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Chapter Text

The Huntr/x penthouse was pounding with excitement. It had happened. Their 8th year in a row winning the Idol Awards. Their 2nd year since the Saja Boys incident and Rumi's marks becoming public knowledge - though thankfully, the public just thought they were scars or tattoos Rumi had been hiding with makeup, so the secret of their demon hunting lives was still intact. But this was even more special than that.

This was their first year winning while in a relationship together.

They weren't public yet. The public would have a field day if they found out that all three of them were in not just relationships, but one relationship. A very queer one at that. So, for now, the only two people who knew were Bobby - since they trusted him to help them keep it secret - and Celine - mostly because she had barged into the dressing room one day after a show when hearing “strange sounds”. They got better locks for the doors after that.

So today was a day of celebration. A nice, big break was ahead of them, and they wanted to start it off in style. So, Mira had gotten soju for her and Zoey to enjoy, but due to Rumi's demon half, the lavender haired leader of the trio had a bottle of high-alcohol vodka. Most would likely have been knocked out after drinking half the bottle. Rumi was drunk, sure, but still up and about. Mostly. She was stumbling about, giggling stupidly as she fell onto the couch.

“This is *hic* terrible. Tastes like *hic* rubbing alcohol.” Rumi said, her speech slurring. She wasn't the only drunk one in the penthouse though.

Zoey giggled and curled into Rumi's side. “So whyyyyy are you still drinking then, RuuuuRuuuu~” Zoey poked Rumi's nose playfully, giggling like a school girl as she twisted and turned next to Rumi, face flush from the alcohol.

“I wanna be drunk with my two favorite girls in the whole world.” Rumi said, blinking slowly as she smiled wide.

“You two are so fucking drunk.” Mira muttered, though the flush on her face betrayed that, she too, was absolutely drunk.

“You're drunk tooooooo, MiMi~” Zoey said in a sing-song voice, climbing over Rumi and onto Mira's lap, straddling her thighs.

Mira smirked and put her hands on Zoey's hips. “Drunk on my love for you, Zo~” Mira purred out.

“I'm gonna get some more snacks from the store.” Rumi said with a giggle, getting up and stumbling towards the elevator.

“Nooooo! Don't gooooo! Your ass is so good in those pajama pants!” Zoey whined from Mira's lap as she watches Rumi get in the elevator.

Rumi giggled, swaying on her feet. “Don't think “MiMi” will let you worry about that.” She slurred out drunkenly.

Mira smirked wider, Rumi hearing Zoey squeal in delight as Mira and her topple onto the couch, limbs flailing as Mira got on top of Zoey as the doors to the elevator closed.

~~~~~~~

Hours later, Mira and Zoey sleep, passed out from drunken flailing with each other more so than actual sex.

They don't notice when Rumi doesn't get home that night.

They slept peacefully, not knowing the horrors their girlfriend experiences in the streets below…

Chapter Text

Zoey and Mira groaned as the elevator door dinged and light streamed on their faces, heads pounding from the hangover. The three had planned to sleep in because they knew they'd be hungover in fact. So when Mira saw Bobby speed-walking over to the couch, Mira just groaned and held her head.

“Bobby… We told you not to get us up until noon. My head hurts too much for what you're gonna say.” Mira groaned out, putting a hand on her forehead.

Zoey buries her face into Mira's neck. “Please, Bobby. Too early. Head too poundy.” She whined.

“Where's Rumi?” Was all Bobby had to ask. That quickly gets both their attention.

“She… She should be here somewhere.” Mira said, sitting up too quickly and making her head spin, but she shook it off.

Bobby shook his head, more and more worry slowly coming over his face. “Security says they saw her leave last night and she never came back. They assumed she went to stay somewhere, but she's not picking up her phone.”

“Wh-What?” Zoey bolted upright. “No. N-No she just went out to get some snacks. S-Sure, she was drunk, b-but she should be fine. R-Right?” Zoey rolled the bottom of her shirt in nervousness, a tick she had only when really worried.

“She… She might just be passed out in an alley somewhere.” Mira said, though even she didn't really believe the words. Rumi always woke up to her phone ringing, no matter how drunk she was. Feeling completely sober now, Mira quickly got herself up and threw on some shoes. “Screw it. I'm going to look for her.”

“I-I'll come with.” Zoey quickly said, following Mira's lead.

“I'll alert security. Get them looking for her. Track down any CCTV footage that might have her in it.” Bobby said as he pulls out his phone, starting to make calls, getting in the elevator with the other two.

~~~~~~~

Mira was always a good hunter. Not just in killing demons. In tracking them too. So tracking down her drunk girlfriend wasn't hard. Especially with how famous Rumi is. People were talking about how they saw her stumble into a local 24-hour convenience store, and the manager said his clerk last night said Rumi was here, and that she was respectful despite being drunk. Mira would have smiled at how proper Rumi always was if not for what the manager said next.

“Said he saw three men meet up with her outside, and lead her off. Didn't think much of it. Kid probably thought they were undercover security or something, making sure she got home safe and all.” The older man said as he swept the floor.

Mira's heart sank, asking which direction they went before rushing out the store and down that direction. She hoped it wouldn't be true, that even drunk, Rumi could fight off three normal men.

And then she saw it. At the entrance to an alley was Rumi's hoodie. The one she still wore for comfort and out of habit of hiding her marks. Mira's breathing quickened as she rushed over and grabbed it.

Then she lookedndown the alley.

And she nearly threw up.

There was Rumi, crumpled on the ground, eyes open but distant, like her mind wasn't letting her perceive reality. Her shirt was torn open over her breasts, exposing her bra. Her shoes were a fair distance away, maybe torn off, maybe kicked off by Rumi in her struggle.

And her pajama bottoms and panties were pulled down to her knees.

Mira didn't remember running over. Didn't remember sliding next to Rumi on her knees and cutting them up on the rough ground. She vaguely remembered pulling up Rumi's bottoms to cover her. Vaguely remembered Zoey rushing around the corner, dropping to her knees, hands over her mouth to quiet her sobbing.

But she remembered screaming.

Screaming for Zoey, for Bobby, for someone to call an ambulance.

Screaming so much, she didn't hear the sirens when they finally came.

Screaming until Rumi was taken from her by the paramedics.

And then, Mira sobbed into her hands.

Chapter Text

Zoey hated hospitals. They were always too sterile. The doctors and nurses always tried too hard to keep you calm, whether you were a patient or not. She understood that, to a degree, but she didn't want to be calm. She wanted to scream, to cry, to break something.

Mira had shut down ever since they got there. Just sitting there, looking at her hands, as if somehow they were the hands that had harmed Rumi. Zoey had tried to talk to her, to be there for her. Be the optimistic one. But Mira had just shrugged her off. And honestly, Zoey couldn't blame her. Even she didn't buy the optimistic crap she said. She just didn't want Mira to blame herself.

Bobby was pacing, making calls, making sure the police investigation was kept quiet. None of them had called Celine. How could they? What would they say, “Your adopted daughter has been raped?” Even if Celine believed them, Zoey and Mira had no idea how she'd take it. They didn't think Celine would do anything like try and force Rumi to keep performing. But she would likely force Zoey and Mira to do so. Say something about keeping the honmoon sturdy.

Zoey didn't give a shit about the honmoon right now.

Not when the monsters who hurt Rumi lived on this side of the barrier.

~~~~~~~

--1 hour earlier--

Zoey, legally, shouldn't have seen the footage.

It was an official police investigation, and the footage was evidence.

But, Bobby being Bobby, had managed to convince the officers to let at least one of them see it.

Zoey couldn't let the other two see it. Bobby was… he was just too sweet. He, very literally, couldn't hurt a fly. Not without crying. And Mira… Zoey refused to let Mira look like she did in that alleyway when they had first found Rumi.

So Zoey took it upon herself to watch the video.

She didn't know why, really. Maybe she was hoping she'd see patterns on whoever did it. Get inherent permission to go and hunt down whoever would dare do that to Rumi.

There were no patterns.

The men were, undeniably, 100%, human.

She saw it all.

Saw Rumi get led away from the shop, not quite aware of what danger she was in. Saw her get led down the alleyway. It was only then that Rumi realized something was wrong. She tried to run, but one of the men grabbed her by her braided ponytail and threw her harshly to the ground. Zoey saw Rumi struggle, kicking and thrashing so hard her shoes flew off. One of the men grabbed her hoodie and pulled it off, tossing it to the front of the alleyway, where Mira had found it. They tore her shirt, grabbed her pajama bottoms and underwear by the waist bands, pulled down-

And the footage cut, saving Zoey from the most graphic details. But Zoey knew. She knew what happened next, seeing Rumi lying there, in that crumpled position Mira found her in.

Zoey quickly excused herself to the bathroom. And she threw up.

~~~~~~~

--Present--

Zoey hated hospitals. They were too sterile. The doctors and nurses tried to keep patients and guests calm.

Zoey didn't want to be calm.

She wanted to scream.

To cry.

To break something.

Because when the doctor said that there were “certain bruising patterns consistent with particular types of assault,” Zoey knew. Knew they were being clinical to soften the blow.

But Zoey knew.

Zoey had seen.

It wasn't a “certain type of assault.”

It was rape.

And the monsters who did it were human.

Chapter Text

Rumi hated everything about this.

Okay, maybe she didn't hate the nurse. She was kind and understanding.

But she hated someone besides Zoey, Mira, or Celine seeing her without her braid. She hated how invasive the tests had been so far. She hated how final the kit made it.

A “Rape Kit.” Evidence collected of what had happened to her. Meaning she couldn't lie to herself anymore. Couldn't pretend like she had just passed out drunk and nothing else. It was so final. Forced her to face the truth.

“Rumi-ssi?” The nurse asked gently for what Rumi realized was the third time now.

“I-I'm s-sorry, what?” Rumi hated how weak her voice was. How it shuddered. How it cracked.

“I was saying that I avoided it right away because of how… in distress you are, but there are two areas I need to swab.” The nurse spoke very gently.

“I-I… I-I don't u-understand.” Rumi winced as her voice cracked again, whimpering near-silently.

The nurse took a deep breath, which wasn't a good sign to Rumi.

“I need to swab inside your vagina and anus.” The nurse was still gentle in her words, but the words themselves made Rumi's breath catch.

“N-N-No… N-No…” Rumi teared up and shook her head hard enough to make her dizzy.

“Rummi-ssi-” The nurse began to speak but Rumi whimpered loudly.

“N-No, pl-pl-please…” Rumi's breathing picked up.

“Rumi-ssi,” the nurse spoke again, gently placing a hand on Rumi's forearm to help ground her, “doing this will help catch the ones who did this to you.”

Rumi took a few more shuddering breaths. “M-M-Mira… a-and Z-Zoey. Pl-Please.” She finally whimpered out.

“I can get them, but are you sure you want them to see you like that, Rumi-ssi?” The nurse very carefully asked.

“Pl-Please… I-I… I n-need them…” Rumi sniffled, her breath shuddering each time she managed to suck some air in or blow it out.

The nurse nodded, gently setting down her tools and going to get Rumi's girlfriends.

~~~~~~~

A few minutes later, the nurse returned, alongside Mira and Zoey, who were being forced to wear masks and gloves. Rumi could see Mira freeze at the sight of the kit.

“Okay, what the fuck is going on?! First you have us wear these masks and gloves, and now there's that thing?! What's going on, what are you doing to Rumi?!” Mira's shoulders were tense as she started storming towards the nurse. Rumi's breathing hitched, and she tried to tell Mira it was okay, but her voice ended at a small squeak. Zoey seemed to notice right away though, because with a small glance at Rumi, she stepped forward and grabbed Mira's arms.

“Mira, no. Rumi's not in danger here.” Zoey said, her usual bubbly optimism completely missing. Mira stopped and closed her eyes, taking a few deep breaths.

“I am sorry if you feel I deceived you.” The nurse said, bowing slightly. “I did not want to simply reveal everything in front of others, for Rummi-ssi's sake. The kit you see is called, as crude of a name as it is, a “Rape Kit”.” Rumi could see Zoey tense up, and Mira took a faltering step back. “We need to finish making it to have sufficient DNA evidence to hopefully find whoever hurt her this way. Unfortunately, the last two swabs I need to do are in areas Rummi-ssi will not let me unless you two are present.” She didn't need to explain further. Rummi could see the realization dawn on both of their faces.

Mira moved first, and fastest. She quickly got to Rumi's bedside, dropping to her knees and reaching out to take Rumi's hand. Rumi instinctively pulled away.

“N-N-No… No gloves… Pl-Please.” Rumi begged quietly. Mira started to remove her gloves, but the nurse stopped her.

“We can't risk you potentially contaminating the samples.” She said quietly, yet firmly. Rumi's breathing started to quicken. She needed to feel their skin, to know it was them without needing to see them, because she was sure she'd need to close her eyes.

Zoey moved instantly, kneeling on Rumi's other side. Her voice was soft and gentle - more gentle than Rumi had ever heard before?

“Do you trust me?”

It was four simple words, and technically ones Rumi had heard before during fights, yet they held so much weight this time. Zoey wanted to be sure Rumi would trust her with whatever she had planned.

Rumi's voice failed her again, so instead, she just nodded.

Zoey gently reached over and gently guided Rumi's hand under her own sleeve, letting Rumi feel Zoey's forearm. Rumi instantly latched on, absorbing the warmth and feeling of Zoey's skin into her hand. Zoey rested her own gloved hand on Rumi's forearm, bare due to the hospital gown, and squeezed gently to reassure Rumi she wouldn't be going anywhere. Rumi looked over at Mira and, with the smallest of whimpers, reached out to Mira. Mira, misty eyed, very quickly followed Zoey's lead, letting Rumi grab her forearm under her sleeve while gently squeezing Rumi's forearm with her gloved hand.

“I'm going to begin now, Rumi-ssi. Just stop me if it's too much for you.” The nurse gently said, taking out the swabs she'd be using. Rumi squeezed her eyes shut, and tensed in anticipation, squeezing Zoey's and Mira's arms.

~~~~~~~

--Skip if needed--

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Rumi didn't remember much of what happened from there. Because as soon as that swab touched her, it transformed in her mind. It all did. She was no longer in the hospital, with her girlfriends. She was in that alleyway again. And those men were there, on top of her, inside of her. Her breathing became rapid very quickly, and she squeezed her girlfriends’ forearms even tighter, digging her nails in as her whole body tensed even more. She made soft gagging sounds in the back of her throat as she whimpered loudly. In total, the nurse was maybe down there a minute. For Rumi, it felt like hours.

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--End of skip--

Rumi felt it, then. A hand on her cheek. Soft. Warm in a familiar way. Mira's. She opened her eyes. Mira and Zoey were still kneeling beside her bed, but their gloves and masks were gone. To anyone else, they would have seen a traumatized Rumi, yes, but nothing beyond that. But Mira and Zoey were seeing it for sure.

Rumi's marks were pulsing deep purple and red, the colours swirling about, practically under her skin.

A clear sign of distress and anguish.

Wordlessly, and with her jaw shaking and tears running down her face, she extended her arms outwards to them. Zoey and Mira picked up on the signal instantly, moving so they could both wrap their arms around her, but in such a way that Rumi would be able to push them off if she got overwhelmed.

All three of them began crying then. Mira and Zoey escalated to sobs that shook their bodies.

Rumi curled into them, her sobs escalating to wails of anguish as all her pain broke out into the world until her voice went hoarse and gave out.

Chapter Text

The next few days were a blur. Mostly because Rumi just didn't want to remember much of anything right now, her mind blocking out probably what was necessary.

She had good moments. Moments where she would be able to let the faintest hint of a smile cross her face as Zoey showed her yet another video of baby turtles making their way to the ocean, or Mira making some dryly sarcastic remark about the hospital food that Rumi was forced to eat.

Other moments, she didn't want them near her. Like, within even 5 feet of her. If they were too close, she'd start breathing quicker and quicker, clutching her hair and burying her face in her arms until Mira and Zoey had backed away to basically the other side of the room, sometimes even needing to step outside the doorway. Rumi hated how hurt they looked in those moments, but they would always assure her, even from a distance, that they weren't upset with her, just with the fact that Rumi felt this pain and needed to be alone at all.

She also remembered the police coming a few times, getting her statements and such. She remembered Zoey physically having to hold Mira back as one officer was asked questions that were just too much with how fresh the whole thing was. She was thankful that one didn't return the next time, and the next officer was more understanding and careful with their questions.

Eventually, Rumi was set to be released from the hospital. But before that, she had one request for Mira and Zoey. She didn't want to see anyone but them for a while once they got home, so she wanted to see Celine before she was released.

Mira and Zoey agreed, and had Bobby make the call.

~~~~~~~

It took Celine less than 20 minutes to get to the hospital. She definitely got caught by a lot of street cameras as she sped down the streets and ran red lights. She didn't care. Couldn't care. Not when Rumi, her daughter, even if not by blood and one she hadn't always done a good job raising, had been suffering for days and no one told her. And part of her wanted to be mad about that, but she hadn't exactly instilled a lot of trust into the others once it was revealed that she was the root of Rumi's self-hatred over her demon half. But she wanted to try to be better.

Today, she needed to be better.

Celine went in through the entrance Bobby told her to. The nurses had already been told to expect her, and thanks to her time as a Sunlight Sister, they recognized her right away.

Celine almost couldn't bring herself to open the door. There was Rumi, flanked on both sides by Zoey and Mira. Zoey was trying to keep Rumi occupied with videos on her phone, while Mira kneeled on her other side, her and Rumi's hands intertwined, Mira softly rubbing her thumb across the back of Rumi's hand and softly muttering something to her. Rumi… looked so broken. More than Celine had ever seen. Her hair was completely loose, lavender locks cascading like a waterfall down her back. And the look on her face… Celine hadn't even seen that much pain on Rumi's face when she had come to her two years ago on the eve of the idol awards, begging Celine to “fix the mistake” and kill her.

Celine took a deep breath, gently knocking so her arrival wouldn't startle Rumi, and entered the room, carefully walking over to her adoptive daughter.

“Rumi…” Celine's voice cracked for the first time in years as she managed to get to Rumi's side, standing beside Mira. The other two were tense, and she didn't blame them. There had been quite the yelling match between the three when Mira and Zoey had found out how Celine had raised Rumi. But Rumi didn't tense. She looked at Celine, eyes watery, and struggled a few moments before finally getting one single word out.

“M-M-Momm-mma…” Rumi's voice shook, tears running down her face as she choked back sob after sob, trying not to break down.

Celine's heart jumped into her throat, hand clamping over her mouth as she choked back her own sob, her own tears running free. Celine had hurt Rumi so much, but Rumi didn't see that right now. She didn't see just the woman who raised her instead of her birth mother. At that moment, Celine was Rumi's mother. The last time Rumi had called her “Momma” was when she was still a child, and Celine had very quickly corrected her, insisting Rumi only call her “Celine.”

She made no such correction this time. They weren't just mentor and trainee in that moment. They were mother and daughter.

Celine reached out slowly, trying to offer the same comfort to Rumi that Zoey and Mira were, but Rumi flinched away from her touch, shaking her head quickly.

“I-I'm sorry… I-I'm s-sorry…” Rumi softly whimpered out. Celine gently dropped to her knees beside Mira.

“Nononononono. Shh. Shh. Don't apologize, Rumi. Don't you dare apologize.” Celine's voice was practically a whisper, more tears flowing now. “No one here is ever going to make you face more than you are able.” Celine's breath shuddered as Rumi's bottom lip quivered slightly, before the lavender-haired girl started gently crying. Zoey put down her phone and gently took Rumi's free hand, copying Mira's gesture of rubbing her thumb over the back of Rumi's hand. Celine, for her part, began to gently hum a lullaby that, in hindsight, she probably should have sung to Rumi more. There were so many ways she should have been a better mother.

But she was going to start now.

So, when Rumi finally stopped crying a few minutes later, Celine very carefully stood, gently wiping her face. “I… I just need to talk to Mira and Zoey, okay? But we'll be right back. I promise.”

Rumi sniffled softly and nodded. “C-Can you keep the door open a bit? S-So I c-can see them?” Rumi whispered out to the three.

Celine's throat tightened, and she nodded. “Of course. Of course, Rumi. We'll be right outside.” She had to stop herself from reaching out to Rumi again, wanting nothing more in this moment than to rub Rumi's hair softly, to give her a kiss on the forehead and tell her she'd be fine. Instead, she gently backed away, before turning and made her way outside the room, so as not to step too loudly and possibly frighten Rumi.

Because Rumi was all that mattered.

~~~~~~~

Mira had expected this to be another yelling match, with Celine trying to force Mira and Zoey to perform without Rumi to keep the honmoon from completely collapsing, while Mira and Zoey would yell at her to trying to get them to abandon Rumi. But that didn't happen. Celine's words were firm, but far from what Mira had expected.

“You two will be staying with Rumi no matter how long it takes. You'll be announcing a prolonged hiatus as soon as you can. Without mentioning why, of course.” Celine stated, in the same tone she used to order them to go hunt down demons. Mira was stunned silent for a second before she spoke.

“Aren't you… you know… concerned about the honmoon?” Mira asked carefully. “Like, don't get me wrong, Zoey and I planned to stay with Rumi anyways, but you're always going on about how our duty is more important than our feelings.”

“I was wrong!” Celine obviously didn't mean to snap, but after seeing Rumi like that, Mira didn't really blame her. Celine closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. “I was wrong, Mira. So… So terribly wrong. I learned that the night you three defeated the Saja Boys and drove Gwi-Ma back with your new honmoon. And… I'm trying to correct my mistake.”

“Not… that we're not grateful that this isn't a fight, but… do you even have a plan to keep the honmoon sturdy.” Zoey asked, her voice softer than Mira's. Celine softly nodded.

“I believe it's time the remaining two members of the Sunlight Sisters have a reunion tour.” Celine muttered out. “Hopefully, Tae-Hee will put aside our differences to help me on this.”

Mira took a deep breath. “Okay. Okay, so, we have a plan. Except for where to announce the hiatus.”

“Well… there is that one show.” Zoey said.

“Wait, you don't mean- Oh no. No no no. That woman is a vulture!” Mira angrily said.

“But she has the biggest viewership in Korea! Like, all of our fans would find out right away! A-And we've handled it before!” Zoey said back.

“With Rumi!” Mira pointed out.

“We have to! It's the fastest way people will find out!” Zoey pointsed out herself.

Mira grit her teeth. “Fine.” She took out her phone, and with a deep breath...

“Bobby?” Mira began. “Book us a spot on The Hyong Yeong Show.”

Chapter Text

To say Hyong Yeong had a reputation was an understatement. She didn't get to be the biggest talk show hostess in South Korea without stirring up basically every pot one could think of. Fans loved how she always asked questions and put things up on the giant LED screen behind her and her guests that made even the sturdiest idols squirm.

Except for Huntr/x. So far, no matter what she asked or what “scandalous” photos she had thrown up, Rumi had managed to keep the conversation on course. The producers loved it. Fans of the show and/or the girl group would tune it just to see the passive-aggressive battle between both leading ladies.

Zoey could tell Yeong took it as a personal slight that she “failed” to get a reaction from them.

She just hoped she and Mira could get through this without Rumi.

~~~~~~~

It was odd how much Rumi's absence changed things. Even this couch, which they had sat on multiple times, seemed so much bigger with Zoey and Mira now forced to sit together with Rumi in between them. But Zoey could see it on Yeong's face.

She knew there was dirt here. And she was going to be the one to expose it.

Zoey spared a glance backstage, where she could see Bobby give a smile and thumbs up, but it was half-hearted this time, for obvious reasons. Zoey at least felt a little more at ease that they had managed to convince Rumi to at least let Celine stay with her for a little bit while they did the interview, though Rumi had at least insisted on watching from home, so that she could still see and hear them.

Zoey hadn't seen any problem with that at the time.

She and Mira would come to wish they never even came here by the end.

~~~~~~~

“Understandably, given our history of… combativeness on my program, I was surprised when your manager reached out to schedule the interview.” Yeong said, making Zoey realize she hadn't fully been paying attention.

Mira stepped in quickly, sitting upright and proper today. “Yes, well, your show happens to be the easiest way to quickly reach the largest number of our fans. Who we do love dearly, which is why it pains us to say that we'll be taking a much longer hiatus than planned.” Mira said, managing to appear calm and collected. A disappointed “awwww” echoed through the audience.

“Oh, well, this is quite the surprise. Now, of course, you had announced a small hiatus post Idol Awards, so why the extension? Does it perhaps have to do with your missing leader?” Yeong asked, sipping from her coffee mug to hide her cocky grin.

Zoey stiffened, and put on a smile that was so obviously forced. “Unfortunately, personal matters have come up in our lives, and we ask for respect in our privacy at this time. However, we do have some exciting news to go along with this sad news! A reunion tour of our parent idol group, The Sunlight-”

“Does it have anything to do with the footage leaked online the other day?” Yeong asked, cutting Zoey off.

The cold that washed over the entire showroom could have frozen even Gwi-Ma's flame. Zoey, eyes wide, looked back stage to Bobby, who was also just as surprised, talking in panic hushed tones to producers, who just waved him off dismissively.

“I-I'm not sure I understand what-” Mira began, but Yeong quickly cut her off.

“The CCTV footage? The very footage that seems to show your very own Rumi?” Yeong didn't even hide her smirk this time.

Zoey could hear her heart pounding in her ears as Mira's nails actually dug into the fabric of the couch. Zoey wasn't even sure she was breathing properly as she started speaking. “Nonononono-”

“Now, we do have a still prepared-”

“-nonononono-”

“-in order to spare our audience from the worst-”

“-nonononononono-”

“-but it is still very distressing-”

“-nonoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo-”

“-so we advise all audience members here-”

“-NoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo-”

“-and audience at home-”

“-NoNoNoNoNONONONO-”

“-to proceed with extreme discretion.”

“-NONONONONONONONONONONO!!!!”

Zoey was screaming by the time the picture came on screen, a gasp of horror rolling through the audience. It showed Rumi, being assaulted, right before her shirt got torn open by one of the men. Mira completely froze, shaking next to Zoey. Bobby was heard screaming at the producers yelling at the producers from backstage, telling them to get the image down, and that they were absolutely going to be hearing from their legal team.

And Yeong? Yeong just smirked at the members of Huntr/x across from her. She had won.

And Zoey saw red.

Fuck her image.

Fuck the honmoon.

Fuck “losing” to this harpy bitch.

Fuck. All. Of. This.

Zoey stood, kicking the small coffee table out of the way, slamming her hands on Yeong's desk in a display even the experienced talk show host didn't expect. And Zoey switched to her full American accent.

[“YOU FUCKING HARPY BITCH!! HOW FUCKING DARE YOU EXPLOIT RUMI IN THIS WAY!! YOU ABSOLUTE PIECE OF SHIT, YOU TAKE THAT FUCKING SHIT OFF YOUR SCREEN RIGHT NOW, YOU HEAR ME?! YOUR ASS IS SO FUCKING DEAD!! YOU'RE LUCKY I DON'T KICK YOUR FUCKING ASS RIGHT NOW!!”] Zoey screamed louder than she'd ever screamed before.

Yeong nervously cleared her throat. “Now, there's no need to overreact-”

[“OVERREACT?! OVERREACT?! I'LL FUCKING SHOW YOU OVERREACT!!”] Zoey screamed louder, going over to the coffee table she had kicked out of the way before and picked it up over her head, hurling it at the LED screen. The point the table made contact exploded outwards in sparks and glass, Yeong covering her head. The image on the screen flickered before cutting to black.

Zoey panted hard, glaring over at Yeong and starting to storm back over when she felt Mira grab her wrist. She spun around, teeth grit, and screamed in Mira's face. [“WHAT?!?!”]

“Rumi.” Mira only said one word, but it instantly made Zoey stumble back. Rumi had been watching from home. Rumi had seen the worst moment of her life get exposed to practically all of Korea. Zoey gave one last glare to Yeong.

“This isn't over.” Zoey growled out, before rushing off stage with Mira.

~~~~~~~

As soon as the elevator door opened, Zoey and Mira barreled towards the living room. Rumi was curled in the corner, rocking and holding her head and hyperventilating. Celine was standing a fair distance away, one arm wrapped around her stomach as she chewed the nail of her thumb on the other. She looked over at Mira and Zoey, helplessness on her face.

“I-I tried to help but she… sh-she won't let me near her a-and… and-” Mira gently put a hand up to stop Celine.

“Go. We need you and Bobby on clean-up for this shit storm. We'll do what we can here.” Mira said, quickly kneeling next to Rumi.

Rumi practically launched herself into Mira's arms, burying her face in Mira's chest as she sobbed. “Th-They know, M-Mira! Th-They a-all know! Th-They kn-know a-and I-I didn't get to ch-ch-choose!!” Rumi cried out while sobbing, Mira rubbing her back softly to try and comfort her.

Zoey took a step forward to join Mira in comforting her, but Rumi pressed into Mira more.

“No! N-No, stay away! I-It's y-your fault! Y-You suggested h-her show! I-It's your fault!” Rumi yelled at Zoey, sobbing into Mira harder.

Zoey teared up, knees going weak. “R-Rumi, I-I didn't know-”

“No! N-No, i-it's your fault! Th-They all know a-and it's your fault! I-It's your fault!” Rumi sobbed even harder.

Zoey managed only a few steps back before falling to her knees. Slowly, Zoey began crying, burying her head in her hands. Because Rumi was right.

This was all her fault.

Chapter Text

As it turned out, arresting the three men was easy. They hadn't hid their faces in the now-public footage, and with the DNA evidence as well, arrests were made easily.

Unfortunately, they seemed to want to get one last laugh in. While they were being arrested, cameras were everywhere. Every news station wanted to be the first to show the arrest of the men who had assaulted Rumi. Mira should have turned off the TV when one of them smiled into the crowd of cameras while reporters were badgering them with questions, chief among them being “Do you regret what you did?”

“Why would we regret it? We got to be with Rumi.” The man said all too confidently.

Mira didn't let Rumi watch TV after that. It would be pretty hard regardless of what Mira said anyways, what with the remote lodged in the screen.

~~~~~~~

Rumi always wanted Mira nearby since Yeong's show, a request Mira was happy to oblige. One thing she learned rapidly was that just because Rumi wanted her close did not mean it was okay to touch her. She never just grabbed Rumi anyways, but even the gentle touches Mira would sometimes do would make Rumi flinch away and softly shake her head. So Mira really made sure that she would ask, at any given moment, if Rumi was okay with soft touches.

She didn't need permission sometimes. Sometimes Rumi would be sitting near her on the couch, and reach out to Mira, taking her hand, or just grabbing onto the closest part she could. Sometimes she'd just grab Mira's arm or leg, but a few times now, she had woven her fingers into Mira's hair, as if feeling all the individual strands made her calmer. Mira never complained, except when Rumi would squeeze hard, accidentally yanking on Mira's hair. Even then, complain seemed to be too strong a word. She would just gently try to coax Rumi into letting her hair go, grabbing a nearby pillow or something for Rumi to squeeze during those moments.

Rumi still wasn't letting Zoey get near her though, even a whole week later. Mira hated seeing how hurt Zoey looked in those moments. Obviously, she wasn't blaming Rumi for feeling bad. It just didn't seem fair to blame Zoey for what Yeong did.

Zoey occupied herself in other ways. For instance, the drones some assholes would send up to try and get footage of Rumi. Zoey would quickly slip into their blindspots, throwing a shin-kal at them to slice them apart, letting the weapon dissipate back into the honmoon afterwards so that no one would really know what happened to the drone.

Mira's head turned slightly as she heard slight padding in the kitchen, seeing Zoey trying to quietly get to the fridge, probably for a drink or something. Zoey had slippers on, trying not to draw too much attention to herself. It didn't work too well, because Rumi pressed herself into Mira to be further from Zoey. Zoey looked over, eyes red and puffy, sniffling softly as she turned back to the fridge, grabbing a water bottle.

“U-Um… d-do you w-want any-” Zoey tried asking, but Rumi cut her off.

“Don't.” Rumi said. Her voice was soft, but it carried an intense weight. Zoey stiffened and gave a soft nod, grabbing a water bottle and starting to head back to her room. She slightly paused, looking over at Rumi with a quivering lip.

“I'm sorry…” Zoey whispered out, before heading to her room and closing the door. Mira could just make out the muffled sounds of Zoey crying from the other side.

~~~~~~~

Eventually, Rumi had requested to go to her room, and Mira had obliged. They were on Rumi's bed, Mira laying beside Rumi, not touching her, but leaving her hand facing upwards in a position that Rumi could grab it. They lay in silence for about an hour before Mira spoke up.

“...You know it's not Zoey's fault, right?” Mira spoke softly, but Rumi stiffened regardless. “She loves you, Rumi. She… she never wanted to cause you pain.”

“... I know…” Rumi whispered out, looking away from Mira and sniffling. “I know, Mira.”

“Then why-”

“B-Because every time I see her, I-I see that moment. My pain…” Rumi swallowed hard, breath shuddering. “M-My pain, br-broadcast like a g-goddamn spectacle.” Mira didn't need to see Rumi's face to know the tears were coming fast.

“... Can I take your hand?” Mira softly asked, getting a small nod from Rumi. Mira gently interlocked her fingers with Rumi, squeezing softly. “Rumi, Zoey never would have picked that show if she knew what Yeong was going to do. We… we expected hard questions to dodge around, maybe a photo of you leaving the hospital. We didn't expect…” Mira took a shuddering breath. “How… How could we?”

Rumi and Mira stayed like that for a while, Rumi not outright crying, but letting the tears flow regardless.

A few minutes later, she finally spoke. “I… I wanna see her. A-And… I-I want to apologize to her… a-alone please.” Rumi whispered to Mira.

Mira gently sat up. “Yeah? Okay. I'll, um, I'll just go get her, okay?” She didn't take her hand out of Rumi's grip until she got a nod, leaving the door open a crack as she moved to Zoey's room, gently knocking on the door.

Zoey answered the door, sniffling and wiping her face, eyes still red and puffy from her most recent crying session. “Y-Yeah?” Her voice cracked slightly.

“It's… It's Rumi. She… she wants to talk to you, one on one. She… said she wants to apologize.” Mira said, trying to keep her voice steady.

Zoey frowned. “She… sh-she doesn't have anything to apologize for.”

“I-I know that. But… regardless, she still wants to talk with you. Do… do you think…?”

“Do you really need to ask? Of course I can. It's… It's for Rumi. Of course I can.” Zoey wiped the last of the tears off her face and took a deep, shaking breath, and headed to Rumi's room, gently knocking before entering.

Mira put her back against the wall, letting herself slide into a sitting position, letting out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding back. She tilted her head back against the wall, praying Rumi would let Zoey back in.

Mira didn't know if she could keep things from falling apart if things stayed broken like this.

Chapter Text

The first thing Zoey noticed was something she had noticed ever since Rumi got home. The air always seemed heavier in whatever room Rumi occupied, as if the weight of what had happened literally made the air thicker.

The second thing she noticed was Rumi herself.

With how fast she always needed to slip past Rumi the past week, she hadn't been able to really get a good look at Rumi. Her hair was completely unkempt, and she was wearing baggy clothing. Her large pants and slippers covered her lower half, while a large hoodie extended over her hands, just her fingers poking out. Zoey had seen Rumi pull the hood over her head, though right now, the hood was left down.

Rumi was sitting on the edge of the bed, knees to her chest as she looked at the glass door leading to the balcony.

Zoey carefully stepped towards Rumi, clearing her throat to announce her presence. “Can… Can I sit with you?” Zoey asked, her voice cracking more than she wanted it to.

Rumi just softly nodded.

Zoey very carefully sat down beside Rumi, not daring to reach out just in case she ruined this and made Rumi push her away again.

Zoey opened her mouth first. “Rumi, I-I'm so-”

“I'm sorry…” Rumi whispered out.

Zoey's eyes went wide. “N-No. No, don't… don't apologize. You have nothing to apologize for.”

Rumi shook her head. “I-I yelled at you. P-Pushed you away f-for what s-someone else did.” Rumi sniffled, hugging her knees tighter as tears rolled down her cheeks.

“No, Rumi. No. I-I did mess up. I-I messed up so bad.” Zoey's lip trembled as her own tears started to run down her cheeks.

Rumi took shuddering breaths in. “Y-You didn't kn-know she'd do that, th-though.” Rumi whimpered softly.

“But… But my outburst… I-It might h-have made things harder…”

“Y-You were d-defending me.” Rumi said, managing to finally turn her head towards Zoey, but Zoey looked down.

“I… I talked to Bobby, wh-while you w-were spending time with M-Mira…” Zoey sniffled, wrapping her arms around her stomach to hug herself. “B-Because of m-my outburst, th-the legal t-team doesn't think w-we can say it's a d-deepfake without… without p-people calling that into question.” She managed to admit, choking back a sob.

Rumi closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “That… That's still on that vulture wh-who thought it was o-okay to show m-me like that o-on national TV. N-Not you. N-Never you.” Rumi carefully reached out, fingers gently brushing one of Zoey's hands to indicate she wanted to hold one, something Zoey did without needing any more indication than that. “Zoey… I love you a-and Mira s-so, so m-much. I…” A small sob escaped Rumi's lips. “I-I d-don't want t-to lose y-you, o-or m-make you f-feel like y-you're h-hurting m-me when you're n-not…” Rumi's voice cracked as more and more tears rolled down her cheeks, small sobs escaping from her mouth.

Zoey let her own sobs out. “N-Never. Y-You're never losing us, Rumi. We love y-you so much. I-It's why it h-hurts to see you like this, s-so much. B-But you'll never lose us. I pr-promise.” Zoey gently squeezed her hand.

Rumi sniffled and let herself fall on Zoey, burying her face in Zoey's neck as she cried softly. Zoey whispered if she could hold Rumi, and Rumi gently nodded. Zoey was careful as she put her arms around Rumi, being sure that her grip wasn't tight so Rumi could leave at any moment.

After a bit, Rumi sniffled. “I-I probably smell, d-don't I?”

Zoey shook her head. “No. No, not really. Why?” Her breath still shuddered, but she had composed herself.

“I… I can't do it. Sh-Shower, I mean.” Rumi sniffled. “Can't… Can't even take off these clothes. H-Haven't… Haven't changed s-since I got h-home.”

Zoey didn't need to ask why. She had a feeling she knew the answer. She could imagine what Rumi might feel, trying to take off her clothes. Instead, she very gently ran a hand up and down Rumi's back. “That's okay. You take all the time you need to feel comfortable enough to do that, okay?” She got a small nod from Rumi in return.

~~~~~~~

They stayed like that for about two hours before Rumi spoke up again.

“The door’s locked.” Rumi said so quietly, Zoey had to take a second to realize it wasn't in her head.

“What door, RuRu?” Zoey asked softly.

“The… The balcony door. I had… I had just wanted to have some fresh air while we talked but… I-I couldn't open the door, a-and I couldn't get it unlocked.” Rumi said.

“O-Oh. Um… W-We locked all the other balcony doors, so Mira probably locked yours too.” Zoey said, still gently rubbing Rumi's back

“Why?”

“Well… there have been some drones trying to… well, to get pictures or videos of you.” Zoey admitted.

Rumi looked down. “They… won't give me privacy, will they?”

“Most are, honey. Just… some people… they really suck, you know?” Zoey continued gently rubbing Rumi's back.

“... Are… the drones the only reason?”

“I… I don't really know what-”

“Do… you think I'm… a danger to myself?” It was the bluntness in Rumi's voice that made Zoey pause, even the rubbing stopping for a moment.

“I… We…” Zoey sighed heavily, before starting to rub again. “M-Maybe. I-I don't know. I… I hope we're being paranoid but… we haven't seen you so hurt before. We… We're doing the best we can, but we hope we're overreacting.” Zoey admitted fully.

Rumi buries herself more into Zoey. “I… I hope I'm… I'm not gonna hurt myself.”

Zoey rubbed Rumi's back in silence for a bit, before gently kissing the top of Rumi's head.

“I hope so too, RuRu.”

Chapter Text

--18 days since assault--

It had taken a few days since her talk with Zoey, but eventually, Rumi at least started changing hoodies. There were a few rules that Mira and Zoey learned, even without Rumi saying them.

1: Rumi always had to be in her room, with the door closed while changing, though she agreed to leave it unlocked in case something happened.

2: All mirrors needed to be covered. This was just something Mira and Zoey had started doing anyway, since Rumi always seemed to start getting more distressed when seeing herself.

3: On the occasion that Zoey and/or Mira were in the room to begin with, they would either need to turn away until Rumi said they could look, or leave the room entirely, depending on how much she could handle them being nearby.

Rumi honestly felt like it was barely anything, but Mira and Zoey were so proud of her for taking this step, Mira had made her favourite noodles that night. Rumi's heart had clenched at the sight, feeling that maybe, just maybe, things would be okay one day.

So, they arrived here, Mira once more cooking lunch for the three - Zoey was not allowed in the kitchen unsupervised after her last attempt at making a meal alone 3 years ago - while Zoey sat near Rumi on the couch, showing her videos on her phone that thankfully had nothing to do with her assault. Rumi was thankful for the reprieve. Just a moment with her girlfriends, not worrying about anything for just the smallest of moments.

Eventually, Zoey had to use the bathroom, so quietly excused herself and got up, promising Rumi she'd be back right away.

Rumi decided to take out her own phone then, and try to lift her own spirits. Mira and Zoey had been saying there was a lot of support for Rumi online, and she really wanted to see that. Maybe, just maybe, she would feel better if she knew how much people actually cared.

It started off fine at first. Posts voicing support for Rumi, hoping the men got the maximum prison time, calling out The Hyong Yeong Show for putting up a still from the footage just for more views, those sorts of things.

Now, Rumi's English was nowhere near as good as Zoey's, but Zoey had grown up in America, so that wasn't a fair comparison.

So when she saw a video from some American YouTuber, with long brown hair, a short-ish beard, and a white t-shirt with holes in it (maybe it was just fashionable in America?) with the title "Deconstructing The Footage” she just thought it might be a bit of a hard watch, but one in support of her.

God, was she ever wrong.

~~~~~~~

Mira didn't hear anything right away due to the sizzling of the pan and Rumi having the volume on her phone low. But Rumi could guess Zoey figured it out as soon as she got back from the bathroom, because she practically dove over the back of the couch to kneel beside Rumi. She opened her mouth, likely to ask Rumi what was wrong as Rumi rocked on the couch, hands over her mouth as she hyperventilated, when she saw the phone by Rumi's feet.

The YouTuber had a frame from the footage. And not from before the actual assault like Yeong at least had the courtesy to do, but during it, only having just enough censoring going on to not get the video taken down automatically, with his cursor pointing out certain points in the still.

[“I mean, you can see it clearly in the way her leg is here and where her hand is going here. I'm telling you guys, no matter what her PR team is saying, she absolutely wanted it.”] The man said.

Zoey's eyes went wide, trying to grab Rumi's arms, but Rumi pulled away, a sound between a gag and a scream escaping her mouth.

“M-MIRA! MIRA COME HERE NOW!” Zoey screamed into the kitchen, quickly tossing the phone onto the couch.

Rumi could hear Mira rush from the kitchen. With only one glance at the phone, she grit her teeth and threw it at the wall hard enough to shatter the device, quickly kneeling down on Rumi's other side.

“Rumi? Rumi, talk to me baby. Talk to me.” Mira's voice was filled with panic as Rumi's hands flew to grab her own hair, pulling on it as she choked out sob after sob.

“I didn't want it I didn't want it I didn't want it I didn't want it I didn't want it” Rumi kept repeating those four words over and over like a mantra as more and more sobs escaped out of her, her rocking getting more and more intense as she tried to somehow get some comfort out of the action.

“We know. We know. We know you didn't want it, RuRu. We know.” Zoey sounded on the verge of crying herself.

“We're here baby. We're here. Just… just let us reach you. Just listen to our voices, okay?” Mira said, sounding only marginally more composed than Zoey. “Breathe for me, okay? In. Two. Three. Out. Two. Three. Can you try that? In. Two. Three. Out. Two. Three.”

Rumi squeezed her eyes shut, trying to focus on Mira's instructions. Slowly, she breathed in as deep as she could manage and tried to hold it, her entire body shaking as she did. And then, slowly, she let the air out through her mouth.

“That's it, RuRu. Just like that. Just focus on our voices and keep breathing, okay?” Zoey said encouragingly.

Rumi softly nodded, repeating the breathing process again. And again. And again. And again. She lost track of how long she did it, but eventually, the breathing, combined with Mira and Zoey constantly giving her soft words of encouragement, she got to a place where her hands weren't clenching her hair as badly, and her rocking wasn't as bad, and she managed to open her eyes, seeing her girlfriends once more. She sniffled, mouthing a soft “thank you” to them.

Zoey gently smiled back. “Anytime. You're doing really good, Rumi.”

Rumi would realize not long after that, obviously, it had been meant as encouragement.

Obviously, Zoey hadn't been trying to hurt her.

Obviously.

Because Zoey couldn't have known.

Couldn't have known that “You're doing really good, Rumi” was what one of her attackers said that night.

--Skip starts here--
----
----
----
----

”You're doing really good, Rumi”

Rumi started breathing quickly again as she saw his face flash through her mind. Mira opened her mouth to say something, likely to calm her down.

”Knew an idol like you would feel good.”

Rumi's hands clenched harder than they had before, a few strands of her hair getting pulled out as she tugged on it, one of the other two men appearing in her face, his movement up and down making it obvious what he was doing, even without her being able to feel it. Zoey tried to say something next to help her.

”With how easy this is, you must be taking a lot. You're getting freaky with those other idol bitches, aren't you?”

The third one was there now too, and Rumi was shaking so hard, she could swear her teeth were about to fall out. Mira and Zoey kept trying to reach her, not having any idea the damage they were causing just by opening their mouths.

”Heard rumours you're a dyke. Bet you aren't after taking this.”

”Wish I had my phone on me. The whole world should see what a slut you are.”

”You know, you crying actually just makes this hotter.”

”Bet you couldn't wait for something like this, wearing those revealing outfits on stage.”

----
----
----
----
--Skip to here--

“STOP IT!” Rumi screamed, putting her hands over her ears and quickly managing to get up, practically tripping over Zoey and Mira as she rushed to her only safe space right now. Her own room.

As soon as she entered she threw the door closed with such force the resulting sound rattled her teeth.

And then she fell to her knees.

And she wailed into her hands.

Chapter Text

Mira and Zoey had been kneeling near Rumi's door for a long time now. It had been hours since Rumi had seen that video and had what Mira could only really describe as a panic attack. Mira wasn't sure if she should describe it that way. But then, maybe she was just scared that if she described it as a panic attack, it would mean admitting that Rumi's small step forward had been counteracted by her tumbling even further back down the mountain.

Rumi had finally stopped crying, but Mira wasn't sure if it was good or bad without being able to see her. Mira wanted to just throw open the door and scoop Rumi up in her arms, but after seeing how Rumi had been set off seemingly by something they said. Mira just wished she knew what.

“RuRu?” Zoey asked softly from beside Mira. “You… You there?” The silence that followed was too long for Mira's liking, but thankfully, it was broken.

“I… don't feel like I am… B-But I guess…” Rumi's voice was so soft through the door, but it was heavily muffled.

“Can… Can we open the door? Even just a crack. Just to see you.” Zoey asked, but Mira could see she was practically begging. Rumi's response came faster this time.

“No.”

Mira swallowed a lump in her throat. “O-Okay, baby. Okay. Th-That's… That's fine.” It wasn't fine. Not when Rumi had looked so hurt and distressed. Not when Rumi could be hurting herself in there. Not when Rumi could be trying to… to… Mira closed her eyes, heart pounding in her ears as she softly put her forehead on the door.

There was a soft thump, and the door shook just the tiniest amount.

“R-RuRu? E-Everything okay?” Zoey asked worriedly.

“Just… J-Just sitting against the door.” Rumi sniffled from the other side of the door.

Mira's jaw clenched as tears threatened to spill out even from her closed eyes. Maybe Rumi just wanted to be closer so the three could hear each other easier. But given the door opened inwards, Rumi sitting there literally meant they couldn't open the door. Not without having to push Rumi out of the way and possibly hurt her.

“Rumi… What… What happened back there?” Mira softly asked, voice cracking more than she liked. She couldn't cry. Not now. Not when Rumi and Zoey cried enough for the three of them. Mira needed to be the strong one here. The composed one. A rock for Rumi to cling to in this storm.

There was another stretch of heavy silence. Mora almost asked her question again when Rumi finally responded again.

“Wh-When Zoey… Wh-When she… Th-The “g-good job” thing… I-It… O-One of them said… E-Exact same… I-I… I-I c-can't… I…” Rumi's thoughts were clearly whirling about in her head, making it hard to formulate her words properly, but it was clear now what had set her off initially, and Mira could hear her breathing pick up. One of Zoey's hands went to her mouth while the other rested on the door, tears flowing from her eyes as she sobbed softly.

“R-Rumi… I-I'm so… I-I didn't… I-I didn't mean… I-I would never h-h-have said it i-if I knew.” Zoey choked out between sobs.

“I… I know. B-But i-it's so… s-so much. T-Too much.” Rumi was crying herself now.

Mira didn't like what Rumi was saying at all.

“R-Rumi. R-Rumi, open the door.” Mira was sure her panic was clear to the other two, but she didn't care at the moment.

“I-I j-just don't know h-how m-much I c-can take.” Rumi didn't seem to be listening to Mira.

“R-Rumi, please. Pl-Please, open the door. W-We w-won't come in, I-I just n-need to see y-you're okay.” Mira puts her hands on the door.

“I-I c-can't f-fucking t-take th-this. I-It's all s-so m-much.” More and more sobs left Rumi's mouth.

“R-Rumi! Rumi, pl-please, open the door! I-I d-don't… I d-don't want to n-need to force it, pl-please!” Mira was softly banging a fist on the door at this point.

“I… I c-can't… f-fuck i-it's… I c-c-can't… I.. I d-don't w-want t-t-to f-f-feel like th-this a-anynore… I-I don't… I c-can't… I-I… I-I…”

“Rumi! Rumi o-open the door! Rumi! Y-You're scaring me, Rumi!!!” Tears fell down Mira's face as sobs finally broke free from her chest for the first time since the hospital.

“I-I c-can't… I-I… I-I c-can't…”

“RUMI PL-PLEASE, I CAN'T LOSE YOU!” Mira's throat hurt. She'd probably just screamed, but she couldn't hear much over the pounding in her ears. Zoey was crying with her hands over her mouth. Mira balled her hands into fists and hunched over, sobbing, tears falling straight down to the floor.

The silence that came from Rumi's room lasted far, far, far too long. If Mira could compose herself, she would have kicked in the door, even if Rumi would hate her for it.

Thankfully, she didn't need to.

Slowly, Rumi's door creaked open.

True to their word, Zoey and Mira held back from launching into the room, scared of causing Rumi to panic.

Rumi was doing so bad.

Her patterns were pulsing with colour so intensely, they could be seen even through Rumi's clothes. Her left eye was yellow, with a slit pupil. And both her hands were purple, her fingers ending in claws instead of nails.

There were small cuts on her cheek from where she had cut herself with her claws, though Mira couldn't know if it was intentional or not. Rumi's lip quivered as she looked up at them.

“I-I'm… I'm sc-scared… o-of m-myself…” Rumi whimpered out.

And Mira sobbed harder.

Because she had failed to be Rumi's rock.

Chapter Text

--24 days since assault--

The next few days were a whirlwind of activity for Zoey and Mira. After Rumi hurt herself - something they found out was unintentional when Rumi's claws came out - they knew they couldn't just let Rumi set the rules anymore. She'd set the pace still, and they wouldn't push too hard, but there were a few rules that were set up.

1: Rumi's door could only ever close to a crack at most, but most of the time it was to be left open.

2: Either Zoey or Mira had to be with Rumi at all times, either in the room with her, or just outside her room.

2: If Rumi's door was closed to just a crack with Zoey and Mira outside for whatever reason, Zoey and Mira would check in every few seconds to get verbal confirmation Rumi was okay.

4: If Rumi didn't respond in time, Mira or Zoey - whoever was watching over her at the time - would enter, but they would keep their eyes averted just in case Rumi's hoodie was off. So far, they hadn't needed to actually act on this rule, thank god.

5: Since Rumi could need one of them at any time, even in the middle of the night, Mira and Zoey would have to rely on naps in between shifts for their sleep. This was obviously more of a rule for themselves instead of Rumi.

6: Rumi's internet access was now heavily restricted to keep her from stumbling on another video like that. Either she would only watch videos Mira or Zoey had approved of beforehand, or - if she was willing to sit with them - Mira and Zoey would sit with her and help choose the next video to watch.

Zoey was scared though. Scared Rumi would hate them for having such intense rules, but after seeing those self inflicted wounds on Rumi's face - unintentional or not didn't really matter when thinking about how horrifying it was to realize Rumi had hurt herself - Zoey would not risk Rumi's safety.

The first thing they did was lock up the drawers in the kitchen, making sure all the knives were tucked away inside. The only way to access the drawers now was with the key to the special locks Zoey had Bobby drop off at the front desk and then had sent up the elevator. Even though she had told Rumi ahead of time the elevator would be opening, Zoey had still seen Rumi jump at the sound. She wasn't looking forward to doing groceries once they ran low.

The second thing they did was go through Rumi's room and take anything that could be used to hurt herself, plus her laptop so she couldn't secretly access the internet. Zoey and Mira also locked all their devices with new codes Rumi hopefully couldn't guess, though they still didn't have a TV thanks to Mira lodging the remote in it back when the men were arrested, so no lock was necessary there.

Zoey hated how much Rumi seemed to deflate with each thing they did. She hoped Rumi would understand how necessary this all was one day.

The final thing was to get gloves for Rumi and beg her to wear them.

Ever since that day, Rumi's patterns had kept pulsing - though not able to be seen through her clothes anymore - her left eye had remained demonic, and her hands stayed purple and clawed. Zoey and Mira were not letting her have those out in case she decided to, well, intentionally use them on herself.

It took a lot of begging, but eventually, Rumi relented.

In secret, Zoey and Mira also made sure all the balconies were locked tight, and that anywhere Rumi could be photographed by a passing drone was covered.

Zoey just hoped everything would be enough.

~~~~~~~

Zoey sat with Rumi on the couch, watching a documentary about a baby sea turtle that had been born with a bad flipper, and yet surprised the scientists by surviving longer than expected thanks to downright miraculous circumstances. It was Zoey's favourite documentary to watch when feeling sad.

Rumi had been curled up, resting her head on Zoey's shoulder with her arms wrapped around Zoey's. It was the most contact Rumi had made with either of them since this whole thing had begun, so Zoey hoped it was a good sign.

“Zoey?” Rumi asked softly.

“Yeah, sweetie?” Zoey made sure her voice was soft and gentle.

“That little turtle. They… said he was too broken to live.” Rumi's tears were already soaking into Zoey's sleeve.

Zoey's throat tightened a little. “Y-Yeah, baby. Yeah they did.”

“But… B-But he survived anyway.”

“Yeah. Y-Yeah, he did.”

“C-Can… C-Can I-I be like him?” Rumi sniffled. “C-C-Can I survive… d-despite being broken?”

“Do… Do you want to?” Zoey hoped beyond hope for one very specific answer.

“... I-I… I-I think I do. I-I… I-I… I-I think I do…” Rumi sniffled more.

Zoey softly nodded. “Then… Then Mira and I will help you, baby. W-We'll be right here, o-okay?”

“... Will… Will you ever trust me… t-to be on my own again?” Rumi asked, voice cracking.

Zoey sniffled, vision getting bleary. “I-I want to, Rumi. I really… I-I really want to. Because I love you. A-And I hate having to… t-to hurt you to protect you.”

Rumi was silent for a bit. “Can… C-Can I sleep like this?”

“Of course, baby.” Zoey sniffled.

Rumi softly closed her eyes. “I'll… think of you two… in my dreams. T-To protect me.” Rumi softly said, drifting to sleep after a while.

And Zoey held in her sobs, so Rumi could sleep.

And she prayed that the world would be kind to Rumi, despite all the evidence that it seemed to hate her.

Chapter Text

--26 days since assault--

Mira probably didn't need to do it. Didn't need to subject herself to scrolling through videos on her phone, actively looking for videos she'd report to the legal team. Shit, Bobby had told her not to. To let the actual legal and media team handle it.

Mira wasn't going to sit back after that video had set Rumi off though. She was careful though, only doing it when Zoey was looking out for Rumi, and if she wasn't too close to Rumi, in case the audio itself was something that could set Rumi off.

So, it was while scrolling through TikTok that she found the first one.

As it turns out, the men who'd hurt her girlfriend were considered “attractive” by some online. Mira couldn't see it, personally, even if she ignored what they'd done (which was nearly impossible anyways). Which meant that certain small pockets were actively thirsting over sexual assaulters.

Mira had known, deep down, that it would only be a matter of time before she found the first thirst trap edit.

It was footage of the arrest - specifically of that one who had looked into the cameras and proclaimed they didn't feel any guilt for what they did - with that sparkly filter that was common to these kinds of edits, hearts around his face, some generic K-Drama love song, and the caption “When evil looks so damn good 😈💘💖”

What made Mira especially sick to her stomach was the comments.

”Rummi is soooo lucky though”

“If Rummi's going to cry about it, I can take her place next time”

“I'd let them have their way with me any day of the week”

“Huntr/x are such whiny bitches for wanting to put these fine specimens away”

Mira had to swallow down the bile rising in her throat and quickly sent the video to the legal team. No message needed. Not when her side of the conversation was dozens upon dozens of other videos to be taken down. Mira was thankful how effective the team was.

None of the previous links lead to anything but YouTube pages for deleted videos and similar things on other websites.

Mira knew she couldn't let anything remain after all. Not if she ever wanted to give Rumi some form of freedom again.

~~~~~~~

--27 days since assault--

“I just… I can't wrap my head around it.” Mira whispered to Zoey. The three of them were on the couch, Rumi having asked for both of them today. Zoey and Mira had worked together, putting together a playlist of cute videos for Rumi to watch, which was currently playing on the laptop on the table. Rumi was curled up into Mira, completely passed out, head on Mira's chest. Mira had an arm around Rumi, gently rubbing her back.

“What? Those… those thirst trap videos you found?” Zoey whispered back.

Mira nodded. “They… they want those men, Zo. Despite what they've done.”

Zoey shook her head. “Don't, Mira. Don't… Don't try and understand people. There's no point.”

“I just… I don't want Rumi to see what people are saying about the men who did that to her.”

“But most aren't.” Zoey pointed out. “And we should feel lucky about that fact. And not torture ourselves by actively looking for the ones who would hurt Rumi.” Mira didn't have to read between any lines there to know Zoey was calling out her habit.

“I… I just… need to make things safe for Rumi. Even the internet.” Mira mumbled and looked away from Zoey.

“Then you'll never be done Mira. It's the internet. Once… Once something is there once, it's there forever. And people have probably realized what the legal team is doing. Those who like what's online will just download it before it's taken down. Bobby said the CCTV footage keeps popping up, no matter how many times it gets taken down.”

“Did they ever find out how it leaked?”

“One of the officers. Her boyfriend broke up with her before all this because she's “not as pretty as Rumi.”” Zoey sighed.

Mira's jaw clenched, though she kept gently rubbing the back of the sleeping Rumi. “So… She released the footage of Rumi's assault… because her ex-boyfriend was a shitty guy?”

“That's why I said we shouldn't try to understand people. Except Rumi, of course. We need to try understanding her so we can help her. But other people just... people just suck sometimes.”

Mira sighed. “So, what's being done?”

“Bobby says the officer got suspended, but he and the legal team are looking at actual legal action. Same with The Hyong Yeong Show.”

“Heard that harpy had to cut the season short.” Mira noted.

Zoey nodded. “Apparently, like, 90% of the people she had lined up to come on cancelled, and no one else would accept coming on. Her show might even be completely cancelled.”

“Good. Rumi… Rumi deserves to have some justice right now.” Mira sighed and looked at Rumi, who managed to sleep peacefully despite everything.

~~~~~~~

--30 days since assault--

Mira should have been more careful.

She thought she had been. Thought Rumi was safely away from her, in her room watching turtle videos with Zoey (Zoey loved showing off all the cute turtle videos she'd collected over the years, and it helped calm Rumi, so it was a win win). Thought she would be fine checking for more videos in the kitchen.

She didn't realize Rumi had come in behind her.

Zoey would later explain that Rumi wanted something to drink, but also wanted to grab it herself, even if Zoey followed her just to make sure she didn't try to break the locks on the drawers.

Mira didn't know any of that. She hadn't even heard Rumi enter. Rumi had started moving around so silently, as if something - or someone - would pounce on her if she made too much noise. But Mira still hadn't considered Rumi could just appear behind her like a ghost with how quiet she was moving.

She definitely heard the sound Rumi made after seeing another one of those thirst traps over Mira's shoulder - something between a gasp and a sob. She heard the fridge shake as Rumi's back hit the fridge. Mira spun around while shutting off her phone, eyes wide in horror as Rumi slid into a sitting position with her knees up, hands over her mouth as tears ran down her face.

Mira dropped to her knees instantly, her own tears welling up. “O-Oh god, Rumi. Rumi, I-I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. God. Y-You weren't supposed to see that. You weren't-”

“Wh-Why… Why were you watching that?” Rumi's voice was so tiny, and Mira realized why immediately. Rumi didn't know what Mira had been doing, so her mind had likely jumped to the worst possible conclusion.

Rumi thought Mira was watching those videos because she agreed with what was being said.

“I…” Mira took a deep breath. “I've… been purposely looking for videos like that. To send to the legal team. So… So that they're taken down. I promise, Rumi, I-I don't like those videos. Fuck, they… they almost hurt to watch sometimes.”

Rumi's breath caught for a moment. “Y-You're… looking for videos th-that hurt you… f-for my sake?”

Mira nodded, slowly reaching her right hand out, letting Rumi clearly see it and pull away if she wanted, eventually resting it on Rumi's left cheek and wiping away some of her tears with her thumb. “Rumi… I'd jump into Gwi-Ma's fiery maw if it meant I could prevent this pain you've been feeling.” Mira kept her voice soft.

Rumi's lip quivered and she launched herself forward, wrapping her arms around Mira's neck. “Y-You love me that much? E-Even if I'm… I’m damaged like this?”

“Always, Rumi.” Mira gently whispered, rubbing Rumi's back.

“E-Even if I try to… i-if I… I try… I-I…” Rumi swallowed hard, unable to finish her thought, but she didn't need to. Mira knew.

“We'll never find out, you hear me? Because Zoey and I… we won't let it get that far. Okay?”

Rumi sniffled. “Y-You promise?”

Mira very carefully kissed the top of Rumi's head.

“I promise, Rumi.”

Chapter Text

--44 days since assault--

It had been two weeks since Rumi had seen the thirst trap, and Mira and Zoey were slowly easing up around her. Giving small encouraging words about how well she was doing. Over the two weeks, Rumi still wasn't showering, but - as long as no one looked - she was changing her clothes fully. It just… took a while sometimes, and sometimes left her shaking and sucking in tight breaths through her teeth. But they still pointed out how much progress she was making.

It was a lie.

Because Rumi was good with those.

Sure, she could change clothes, but they didn't know how much worse her pain was inside.

Because Rumi was good at lying.

Because Rumi had hidden being half demon for so many years from them, despite her patterns.

Because there were no physical marks this time to show how badly Rumi was suffering.

~~~~~~~

Rumi didn't know why she did it, honestly. Why she decided to torture herself by looking online.

Getting online was surprisingly easy. Mira was watching over her at the time, and they had been watching videos on her laptop at the kitchen island, when Mira closed the laptop so she could get the dishes done quickly without giving Rumi access to the internet.

The thing was, Mira's password wasn't as secret as she probably hoped. “FuckEveryone2027” wasn't hard to guess, given everything.

Rumi didn't use the mouse, only using the laptop's track pad. To type, she waited until Mira ran the faucet. Rumi also made sure to keep the volume on silent, both so Mira wouldn't notice and to try and lessen how bad it was. Rumi kept glancing at Mira, to make sure she didn't turn around.

It was as bad as she expected, given she purposely sought out the worst videos and other things online. Rumi was shaking and sweating not long into it all, but Mira was still focused on the dishes, so didn't notice Rumi's state.

And then Rumi found it, linked in the comments. A fan fiction said to be inspired by her assault.

But it wasn't inspired by her assault. It was her assault. Her name and the names of those monsters right in plain sight. But it was twisted. Malformed. Warped to be tragically romantic.

Rumi threw up all over the laptop and island.

~~~~~~~

Mira spun around instantly when she heard Rumi throw up, eyes going wide and rushing forward.

“NO!!!” Mira screamed as she pushed the laptop out of the way and pulled Rumi back into her arms, not caring that Rumi threw up again. “No no no!! Why?! Why did you do that?!” Mira was yelling as she pulled Rumi towards the bathroom, tears running down her face.

Zoey rushed out of her room and towards the kitchen, eyes going even wider upon seeing the sight. “Wh-What the fuck is going on?!”

“Sh-She got into my laptop somehow! Just… Just clean up here! I'm gonna get her to the bathroom!” As Mira pulled Rumi to the bathroom, Rumi threw up again.

Mira managed to get Rumi to the toilet before she threw up anymore, holding back Rumi's hair as Rumi threw up all the food she'd eaten so far that day.

“Goddammit, why?! Why did you do that?!” Tears streamed down Mira's face as she yelled at Rumi. It didn't make sense. After she was doing so good, why? Why would Rumi do that to herself?

“I-I… w-wanted to see…” Rumi whimpered out before throwing up again.

“WHY?!” Mira was crying now.

“... It… hurts so much anyways… what's more pain…” Rumi sobbed, dry heaving now, having nothing left to throw up.

Mira's face crumpled, and she fell to her knees beside Rumi, letting out her wails of anguish as she realized that Rumi had been getting worse.

And she had failed to notice.

And now Rumi was slipping from her and Zoey.

And she didn't know anymore if she would be able to catch her before the abyss swallowed her.