ᴏɴᴇ ʜᴇʟʟ ᴏꜰ ᴀ ᴛʀɪᴘ - ꜱᴀᴊᴀ ʙᴏʏꜱ x ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ
ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ᴛʜʀᴇᴇ: ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴇɢɪɴɴɪɴɢ ᴏꜰ ᴅᴏᴏᴍ
Warnings: Mentions of demon pacts
✧ദ്ദി( ˶^ᗜ^˶ )
Word Count: 3.5k
Pairings: Saja Boys x Reader (Individual scenes this time!)
Chapter sum: Debut prep is stressful for any manager… but try doing it when your boyband are literal demons who refuse to cooperate. Yeah. Send help.
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When making a life-binding deal, one usually reads the small print — the lines corporations don't want you to see. The ones that warn you of hidden clauses, impossible fees, or eternal damnation.
Unfortunately, when you offered your soul to demons… You didn’t exactly get a choice.
Still, it's nice to dream. Maybe, if you had read the fine print, you’d have realized you weren’t just managing a boyband.
You were babysitting a group of glorified preschoolers.
“B, stop it already! That’s the fifth time I’ve fixed your crippling nails. Quit it.” You lunged forward, grabbing the blue-haired demon’s wrist mid-reach before he could smudge the nail polish again. “I swear, your stage name really suits you.”
Baby scoffed and rolled his eyes with such force you feared they might pop out of his head. “Is this even necessary? Hey, Abs — back me up.” He threw himself backwards with all the grace of a victorian lady, relying on Abby to catch him with a grunt.
Abby looked at him with a crooked smirk and lifted him back up, shaking his head slightly. “I think they’re cool. Souls really do love decorating every inch of their bodies, huh?”
You nodded, fighting the corner of your lips. “We do. Besides, this’ll show your fans you’re not insecure about your masculinity. Boosts appeal by, like, fifty percent.”
You tossed a nail polish bottle his way. “Here. Matches your hair.”
You walked over to the center of your cramped apartment and clapped your hands, whistling softly. “Listen up, kids, we have to start building a show. And I'm your key to the treasure. Now, if you could all just be so nice to explain why having fans is so important to you guys?”
Ah.
That was the thing, wasn't it. When the demons had first introduced themselves to you, they had explained that you were bound to them and were to follow their every command. Beyond that, they only insisted on becoming well-known idols — a boyband, if you will.
(What about your side of the deal? Your reward? Not dying, apparently.)
It was only natural for you to be curious. A matter if time. You’d spent time with them now, and strangely, they were starting to grow on you… well, they did appear human.
“Our ambitions should not trouble your pretty brain, Star,” Romantic commented as he crossed his arms over the armrest of your small sofa, closing his eyes.
He looked so peaceful. Reachable.
“Oh, come on, don’t be like that, you guys. I’m your manager. I have to know~” You kept your tone light, teasing — but somehow, the room went quieter. Colder.
“Ignore it, Polaris,” Jinu said from where he leaned against the wall, arms crossed, his expression unreadable. “Ignorance is a bliss. Bear it.”
Right.
You cleared your throat. “Anyways, we should start brainstorming ideas.”
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The fact that demons had vocals and amazing songwriting skills shouldn't have surprised you as much as it did. You didn’t think these demons would be the full package.
You’d spent around two weeks creating a melody and some lyrics to go with it. It was hard at first, given the fact that the boys didn’t know much about K-pop, social media, or current trends.
“Okay, well, the lyrics are good so far. Catchy. Tery, how are things going with the music?” You walked over to Mystery, tapping the back of your pen to your lip softly, gazing over the demon’s shoulder.
“All good,” he looked at you and then around, scooting to the side as he offered you a seat on the tiny sofa. “Wanna listen to it?”
You hummed as you placed your pen and notebook down, nodding softly as you took him up on the offer. You flopped down with a small “huff” and relaxed.
Your thigh pressed against his as you took in his presence. He was warm and shared a sense of calmness that no other member had been able to offer. You looked away.
“Here,” Mystery gave you one of the earphones as he used the other one, forcing you into close proximity. You cursed yourself for not buying Bluetooth ones.
Tapping your palm to the top of your jeans, you hummed softly to the tune, shaking your head. “The chorus is good, it should have a catchy phrase there, like ‘Stop!’ or ‘Drop!’ You know? Something that stands out.” Your skin prickled where his sleeve brushed yours.
His voice was velvet wrapped in smoke.“Like… pop?” His breath tingled your ear as you turned to face him abruptly.
“Exactly!”
Oh.
Close. So close you could see his long eyelashes under his hair. His scent was intoxicating. Eyes? Alluring. He tapped your shoulder twice as he stared straight into your eyes, then took a deep breath. His breath tingled your lips. Warm, human. Almost. But there was something too still about him. Too quiet.
You didn’t move.
He breathed again, tapping you once more. “Hey, you shouldn’t hold your breath for so long. Souls need air, don’t they?” His lips parted into a soft smirk, a small tug at the corner. “Nova?”
You backed away dumbly, feeling the warmth crawl up your neck as you grabbed your notebook and handed it to him. “Write those great ideas down! I’ll go… get you something to drink, a soda is okay?” You stood up and gave him a forced grin.
You awkwardly backed away, slipping through the door and into the kitchen.
You missed Jinu and Romantic’s puzzled expressions as they pestered Mystery with questions about why their human had fled so suddenly.
Mystery just smiled, tapping your pen to his lips. “I don’t know.”
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After successfully escaping, you decided maybe it was time to chat with Baby. Out of everyone, he was one of the few who didn’t talk much to you — and frankly, that made you nervous. If the demons ever decided you were no longer useful, you figured it would be nice if he hesitated before killing you. Hopefully.
So, you wandered into the kitchen and found him rummaging through your fridge like a bored child.
“Hey B, whatcha doing?” You asked casually, rubbing the back of your neck with both hands as you eyed the demon’s eternally messy blue hair.
He didn’t turn around. “Looking for food.”
You tilted your head and hopped up to sit on the counter, letting your legs dangle. “I—wait. Aren’t you guys okay with not eating?”
He closed the fridge with a heavy sigh, like you’d just asked him the dumbest question to ever been thought. “We don’t need to eat. But snacks are nice.” He finally turned, pinning you with a sharp look. “You didn’t get the gummies I like.”
You stared. “You mean the sugar bricks with glitter that shouldn’t be legal in most countries?”
“They sparkle,” He said flatly.
You groaned, rubbing your temples. “Right. I'll add glitter-gummies to the grocery list.”
Sliding off the counter, you tugged lightly at the back of his sweater. “You could have a lollipop, though. I think I’ve got a few stashed somewhere.” Without checking if he was following, you crossed the kitchen to a tiny high cabinet and yanked it open in one smooth motion.
Nothing?
You stretched your arm to the very back, fingers brushing empty space. “I swear they were here…” You huffed, twisting around to break the bad news—only to freeze mid-turn.
Warmth.
Baby stood directly behind you, gaze still fixed on the cabinet as he reached over your shoulder. When he found no candy, he let both hands drop—planting them on the counter, one on either side of your torso.
Your eyes met.
You tried to play it cool. Knowing this demon, any hint of fluster would only encourage him. And he was the type to take any opening and put you beneath him—emotionally, of course.
“Oops,” you said lightly, hands landing on your hips but angled slightly back to avoid touching his arms. “We’re out of candy. We’ll buy more later. Don’t panic.”
Baby just bit his bottom lip and tilted his head, calculating. Oh no. He was smirking.
In one smooth step, he leaned in. Close. “I wouldn’t worry about that,” he said, voice all honey and knives. “I know other sweet things that could suffice.”
He flashed a full smile—too bright, too innocent to be real. “Know what I’m talking about?”
You didn’t blink. “I’m afraid I don’t.” You tilted your chin, matching his tone. “Do enlighten me.”
He lifted one hand to your chin, fingers cool but gentle. Slowly, he leaned in—his breath brushing your ear. “You should try to guess, little soul. Apart from sweetness, what other treasures could my heart desire?”
Your brain screamed run, but your feet didn’t listen. You pressed a hand to his chest, palm meeting the soft fuzz of his sweater. “My soul.”
It wasn’t a question.
“Yes.”
You smiled, but it was thin and bitter. “Too bad, so sad. I like being alive.” You pushed against him and took two firm steps back. “Maybe another time.”
His laugh was smooth, syrupy—sweet, but probably fatal in high doses. “Saying that means there’ll be a day I do get it,” he said, grabbing your wrist before you could walk off. “I’m excited for that future.”
You sighed, already feeling the headache brewing. “One future at a time,” you snapped, yanking your hand free. “Right now, you should be worrying about this one—specifically, the one where you don’t trip over your own feet on stage.”
Your eyes narrowed. “So. How’s that choreography coming?”
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Abby was, surprisingly, the most chill to be around — often found sleeping somewhere, limbs sprawled like a lazy cat. That’s probably why he didn’t bother you too much. Three weeks in, and not once had he caused an inconvenience.
Until today.
“What, in the seven realms of hell, is that?”
Despite having the more obvious muscles out of the group, you were the one carrying all the groceries. Abby’s strength was definitely show, not tell.
“Is that a cat? A purple cat?”
He scrambled over to a nearby store window, drawing the stares of several starry-eyed employees who looked one giggle away from fainting.
“Sandeoki,” He read aloud, grabbing the small plushie on display. “Oi, human, I want it! Look at it. It’s so… lovely. It feels like it belongs to me.” He rubbed the plush against his cheek, pupils dilating.
You frowned. “Yeah, no. I don’t think we can pull off another theft, and I definitely don’t have idol-merch money.”
You glanced over your shoulder, watching as the store workers called over the manager — and still couldn’t stop ogling Abs.
“Merch?” he asked, eyes still locked on the plush. “That’s what we’ll have when humans are all over us, right?”
“Yup. There’ll be a mini version of you. I’ll make sure to get you a good deal once you guys hit the jackpot. I’ve already got ideas for what each of you could be.”
You groaned under the weight of the bags. Using Abby's distraction to your advantage, you shoved them at him — which he caught effortlessly in one hand.
He turned to you, eyes sparkling like cartoon stars. “You’ll make a mini version of me? When? Now?”
Your face burned so hot that you felt the heat run down your neck as the employees started giggling and whispering.
You choked. “I—I didn’t mean that! I meant merchandise! Plushies! Dolls!”
You turned to the women with a panicked look. “Not… like that.”
Abby just gave the ladies a lazy salute, which made them squeal and turn away, completely red-faced.
“Come on, little soul,” he said softly. “Let’s go home.”
His voice was low, warm — domestic. The sound alone made one of the women audibly gasp.
Seriously. Get a boyfriend, ladies.
You sped-walked out of the store, desperately trying to beat the oncoming headache. It wasn’t until you were halfway home that you noticed something tucked under Abby’s arm.
Your eyes widened.
“Abs! What did I say about stealing?” you whisper-shouted, eyes on the familiar purple plushie in his hand.
He flexed his fingers gently over its belly, like he was cradling it.
“But it’s for you,” he said, handing it over. “Here. So you can use it as inspiration. You know — for my plushie.”
His smile was bright, gentle — trustworthy, somehow.
“Let’s go home, Corelight.”
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You seriously considered heading to a church, blessing some water, and coming back to throw it at Romantic. And you probably would’ve done it—if you weren’t still unsure how that would affect the bond.
The bond. Always in the way. Always there. A two-sided chain you still hadn’t figured out.
“What about… ‘Cool me down, you’re so hot?’” you muttered, pacing around the cramped kitchen. Sweat clung to your skin and made the line feel way too real.
The other demons had taken over your room, hiding out in the AC--You couldn’t blame them, it was hell outside--That old unit was somehow still working despite the rent being overdue, and honestly, it was a miracle.
Romantic had taken over your couch like he owned it, feet up on the coffee table. His smirk was lazy, but sharp, like he knew exactly what he was doing.
“Interesting,” he said, voice smooth. “Did I inspire those lyrics?”
You glared and kicked his feet off the table. He didn’t even flinch—just stretched again, letting his legs slide out like he lived here.
“Moonbeam, be nice,” he said, fake sweet.
You wiped at your forehead with the back of your hand. “Take your own advice. I could be back there with the others, cooling off—”
You gestured toward the hallway, where distant laughter and music drifted from your bedroom.
“But I need you here to help me write,” he said, fluttering his eyelashes at you.
You sighed and dropped to the floor, arms flopped out to your sides. The tile was cool, but not enough to help. “You just like watching me suffer.”
“I do.” He grinned, then dropped beside you, sprawling out on the floor.
One arm stretched toward the ceiling. His fingers mimicked a little explosion. “Soda Pop. That’s the name of the song.”
Then he turned onto his side, hand resting on his hip, eyebrows wiggling like an idiot. “You’re all I can think of. Every drop, I drink up~” He played with a piece of your hair, voice soft. “You’re my soda pop…”
You turned your head to look at him.
“My little soda pop,” he added, booping your nose with one finger.
Your face burned. Something fluttered low in your stomach—and right behind it, something darker. It wasn’t fair how human he looked when he smiled like that. Wasn’t fair how it made you want to stay.
You were supposed to protect yourself from this. From them.
After all, they were an active threat. You shouldn't be caught slacking.
“Don’t do that. Don’t act sweet and then turn around and put a dagger to my throat.”
You sat up, arms hugging your knees. “Do you need anything else, Romeo? Because if not, I’m leaving.”
You stood and crossed the kitchen, grabbing your backpack from the counter. You didn’t have plans, exactly, but the knot in your stomach was tight, and you knew where it came from.
Them.
You couldn’t take it anymore. You were angry at yourself.
…you were starting to care.
“The song is finished,” Romantic said, so quiet it barely reached you.
You didn’t look at him. “Then why did you—” need me here?
You shook your head. “Doesn’t matter. Good. I’ll come back later.”
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You hadn’t meant to wander this far, but the wrong turn wasn’t a total waste. You’d ended up in a part of the city you didn’t recognize—loud, crowded, packed with food stalls and tiny shops.
It was mostly young people here. A lot of teen girls.
Maybe luck was on your side.
You perked up instantly, pulling out your phone and saving the location. “I have to tell the boys about this as soon as I get home.” You could feel your cheeks burn at his much you were smiling.
“Tell us about what?”
Spinning to run—because yeah, you were suddenly excited to get back—you crashed right into someone. Or something. Solid.
Your balance tipped, and your eyes snapped shut as you braced for impact. But arms wrapped around your waist before you could fall, steadying you easily.
“You alright?” That voice. You knew it too well. “Manager, don’t die on us yet.”
“Jinu? What are you doing here?” You barely breathed the words. You didn’t pull away. “Did you follow me?”
You tried to move back, but his hand was still on your waist, keeping you close.
“I, uh… I saw you storm out,” he said, looking off to the side. “You looked furious. Which never happens. So, I thought—”
He cleared his throat. “Had to make sure our human was still in one piece.”
You stared at him. He didn’t meet your eyes at first, but then a small smile tugged at his mouth.
He was reckless. That was just who Jinu was.
When you first met, he acted cold—maybe even a little cruel. Treated you like some fragile pet. But then, one day in the kitchen, when you’d cut your finger while cooking for them—he was the first to react. Not gently, of course. But fast. Loud. Protective.
He tried to be cold. But he wasn’t.
“I’m fine, actually. More than fine.” Your hands found his forearms, steadying yourself. “I think I just found something big.”
He tilted his head, watching you closely. “Care to explain, Polaris?”
You turned his chin gently toward the street.
“This spot. Right here.”
You smiled, pointing at the stretch of sidewalk behind you.
“That’s your stage.”
He blinked.
“This is where the Saja Boys are going to become famous.”
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Here are the unlocked nicknames until now:
Romantic — Moonbeam Why: “Moonbeam” feels elegant, timeless, and full of ‘gentle’ affection — perfect for someone who says “dear” like he invented the word. It's also a little melancholy, which fits “Come now, Moonbeam, don’t pout. The night would weep without your light.” Jinu — My Polaris Why: He sees you as his an anchor. The nicknamereflects deep respect and connection. It’s not flirty — it’s reverent “You don’t have to prove anything, my Polaris. I’ll follow you anywhere.” Mysterious — Nova Why: Novaheart implies that there’s fire in you, and he likes poking at it. It’s soft teasing, flirty, dramatic, and unusual — like him. “Careful, Nova. You burn too bright, someone might get hurt.”
I’m SO SORRY this chapter is so short. I kind of wanted to give you a little taste of every guy, but I haven’t had time to write. (This was supposed to be for yesterday, but I fell asleep while writing. If anyone recommends getting a summer job, don’t take it — I’m dying here.)
I think the next chapter will be longer, but it’ll take me a while to write because you guys deserve the best, so I want to deliver a good story! We’re finally starting with the movie, so I’m excited! Otome game, here we go!
Special thanks to: @lillycore @apelepikozume @junni-berry @hornehlittleweeblet2 @crescent-z @arieslucy @enerofairy @soldmygenderforglitter @bleufu1 @junni-berry @raineandcl0uds @bonbibons @anonymousewrites @crescent-z @fries11 @vgamegeek @the-unhinged-raccoon @enerofairy @wastedskullz @elegancefr @maximumtrashchild @meeeegaaan @trasshy-artist @otakusimp1 @yaraza @armycaratlover @rosieandthethorns @prettygirlkiki @missybabes @tati-the-fangirl @gl00muraaii @prettylittlelavvy
