Heartstrings & Hellfire: Chapter 07
Back at the Huntrix Tower, (Y/n) was brainstorming the perfect note and lyrics for the song she was writing in the cozy corner of her room. The soft glow of fairy lights danced along the walls, casting a calm ambiance as she nestled into a giant bean bag, wrapped in a fluffy blanket. Derpy, the giant blue tiger with his oversized head and sleepy wide eyes, lay sprawled beneath her like a demonic body pillow. Meanwhile, Suzie, the mischievous bird creature with 6 eyes, had made himself comfortable, perched proudly on top of (Y/n)'s head like a crown.
"Woah-oh" she hummed absentmindedly, tapping her pen against her notebook, lost in thought.
Rumi had come up to check on her. He'd heard the faint melody and, without thinking much of it, knocked softly and cracked the door open.
But what he saw made him freeze in his tracks.
A gasp slipped from his lips.
(Y/n) turned, her expression startled at first, until she noticed the look on Rumi's face, wide-eyed, stunned... and kind of frozen like a statue.
"Rumi?" she blinked, sitting up slightly, the blanket slipping off her shoulder. "It's not what you think."
He pointed slowly. "Are... are those both Jinu's demonic companions... cuddling with you?"
Suzie let out a smug little scree in confirmation and puffed up her wings.
Derpy yawned like he didn't have a care in the world, then slumped even harder into the bean bag, dragging (Y/n) down with him.
Rumi blinked. "How?... How do you know them? Unless Jinu's been talking with... You?"
(Y/n) looked down at her hands in guilt, "Rumi, I have been talking with Jinu, I know that he knows about your patterns and I have been trying to convince him not to use that against you. I... I wanted to protect you Rumi, just like what you have been doing all our lives."
"HE IS A DEMON! You could have been in danger and I... We wouldn't have known about it." In frustration he vented it out to her as (Y/n) flinched, not expecting Rumi to scream at her.
But Rumi knew in himself that what (Y/n) does, it was always for others and never for herself. He wanted to be mad at her to scream at her more but he was also guilty because he had also kept from her that Jinu also had talked with him.
"I'm sorry (Y/n), I'm sorry I screamed at you." Rumi went near (Y/n) and hugged her as both animals were watching the both of them. "I just want you to be safe."
"I know that but I also want to keep you three safe as well." (Y/n) embraced Rumi back and as they departed in their hugging but still in each other's arms.
"I must confess I have also talked with Jinu and everything I have been taught was that demons were unfeeling creatures with no soul but Jinu said something to me that's making me question everything I stand for as a Hunter." Rumi looked at (Y/n) in both sadness and confusion.
"Rumi, whatever you decide I will always be there to back you up. No matter what." (Y/n) held Rumi's face and looked at him with warmth, claiming the raging storm was trying to claw its way out of Rumi's mind.
As both of them gazed into each other's eyes, a loud screech broke the tension. It was Suzie looking at them in boredom
(Y/n) giggled, brushing Suzie's tiny tail out of her face. "They are just like me, two cuties. Derpy's warm and Suzie refuses to nap anywhere else."
"You're literally being claimed by two demonic creatures like you're their queen or something."
(Y/n) gave him a playful smirk. "Maybe I am."
Rumi chuckled, gazing at her with love that was unseen by (Y/n) as she was scratching Derpy's chin. "If Jinu saw this, he'd think you were putting a spell on his pets to form an army."
She raised a brow teasingly. "Jealous?"
He paused, then smiled, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. "Maybe a little. I don't get a hell tiger or demon bird cuddling me when I'm writing music."
(Y/n) patted the bean bag next to her. "Well, maybe you just haven't tried hard enough.
With a warm laugh, Rumi accepted her invitation, carefully settling beside her. Derpy huffed at the intrusion but didn't budge, and Suzie chirped in annoyance, but allowed the company.
Rumi looked at her notes, eyes scanning the messy but passionate scribbles. "New song?"
She nodded. "It's about finding and giving hope in unexpected places."
He tilted his head, looking at her. "Fitting. You've always been that kind of light... especially to me."
(Y/n) glanced up, surprised by the softness in his voice. Rumi didn't often open up this easily but lately, moments like this were becoming more frequent.
"Rumi..." she started, but he shook his head gently.
"You don't have to say anything. Just... thanks for letting me be here."
She smiled, leaning her head against his shoulder. Suzie fluttered slightly to make space, and Derpy rumbled a deep, contented sigh.
They sat in silence, surrounded by demon pets, blankets, and music notes, safe, warm, and briefly untouched by the chaos outside.
"We should go to my room, I'll need some help writing some lyrics to finish the diss track." Rumi interrupted the silence.
"Rumi, do the three of you really need to sing that song?" (Y/n) asked in hesitation.
"Why do you ask? Is there something wrong with the song?" Rumi sat up looking at (Y/n), wanting her opinion in the song he's also having trouble connecting with.
"It's just... The song is not you and the guys. It's not who you are. It's not Huntrix." (Y/n) finally confessed her feelings about the song the guys were focused on writing. At first she could see how determined they were to write it but along the way they lost the way of writing the song, it was all about anger, hate, and pain. (Y/n) could see that they are losing their focus on who they are and what Huntrix stands for.
"I know... These past few days I don't know but the song, these lyrics are not syncing with me anymore. I just don't know anymore." Rumi, frustrated, said in exhaustion.
"Let's go to your room and see what we can do with the lyrics." Rumi just nodded at her suggestion but before the both of them could stand from where they were seated. A glowing blue portal opens under them. Sinking down into the blue portal only to fall onto Rumi's bed in his room.
(Y/n) giggled at the sudden fun fall while Rumi grunted in pain as he fell into the pile of papers, pens and pencils located in the middle part of his bed. Depry landed gracefully onto the floor and rested near (Y/n)'s feet while Suzie was still perched on (Y/n)'s head.
"Well that was something, huh." Rumi said in bewilderment as (Y/n) continued to giggle and pet Derpy on the head.
As Rumi fetched his guitar and sat near (Y/n) with the pile of papers in the middle of them.
"Time to put you in your place. 'Cause you're rotten within! When your patterns start to show. It makes the hatred wanna grow. Out of my..." Rumi sighed at the lyrics, crossing the lines he hated and replaced them with something else.
"When your patterns start to show. I see the pain that lies below." Rumi couldn't really focus on making the diss track as he remembers Jinu's words and his own patterns.
Looking beside him was (Y/n), who was also writing down her own lyrics, he couldn't help but smile at her until he looked down to see two identical 'Hello Friend' stationary knowing both came from Jinu. Rumi wanted to be mad, to be jealous that Jinu reached out to (Y/n) and met her alone, just the two of them. But for some reason he wasn't mad since he started to have this brotherly connection with him, the pain, and the shame they both share.
Rumi even started to feel less of the burden clawing from his throat. But then Derpy purred as he rose up from his nap while Suzie had flown to the tiger's head and rested there, in front of Rumi who then scoffs smirking at the tiger.
"Calm down. We're not gonna meet him." Rumi said teasingly at the tiger as he booped Derpy's nose. Then there was a sudden knock on his door, which surprised everyone inside Rumi's room.
"Rumi?" It was Miro who cleared his throat.
"Uh... You gotta get outta here. Come on." Rumi pushed Derpy by his nose to emphasize the need of both demonic animals to leave. As Rumi hurriedly fixed the mess on bed. (Y/n) went near the two animals and gave them kisses on the forehead and said her own goodbyes, as the appearance of the glowing blue portal that Depry slowly descended back to wherever Jinu is.
"I can hear you in there." Miro said the obvious since he really wanted to talk with Rumi about what he had in mind from his observations the past few days. "Uh, yeah."
"Uh, give me a minute." As Rumi hurriedly fixed and threw away the papers into his trash bin with enough strength to knock the bin over. Derpy with Suzie perched on the tigers head with his signature nonchalant look, continued to slowly descend down until he stopped and ascended back up and turned towards the fallen trash bin with wide eyes while Suzie had a look of annoyance.
"Uh... What are you doing?" Miro questioned Rumi as he stood there with his arms crossed, hair down and wearing a fluffy long sleeved sweater and gray sweat pants.
"Um, nothing. Just, uh... Hanging with (Y/n)." Rumi opened the door a bit wider for Miro to look inside from where he stood to see (Y/n), who waved at Miro while seated at the bed.
"Did you wanna come in?" Rumi asked as he opened his door and gestured for Miro to come into his room.
"I mean, If you want me to come in, I can come in." Miro nonchalantly went inside Rumi's room and looked around.
Rumi then noticed how he was holding the letter from Jinu, gasping from the realization and quickly hid it behind him. Both (Y/n) and Rumi watch Miro walking to the side of the room towards the box of tonics but then notice a glowing blue paw moving in the corner of the room.
"I heard you singing." (Y/n) then gestured for Rumi to do something about Derpy while keeping an eye on Miro who had his back to Rumi. Rumi double checks to see Miro having his back towards him before going near the fallen trash bin.
"You sound good. You too (Y/n), I like the melody."
"Thank you Miro, but it's still experimental." (Y/n) said while looking down her lyrical notebook.
"Yeah, who would've thought? Those tonics actually work." Rumi said while taking the trash bin from Derpy's paw and set it back up in its proper place and getting the throw blanket from his bean bag chair and setting on Derpy to hide the tiger from Miro's sight.
Rumi then saw Miro turning to face him again and stood up straight to hide the letter in his hand, but Miro didn't notice any of this but focused on the scattered papers on Rumi's bed. Miro saw the paper Rumi was writing on and saw how Rumi changed some of the lyrics.
"So, why are you changing our lyrics?" Miro questioned holding the paper with the revised lyrics and showing it to Rumi.
"Oh, I just..." Rumi sighed, not wanting to lie to one of his best friends. "Do you really think this is the right song to beat Gwi-Ma? It's so hateful." Rumi looked at Miro to get his reaction about his change of mind about the song.
"Yeah, because we hate him, and we hate demons." Miro stated the obvious why the song should stay the same and their goal about the diss track.
"No, I know."
"Okay, what is up with you? I could swear, the other day, you were talking to a demon." Miro finally let out everything he was thinking as he walked towards Rumi, who then backed up not knowing how to answer any of his questions.
"I..."
"And 'Woo, Jinu'? What was that about?" Miro had unconsciously used his height advantage to intimidate Rumi in answering his questions.
"Playing him up to psych him out. Get in his head." With quick thinking Rumi said something convincing for Miro to stop with the questioning.
"I'm pretty good at reading people. Actually, I'm kind of an expert at it, and I just can't shake this feeling that you're keeping something from me." Both (Y/n) and Rumi saw Derpy peek out from the blanket with his tail out causing both of them to hurriedly to try and hide it.
"Both of you are keeping something from me." Miro turned back to face Rumi and (Y/n), who was seated on a blanket covered Derpy and (Y/n) was seated to face him behind her was Suzie looking bored.
"Miro, we're not keeping anything from you." Rumi took a deep breath so that he didn't looked panic.
"Miro, we have been best friends for years. You know better than anyone else that we don't keep things from each other." (Y/n) assuring the dark pink haired male in front of her and patted the space in front of her for him to sit down.
As Rumi and (Y/n) looked towards each other before looking back at Miro. "We promise you."
"Sorry. I sound nuts. I guess these demons are just getting to me. I can't wait until every one of them is destroyed and sent back to suffer with Gwi-Ma for eternity. Right, Rumi, (Y/n)?" This calmed the anxiety in Miro who then sighed and sat in front of (Y/n), facing Rumi. To vent out all his worries to the people he trusts and getting the reassurance he needed.
"Yeah. Eternal suffering. Sounds fun." Rumi just agreed with Miro but he didn't really agree with the unfairness for those demons who truly have feelings to suffer. Unnoticed by the two male hunters, (Y/n), had her hand on her abdomen where her demonic birth mark was placed fully knowing that if she were to be discovered it wasn't just suffering awaits for her below.
As Miro left Rumi's room he still feels something is wrong even after talking with Rumi and (Y/n), but just shrugged it off. Back inside the room Rumi was still mulling over his conversation with Miro before making a decision best of everyone involved.
"(Y/n), will you accompany me to talk with Jinu about my plan for the Honmoon?" Rumi asked (Y/n), because he wanted her there for moral support.
"Are you sure? Do you want me there?" (Y/n), tilted her head to the side cutely, making Rumi smile at her.
"Yeah, I want you there with me."
"Okie, I'll write the letter to ask Jinu to meet with us at the park." (Y/n) Then got out a cute purple duckie stationary and quickly wrote down on the letter before giving it to Rumi, who then gave it to Derpy to deliver to his owner.
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The Saja Boys, in all pink and white outfits posing together for a video to be streamed to all their fans.
"Hey, everybody." Romance started to speak with both of his hands clasped on his chest.
"Our fan club just hit 50 million fans." Abby continued the announcement while using his left arm to lean on Jinu.
Jinu as always in the center of the group huddled while wearing big pink shades, Mystery was looking at the side not saying anything which was very in brand for him, and Baby was also leaning on Jinu while having his left arm around Romance.
"We have to give a shout- out to Huntrix and Angel. We couldn't have done it without their support." Inside a grocery store was the glasses wearing fan that shipped Rumi, (Y/n), and Jinu together browsing the rows of Saja Boys Soda cans, but unbeknown to her was that a demon was behind her, sucking her soul from her body as she disappeared with the soul. The soda can in her hand fell to the ground.
"And to our fans, thank you. We really feed off your energy." A male fan waiting inside a bus stop, watching the Saja Boys announcement with Mystery finally talking. Also unknown to the male fan was that a demonic figure emerged from behind the fan and sucked his soul. Making Mystery's words too literal.
"In other news, the amount of missing person reports have tripled in the last 24 hours." A news network was then seen to broadcast the rampant increase of missing persons cases to be seen within South Korea. As various missing posters can be seen littered on walls.
"We're so excited to show you what's next." Multiple shooting souls like stars headed to Gwi-Ma, who keeps on feeding off the souls that his demons get for him, as he gets bigger and bigger by the day.
Jinu in his casual clothing stood on top of the Iljumun gate, watching the result of his plan. Until he got distracted by Derpy looking at him and showed his tongue for Jinu to get the letter.
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Jinu stood on the stone steps inside the park, casually leaning against the wall with both arms as he waited for his date with (Y/n). He glanced at the letter again, double-checking the meeting place and time, then sighed in boredom.
"She wants to meet, and she's late? Good thing she's cute." He scanned the area for any girl in white, but instead yelped when he spotted Rumi crouching on top of the wall, smirking down at him.
"Where's (Y/n)? Did you send this just to lure me all the way out here so you could jump-scare me?" Jinu clutched his chest, still catching his breath, one hand on the wall to steady himself.
"I told him not to scare you, but he wouldn't listen." The soft, melodious voice made Jinu glance past Rumi and there she was. (Y/n) stood in a flowing white skirt and shirt With her hair styled to a low side pony tail with her signature white scrunchie and lavender heart design with wings and stars, the morning sun framing her like a halo. To him, she looked breathtaking, almost angelic.
"Follow me." Rumi's voice snapped Jinu out of his trance, earning a scoff from him, but he still followed up the stair path.
"Well, I'm glad you're finally ready to talk. Although," Jinu smirked, glancing at Rumi, "you could've picked a better day, since I'm on a date with (Y/n) today. Unless... you're here to chaperone us like some overprotective parent."
"Date? No! Ew! What are you talking about?" Rumi shot back instantly, looking genuinely appalled at the idea of (Y/n) choosing Jinu over him.
In response, Jinu simply held up the letter in his hand, the stationery adorned with a sophisticated little duck and the words 'Save the Date' printed neatly across the top.
Jinu waved the letter at Rumi. "You see this? Save the date. And you're telling me this isn't an invitation to a romantic walk in the park?"
"That doesn't mean-" Rumi reached out to snatch the paper, but Jinu danced a step back, holding it high. Rumi then groans in frustration.
"You're so old." Before snatching the letter from Jinu's hand. "This is strictly a business meeting."
(Y/n) sighed, stepping between them with her hands clasped in front of her. "It's not a date. It's... a meeting. Something important I needed you both here for."
"A meeting?" Jinu raised a brow, looking almost offended. "Then why go through all the trouble of making it cute? Duckie stationery? White outfit? This feels suspiciously like you're leading me on."
"You lead yourself on," Rumi muttered under his breath, earning a sharp glare from Jinu.
Jinu ignored him, shifting his focus back to (Y/n). "Okay, loud and clear. So what's so important you dragged me out here?"
Her expression softened, but her voice carried a quiet seriousness. "You'll see when we get there. It's not far."
Rumi continues to walk up the stair path. "Let's go. And no more whining, Jinu. You'll survive without flirting for thirty minutes."
Jinu snorted. "That's asking a lot." Still, he fell into step beside (Y/n), occasionally glancing at her from the corner of his eye.
The three of them walked up the winding stair path, sunlight breaking through the canopy of leaves overhead. Every now and then, Jinu caught her skirt swaying in the breeze, the image making his lips twitch into a reluctant smile.
He didn't know where they were going. But if it meant more time walking beside her, maybe being tricked into this "meeting" wasn't the worst thing in the world.
"What if we told you there's another way to get your freedom?" This caught Jinu's attention.
"Go on."
"Help us win the Idol Awards. Because when we win, the Honmoon will be sealed. And that will guarantee your freedom." Rumi touched the wall again but this time used some of his powers to light up the Honmoon and hopped on top of the wall. This caused Jinu to think about it more.
"Gwi-Ma will be permanently cut off, and all the demons will be gone from this world. I will finally be free of these patterns. No more hiding. No more secrets." As Rumi looked out to the view of all of Seoul City, Jinu looked in concern at (Y/n) who was touching her own hidden patterns from her friend. (Y/n) looked back at Jinu and pleaded with her eyes for his silence, and he smiled at her in understanding.
"You can be on this side when the Honmoon is sealed. Away from the demon world. Away from Gwi-Ma. You can be free from those voices forever." Rumi faced Jinu again and hopped down the wall before walking towards him after explaining his plan.
"What makes you think the Honmoon can save a guy like me?" Jinu asked pondering the plan proposed to him by the male hunter in front of him.
"A guy who tried to help his family? You made a mistake, Jinu." (Y/n) said with honesty knowing that Jinu is truly a good person. As she faced him while telling this.
"It's not that simple." Jinu scoffs at the idea of (Y/n) on what kind of man he is, and its making him guilty not telling her the truth.
"But I am a mistake." Rumi couldn't help but voice out his own truth.
"Rumi! That's not true." (Y/n) Said in surprise at what Rumi just said.
"Have been since the moment I was born. So, I have to belive. Because if there's no hope for you, what hope is there for me?"
"Rumi. Jinu. Please have hope that even in darkness there will always be light." (Y/n) Taking each in her hand the hands of both male by her sides and looking each of them deeply. Until a voice interrupts the three of them.
"Bracelets? For your beautiful girlfriend in the middle?" An older lady selling bracelet to the males in front of her. This cause both males to be flustered at the prospects of having (Y/n) as there's.
"Oh, no. We're not- She's not yet my girlfriend." Jinu quickly said towards the a while flusteredly looking at (Y/n) who was not affected by the presumption of the kind older lady in front of her.
"Oh, no. Ugh. What?" Rumi embarrassed but somewhat like hiring that (Y/n) would look great with him but then was surprised at what Jinu just said.
"Excuse me? She would be my girlfriend. Not yours."
"You can't even respect boundaries when it comes to someone else's date."
"You're from the 1900s? And date? Yeah, right. Like (Y/n) would date someone like you."
"I see why you're single."
"What?"
"See? You'd never work with (Y/n)."
The ajumma's smile slowly turning into a frown and having seen enough of this, went towards (Y/n) who was still standing in the middle of the two bickering males who then shut up as the ajumma stood in front of them and looked at them with judgment,
"Here, free two bracelets. Go find yourself better boys. They're both helpless." The ajumma placed two bracelet in the palm of (Y/n)'s hand before walking away.
"Well, there's your answer. Hopeless." Even if Jinu did truly believe that he's hopeless, (Y/n) knew in herself that he wasn't and looked down at the two bracelet in her right palm. One was dark shade of purple mixed with lilac colored string, and the other was also located colored with a shade of blue mixed together. It reminded (Y/n) how each bracelet represent each of the males besides her.
"That's the funny thing about hope." (Y/n) started to talk.
"Nobody else get to decide if you feel it." Rumi continued because he knows that what Jinu needs is a support system just like how the boys means to him, and how (Y/n) truly means in his life.
"That choice belongs to you, Jinu." (Y/n) Finished saying while holding out the bracelet with the blue string out towards him. As Jinu looked at the bracelet in her hand before looking back at her eyes unmoving.
"Fine. It's mine now. You're loss." (Y/n) wanting to be a bit mischievous turn her back from him and was about to walk away until a hand clasped onto her wrist, stopping her from walking away from him. This surprised (Y/n) as she slowly looked back at Jinu, both looked at each other deeply in the eyes but Jinu soon then realize what he did and quickly let out.
"I was just trying to get the bracelet." Jinu tried to explain himself while Rumi just looked at him in annoyance.
"Oh. Yeah. The bracelet. Here." (Y/n) Held the item out towards Jinu, who quickly took the bracelet from her sift hands. As Jinu stiffly stood at the side before looking down at the bracelet in his hand.
"For what it's worth, I don't think you're a mistake." Jinu voicing out his opinion not only about Rumi but his feelings about (Y/n), which caused her heart to skip a beat. This caused another staring between Jinu and (Y/n).
"Okay, bye." Rumi said wanting to leave now before Jinu tries something on (Y/n). Walked away taking (Y/n)'s hand in his to leave the park with her back to the tower.
"Bye bye Jinu. See you again." (Y/n) Cutely waving to Jinu was she was dragged off by Rumi.
"Yeah, uh, bye. Uh,..." Jinu awkwardly says goodbye, losing his bad boy vibe. All the while both Derpy and Suzie were watching the interaction between the three behind the bushes. Derpy purrs in curiosity while Suzie twitters in suspicion.
As Rumi pulled her away, (Y/n) felt Jinu's eyes still on her. She glanced back one last time, expecting that usual smug grin, but instead found him watching her with something softer... and far more dangerous.
It wasn't a look of teasing or play. It was the kind of gaze that made her heart stutter, the kind that whispered promises without words.
Rumi's grip tightened, as if he could feel it too. "Don't fall for that," he muttered under his breath.
But (Y/n) couldn't help it. Even as she let herself be led away, her mind stayed behind... replaying the way Jinu's lips had just barely curved into a smile meant for her alone.
Somewhere in her chest, a thought she didn't dare say aloud bloomed like fire.
What if I already am?
