Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Rumi knew it was coming. The second those mindless, faceless creatures shimmered away into twisted streams of hot flame and dark light and drew back to offer themselves to the Demon King. A glimpse of Gwi-Ma's true face, unknown to even the first hunters, glared down at her through this wall of unforgiving fire. Sweat ran down Rumi's brow. Her grip tightened on her sword. She braced herself as he inhaled, his whole body rumbling as it filled itself to the brim with not just air, but sadness, fear, hatred, and disgust.

Your voices... he thundered. Cannot. Defeat. Me.

Rumi didn't have time to think. Before her vision drowned in flashes of red, swirls of purple, shocks of pink and pure negative energy that wore her down to her soul, she glimpsed the faces of her friends. Her family. Zoey's eyes, wide and unblinking. Mira swinging her Gok-Do, fighting off two of the Saja Boys. Both of them shouted her name, enveloped by their demonic counterparts.

Her feet slipped against the ground. Rumi tried to resist. To fight. It felt as though her bones were growing heavy. Her eyelids squeezed shut, wishing for the strength to push back. She knew she couldn't. Without Zoey, without Mira, she couldn't resist the untamed strength of Gwi-Ma. Her knees buckled. The Honmoon she called up to form a shield over her blade was still fragile from when it tore apart. The souls of the people ignited around her, powering the last threads of what protected her. Rumi began to scream. She was forced down, down, down...

Gwi-Ma was making her kneel.

This is what she deserved, Rumi thought. She was the cause for all this. It would be fitting for her death to be shaped after her greatest failure yet--distrusting her friends. The heat was becoming unbearable. The bit of the Honmoon that couldn't cling to her any longer finally wore away. Rumi breathed in. Then out. In that moment, she knew she'd have seconds to push against Gwi-Ma's power before succumbing to it.

She will not die giving in. This was what the first hunters gave the world--this shield, this passion that powered it. Rumi will fight to the end.

And yet, the end never came. Above her, Jinu. His arms wide-spread, his back to Gwi-Ma, his body the shield that the Honmoon always was. His predatory amber eyes were gone, replaced with a softer, cinnamon pair that gazed into her own. She stood up and rushed to him, uncaring for the heat that peeled at her scarred skin.

"Jinu," she whispered. "No!"

Though the world devolved into chaos around her, she knew she heard him. His lips twitched up in a weak smile, but there was something in these eyes she just couldn't shake. Something more than hope. Something stronger, more steadfast.

"Rumi," he replied gently.

"No...Jinu." She reached out hesitantly with one hand, two fingers touching his face. "I wanted to set you free."

He grunted in pain. His hanbok began to wither.

"You have," he said despite the burn. "You've given me my soul back."

A tear streamed down Rumi's cheek. His forehead came to hers, and for a fleeting moment, their breathing was one. Her lungs ached for his breath and her fingers loosened around the hilt of her sword, wishing to cup his cheeks with both hands.

"And now," he continued, "I give it to you."

With his remaining strength, Jinu leaned forwards and kissed her. Rumi's cheeks were wet with tears that weren't her own. Jinu smiled in her lips, grateful to be by her side as his chest opened and slipped free his soul, surrounding Rumi like a shield. Then, he was gone. The lingering feeling of his warmth, his skin under her fingertips faded. A rage overtook Rumi, but it was not just hers. It was Jinu's, too. Memories of his mother and sister filled her mind. Their pains. Their suffering. Jinu's hopelessness, disappointment, heartbreak and love. It fueled her limbs with energy. She was going to banish Gwi-Ma from this world, even if temporarily.

Rumi screamed. Jinu's final words echoed in her mind, clear as day. You gave me my soul back, and now I give it to you. Her sword shed its light upon the stage, charged with the enamored fans' souls as they chanted after Zoey and Mira. So many people. So many souls. All of them were in danger, yet they were the ones who gave the hunters power. She slashed the blade through the air, sending radiant energy through the Demon King's form. He shrieked in pain. Jinu's voice spoke in her mind.

I knew my hate could never kill you. Gwi-Ma grinned as she repeated his words.

And nothing ever will kill you, Jinu went on. Rumi's voice and his were one. Whatever he said, she spoke aloud. They were each other's vessel--each other's soul.

"You are a force that preys on the innocent by tricking them and giving them everything they want until they can no longer stop asking," Rumi said. A trace of Jinu's voice echoed behind her own, seemingly coming from the sword itself. "Until they are condemned to your world. You won't win today. You won't control us any longer. Not even them."

Her finger landed on the Saja Boys, who stopped fighting in shock. These nameless faces forced into the Demon King's will could've been Zoey, or Mira, or Bobby. Or her, Rumi thought. She could've easily been one of them. Any of these fans could've been one of them. Desperate souls wanting more, and Gwi-Ma feeding them with temptation only to damn them in the end...

"They have a choice, and so do we."

Gwi-Ma laughed. "Do they? It's over."

Rumi nodded. Zoey and Mira lunged past the Saja Boys to reach her, and together they charged Gwi-Ma, singing verses more pure than they ever had. Her love for them transcended any horrible thought Gwi-Ma tried to slow her down with. Her love for Jinu pumped the blood in her veins, and his love for her shrieked through her mind. Small demons attempted to stop them. To her surprise, the Saja Boys ripped them to shreds. Hatred burned in their eyes. Rumi held Mira's hand. Then Zoey's. And with one final verse, the people sang alongside them, creating a new Honmoon that sent Gwi-Ma away. He roared.

It was over in seconds. Sunlight touched their forms. The Honmoon held them up in the air. Below them, the Saja Boys blinked up, disoriented. Zoey's face lit with a huge, goofy smile. Mira's eyes softened as she looked at both of them. This was her true family. Rumi breathed deeply. She felt his touch again, so slight she barely noticed it. His voice reverberated in her mind.

Thank you Rumi.

Chapter Text

Rumi stared longingly at the quiet streets outside. Giggling, Zoey scrolled through several videos of turtles in tiny, knitted hats while Mira watched lazily by her side, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips. Early morning sunlight fell over her exposed arms, bearing patterns that would shift and writhe like living snakes whenever she'd move them. Despite the cold of September, a warmth surrounded Rumi from all around. The Honmoon pulsed with energy visible only to her eyes and another's.

A ghost of a hand lingered upon her shoulder, squeezing it reassuringly. She occasionally saw Jinu standing by her side, shooting her a smile, or leaving a light-hearted joke before he'd vanish again. Yet he never truly disappeared. Rumi's body would grow soft and loose like silk as he guided her from beyond their world. They shared memories--painful and joyful. Her emotions were his, and his emotions were hers. They dreamt the same dreams. They lived the same lives. They walked together, saw together and felt together.

Some part of Jinu he had never showed her would occasionally come out to play. His hands would lift her face to his, their heartbeats in sync. Then, his lips would play about hers. He was never truly there, of course. Not physically. Zoey would've noticed him. Mira would've punched him. Yet...

Heat would pulse against her bottom lip whenever he'd close the distance between them. Imprints of his hands were left upon her clothes when he'd embrace her. The moistness of his breath would tickle her ears when he'd whisper sweet things to her.

Rumi moved her hand so that it would rest beside his.

Here they come, Jinu murmured in her ear.

"Rumi! Look at this little guy!" Zoey said suddenly, shoving her phone in her face. "Isn't he adorable? Oh my gosh, look at his little feet! They made tiny gloves for him and everything!"

Rumi glanced at the small turtle in the video for a moment and offered Zoey a smile. "That's great, Zoey, but I think we'll have to finish another hundred turtle videos later."

The girls followed her gaze to the door. The chime dinged in a gentle melody as the first young man walked in. His badly-dyed jet-black hair was tucked into a dark beanie; strands of it still had remnants of their original turquoise color. His gaze landed on them and instantly scraped a chair across the ground, slumping in it. Mira's nostrils flared when he kicked his boots up onto the table.

"I'll smash your face in if that mud gets anywhere near me," Mira hissed.

"Sure, doll," Min Jae said, pulling out a black notebook to scratch something out before scribbling new things in its place.

The other boys followed in their abrasive friend's lead, gracious enough to not make a ruckus as they pulled chairs forward to sit at their table. An Sa looked elegant as always in his light makeup and braided hair, dyed purple at the tips. He wasted no time to begin ranting about his previous relationship and how he was never going to explore his types ever again. Mira listened to him tentatively while Geon leaned across the table--elbow resting on her shoulder--to chat with Zoey about his new pet newt, Bipo.

Eun Ji shyly waited his turn to speak. Jinu's eyes drifted below the table and nudged Rumi playfully. Zoey's hand was entwined with his. Rumi couldn't help but love them all. Their idiotic antics of exploring the human world nearly made her forget how much the girls hated them at first.

The boys were fascinated by how bright it was in comparison to the grimmer, foreboding Demon World. Min Jae hated it. He crowed and complained until Zoey couldn't stand it any longer, giving him a generously-sized black eye. Having been a poet before Gwi-Ma claimed his soul, An Sa couldn't wait to dissect every piece of modern poetry, critique it, and even come up with his own--combining the style of his time with today's. It earned him a reputation in the university he studied at. Eun Ji cooked fantastic mandu and would shyly give them to Zoey in a box with a terribly hand drawn turtle on it. She adored him for that.

While Zoey and Geon laughed at adorable turtles, sharing their comments with Eun Ji, and An Sa joined Mira in scolding the apathetic Min Jae, Rumi leaned back in her chair and sipped the coffee she'd ordered. Her ears drowned out the noise until all she could hear was a muffled murmuring, as though submerged underwater, and Jinu spoke through to her.

I'm glad they chose you three instead of him, he said.

So am I, Rumi replied.

He pressed his cheek against hers.

You bring out the good in people, Rumi, Jinu breathed. He was looking at the former Saja Boys, now molded into these unique, expressive people. I didn't even know some of them could speak.

Rumi stifled a laugh. Didn't you?

Trust me, Jinu chuckled.

Her skin prickled as he kissed her on the cheek. She blushed deeply.

Min Jae threw his notebook in front of Zoey, saying, "Rate this one for me, yo."

"Wow, it's so..." Zoey stuttered, trying to find the word. Whatever he wrote was no doubt one of his more vulgar songs about Gwi-Ma. "Creative. I like how you said you were going to--"

"Ugh! How licentious!" An Sa exclaimed. "There's no flashiness to this! No eloquence! It's just you talking about...ugh! How crude!"

Mira grinned, but didn't comment. Min Jae smiled. They were on the same page--which page that was, Rumi wasn't certain, but she was glad they got along over their strange, newfound hobby of making drafts of diss tracks against Gwi-Ma.

Is that really what he does in his free time now? Jinu asked. I wonder what he wrote.

I don't think we want to know, Rumi replied.