Archive of Our Own ^beta

Rumi smiled warmly as she looked at her reflection in the full-length mirror in Zoey's room; Zoey had applied her makeup and, for once, styled her hair in something other than her usual braid.

“Wow, Zoey, you did an amazing job! Thank you!”

The youngest of the Huntr/x smiled proudly, hugging her best friend from behind
“Oh, it's nothing! I mean, it's your first real, official date with Jinu! You have to be absolutely stunning!”

“That's why I brought you this!”
Mira intervened, entering the room with a coat rack in her hand, one of her dresses hanging on it.

Rumi's eyes widened: the eldest of the Huntr/x’s closet was almost twice as large as those of the other two girls combined, and while Mira was always happy to lend her clothes to her friends, there were very few occasions when her lavish outfits made sense to wear, which made each time they were all the more incredible.

"Oh, God, Mira, thank you!"

The woman simply smiled, passing the dress to Rumi and placing a hand on her shoulder, stepping into the mirror frame herself.

They were a cute little picture arranged like that: they looked like any other group of friends helping one of them get ready for a date; with no secrets and no demons involved...well, there was a demon involved, one and a half, actually, but the kind who wouldn't try to steal souls, not anymore at least.

Rumi wasn't sure how Jinu had managed to return to their plane of existence after everything that had happened at the Idol Awards, except for his quick explanation, but if she were completely honest, she didn't really care, because he had promised her that this time it would be different.

"Gwi-Ma is furious with me!"
The boy had explained to her when he appeared at the door of the Huntr/x, who had obviously welcomed him into their penthouse, let him sit on the couch, and offered him water, because after his sacrifice they trusted him.

Mira, in fact, had to be taken to her room by Zoey only because they had important things to discuss, not because the older woman was one ill-advised comment away from ripping the former leader of the Saja Boys to shreds.

“To punish me for what I did, he sent me back here to earth…he says the Hoonmoom is stronger now, but it can still make some demons pass…so I have to constantly deal with my failures…”
The man continued, once only he and Rumi remained in the living room.

The woman had felt mocked at first; after all, she had spent several weeks feeling crushed by the thought that the man she loved, the only man she had ever truly loved, was dead but now here he was.

Not to mention that this implied that Gwi-Ma could bring dead demons back to life…which implied that her father must be out there, but he simply didn't care enough to come back for her, didn't care enough about his daughter, whose mother had died…
She knew it was a stupid thought, as well as selfish, but from the very little information Celine had given her about him she knew he was powerful…it had been twenty-seven years, he could have come up with something, at least seen her just once.

She tried to stay strong, though, because that was usually Mira's role and she couldn't exactly fulfill it right now.

Feeling her cheeks flush, Rumi looked away from Jinu, speaking seriously.
"Okay…so what do you want from us?"

The demon gently took the woman's hands
"I want to apologize, Rumi...for everything that happened, for the Idol Awards...for not listening to you, I love you, I truly do, and I want us to start over.
Gwi-Ma still has my soul, but I don't think he cares enough about me to control me or send me on some new mission...he has more powerful and loyal demons to send after you...he just wants to see me suffer…”

Rumi knew she shouldn't have accepted that excuse and those apologies so easily, but it was stronger than her; taking another deep breath, she looked the demon straight in the eyes, ignoring how her marks glowed a bright fuchsia.
"Apology accepted..."
She began, stammering only a little
"But you'll have to earn my...our trust back!"

And so, with a little help from Bobby regarding discretion, the Huntr/x put a roof over Jinu's head, even though he ultimately spent more time in the girls' penthouse than in his own apartment.

Which was slowly bothering Mira less and less; after all, she wasn't immune to the power of a man who brought her snacks whenever she wanted.

"He's almost better than Bobby!"
She realized one day,
"I mean, at least I don't feel guilty sending him to bring me food!”

All three girls burst out laughing, and so, between one laugh and another, they lowered their guard around the demon.

Which, after all, was why Rumi had felt comfortable enough to have a first date with the man that night.

She ran to her room to change and returned to Zoey's.

The youngest Huntr/x squealed excitedly and clapped her hands at the sight of her, while the eldest smiled, giving her a thumbs-up.

Rumi looked at herself in the mirror and took the umpteenth deep breath.

Her makeup was perfect, as beautiful as the ones she wore on stage, her hair, now arranged in a braid crown and adorned with golden clips, was elegant and so breathtaking that the woman could ignore the fact that she felt as if her head weighed a ton.

And her dress…
Mira had chosen well: the model was definitely shorter than something she would have chosen for herself, but the gold complemented her hair well and it was airy enough that if she and Jinu decided to run across the rooftops of the city again, she would be comfortable.

“Okay, all I need is my shoes and I'm ready to go out.”

Mira tilted her head.
“Aren't you forgetting anything else?”
she asked, with a little smirk.

Rumi repeated the list of things to do before going out in her head for the umpteenth time.

She was perfumed, her makeup was done, her hair was done, her clothes were on, she had Bobby at home making sure no hashtags about the date went viral that night.
“I don't think so…I…”

But before she could say another word, her friends hugged her tightly.
“You didn't hug us, idiot!”
Zoey laughed.

Rumi joined in the laughter, sinking into the warmth of her best friends' arms.

After a final round of warnings,

"Don't worry, the mascara is waterproof!"

"Remember not to agree to take photos tonight; you're not working!”

“If anything happens, call us!”

“Or just pull out your sword.”

“I even put some pepper spray in your bag!”

Rumi exited the attic and began walking toward Jinu’s apartment.

The man smiled at her, opening the door, and his eyes lit up when he saw her, the same way Rumi’s marks turned bright pink.

“Wow!”
He exclaimed, taking her hand.

She laughed awkwardly, her smile a little crooked, as it often was.

“I could say the same…”

When neither of them said anything for the next thirty seconds, Rumi coughed with an embarrassed giggle
“So…where are you taking me?”

She asked, trying to flirt.

Jinu smiled, composing himself as best he could
“I thought you’d want a place where fans couldn’t spot us so easily, so I set this up!”
He triumphantly showed her a large picnic basket
"We can have a date on the roof... you seemed to like it last time!"

Rumi felt herself blush
"Sure...seems nice"

Without talking further, the two headed to the building's roof, where Jinu had already set up a large checkered tablecloth, with plates, silverware, and a vase of flowers in the center.

Rumi tilted her head, smiling
"I don't think we need all this for a picnic..."
She reasoned
"I mean, isn't the point having a simple dinner?"

Jinu's eyes widened, scratching the back of his neck.
"Oh...really?"

Rumi laughed
"Yes, yes, but that's fine too..."
Her voice softened as she looked at the way the fairy lights framing the roof created a cozy atmosphere
"I mean...at the end of the day, the important thing is that we're here and we're together!"

Jinu smiled
"I couldn't have said it better."

And so they sat down on the tablecloth.

The demon placed the basket on top of it, swinging it open.

"So, on the menu we have: instant ramen."

Rumi smiled as the man pulled out two containers of Huntr/x branded ramen, followed by a kettle.

As the two began to engage in conversation with simple questions and small talk,

"So how did Mira and Zoey take it?"

"They were happy to help me get ready."

“Yes! I knew my kimchi-making skills would eventually win Mira over!"

"You would have won her over even with the most mediocre kimchi in the world, the woman loves her principles, but she loves to eat more!"

The kettle whistled, and Jinu poured boiling water into the two containers of ramen.

Shortly afterward, she placed them on their plates.

Rumi was already wrapping the noodles around her chopsticks when the man pulled another container from the basket.

"Wait, there's this too!"
He exclaimed, smiling, as the half-demon lowered her chopsticks, still sucking on the noodles she'd already put in her mouth.

"It's Bulgogi!"
He explained.
"A recipe...from my mother..."

Rumi looked at the man with a sad smile, taking a generous portion of the dish, which smelled like nothing she'd ever had, and popping it into her mouth.

Her eyes widened instantly.

It was the best thing she'd ever eaten in her life.

The seasonings were all delicious, sure, the chili pepper hot enough to sting pleasantly, but not enough to make her eyes water, the strange sweetness of the brown sugar, the bittersweetness of the pear.

But the real star was the meat.

The beef in that Bulgogi was unlike any Rumi had ever eaten; its texture was like...creamier than normal, cooked perfectly.

Jinu smiled.
“Good, huh? My sister loved it…”

Rumi nodded vigorously, popping another piece into her mouth; damn, was this the physical manifestation of euphoria?
She thought so.

“I swear, it's the best thing I've ever eaten!”
She exclaimed between bites
“But don't tell Bobby! He's so proud of his Hobak Mandu!”

The man smiled
"If you like it so much, you can finish it all and I'll eat your ramen."

The woman nodded, immediately taking hold of the container and beginning to eat even more voraciously.

Once finished, Rumi placed a hand on her stomach, her marks white but incredibly shiny from the fury with which she had gorged herself.

The two spent the rest of the date talking, laughing, and joking.

Rumi had no idea what had just happened to her body...

~~~

Two days later, Rumi and Zoey were lying on the couch, a bad K-drama playing in the background, while the two of them were workshopping a new song; just because they were on hiatus didn't mean they couldn't work on their music at least a little.

However, their work was interrupted by Mira, who came up from the laundry room with a frown, not a mean or accusatory one, just a confused one
"Rumi, what the hell did you and Jinu eat the other night? I had to wash my dress three times because it smelled so bad!"

The half-demon tilted her head
"Oh, sorry...Jinu made me try this Bulgogi he made, and it did have a very strong smell."

Mira tilted her head.
"Weird...it didn't smell like beef to me..."

Zoey raised an eyebrow.
"So what did it smell like?"

Mira bit her lip
"You know I don't know...it was just, like, weird...smelly"
She shrugged, throwing herself into a chair
"Well, whatever, it's all fine now."

Rumi nodded, but no matter how much she thought about it, the smell of bulgogi had seemed amazing to her, ten times better than normal beef.

~~~

She had more dates with Jinu, so many, in fact, that they began to become a weekly thing; every Sunday night, because on Fridays the Huntr/x went to Bobby's for dinner, and Saturday night was their game night.

Zoey was over the moon about the new couple, and even with her reservations, Mira was equally so.

"I'm just happy you're happy, Ru, and at least this way I can put my fancy clothes to good use!"

So every Sunday, the half-demon would go to Jinu's apartment, and the two did nothing but enjoy each other's company.

They talked a lot, starting with silly things:

"You have no idea what crazy K-drama Zoey found this week! I swear, when she told me about the plot, I didn't believe it existed!"

"I finally decided to get a job, you know, there was this supermarket hiring, and I thought it was a good way to think about other things!"

To deeper things...more vulnerable ones.

"I haven't spoken to Celine since the Idol Awards...only Mira still does. I feel stupid sometimes...I'm all, Mira! Can you tell Celine this and that? I'm like a little girl sulking at her mom..."

"I still dream about them at night sometimes...my mom and my sister...I really miss them, you know...Zoey reminds me a lot of her..."

They laughed and cried, cuddled on the couch, and tried to convince each other they weren't monsters.

But most of all, when they were together, the two ate…

Well, Rumi did
“I think I have a problem…”
She often joked, gorging on the Bulgogi that Jinu never failed to serve her
“Will you ever tell me what you put in this meat to make it so divine?”

But the man always shook his head and laughed
“No, I told you! It's a family recipe!"

She then approached him, her face just millimeters from his ear
“So, if we get married, will you tell me?”

He turned, grabbing her face and kissing her affectionately
“Yes, then, yes.”

Rumi was in love, so in love that she didn't even realize what was happening to her.

~~~

It all started with her tail.

Rumi had never thought she had one; she had seen certain demons who had them, sure, but also just as many who had none; however, one morning she woke up and, arriving in the kitchen, immediately noticed Mira and Zoey's confused looks.

"What's going on?"
she asked, tilting her head.

Mira was clearly trying not to laugh, while Zoey's eyes were so wide that Rumi was almost afraid they would fall out of her head.

"You...I didn't know that you..."
The youngest Huntr/x began to stammer, gesturing vaguely at the leader.

Since the half-demon didn't understand, Mira bluntly explained as only she knew how.

"I didn't know you had a tail hidden there too!"

Rumi looked at them confused for a moment, before realizing something in her peripheral vision.

She had a tail.

Uncomfortably, she tried to command it to move, and it did obey to her commands.

The woman approached her friends, holding the new appendage of her body in her hands, and the three of them studied it silently.

It was purple, long, but not long enough to touch the ground, it was thin like a bulldog's, and it ended in a small fin that resembled a heart.

“Can I touch it?”
Zoey asked, her mouth half open.

Rumi nodded immediately, and Rumi felt a rush of emotions wash over her; the tail was far more sensitive than any of her other limbs had ever been.

The Huntr/x spent the rest of the morning steaming away at exactly how it worked and what it could do, apparently, it was prehensile, which was incredibly useful.

By early afternoon, however, they were starting to ask themselves questions.

“How come it only just appeared?”
The youngest Huntr/x asked, always the most curious of the trio.

“I mean, shouldn't it have appeared at the exact same time as your patterns or other demonic traits?”

Mira placed a hand on her cheek
"Now that I think about it, aside from the patterns, you don't have any other demonic traits, could it be a matter of survival and adaptation?"

The other two Huntr/x tilted their heads in confusion, and Mira continued.

"Like, your body realized that your environment wasn't safe to display your demonic traits because otherwise you would be in danger, and so it never developed them.”

Rumi blinked; the whole situation made so much sense.

"Oh... yeah, how did that even occur to you?"

Mira shrugged
"When I lived on the streets as a kid, I didn't have a period for three years, when I went to the gynecologist he explained this thing about safe environments, where bodies adapt to avoid falling into vulnerable situations."

Zoey raised an eyebrow
"Wait, so does this mean you'll develop other traits, Rumi?"

The woman nodded
"Probably..."

It was strange, if someone had told her something like that just a few months ago, she would have gone completely crazy, but now...now she was just a little anxious about not knowing what and when it would happen.

The changes didn't take long.

The next morning, Rumi felt different; she had a throbbing headache and looking in the mirror, she immediately saw two bumps on the sides of her forehead.

She spent the day with an ice pack on her head, and three days later her horns were fully formed: they were similar to those of a young deer, blunt, thick at the base but tapering at the top, and also purple, just a shade lighter than her hair.

"I think I'll have to dye my hair a different color!"
She joked with the others,
"With all this purple, I look like a plum!"

After that, it was the turn of her teeth; first her canines fell out and they were quickly replaced by a pair of large fangs that were always visible even when the woman closed her mouth completely.

Sometimes she bit her lips by mistake, and speaking wasn't easy at first, but other than that they weren't too invasive; she was sure she'd get used to them soon.

Her eyes became permanently yellow, with the slick pupil.

The claws were the last change and certainly the most difficult to manage; They were long and razor-sharp, making almost every move a million times harder, but Zoey said they weren't that different from the nails she used to have, so with patience and the help of her best friend, Rumi managed to regain control of her movements.

The girls thought she was amazing.

"You look like a K-Pop goddess!"
Zoey always said with a smile, while Mira limited herself to more terse compliments
"You're so metal, Ru!"

Jinu was in the same boat; in fact, Rumi's patterns always turned bright pink whenever he laid eyes on her; he looked at her like she was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen.

“You're perfect just the way you are, Rumi!”
He told her one night, while the two of them were on his couch, running a hand through her hair.

She purred.

“And you'll be even more perfect once you're finished.”

She raised an eyebrow.

“Finished?”

“Yes! When all your features will be visible!”

Even Celine had a few kind words for her, or so Mira said.

“I heard from her this morning.”

The eldest Huntr/x told her
“She told me to tell you that you're gorgeous, the perfect combination of your mother and father.”

Her heart felt like it was going to explode.

Everything was perfect!

Except…well, something weird was going on, sure, but nothing serious.

Rumi was gaining weight, well, all three girls were, it was natural, they'd gone from training every day, dancing, singing, and sparring with weapons, not to mention the demons attacks they had to fend off and the concerts, signings, recordings, and all the other million appointments they had to plan for, to spending entire days doing absolutely nothing except watching K-dramas and occasionally running errands.

Zoey said someone had started a forum just to discuss that topic, but it disappeared before any of the three could actually read it, thanks Bobby!

But the three of them didn't particularly care.

"We've been saving the world for twelve years!"
Mira kept repeating
"Now we've earned every last cupcake we want to gorge ourselves on!"

Rumi had always been of that opinion, too, but lately something had changed; she didn't know why, but her hunger had literally tripled, and out of habit, she just satisfied it.

It wasn't the weight itself, she knew she could lose it easily, in fact, she was sure she would as soon as Huntr/x got back to working on their music, but something about the way she felt hunger was strange.

It happened at the worst times, like at night or right after a meal, it was a constant thought in the back of her head, and sometimes, if she ignored it for too long, her stomach would start to hurt like someone had punched it.

The girls had tried everything they could; Zoey had gotten to the point of massaging her stomach like a baby when the hunger got too intense, and Mira had suggested hunger suppressants, but the situation only seemed to get worse.

Soon, no matter how much Rumi actually ate, she always felt empty, not to mention how everything tasted strange, wrong somehow.

Most of the dishes she'd always loved tasted of ash, and the few that survived contained meat.

Meat was Rumi's salvation; it seemed to have retained its flavor, but it still never completely filled her, Jinu's Bulgogi was even more effective, but its effects only lasted a few hours, and after that, the excruciating pain returned with a vengeance.

Some days the pain was so intense that the woman wanted to cry and couldn't really do anything but curl up in bed all day and tremble.

Eventually Mira called a doctor; the girls paid him well to keep everything a secret and not ask questions about Rumi's new body, but he too couldn't find anything wrong with the woman.

“There’s nothing wrong with you, young lady, I honestly can’t explain what could be happening to you!”

He still prescribed her more hunger suppressants for good measure, the good stuff other Idols used, but nothing, the pain remained.

Rumi grew paler, her patterns were now almost always greenish from the pain, a frightening contrast to her ghostly pale skin.

She barely slept, had dark circles under her eyes, and was too weak to do almost anything.

Not even Jinu had any idea what was happening to her, and this only made Rumi more worried, because she didn’t even know if it was a demon thing or a human thing.

As the woman languished on the couch, still in her pajamas, with her best friends trying to make her feel better, she thought that at least this had to be the bottom, right?
It couldn’t get any worse; things would definitely get better at some point.

And then they went to Bobby’s that Friday.

The three hadn't been to him in almost three weeks now, given Rumi's condition, but that evening the woman was feeling slightly better, or perhaps she had simply become accustomed to the pain, so they decided to go.

Even though they usually walked to their manager's house, that night they had to take a taxi, because even walking down the stairs was a struggle for the leader.

“Rumi…are you sure you feel like going?”
Mira asked, having had to hold her up the whole way to the car.

The woman nodded, her head bobbing like a rag doll's; she felt nauseous.

“I'm fine…”
She muttered,
“And besides, we already said yes!”

If it had been any other occasion, Zoey and Mira would have forced her to go home, but they were just going to Bobby's, which meant Rumi could take a nap on his couch at worst, so they went anyway.

Rumi often wondered what would have happened if her friends had decided not to go, if they had forced her to go back up.

The inevitable would probably just be postponed, but as things stood, that car ride was Rumi's last moment of peace.

They arrived at Bobby's in about ten minutes, and Mira continued to support Rumi, finally letting her sit on the couch.

Bobby looked worried.

They'd told him Rumi was experimenting with a new style for their new album to explain her new demonic traits, and he'd simply smiled with a look of unconvincing confidence, but he hadn't said anything.

The man immediately approached his girls, hugging them tightly as they arrived.

"Oh, girls, here you are! Rumi, dear, are you okay?"

The woman nodded, despite feeling faint, and with immense effort she tried to smile.
"Yes...just a little...tired...I'm dizzy..."

They hadn't had a chance to find a real excuse for Rumi's illness; after all, they didn't know exactly what was wrong with her themselves, so they simply told their manager she wasn't well.

The man smiled sweetly at her
"All right, now I'll make you my famous
Hobak Mandu and give you some juice. How does that sound?"

Rumi nodded slowly; despite everything, she couldn't help but find the way Bobby treated her adorable; she felt truly loved under his care.

The next few minutes seemed like a long walk in a fog to Rumi; She was just sitting on the couch, watching Zoey, Mira, and Bobby move around the room as if she wasn't there, her eyelids were heavy, she was short of breath, and if she closed her eyes for a few seconds, large black spots would dance in front of her eyes as soon as she opened them again.

There was a constant buzzing in the background in her head, and every single sound coming from the kitchen seemed amplified a hundredfold.

Rumi felt like she was watching everything as if it were happening in a movie, one of those black-and-white ones Mira loved so much.

Then the dominoes began to arrange themselves, ready for the imminent and inevitable fall.

If just one of those things had happened differently, nothing would have happened, at least for that evening.

Mira's phone rang.

"It's Celine! I'll go upstairs and answer it!"

Bobby huffed.

"Damn! I forgot the chili pepper!"

Zoey jumped to her feet.

"The supermarket's still open, I'll go and get you some!"

Both the upstairs bathroom door and the front door slammed shut, making Rumi shiver slightly in surprise and squeak.

Bobby turned to her quickly, to see if she was okay, and in doing so, he cut himself with the knife he was using to chop zucchini.

It was a minor cut, but it had hit a capillary, causing a cascade of blood to flow.

Something inside Rumi snapped.

With a strength she didn't know she possessed, she stood up.

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see that her marks were the brightest purple they had ever been.

For a moment, everything went black, and it was as if her brain shut down.

There was a divine smell, the best Rumi had ever smelled, and she moved closer to it.

She lunged at something and it fell to the ground.

That's where the smell was coming from.

She got down on all fours and began eating from the ground.

It was the best thing the half-demon had ever eaten.

She took a bite, chewed, and swallowed, then another, and another.

Suddenly, she found something rubbery between her teeth.

She bit into it, and a strange liquid oozed out.

She spat it out and returned her attention to the meat.

It was soft, smooth, and came apart easily.

Every now and then, she had to spit out a few hairs.

There was a metallic aftertaste.

Shit! How had she lived her whole life without ever tasting that divine dish?

Suddenly, a scream brought her back to reality.

Something else clicked in Rumi's mind, and she shook her head.

“Zoey, are you okay? What's going on?”

Her best friend was standing in the doorway, her shopping bag dropped to the floor and a look of absolute horror on her face.

Rumi leapt to her feet, approaching Zoey, who instead began to back away.

The half-demon's eyes widened.
"Did…something happen at the supermarket? Are you okay?"

But Zoey continued to back away, keeping a horrified gaze fixed on Rumi until both women were outside the house.

"Mira! Mira!"
Zoey then began to scream; tears were welling up in her eyes.

Rumi stopped trying to get closer to her, realizing it would be counterproductive, instead, she looked at her best friend, terrified at not knowing what had made her so scared.

"Okay, okay…let's wait for Mira…"

It was only when the woman heard footsteps coming down the stairs that Rumi turned and saw him…

Bobby was lying on the kitchen floor…what was left of him, at least.

The man's corpse was almost completely devoid of flesh, his eyes missing, the top of his skull split open.

Rumi's stomach flipped.

What the hell had she done?

Zoey continued to stare at her in terror, and Mira joined her.

"What have you done, Rumi?"

The half-demon began to breathe shallowly.

She had killed a man...no, not just any man, she had killed Bobby and...eaten his flesh.

And she had enjoyed it.

She had loved it.

"Oh no..."
Mira's exclamation jolted her out of her thoughts
"Now it's all clear! That's what it was! That's why you were sick!"

The woman felt like she was going to throw up at any moment.

She looked at the girls, saw how rightfully terrified they were of her, and for just a moment the image of their bodies, dead on the floor and being eaten by her, filled her mind.

Celine had been right the whole time.

She was dangerous.

She had to leave.

Mira grabbed her wrist.

"You're not running away! You're not a monster, and now we're going to find a way to fix this and control your hunger for human flesh."

But Rumi couldn't stop imagining all the possible worst-case scenarios.

So she lowered her head and bit Mira's wrist to free herself from her grip.

Her hand shouldn't have been torn off so easily.

The eldest Huntr/x's eyes widened, her gaze shocked, as she looked at her best friend’s severed hand.

"Fuck! I have to call an ambulance!"
Zoey quickly pulled out her phone and stood beside Mira.

This gave Rumi the perfect opportunity to escape.

She ran like she'd never run before, her lungs burning, the cold evening air hitting her face too hard, and she felt this knot in her heart that wouldn't go away.

She ran, making sure her tracks were too confused to be followed until she reached an alley.

It was only then that she realized Mira's hand was still in her mouth.

The thought crossed her mind that she would never see her friends again, and so she swallowed the hand without thinking twice.

It would probably be the last time she felt any contact with them, as strange as it was.

As she spat out the fake nails onto the ground, a horrible realization struck Rumi: the meat she'd been eating all evening tasted just like Jinu's Bulgogi.

A laugh came from above her: Jinu was there.

Rumi's gaze hardened and she snarled at him.

"What have you done to me?"

He laughed
“Nothing, my dear, you did it all yourself! Demons can sustain themselves in two ways: by consuming souls or…”

“Human flesh…”
Rumi concluded, horrified.

Jinu nodded with a smirk, reaching out to the woman.

“Come now!”
He exclaimed.

Rumi frowned
“I’m not going anywhere with you!”

But the man tilted his head
“You don’t know how to suck souls, Rumi! That leaves you with only consuming flesh.”

“No! I’m not eating anyone else! It was disgusting.”
And the best dinner of her life.

Jinu laughed
“Of course you don't want to, but can you control yourself? When you're weak again and someone is bleeding near you, how will you stop your instincts from taking over?”

The woman looked at the ground, so the man took her chin in his hand
“I only want the best for you, Rumi, and that's why I want you to come with me.
I'll teach you everything you need to know, and you'll never have to be alone!”

The half-demon looked into Jinu's eyes and melted.

She was too lonely to give up that connection; she would suffer the consequences.

She took the demon's hand and let him lead her out of the alley.

“I love you, Rumi, despite everything!”

Rumi nodded, too tired to notice that for a single second, what should have been Jinu's reflection was actually nothing more than a cloud of purple smoke.