentatively.

Celine peeked between her fingers at her little girl, who was totally unaware and kept on dancing to the next song on the album.

Rumi was going to have to fight demons. Rumi was a demon, and Celine was going to have to train her to fight them. Rumi was going to be in constant danger in the future. Rumi was going to be in fights.

"Rumi's going to be a demon hunter," Celine barely whispered. 

"....oh," Bobby breathed.

Celine had been preparing herself to train the new hunters. She had already thought about how to tell them that some demons were good, but unfortunately all had to be assumed as a threat until proven otherwise for the safety of the world. That Rumi was a rare and beautiful acception, not a rule. Celine had thought and thought and knew that she had another decade and a bit before she had to worry about finding them or knowing for sure everything she wanted to say.

But, now Rumi was in the picture. Not just as a half-demon, but as a demon hunter. Would Celine be able to explain the dichotomy to Rumi? How would she ensure Rumi knew she was so dearly loved and such an incredible miracle, while also telling her that every other demon had to go.

Even worse, how could she stomach Rumi facing demons?

Celine didn't feel well all of a sudden.

Her mind very unhelpfully conjured images of Rumi - what she might look like as an adult, or even still as a toddler - bloodied and choking like Mi-yeong. Cold and still with so much left unsaid like Soo-jin. Or, God forbid, just a thick pool of black sludge where she had once been, like what the crime scene cleaners had unceremoniously and unknowingly mopped up of Sejagma.

The thought of some demon getting their claws on Rumi, or a demon weapon coming down on the toddler's soft patterned skin, made Celine shudder. 

"Celine. Breathe. It'll be okay, just breathe," Bobby gently shook her shoulder. "Nothing bad will happen. Not on our watch."

She hadn't realized she had been mumbling all of that out loud until he stopped her.

"How am I going to do this?" Celine whispered, tears burning in her eyes. Bobby squeezed her arm.

"How you have for the past three years. Figure it out, one day at a time. You know I'll always do what I can to help you," He said tenderly. "We'll figure it out."

Once the Honmoon had chosen Rumi as a hunter, she showed her connection to it in small ways. Celine knew Rumi couldn't see it, not yet anyway. It would reveal itself to her when it thought she was ready to meet it. 

Still, Rumi would sing her alphabet and hum nursery rhymes and Celine would watch the Honmoon shine around her like it took pride in her. Perhaps Celine should have found comfort in the fact that it seemed to adore her, regardless of her half-demonic heritage. It just made her uneasy most of the time, as it reminded her of the difficult future ahead.

A more interesting way Rumi's connection to the Honmoon manifested started only a few days after Rumi had been chosen as a hunter. 

She ripped her stuffed cow apart. Again.

Celine had mended it several times over three years, but that day, when Rumi came to her with tears and snot running down her face, her clothes covered in cotton puffs, and presented Celine with the stuffingless floppy husk that was once a cow, she was quite sure it had finally become unfixable.

Still, Celine took it to assess the damage. As she plucked it from Rumi's hands, the head fell with a sad plop onto the floor. Rumi whined like a sad puppy.

Old repairs had been reopened, one of the legs was entirely absent, and honestly it wasn't even recognizable as a stuffed animal anymore. It was more like a brown and grey sock. The grey had been white, once upon a time.

"Can fix her?" Rumi whimpered, all blotchy cheeked and wet faced. Her bottom lip jutted out and trembled.

Celine felt awful saying no, but there was hardly any usable fabric left to work with. It had been Rumi's wrestle buddy for her whole tiny life so far and it showed. Soft fabric was no match for Rumi's teeth and claws.

"I don't think so, baby. She's pretty broken," Celine looked at the flattened cow face on the floor that stared back at her with a missing eye and sad string smile.

That had clearly been the wrong thing to say. In just a few seconds, Rumi's whole face flushed red and she screamed at the top of her lungs.

The toddler threw herself to the ground, kicking and screaming, tears rolling, fangs grinding. She raked her claws across the ground as hot tears spilled down her cheeks.

And then the little patch of patterns on her arm that peeked out of her t shirt glowed red.

If Celine hadn't been taken aback enough by Rumi's tantrum, which was something she rarely threw, the glowing had totally stunned her. She didn't know what to make of it.

It took negotiation and maybe a few frustrated tears of Celine's own before Rumi stopped losing her little mind.

It's not like Celine didn't understand the upset, but dealing with a toddler that could both shriek like a shrill banshee and snarl like a wild animal having a tantrum was brutal. 

And the glow. That was weird. Really weird. Celine hoped it wouldn't mean Rumi would explode or something.

Okay, yes that was ridiculous and no, she didn't actually thank that would happen. But she didn't know what would happen either, and that made her worry.

The glow did eventually go away, along with the tantrum. It did nothing to calm the fear that glowing may have been something of concern. Celine wasn't sure what it could have meant.

She tried to fix the cow again as she thought on it.

A month or so later, fall rolled around and it got cooler outside. Rumi walked into Celine's room as she got ready for bed. The toddler had already been tucked in.

"Rumi, baby, what are you doing awake?" Celine asked as she pulled in her sleep shirt.

Rumi's cheeks were a little flushed and a funny expression on her face. She fidgeted with her fingers in front of her.

"Celine..."

"Yes, love?"

"I feel weird," There was no other warning before Rumi threw up on the carpet. Rumi promptly burst into tears afterward.

"Rumi!" Celine yelped.

She probably shouldn't have felt as panicked as she did in seeing Rumi throw up. Kids got sick all the time, after all. Part of being a parent was taking care of their sick child.

Still, Celine felt her heart in her throat.

She rushed over and picked up the toddler, holding her close to her chest regardless of the mess down her shirt. She was feverishly warm against her. As she patted Rumi's back and tried to comfort her, it hit Celine why she felt so incredibly out of her element.

Kids got sick all the time, but Rumi didn't. In fact, Celine couldn't remember a time she had ever been sick before. Even as a baby, Rumi hadn't been one to spit up when burped or anything like that. That kid was always healthy.

It also explained why Rumi sobbed and trembled in Celine's arms like she was terrified. She had never thrown up before. She had never felt sick before. The poor girl must have thought her little world was ending.

"Shhh, shhh, it's okay, baby. It's okay. You're a little sick, that's okay. It happens. Let's get you cleaned up," Celine carried Rumi to the bathroom, rubbing her back and lightly bouncing her all the way.

When they got to the bathroom, Celine sat Rumi on the counter and pulled her soiled shirt off. Rumi shivered despite her fever. The toddler sniffled and whimpered.

"I know, I know. Let's get you cleaned and then we'll get you in some pajamas," Celine said softly. As she bent to grab a clean wash cloth from under the sink, Rumi's patterns caught her eye. They glowed in two different colours, swirling and shifting between each other in a way that reminded Celine of a lava lamp. A bright royal purple and a sickly chartreuse.

Celine hummed under her breath, but elected to deal with it once she had cleaned Rumi.

She grabbed a cloth and wet it under the sink, then lathered some soap in it. She wiped Rumi's chin and her chest where liquid had soaked through her shirt to her skin, then her hands. She spoke tender comforting words to Rumi as she worked.

Slowly, Rumi's tears slowed and the purple glow faded. The yellow-green stayed, pulsing ominously.

"Do you still feel bad or did puking help?" Celine asked as she put the cloth aside and lifted Rumi again, settling her on her hip.

"No help," Rumi whined. She dropped her head miserably against her guardian's ribs. Celine sighed.

"Okay."

She carried Rumi to her bedroom and got some fresh pajamas for her. Any plans Celine had for work the next day were out the window. All Rumi wanted was her.

And to glow green. So she got both. Naturally.

Celine soon found herself lying on Rumi's tiny bed, with a toddler half-demon curled up on her chest. Celine stroked her back to try and coax a purr out of her. Supposedly, cats not only purred out of contentment, but as a way to stimulate healing. Celine wasn't sure it was applicable here or if that was how it worked for demons, but she tried.

Eventually, Rumi mustered a shaky purr, though it stuttered a bit in her chest. Occasionally, the purr would stop entirely so Rumi could hack a crackly phlegmy cough. 

Celine spent the next few days like that. Laying with her sick baby, getting coughed and puked on, cleaning up, calming Rumi down, and starting it all over again.

The glow stuck around.

Thankfully, Rumi recovered from her flu in record time, back to normal after only three days of being brutally sick. Only then did the chartreuse glow go away, and her patterns were back to a stagnant, not glowing lavender.

All in all, it didn't take much time for Celine to catch on. The glow came when Rumi experienced an extreme emotion, and each colour corresponded to the feeling.

Once she realized that, Celine got to work documenting. It was rather helpful having a way to check in on big feelings when Rumi struggled to explain what was going on with her.

When Celine bought Rumi a fresh new teddy bear to replace her beloved cow, who had finally been laid to rest, Rumi had glowed a bright happy yellow. When Rumi had a nightmare, she came to Celine glowing that fearful royal purple again. When Rumi was half-asleep, cuddled against Celine's side, purring like a little lawnmower, her patterns turned a calm sky blue. When Rumi had fallen in a puddle and gotten her pants soaking wet, her patterns had gone an uncomfortable orange.

Celine kept on top of it all, jotting down notes in a tiny notebook she kept by her desk, trying to understand what it all meant so she could help Rumi.

She had been given a chance to be a better parent. 

It would have been foolish not to make the most of it.

Celine had been on edge all day. Severely, horribly on edge. She was more nervous than she had been in a long time.

Because Rumi was at school for the first time.

Rumi was away from her.

Rumi was with strange kids and strange adults in a strange place and Celine hoped and prayed Rumi was okay.

She was pretty sure her fear was unfounded. Rumi was the picture of politeness and a delight to be around. She even had more control over her demon traits these days.

Celine had been very careful in the way she spoke to Rumi about the very inhuman things she did. She never wanted Rumi to feel embarrassed, ashamed, or like there was something wrong with her, but she also really needed Rumi not to growl at people or climb walls in public.

So, she had very carefully framed it as manners. Just like it was good manners to let the oldest person in the room eat first and to take shoes off at the door, it was good manners not to growl, purr, scratch, or bite around other people. No one else would do it out and about, so Rumi should save those activities for private spaces. She could do whatever she needed to at home.

It wasn't a perfect solution, Celine knew that. She wished she didn't have to tell Rumi anything like that at all, but what else was she to do? 

If Rumi did something too inhuman and was found out, Celine didn't even want to think of what could happen. There were so many scary possibilities. The scariest to her was the possibility of having Rumi taken away from her to be studied like a lab rat rather than a little girl. 

No, Celine would never let that happen to Rumi. She'd never let someone hurt her. Never.

She was finally shaken out of her spiraling thoughts when the front door opened. She darted out of her office and down the stairs to greet Bobby and Rumi.

"Hi, Celine!" Bobby cheered. "Look at our big school girl, can you even believe it?"

"Did you have fun, Rumi? Did you make friends? Is your teacher nice? Did you bite anyone?" Celine couldn't stop the questions from pouring out of her.

The five year old shrugged as she took her backpack off and set it on the bench by the door.

"It was easy. We talked about numbers and things," Rumi responded. She pulled her shoes off while Bobby took her coat. "And I didn't bite no people."

Celine felt relieved. Like she could finally breathe today. Rumi was okay, everything went well, there were no major disasters.

"Good. That's good to hear. I'm proud of you, Rumi," Celine said earnestly. Rumi trotted over to her and hugged her leg.

"Missed you," Rumi chirped against Celine's pants. There was a fond warmth that settled behind the woman's ribs.

"I missed you, too."

"Well, I better head back to the office. I have a few things to finish," Bobby spoke up.

"Thank you for driving her today," Celine patted Rumi's head as she spoke to Bobby.

"My pleasure. I get it, you're trying to keep a low profile so people aren't weird about Rumi. If that makes me the chaperone, then so be it," He grinned. He then crouched down to be at Rumi's level. "I'm going to go now, okay?"

Rumi rushed away from hugging Celine to hug Bobby around his neck.

"Bye, Bobby!"

"See you tomorrow, my girl."

Celine smiled and waved Bobby off as he left. She didn't know when the change happened. When Bobby stopped calling Rumi 'the girl', like being the only little girl in his life was the equivalent of being the queen of England or something, to calling her 'his girl'. Celine didn't mind, of course. She thought it was quite sweet.

"I'm hungry," Rumi said once the door was locked behind Bobby.

"Let's have some lunch then," Celine decided.

They walked to the kitchen and Celine scoured the fridge for something to make. Rumi climbed onto the counter to help herself to the peanut butter. 

Some things never change.

"Rumi, how many times have I told you not to put your hands in the peanut butter?" Celine didn't need to watch Rumi open the jar to know what she was about to do.

The girl sighed dramatically, but opened one of the drawers with her foot and grabbed a spoon.

"Only a little bit, Rumi. I'm making food for a reason."

"Okay," Rumi kicked her feet and slowly licked her heaping spoonful of peanut butter. Celine huffed.

"I thought I said just a little bit."

"It's just one spoon," The half-demon insisted, emphatically waving the utensil. The giant ball of peanut butter nearly fell off.

"You're a stinker."

"I don't stink!"

"You do."

"No!"

"You stink like peanut butter," Celine teased. Rumi pouted, but was not deterred from her snack.

They existed in peaceful silence for a while, Rumi busy with peanut butter, Celine busy making lunch. 

It wasn't that she minded the quiet, but it was a little out of character for Rumi to be so quiet for so long. Not a hum or a purr or anything as she licked the spoon clean. She didn't even get up to put any music on.

Before Celine could ask if anything was wrong, her little girl beat her to it.

"Celine?" She spoke up, dropping the licked-clean spoon in the sink.

"Yes, my darling?"

"Am I a monster?"

Celine nearly dropped the knife in her hand. Horror slapped her in the face. She spun to face Rumi fully, who kicked her legs casually over the edge of the counter.

"What? What are you talking about? Where did you get an idea like that?" Celine put her free hand on Rumi's knee. Rumi shrugged.

"At recess, I asked to play with other kids, but no one wanted to. They say I was scary and a monster," Rumi said it so innocently. Of course she did, Celine would have never let Rumi think of herself in such a way. Why would she take them seriously? "Maybe that was the game? I didn't get it."

Celine felt like an idiot. She should have known that even if everything went smoothly, there was one unavoidable problem that she forgot to consider. One thing so obvious, she couldn't believe she hadn't thought about it. One thing that no amount of 'manners' could fix.

The Honmoon's perception manipulation. It didn't affect younger kids. They all saw Rumi as a demon. They didn't understand it or know how to explain it, but all of Rumi's classmates knew what she was before knowing who she was. 

"They... said that?" Celine said dumbly. She didn't know what else to say. What could she say? 

"Yeah," Rumi's voice got a little quieter as she studied Celine's expression. The woman realized she likely didn't have much of a poker face at that moment. "Why... why did they say that?"

Really, she knew one day she'd have to explain this to Rumi. One day, the girl would realize she was different and Celine would have to explain why and what it meant. She didn't think it would be quite so soon. She wasn't sure how to explain it in a way a five year old could understand.

Food forgotten, Celine washed her hands and picked Rumi up off the counter and sat down on the couch with her. The half-demon looked up at her curiously.

Celine took a breath.

"Rumi... there are some things that you should know. They're hard to explain. Really hard to explain, but I'm not going to lie to you. I never will... So, I'm going to try my best to make it easy for you to understand."

"Okay..." Though visibly apprehensive, Rumi tucked her feet up to sit cross-legged on the couch cushion. She set her hands in her lap, ready to listen.

"The first thing I want to tell you is that you're loved, Rumi. So deeply, dearly loved by me, Bobby, and your halmeoni. You're a marvel in every possible way and I hope you never ever forget that."

Celine took another deep breath. She didn't know how to do it. How to say it. She wasn't sure there was a right way, regardless. There wasn't anything to do but try.

"I think it would be easiest to start at the beginning..."

Celine had done two very important things before Rumi's second day of school. First and foremost, she had very carefully explained to Rumi what demons were and that her dad was one. She had made sure to emphasize over and over that being part demon did not make Rumi any less of a person, any less good, or any less loveable. 

Rumi had taken it about as well as she could have. She was visibly nervous when Celine told her what demons were, afraid of their existence and what it meant to be one of them, but the longer Celine spoke, the more she seemed to calm down. She asked a few questions, none of which implied she thought Celine thought any less of her or anything. Just little curiosities, like if her patterns would go away or get worse - which Celine hadn't been sure how to answer - and if that was why she wasn't allowed to do certain things in public.

She had tried to be as upfront and honest as possible and, for the most part, Rumi didn't seem too bothered by it. She counted that as a win.

The other thing Celine had done was have quite a few words with the principal over the phone about how, apparently, everyone in Rumi's class had called her names and refused to engage with her.

Celine knew it wouldn't entirely solve the problem. No matter what, the perception filter wouldn't kick in yet for those kids. But she prayed that at least, if she could get the school faculty to step up and defend Rumi, she wouldn't be called a monster by 20 other five year olds.

At least, Rumi could hopefully have a somewhat normal time at school. Even if she was ignored, as much as Celine longed for her to have friends, that was slightly better than being called names just for existing. It would just be until the perception filter kicked in, anyway. Just a little time.

Thankfully, the principal had been quite receptive to her and insisted he would speak to the kids. Maybe it was because he actually knew who he was talking to, but Celine didn't entirely mind dangling her former idol status in front of him for Rumi's sake.

All in all, it seemed like things would be okay.

Well, as okay as things could be for the five year old half-demon daughter of an idol or three. 

When Bobby dropped Rumi off after school the next day, Celine met them at the door again. 

Bobby went to take Rumi's coat as he had the day before, but Rumi asked to keep it on. Celine couldn't blame her, it was a cold rainy day and the cabin hadn't gotten any less drafty. 

Bobby relented, hugged her as he had the day before, and left to continue work.

"So... how was it today, Rumi? Did anyone... say anything?" Celine asked tentatively after a moment of silence. Rumi looked up at her, tucked in her coat that was a little too big so she could grow into it. She smiled softly.

"It was good. I had fun."

Celine sighed in relief and met Rumi's smile with an equally soft one.

"That's so good to hear, baby."

It had worked. Celine had something right. She had really done something to help Rumi. It felt bigger than maybe it should have, but she didn't care.

She would gladly take it. A real proper mom win. She defended her baby and won, that was something to celebrate.

"Come on then, let's eat and you can tell me all about it," Celine put a hand on Rumi's shoulder and guided her further into their home.

Rumi leaned sideways into her thigh and purred.

The first time Rumi remembered really properly lying to Celine was on her second day of school.

It wasn't a lie told to avoid punishment, or to gain something, or even to protect Celine's feelings.

It was told out of the instinct of a little kid. Out of a swirling burning feeling that, earlier that day, had made her face burn hot and her patterns change colour. Rumi had never seen her patterns glow before that day.

But when she finally shrugged her coat off before bed that day, still they glowed that bright burning magenta. Her face went hot again and she scrambled to cover her arm with her pajamas.

She laid in bed and waited for Celine to come to tuck her in and felt her chest ache.

That was the first time in her life that Rumi ever felt shame.

Chapter Text

Rumi stood quietly in the snow as she waited for Bobby to pick her up. She kept off to the side of the path from the front door, leaving plenty of room for other kids to meet their parents and head home for the day.

She watched chunky white flakes flutter lazily in the air. Some of them landed on her face with little kisses of cold that quickly melted on her warm cheeks. She snuggled a little closer to the fuzzy collar of her coat.

Most of the other kids ignored her as they left school. Some stared warily. She tried not to make eye contact, keeping her eyes firmly on the falling snow and the line of cars for pick up.

Rumi really liked the actual school itself. She loved learning, she loved her teacher, she even liked the cafeteria food that she had heard other kids call gross compared to food from their home. She liked reading and writing and math. She loved it when they did music class on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Everything about school was good, it was just-

One of her classmates got into a car across the front field that was parked in line with Rumi. She made eye contact with Rumi. Her eyes were blown wide and her shoulders drew up to her ears. Rumi looked away.

The kids were the problem. No matter what she did, no matter how nice she was, no matter how she kept her claws to herself and tried not to smile with her fangs, no matter if she avoided interaction all together, the kids at school were terrified of her. She could cover everything inhuman about herself and still, they would stare and gawk and comment on her.

One boy told her she was creepy. Another said she had bad energy, like his grandma told him about. One girl had cried when Rumi handed her a pencil she dropped and refused to take it from her. Someone told her she was a monster. Someone begged her to go away. Someone said she was so scary because she was made of nightmares.

If they didn't say something, the kids in her class just stared at her like she would turn around and eat them at any moment.

Rumi didn't blame Celine. Never. It wasn't her fault, Celine had tried to help. Rumi knew that. And she knew Celine didn't know what would happen.

But it wasn't like the principal had just talked to her teacher about helping her. It wasn't that he just spoke to Rumi's class about 'bullying' and 'including others'. It wasn't even that he had taken the kindergarteners aside and asked them to be nicer.

He had made an assembly of it. 

He made Rumi the center of it. 

The entire school had been told that Rumi's parent had called about her being outcast and ridiculed. He named her and pointed her out and spilled everything to everyone. And then every single student in the school turned to stare. The younger kids still looked so afraid, but the older kids giggled and whispered about her.

And that assembly sealed her fate.

Rumi preferred being feared, honestly. When the kids in grade five and grade six saw her around, they called her names. They mocked her. If they saw her at recess or in the hallways, they laughed and told her she was a crybaby and a tattletale. They made fun of her for needing her mommy at school.  They told her big kids dealt with problems by themselves.

Rumi loved school, but she wasn't exactly a fan of the kids. She couldn't be left alone. Every day, someone had something to say, or some big reaction to her just existing. She was either treated like a horrific beast or like a pathetic whiny brat. It was humiliating. It made her patterns tingle and itch as they glowed that stupid shameful magenta.

Celine said Rumi should go to school to be socialized. That she hadn't been around other people her age and needed to get used to it. She needed to learn how to interact with them and forge bonds.

Yeah, Rumi was pretty sure that what was happening wasn't what Celine had in mind.

But, what was Rumi supposed to do? She had been so utterly embarrassed and horrified by that assembly, that she had lied to Celine. Once the lie started, she couldn't stop. She couldn't just tell Celine that she lied and was being treated poorly by her fellow students. She wasn't sure what would be worse if she did, Celine's hurt and disappointment that Rumi had deceived her, or what might happen if Celine tried to help again.

Rumi didn't want to upset Celine and she didn't want to risk somehow making it worse.

So, she kept quiet. She kept to herself. She did the schoolwork that she loved and ignored her peers as much as possible. 

She just tried to survive. Celine said that one day, the Honmoon would protect her. That one day, it would disguise her from her peers like it did from the adults. She would meet it one day and it would be her friend.

She really wished for a friend.

"Rumi!" She finally looked up from the sparkly white ground at the sound of Bobby's voice. He waved from the driver's door of the car, all smiles and fluffy red mittens.

Rumi trotted over, her boots crunching in the snow.

That was the one good thing. At the end of the day, no matter how sucky, she could always look forward to Bobby and Celine. They always made her feel better.

She pulled the back door open and slid into her booster seat.

"Hi, Bobby!"

"Hi, Rumi! How was school? Learn anything good?" He asked, waiting patiently for Rumi to buckle herself in.

"We practiced writing," Rumi responded. "Korean and English."

"Oh yeah? What do you think, are you going to be writing books someday?" Bobby chuckled. Once her seatbelt was fastened, he drove them away from the school.

"I don't think so. It's fun, though. I try really hard to write nice," Rumi leaned against the car door to peer out the window at the snow.

"Well, it's good you had fun either way," Bobby said brightly. 

"Yeah," Rumi mumbled. They sat in silence for a little while. 

She watched the streets go by, coated in shimmering white snow like thick vanilla icing. The car exhaust swirled in the air like little dancing clouds. There were thick silver icicles on every sign. She thought winter was so beautiful.

"Oh, I forgot to mention. We're taking a bit of a detour today," Bobby began suddenly, as he turned off the road that would take them towards her house.

"Where are we going?"

"Celine and I have a really important meeting in about fifteen minutes that we need to be in person for. I don't have time to drop you with my mom, so you're coming to the label with me. I brought a little bag with some toys and things so you hopefully won't get bored, and there'll be lots of food in the break room."

Rumi sat up a little and looked at Bobby from the backseat.

"I get to go to the label?" Rumi couldn't help the excited grin that spread across her face.

"Yes, ma'am!"

Rumi giggled and kicked her feet. Anticipation bubbled in her chest and she couldn't help the purr in her throat.

Rumi knew enough of the trivia, she asked Celine about it all the time. She knew that SSR started as an entirely different parent company that the Sunlight Sisters were signed by. They weren't treated very well, neither were other artists under the label, so after some legal discussions and a few tours, they bought the old company out and improved everything.

Bobby said Sunlight Sisters Records was considered one of the best labels to be signed with, not just in Korea, but in the world. Celine worked hard to take care of every single person under her, and ensured she only hired the best of the best people to work closely with the K-Pop idols and other musicians signed by them. Bobby said Celine argued with a lot of people to make sure artists were treated fairly.

That building, where the label was held, was a place of legend. Where amazing artists were born, where people's dreams came true, where Rumi's two favourite people worked to change the music industry for the better.

She could hardly contain herself as Bobby pulled into a gated parking lot that a large man in all black opened for them. She peered up at the huge sign on the building, 'Sunlight Sisters Records' in cursive pink letters over a big vinyl with blue sparkles. It glowed just slightly under the overcast sky. She had a feeling Celine had no part in making that sign.

Bobby parked and grabbed a little tote bag from the passenger's seat, likely the items he brought to entertain Rumi.

She struggled to unbuckle her seatbelt in her excitement, but once she had, she tumbled out of the car in a flash. Bobby caught her arm before she could dart away.

"Hold on, Kiddo. We have to look out for cars, remember?"

"Sorry, Bobby," She took his hand and swung it back and forth as they walked to the entrance, needing to get her energy out somehow.

Bobby had to scan a card to let them in and the next thing Rumi knew, they were in a lobby. 

The floors were all shiny black and yellow tile in big diamond patterns. The walls were a soft cream colour and had placards of music awards all over in chunky black frames. There was a hall in either direction, lined with black tile pillars. In the middle of the room against the wall was a  dark wooden curved desk with a woman behind it. 

Maybe the decor was a bit dated. 

Rumi thought it was the fanciest, most beautiful place she had ever seen.

More big guys in black stood near the door as Bobby led her inside. They looked a little surprised when Runi looked up at them, but they smiled and waved with giant thick hands. She tentatively waved back.

"Good afternoon, Bobby!" The woman behind the desk chirped as they approached. Rumi lost sight of her as she stood at the foot of the desk, too short to see the top.

"Hey, Kyung. Can I check Rumi in?" He patted Rumi's head gently. There was a sharp gasp and then the woman peered over the edge of the desk at Rumi, through thick plastic framed glasses.

"I thought you looked familiar! You're Ryu Rumi, awe it's so nice to meet you! Celine and Bobby talk about you all the time," Kyung grinned. Rumi felt her face go warm.

"Hello," Rumi said shyly. She bowed politely, despite the awkward feeling in her gut. She didn't make eye contact again, instead holding Bobby's hand a little tighter. He squeezed back reassuringly.

"Awe, such a nice girl! Ugh, you are just precious," Kyung sat back and got typing. "I'll get you all signed in so security doesn't start wondering why there's a little girl here. You'll get..."

There was a pause, before a little plastic card on a lanyard was lowered in front of Rumi's face. She looked up and grasped it gently. It said 'visitor' on it.

"This visitor card and you'll be in the system until Bobby or Celine check you out later. That way, we all know you're allowed to be here. Welcome to Sunlight Sisters Records, Rumi!" Kyung smiled at her over the edge of the desk again.

"Thanks, Kyung," Bobby leaned down to help put the lanyard around Rumi's neck. Then, he took her hand again and led her down the hall to the left. "We're going to head up to the third floor and I'm going to leave you in the break room. I already told everyone on the floor you'll be there, so no one should bother you too much. I brought your bear, a couple cars, some colouring books, and your chewy donut. There's lots of snacks in there, so you can help yourself to anything - but please try not to give yourself a stomach ache by only eating cookies or something, Celine won't be happy with either of us."

They got in an elevator with all mirror walls. Bobby let her push the button. Rumi jumped as a woman's voice announced the floor numbers.

"Who's that?" She asked.

"No idea, just someone who did the voice over," Bobby shrugged. "I promise there isn't some poor woman trapped in the walls, though." Rumi hummed, a little unconvinced.

The doors opened with a ding. As they stepped out, the floor turned from tile to carpet. Rumi looked around as she followed Bobby down the hall. There were pictures of bands and musicians on the cream coloured walls.

They passed a couple doors that had red signs over them that said 'recording'. Most of them were dark. Rumi strained her ears outside of one of the rooms with a lit up sign. She could just barely hear muffled conversation beyond the door.

"Here we are!" Bobby gestured grandly to the break room.

There was no door on the room, but rather just a big empty space in the wall. Tile was back on the floor. One side of the room had a black leather couch and a matching black coffee table. The table had a bowl full of little bags of chips and nuts. The other side had a little kitchen, with a fancy white marble countertop, a sink, and a fridge. The two sides of the room were separated by an island with a couple bar stools.

"Alright, Kiddo. Let's get you set up on the couch," He set the tote bag on the coffee table and set out a couple colouring books. Rumi hopped up on the couch with a little bounce and grabbed her donut chew from the bag. "There's water and juice in the fridge. There are other snacks in the top cabinets, but please ask for help, these counters are going to be slippery if you try to climb them. If you need something, find someone in the black security jackets, okay? We don't want to bother any managers or artists. Me or Celine will come get you as soon as we're done, okay?"

"Okay," Rumi mumbled around her chew. She really did try to listen to everything, but she was a bit distracted. She kept looking around at all the fancy furniture and the photos on the walls.

"Please stay in here unless you really really need something," Bobby said seriously.

"I will," She nodded. He stroked her head with a smile and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"That's my girl. I'll see you in a while."

"Bye, Bobby," She held back the purr that tried to escape.

Rumi sat quietly on the couch for a while, digging her fangs into the rubber of her donut. It was so quiet. She expected it to be noisy, with people singing and playing instruments and talking about songwriting all over the place. 

Instead, aside from the brief noise she had heard from that one room, it was totally quiet. She kept her chew in her mouth, but dropped her hands to fidget with the visitor card around her neck. The little metal clip rattled as it moved. It was so loud compared to the quiet of the entire floor.

She picked up her bear and held him for a while. She crashed her cars into each other. She gave her bear a turn with her chewy donut.

Nothing changed. It was quiet as ever aside from her.

Eventually, she grumbled and slid down the couch onto the floor. She had a feeling that afternoon would be a test of her patience.

Rumi had no idea how long she had been there. She had a bag of sweet corn turtle chips open on the table that she was grabbing from as she coloured a tiger. She tried not to be bored, but time didn't seem to be passing at all.

She was so busy telling herself she wasn't bored, she didn't notice someone approaching until she heard the clack of fancy shoes on the tile. She glanced up and met the curious gaze of an older gentleman. 

He was dressed in a silver suit and shiny black shoes. His dark hair was turning a silver that nearly matched his suit and was cut almost impossibly neat. He smiled at her with shiny perfect teeth and a crinkle around his eyes, then turned to the sink to fill a glass with water.

Once his cup was full, he walked over to her. Rumi instinctively got up and bowed. He returned it.

"You must be Rumi," His voice was deep, smooth, and gentle. He stood opposite her with one hand in his pocket, the other on his glass. "You can call me Seungmin. I used to do a lot of work with Celine, Soo-jin, and your mother."

"You met my Eomma?" Rumi asked softly. Celine talked about her a lot, but Rumi had never met anyone else who knew her. Even Bobby had never met her before.

"Ryu Mi-yeong, yes. She was one of the most talented artists I ever produced for," Seungmin responded. There was a familiar look in his eye. The sort of quiet sadness she saw in Celine sometimes.

"Oh..." Rumi was never sure what to say when she saw that expression. He sipped his water and looked down at the table.

"I like your tiger. Do they usually come in purple?" He asked lightly, that look in his eye gone like it had never been there.

"I don't think so. I like making their stripes in purple, though," Rumi fidgeted with her visitor badge again.

"That's what matters, then," He sipped his water again.

"Um... I'm not supposed to bother anyone," Rumi said softly. He chuckled, deep and reverberating.

"Don't worry, you aren't. I could use a chat."

"Oh... well, could I ask something, then?"

"You may."

"Do people actually make music here? It seems really quiet for music," Rumi dropped her badge and gestured around the quiet room. Seungmin huffed a laugh.

"Yes, we do. We're just taking a short break from recording right now, actually."

"How is it so quiet, then?"

"Well, all of the recording studios are soundproofed. They have thick walls and foam padding so that we don't accidentally get someone's footsteps or conversation from the hallway in the music," He explained. "It just happens that it keeps the sound in as much as it keeps sound out."

"That's sucky. I'd like to hear," Rumi sighed. He hummed and scratched his chin.

"Well, if you'd like, you could come into the booth for a little bit. So long as you're quiet and don't touch anything," He spoke tentatively. 

Rumi gasped excitedly. A chance to actually see music be made right in front of her. To see where music was recorded. To see how it worked.

"Really? I'll be good! I promise, I'll be really good!" She darted to his side with a big grin. Seungmin smiled and waved her on.

"Alright, alright. Come on, then."

He led her back to the room she had briefly heard talking from. He held the door for her to enter.

Inside, was a space with some comfy looking chairs and a giant table with all sorts of electronics on them. There was a woman sitting at the table with a can of Chilsung Cider she was sipping on. 

When she saw Rumi, she raised an eyebrow.

"Rumi, this is Eun-ji. She's the manager for 3C. Eun-ji, this is Ryu Rumi. She wanted to see the studio," Seungmin patted Rumi's back gently.

"Well, nice to officially meet, Rumi," Eun-ji said.

"Who's 3C?" Rumi asked.

"Hop up on that chair and you'll see," Seungmin gestured to the empty seat next to Eun-ji.

Rumi carefully approached and tried to be subtle about digging her claws into the seat to pull herself up. 

As she turned around to sit properly and was met by a big window. Beyond it, there were three women chatting in a room that was covered in black foam. They had microphones in front of them and headphones, which all of them only wore on one ear.

"That's 3C. One of the newest girl groups in the label. They're just recording a new single," Seungmin explained. He pulled up another chair and sat beside Rumi. He pressed a button and leaned into a little microphone. "Hi girls. We have a guest who would like to watch you record. Is that alright?"

The three girls turned to the window and all eyes landed on Rumi.

"Look at that cutie!" One of them cooed.

"Yeah, of course that's alright," Another added.

"Rumi, this is Chae-rin, Chan-mi, and Chorong," Seungmin gestured to each of them in turn.

"That's where the 3C is from?" Rumi asked.

"That's where the 3C is from," He confirmed. "Girls, this is Ryu Rumi."

"Oh wow, it really is you. It's an honour," Chae-rin smiled.

"Honour?" Rumi tilted her head curiously.

"You're a big deal. The Sunlight Sisters are just about everyone in this label's inspiration. They were one of the pioneers of the Kpop industry. We probably wouldn't be here right now without them. Everyone knows about them and, by association, know about you," Chorong responded.

"It helps that Celine has pictures of you all over her office," Chan-mi added.

"And she's somehow mentioned you in every conversation I've ever had with her. I don't know how she manages it, honestly. It's pretty cute," Chae-rin giggled.

"Oh. I didn't know all that," Rumi looked down a little sheepishly. "Well, I guess I knew some of it. I know a lot about the Sunlight Sisters. I didn't know everything of that, though. Does Celine really talk so much about me?"

"Oh yes. If she's not talking business, she's talking about you," Seungmin nodded. 

Rumi fidgeted a little. She knew Celine loved her a ton, Celine told her that every day. From the moment she woke up to the moment she went to bed, there wasn't a thing Celine did that made Rumi doubt her love for her. 

Still, it was different to be told by people that Rumi had never met before, that they knew about her in part because Celine had pictures of her all over the place, but also because Celine apparently talked about her constantly. It made a cozy feeling bloom in her chest and a purr try to escape her. She swallowed it down and forced herself to focus back in.

"We're going to run the harmonies for the bridge again," Seungmin spoke into the microphone. Rumi watched him touch a few buttons and he turned to her to explain, "I'm getting the track ready for them to sing over. If you look here," He pointed to a screen that showed a bunch of coloured horizontal bars. "These are the recorded tracks. So all the instruments that they're going to sing over as well as the vocals that are already recorded."

"Put these on," Eun-ji handed a set of headphones to her. They were too big for her, but she held them over her ears as Seungmin queued the track. He backed it up a bit before the girls had to sing, so they could be cued in.

Rumi listened intently as the music started. It was an upbeat dancy tune, with thick base and tinny drums. She closed her eyes and tried to pick out every layer. The synth played a simple four chord progression three times, the last chord changing on the fourth, matched by the bass. There was a brassy lead guitar sound that played a simple but catchy riff, which turned around on that same fourth bar.

The girls came in for the bridge and Rumi felt goosebumps across her arms, like she often did with music.

The music changed to half time for the bridge, lending all the focus to the vocalists. The girls had a crisp, clean, balanced sound as they harmonized beautifully. Rumi caught a little lick of false strings in the music, supporting the melody just a bit. The drums nearly dropped out entirely. The bass was mellow and soft to cushion their vocals, much moreso than the part before the bridge.

That section was all they had to record at that time and it was over too soon. Hardly a thirty seconds of pure art.

"Wow," Rumi smiled, looking over at Seungmin. "That part is beautiful."

"You like it?"

"Yeah, it's really good!"

"Well, there you go, ladies. Rumi's a fan," He spoke into the mic. 

"Thank you, Rumi!" The band chorused.

"Um, can I say one thing, though?" Rumi leaned towards the microphone. The girls shared a look, amused smiles on their faces.

"Sure, we love constructive feedback," Chae-rin said easily.

"There was one note that was wrong," Rumi said.

"What?" Seungmin rewound the recording. As he did, Rumi continued,

"The top line, there was one note that wasn't quite right if you was trying to match the rest of the instruments."

Seungmin played back the recording from the start. Rumi strained to hear until she found it again. One note, just a little too low.

"Right there. That one," Rumi pointed up at the air like there was a note to point at. Seungmin rewound again.

"Huh. Look at that," He looked at Rumi considerately. "You have quite an ear, especially for your age."

"I can't even hear it," Eun-ji mumbled, leaning over to rewind the track again.

"I wonder if you have perfect pitch," Seungmin hummed thoughtfully.

"What's a perfect pitch?"

Rumi hadn't meant to stay long. She was just going to sit in for a little while and then go back to colouring. 

But, Seungmin kept showing her things and Rumi kept asking questions and 3C kept asking for her feedback, and before long, there was a knock at the door.

Eun-ji got up to open it. Celine stepped inside.

Rumi immediately felt worry wash over her. She was supposed to have stayed in the break room. She wasn't supposed to leave unless it was absolutely necessary. She wasn't supposed to bother anyone.

She swallowed nervously and shrank in on herself.

She was going to be in trouble.

"Celine..." Rumi slid off the chair, ready to apologize for her mistake.

"Rumi, did you have fun?" Celine asked instead. Rumi blinked in surprise.

"I uh... huh?" 

"Seungmin texted me and let me know you were with him recording. Did you like it?" Celine explained.

Right. Rumi forgot that Celine got a cellphone right before she started school, just in case the school needed to contact her and she wasn't at home or in her office. Seungmin must have had her number.

The five year old was incredibly relieved to know she wasn't about to get a talking to.

"Oh, yeah. It was fun. They're really good," Rumi gestured towards the booth. Celine nodded.

"They are. That's exactly why we signed them."

"Rumi has an incredible ear for music, Celine. We didn't take much time to test it, but from what I've seen, I have a feeling she has perfect pitch," Seungmin said with a smile. "You should get her in some music lessons. I think she'd really excel."

"Could I, Celine?" Rumi asked. She trotted over to grab her guardian's hand. "I'll try so hard! I'll do all my homework and do so good at music, too!"

Celine smiled at her, but there was something a little heavy behind her eyes. There often was.

"We'll talk about it, alright? I don't want to overwhelm you when you're just starting school." 

Rumi butted her head against Celine's thigh. She could be satisfied with a talk for now.

"Well, you're welcome to accompany me any time you're around, Rumi. You're a good little helper. I'll make a producer out of you, yet," Seungmin gave her a little pat on the shoulder.

"Thank you for watching her and keeping her entertained," Celine directed that at the whole room, including the girls who were peeking out of the door of the recording booth.

"It was a pleasure," Chan-mi responded simply.

"She's super well behaved, I wish I could take her home and use her as an example for my four brothers," Chorong smirked.

"Please bring her back sometime, she's the cutest! And shockingly insightful!" Chae-rin begged.

"We'll see what happens, right Rumi?" Celine looked down at her with pride. 

Rumi felt a big smile on her face at that look. There wasn't a thing in the world that made her feel more fulfilled than when Celine was proud of her. She had tried to be good, she had acted so human, she had tried to remember all her manners, and she had tried so hard to listen well. It paid off.

Rumi never wanted to stop making Celine proud.

"Yeah, we'll see."