Chapter Text
Technically, Huntrix wasn't supposed to do any sort of fan-interactive work during a declared break. Small hiatuses were crucial for a well-rested team in top condition, Bobby always said. That was why he'd refuse any sort of photoshoot offer, brand collab, or interview schedule that came their way while his girls were resting. Not to mention how necessary this was after the madness at the Idol Awards.
Unfortunately, Rumi was never good at sitting still about work.
She was setting up the little camera she kept ready in her room for spontaneous livestreams, double checking her makeup and the background to make sure everything was perfect. Their fans had been starved of content for about a week and a half, now. That meant that Rumi could expect about 50k to 2.5 million viewers... Sure, it might be fun to lie on couch with Zoey and Mira right now, but Rumi missed their fans. The faithful people who stuck with them through the Saja Boys controversy felt like her rock right now.
"Alright... Mic is working, camera's clean, room is tidy," Rumi muttered to herself, looking behind her to double check with the routine Celine taught her during media training. "Perfect. Now... Start live."
The little red button on her screen was clicked with a flick of her mouse, and then the views started pouring in. The number climbed steadily for those first few moments, floods of chat comments entering quick enough to make Rumi's eyes struggle to focus, and the hunter couldn't help but smile. As parasocial as it sounded on her part, she really did love her fans.
[huntrixno.1]: no way a rumi live in the middle of hiatus?? WE'VE BEEN BLESSED
[toomanybiases]: HI QUEEN WE MISSED YOUUU
[wecouldbegolden]: ABEKBSJAGJSA SHES SO PRETTY TODAY?!
[kpoppingeveryday]: i didn't expect a new stream so soon ??? hope everythings okay queen rumi
"Hello everyone! Woah, there are so many of you so quick. Good morning! Or afternoon or evening, wherever you're from." Rumi waved happily at the camera. Now that she had a better view of herself, she made sure everything was positioned well on her desk before fixing a stray piece of her long hair. "How's everyone doing? I know we're on break, but I really wanted to check in with all of you..."
The replies came in hordes, now moving too quickly for Rumi to see without holding her mouse to pause the floods of it popping up. 85k viewers. 100k, now. So many tiny people on Rumi's device that made her feel so, impossibly loved.
[streamtakedown!!!]: DOING GOODDDD BECAUSE RUMI'S LIVE!
[mirasupremacy]: this notif just made my whole WEEK yall dont get it
[boppingtokpop]: so bored since the hiatus started omg
[wholoveshuntrix]: just streamed what it sounds like the whole morning, ily guys
[zoeysrightcheekbone]: IVE DONE NOTHING BUT MISS HUNTRIX
Another laugh escaped her, then. Something polite and with one hand covering her face while scrolling through chat. Being charming was part of this job, and today? Rumi had her lashes done by Zoey's expertise, her violet hair in a neat ponytail behind her back, and her sweetest smile for their fans right on her face. "I'm glad to know everyone's doing well. And yes, I know we're on hiatus, so sorry about that. Still, I just wanted to check in, y'know? I missed all of you. Sorry again."
Another thousand comments came in about not needing to worry about the break. Their fanbase had proved itself to be nothing short of devoted, but hearing it directly felt fulfilling, in its own way. Reassuring, even. She saw several glimpses of zooming chats of "take as long as you need" and "rest well during the break" filling her screen again.
[rumiswifey]: enough about us. how have YOU been doing rumi???
[musicfanatics]: please say ur resting well or we ride at dawn
[howitsdonedonedone]: HAVE YOU EATEN YET RUMI? DON'T LIEEE
The stream continued to roll, and Rumi found herself sitting more and more comfortably into her chair as time went on. Who wouldn't want an hour of laughing over little jokes, answering and asking questions about music and life, getting to interact with so many people across the globe. Stardom hadn't come to Rumi naturally, per se, but this made it worth it. It didn't feel like a facade with so many people on her side. A little scary, but never underwhelming. It felt like seeing their hard work bear fruit when she saw their fans.
Stray comments were always present, though. It started always with one.
[sajastan]: Do we have any news about the saja boys yet everyone?? Theres been nothing new since the Your Idol release
Rumi had meant to gloss over it and pretend she didn't see it amidst the sea of rapid comments. Domino effects were quick, though, and the conversation had shifted from Rumi's ramyeon recipe to the Saja Boys again... The last thing she wanted to do was think about that now. However, the internet had their ways.
"Guys, guys. Everybody calm down, okay? No need for a big war in the chat," she said smoothly. Addressing according to Bobby's PR work was better than avoiding and causing more controversy. "The Saja Boys are fine! Our huge collab for the Idol Awards and Namsan Tower was a hit, but they haven't been able to post since then due to.. Some stuff with their management. I wish we could help them, but I can promise that everything's fine."
Chat didn't seem convinced, so Rumi had to pull out the calmest smile she'd practiced and spoke through the hesitation. "In fact—I've just talked to some of them a few days ago. They're all fine, just on hold for idol work for a while. All of them, I was told by... By Jinu."
She hoped to every single star in the Seoul sky right now that nobody noticed her little stutter at the end. Not when it was about Jinu, when the fans were buzzing over the old couple pairing made of them and how much they wanted to see him again.
[multistanningpro]: SHE WAS TALKING WITH JINU??? RUJINU SHIPPERS RISE
[staygolden]: i can't wait to see more of them againnnnn agh can they update already [miromabbyotp]: PLEASE tell us how jinu is doing?!?!?
[bobbyfan]: please we r starvinggg for anything saja rumi do u have an
[sodapoppingalways]: when can we see the boys again? ill die w/o a comeback
[rumithegoat]: guys, let's not flood the live about the saja boys. this is rumi's acc
Right. Right, she didn't have to talk about it now. The next last thing she wanted was to have to be reminded of the fact that no, no one was ever going to see Jinu again. Not the fans that'd lose their minds if they knew that the "collab" was a made up story to excuse everything, and not her.
Imagine if they knew that it was your fault he's gone.
As if perfectly timed, a loud purr from behind her bedroom door brought Rumi back down to Earth. That must be Derpy, because Zoey had said earlier that she was going out to a cafe this evening and Mira was probably napping... Hopefully, the sound wasn't picked up by the microphone.
"Yes, yes. Thank you all for understanding," came her soft reply to the live, now hurrying a bit. "But I really have to go now. It was nice talking to all of you! Thank you so much, and stay safe, okay? I love you so much."
She barely left time for waving goodbye to her viewers before shutting the live off and taking a deep breath. One deep breath, just to calm herself down. These thoughts in her head were growing rampant lately, especially about Jinu and all that came with the story of him.. Rumi hated to admit it, but she really missed him. She wished he could be there to reassure her again.
"Derpy! Derpy, yes, I'm coming." Rumi almost slipped as she got up from her gaming chair, now hearing the sound of paws lightly scratching at the wood of her door. The blue tiger's teleporting powers through the Honmoon seemed to drain him since he stopped returning to the demon world with Sussie, so she had to make sure to minimize his power output...
The door swung open with a clean move. The magpie and her hat flew inside, gracefully landing on the arm of Rumi's microphone, while Derpy nuzzled close to her legs as she sat down to meet him. The last things she had of Jinu were still here, still right here... And as long as Derpy kept purring into her arms like this, and as long as she knew her fans were always there to welcome her back with open arms? Rumi figured she'd be just fine.