I’ve seen a lot of bad takes in my years in fandom, but one of the worst has got to be that Jinu sacrificed himself for Rumi to manipulate her further and make her feel worse. Genuinely, do people who say this a) know what a character arc is or b) have actually watched the movie? If he wanted to make Rumi feel bad, he wouldn’t have been apologizing to her, ignoring the pain of being BURNED ALIVE, assuring her that she saved him, and giving her his soul. Instead, he’d be screaming in agony like Anakin Skywalker on Mustafar and accusing her of failing to save him.
Or, you know, he wouldn’t have jumped in front of a fire blast to begin with and would’ve just let her die.
I’m willing to entertain the idea that him dying for Rumi was an elaborate act of committing suicide and he was happy with his death because it meant no more suffering for himself, but saying that his death was him actively trying to make Rumi feel awful? I don’t think we watched the same movie, and that take is just, quite frankly, beyond media illiterate.
Sent to the Human World to collect souls for the Demon King disguised as a K-Pop boy band, five demons find themselves highly unprepared for idol life.
Utilizing their unique abilities, they're able to secure an apartment and a debut.
With the threat of the Hunters discovering their plans around every corner, tension and doubt run high between them.
But a midnight snack run puts things into motion they never saw coming.
A retelling of Underneath Your Skin from the Saja Boys' perspective.
Chapter 9: Into Hell
With Huntrix out of the way, Y/N and the Saja Boys finally get down to business.
Y/N starts acting strangely, and the Boys try to find out why.
"To put it simply... I want to sign the Saja Boys under the Jeosung Studios' label."
"What exactly does that mean?" Abby asks, looking perplexed.
Y/N laughs softly. "I forget you guys are brand new to the industry. I'll try to explain things as simply as possible, and we can work out exact details later."
The Saja Boys exchange hesitant looks, but they give Y/N their full attention.
She leans back in her chair, smiling.
"First off, we would present you with a basic contract the company has drawn up for new idols."
"The company meaning YOU, right?" Jinu says with a smirk.
Y/N laughs again. "Technically... yes. But I did consult with the department heads when drafting it."
The Boys are silent as they let her continue.
She outlines the basic guidelines of what would be in their contracts - their rights as idols and creators, the company's expectations of music production and number of performances they'll need within a specific timeframe, what percent of earnings they get to keep and how much the company will take, etc...
"The specifics are in the contract itself," she tells them.
They watch as she stands up from her chair and walks over to the desk in the back corner of the room.
"Of course, you can refuse the contract outright, or you can negotiate any terms that don't meet your standards."
The Boys see her reach into one of the desk drawers and pull out a stack of papers.
"You can even scrap the whole contract and draft a brand new one if you feel the need to."
Sounds too good to be true.
Before Y/N sits down, she lays out small packets of papers on the coffee table in front of each of the Saja Boys.
"These are copies of those basic contracts we've drafted. If you choose to accept our offer, you'll each need to sign your own contracts. If you need revisions, you can present them as a group or you can advocate for a better contract for yourselves individually. That's your choice. You can also bring in legal representation on your behalf to negotiate terms, if you'd prefer."
Y/N pauses for a few minutes as each of the Boys pick up the contracts.
Is this really necessary? Mystery asks himself, glancing over at the other Boys' reactions.
"One more thing you should know..." she adds. "I would be overseeing your career personally as your group manager."
The Boys' heads shoot up from their papers, and they look at Y/N in shock.
"You want to be our manager?" Baby asks, his eyes wide.
Why the fuck would she want to do that?
Didn't they say she hasn't been in the public eye for five years? There's no way she can keep that up as our manager.
Y/N nods.
"As your manager, I would ultimately be responsible for you and your schedules. I would be the one scheduling all of your recording sessions and interviews, reserving your choreography spaces, organizing your photoshoots... the boring stuff," she says with a chuckle. "I'd be in charge of escorting you to events and performances, as well."
So... a glorified babysitter... Baby growls to himself mentally.
Someone to keep us in check... and it gives her an excuse to be near Abby.
"Why would you want to do all that for us?" Mystery asks curiously, tilting his head to the side.
What is she getting out of this?
"I like you guys," she says bluntly with a soft smile on her face. "And as the CEO..." she winks at the Boys and laughs, "I'm allowed to pick favorites."
Each of the Saja Boys' faces turn different shades of pink.
Y/N... likes us?
A pang of guilt blooms in Baby's chest, but he pushes it away.
That can't be her only motive.
Mystery feels his cheeks heat up. He's never cared about anyone liking him, but for some reason, Y/N saying she likes them makes his chest feel warm.
Maybe this idol thing won't be so bad after all...
The five of them are surprised when they notice Y/N's eye twitch, and her smile falter slightly. Their eyes flicker between each other, but they don't say anything about it.
Y/N clears her throat before standing up from her seat to walk to the door.
"I'll let you boys discuss things amongst yourselves for a bit. If you need anything, I'll be right down the hall."
The Saja Boys watch silently as Y/N struggles with the lock on the door. They notice her hands are shaking, though she's trying to hide it.
Is she in pain?
She exits the room quickly, leaving the Boys behind, concerned and confused.
For a moment, the room is silent.
Abby is the first to speak up. "She really let Huntrix have it, huh?" he laughs.
"Serves them right," Baby scoffs. "The next time that bitch puts her hands on one of us, I'll rip her fucking arm off," he growls.
"Y/N and Bobby want to keep things quiet," Mystery says quietly, placing a comforting hand on Baby's shoulder. "Probably for the best if we do. Though we can always hold onto it as blackmail," he says with a wide grin.
"So, what about this contract?" Romance says, holding the packet of papers up and waving it in his hands. "Are we going to accept?"
"It would probably help with appearances," Jinu says with a heavy sigh. "A successful label deal would probably gain us more trust with the fans. We can play along for the time being. It won't matter in the end, after all."
The Boys all flash wicked smiles, fangs bared and eyes burning gold.
"SHUT UP!"
The Saja Boys are startled when they hear Y/N scream from down the hall and the sound of glass shattering.
"What the hell was that?" Abby asks in a whisper.
They flinch when they hear Y/N scream again along with a loud crash and the sound of more glass smashing. They glance nervously between each other.
"Should someone go check on her?" Mystery suggests.
Jinu sighs and stands up from his seat, stretching his arms above his hesd with a quiet groan.
"I'll go. I need to stretch my legs anyways," he says as he walks towards the door.
"Try not to embarrass yourself for once," Baby teases, scrolling through his phone mindlessly. "I know that's difficult for you."
The other Boys laugh as Jinu flips Baby off before he leaves the room, closing the door with a soft click behind him.
"I'll bet he just wants to get her alone," Mystery laughs. "Wants to see what they hype is about."
Baby growls and launches an empty soda can at his head. "He can see what a fucking weirdo she is."
"She's not a weirdo, Baby. That's unkind," Romance scolds.
"Oh, please," Baby scoffs. "You're really gonna tell me you don't think she's even a little weird?"
"You say that as if you're not weird," Abby throws back.
"I'm not weird!" Baby defends, looking up from his phone to glare at Abby. "You're the one pining after a human."
"I am not pining after her," Abby growls back, baring his fangs. "You don't even know her. Why are you so against her?"
"You don't know her either!" Baby hisses, his eyes glowing. "It's been - what? Two weeks? And you've spoken to her maybe two or three times? Don't act like she's your friend because she's not!"
Abby's chest feels tight at Baby's words and anger bursts through him. He growls again as he gets up from his seat and starts toward Baby.
"Enough," Romance says sternly, stepping between the two Boys. "I thought you two were passed this. There's no point in arguing about it."
Baby and Abby both huff and turn away from each other angrily. Abby sits back in his armchair, crossing his arms and leaning his head back with his eyes closed. Baby walks over to the fridge and busies himself looking over the selection of drinks and snacks.
"Never a dull day with you guys," Mystery mumbles.
"At least one dull day would be nice every once in a while..."
...
Where the heck did she go? Jinu wonders as he walks through the empty hall.
It's been about ten minutes since he and the Boys heard Y/N screaming, but now the floor is mostly silent. The only sounds he can hear are the hum of the ventilation system and the soft buzz of the florescent lights.
She said she'd be right down the hall...
Jinu looks over the signs along the wall as he heads back to the lounge where the other Boys are waiting for him.
Lounge 6
Maintenance Office 6
Security Office 6
Employees Only
Men's/Women's Restrooms
He's surprised when Y/N suddenly appears, crashing right into him with a grunt. She stumbles back and trips over her own feet, but Jinu grabs her before she falls.
"Whoa, where's the fire?" he teases with a playful smirk.
Her face burns red, and she looks away from him, stepping back and mumbling a quiet apology. She seems to curl up into herself, avoiding his gaze and angling her body away from him.
Jinu stares at her curiously and raises an eyebrow at her reaction.
Is she hiding something?
He can hear her heart pounding and can smell the faint scent of blood in the air.
Is she hurt? he wonders.
Y/N shifts uncomfortably as Jinu eyes her up and down.
"Excuse me," she says quietly as she slips passed him quickly.
She crosses the hall and enters Meeting Room 6, and Jinu flinches when the door slams shut.
What the hell was that about?
He fights with himself over whether or not to go after her.
She might actually be hurt...
Jinu decides against it, sensing she's probably not in the mood to talk to anyone right now.
He walks back down the hallway and into the lounge, sliding the door closed.
Baby is back at the fridge, and Romance is looking over the display cases along the walls. Abby is leaned back in his chair with his arms crossed and eyes closed, and Mystery is doing whatever Mystery does when he sits silently on the couch.
"I think Y/N hurt herself," Jinu says.
"What makes you think that?" Romance asks, looking over at him.
Abby opens one eye, glancing over at Jinu. "Is that what all that noise was about?"
Jinu shrugs.
"I walked into her on the way back from the bathroom. She seemed... uncomfortable?" he says, trying to find the right word for the look he saw on your face. "Like she was trying to hide something. I could also smell blood."
"Are you sure it was her blood? Who was she screaming 'shut up' to?" Baby questions.
"No idea," Jinu shrugs again. "She was alone as far as I could tell."
The Boys share confused looks.
"Well, we can't just ask her about it," Mystery speaks up. "Then she'd know we were listening."
Jinu slouches back down into his chair. "Guess we'll just have to wait and see."
"I feel like the more time we spend with this girl, the more questions we have about her..." Mystery mutters.
"It certainly keeps things interesting," Romance responds with a soft laugh, shooting Abby a knowing smirk.
Abby rolls his eyes before closing them again.
The Boys all sit back in their seats and silence falls between them as they wait for Y/N to come back.
Their attention is drawn to the door when it slides open and Y/N steps back into the room. She closes the door again before turning the Boys.
The Saja Boys watch her as she makes her way back to the chair she was sitting in earlier. She's smiling, but the Boys can't help but think it looks forced and uncomfortable.
"So..." Y/N starts, breaking through the awkward tension in the room. "Have you had enough time to consider my offer?"
"We have," Jinu responds. He looks to the other Saja Boys, and they all nod in agreement.
"We accept."
A look of surprise is plastered across Y/N's face.
"Just like that? You don't want to negotiate the contract or change anything?" she asks in disbelief.
"This contract seems just fine to us."
"Okay... Well... Let me grab you some pens then," she say as she stands up.
The Boys' eyes follow her again as she walks to the desk in the back of the room and opens a drawer, pulling out a small black box. She opens it and pulls out a pen for each of the Boys.
They're black with gold trim and have the JEOSUNG STUDIOS logo engraved on the side.
She also pull out a small blue stamp.
They continue to watch Y/N closely as she sits back down in front of the them and hands them each a pen.
The room goes quiet except for the sound of shuffling papers and the quiet scribbling of signatures.
One by one the Saja Boys slide their papers over to Y/N along with their pens.
"Keeps the pens," she says with a small smile.
Abby shrugs and tucks his pen behind his ear. Baby shoves his into a pocket, and Jinu clips his to the front of his shirt. Romance places his own back on the table in front of him while Mystery twirls his pen in his fingers.
Once Y/N has all of their contracts in front of her, she adds her own signature underneath each of the Boys' and stamps them at the bottom. A small intricate tiger in blue ink adorns each contract below both signatures.
Romance nudges Jinu's foot with his and gestures towards the table. Jinu looks over and his looks turns serious.
As Y/N signs their contracts, he can see small cuts across the skin of her hand and knuckles and a bruise starting to form. The other Boys take notice, too.
No wonder I smelled blood...
Y/N pulls her hand back from the papers quickly, hiding her hand in her lap out of their line of sight, and she forces a reassuring smile at them.
"Just me being my clumsy self, as usual," she says, forcing out a small laugh.
"I dropped my favorite coffee mug and hurt myself trying to clean it up. Then I walked right into Jinu on my way back from tossing out the broken pieces. I've got three out of five of you crossed off on my How Many Saja Boys Can I Crash Into? bingo card," she jokes and rolls her eyes.
She's such a terrible fucking liar.
The Saja Boys are unconvinced, but they laugh anyway.
"Maybe we should bubble-wrap you before you leave the house from now on," Baby suggests with a smug smirk on his face, and Romance flicks him in the ear.
"Ow!" Baby exclaims, covering his ear with his hands and glaring at Romance.
Romance doesn't bother looking back at him.
Y/N rolls her eyes again.
"Bold of you to assume I wouldn't be able to hurt myself on bubble wrap. I am VERY talented."
She laughs a little more heartily this time, and so do the Saja Boys, breaking the heavy tension between them.
"Well, then..." Y/N says as she gathers up the contracts from the table in front of her. She stacks them on top of each other and places them in her lap.
"Now that it's official, I'll repeat my earlier statement..."
Her eyes scan over the Saja Boys one more time and she smiles widely.
Genuinely don't understand why others say that Jinu and Rumi do not make sense together. They got the chemistry, they understand each other and like heck even their actions and micro expressions scream something more than just 'friends'. Whether people like it or not he IS IMPORTANT TO THE MESSAGE OF THE MOVIE TOO. The message applies to friends, families, AND romantic relationships. People also seem to forget the multiple Rujinu concepts that come from the CREW. They had multiple ideas for romantic concepts and you are telling me that it was never intended to be romantic??? Like why do the vas ship it? Why does the MAGGIE KANG ship it?? Those posts with 'This Patch' even came from Netflix and they acknowledge it too. Even it's by someone's preferences or what he has done but denying the special connection is quite a stretch. Just be glad that Jinu isn't some blank paper ass of a character that doesn't make sense to the plot or the movie's message. At least some good looking guy actually has something complex going on because poor boy suffocated for 400 years and I've personally never seen that done on a love interest
