Chapter Text
kieran
@legendary_brush
was anyone else at namsan tower last night?? was it just me or did huntrix literally kill the saja boys??
Aki @golden_akebeko
Replying to @legendary_brush
yes!!! i swear the SFX was off the charts last night!
kieran @legendary_brush
Replying to @golden_akebeko
no i don't think it was sfx
Duckie @goducksgo
Replying to @legendary_brush
are you fr suggesting a kpop group murdered their rivals on stage and got away with it lmao
iris @iris_caustix
Replying to @goducksgo
you clearly weren’t there so shut up
kieran @legendary_brush
Replying to @legendary_brush
qrts go fuck yourself i’m not making this up
tiff
@magical_tiff
ugh i love those tattoos can’t believe rumi’s been hiding them forever
simon^2 @SimonSaysOkay
Replying to @magical_tiff
wdym those are clearly stretch marks
PC @PaintTheClouds
Replying to @SimonSaysOkay
glowing iridescent stretch marks… right…
mike#1! @vastcrew
Replying to @PaintTheClouds
i thought they were lichtenberg scars
bun @smol_gin_flower
Replying to @vastcrew
nobody on this app uses their brain istg
beanie era wendell @WendellBeanie
Replying to @magical_tiff
did NOBODY else notice that all of the saja boys had matching tattoos??
Tulip @hauntedhousegirl
Replying to @WendellBeanie
RIGHT something’s up fr
When Rumi woke the day after the concert, she lay in silence for a while, listening to the muffled sounds of the Mira and Zoey getting on with their first true rest day since the beginning of the Saja Boys saga.
There was nothing that they needed to be doing. There was no threat of the Honmoon being ripped apart by internal discord or Gwi-Ma’s machinations. There was no deadline that she needed to chase, hoping to erase her demon marks before either of her friends caught wind of them.
In her unflattering pyjama pants and baggy jumper combination, she rolled out of bed and stretched like a cat, padding over to the bathroom to wash her face. Her skincare regimen was routine by now, so in spite of her aching muscles, she went through the motions.
Every muscle hurt from the battle last night, and even though Jinu’s soul now pulsed from within her body, the remnants of anguish over the group’s split and then Jinu’s sacrifice had left gaping scars. And that went without mentioning all the losses that the common people had suffered as a result of her failures.
She paused by the door to the common area, steeling herself and pulling a cheerful mask over her face before pushing it open. As expected, Zoey was lying on her back on the couch, holding her phone above her face and scrolling through TikTok. Mira was sat at the breakfast bar, stuffing her face and wearing her wireless headphones with a look of absolute zen.
Mira pulled the headphones down as soon as Rumi’s door swung open.
“Girl, that is not a happy face. What’s up?”
“What do you mean?” Rumi faltered. She thought her facade had been perfect. Maybe the last couple of weeks had taken a greater toll on her than she had thought.
Mira gave her a look. “Come on, now.”
With the events of the twisted Idol Awards less than 24 hours ago, all it took was Zoey taking notice and pushing herself up too, peering at the two of them over the back of the couch, for her to crumble.
“I’m just tired.” Her shoulders slumped as she took a seat by Mira, facing away from the bar so that she could see both of the girls. “We lost so many people to the Saja Boys, and even with the new Honmoon, those missing people aren’t coming back.”
“Girl…” Mira put her hand on Rumi’s shoulder.
Zoey stood from the couch, throwing her phone down and walking over to the two of them and pulling them all into a hug. “Hey. It’s alright. We couldn’t have anticipated Gwi-Ma targeting us where it hurt, coming after the fans. That’s not on you. And the Honmoon is fixed now! We can have a little break!”
“Yeah, Zoey’s right. Don’t take responsibility when the Saja Boys were at fault. We might have fallen for their tricks, but they’re gone now. All we’ve got left are three months of couch. And for real, this time. ”
“Totally! I’m looking forward to our bathhouse trip today!”
Rumi relaxed into the girls’ embrace, reaching her arms up to envelope the two of them as well. She squeezed them tight. “You’re right.” It didn’t make the heavy feeling any easier to bear, but the support of the two of them helped to alleviate some of the aching in her chest. “I’ll do my best to put it behind us.”
It was part of their duty as hunters. Especially now that the Honmoon was in a nascent state; they needed their wits around them in case anything went wrong. At least they were on break, this time. Balancing idol activities with demon hunting was a messy job, and there’d been countless times when she had been glad for the Honmoon’s ability to mask demonic activity from public sight.
Their embrace was disrupted when the elevator dinged, the doors sliding open smoothly to reveal two figures. Bobby burst in, Celine following at a more sedate pace and with a much calmer demeanour.
A shock ran up Rumi’s spine and rooted her in place, the memory of that last conversation drifting to the forefront of her thoughts.
“Rumi?” Zoey asked, as all three of them turned to face the newcomers.
Rumi slipped off her barstool and positioned herself slightly behind Zoey, watching Celine with wary eyes. The woman carefully avoided her gaze, instead watching as Bobby pulled out his phone to show the girls its screen.
Mira’s grip on her shoulder returned, tightening, and Rumi watched her eyes narrow as she observed Celine’s actions. “Rumi…”
“Girls!” Bobby’s cry cut off any potential conflict. “The internet’s always right… but something’s wrong!”
Rumi allowed her attention to slip away from Celine momentarily, just enough to zero in on Bobby’s phone. Twitter was open to a thread by @legendary_brush, and one scan of the header – coupled with the Like count – was enough to make her entire body go cold.
Zoey grabbed the phone, scrolling through it rapidly, but the rest of the thread wasn’t any better.
“Oh no.” Mira’s eyes were wide.
“Girls?” Bobby asked. “What’s going on?”
They exchanged a glance. A single twitter thread wasn’t enough proof, but hadn’t they mentioned that they were worried about the new Honmoon’s differences compared to the last? Hadn’t they been glad that had a break to make sure that they had time to clear up the rest of Saja Boys’ mess?
This counted.
Looked like that bathhouse visit was going to have to wait.
kieran
@legendary_brush
the namsan tower performance WASN’T just special effects (sfx), a thread [1/?]
kieran @legendary_brush
Replying to @legendary_brush
Disclaimer: I was there i’m not pulling this from nowhere [2/?]
kieran @legendary_brush
Replying to @legendary_brush
Anyway my phone was dead but i got this video that someone else recorded and?? are those claws?? [3/?]
[VIDEO: A shaky recording from the middle of a crowd, following Rumi running down the stage’s catwalk towards a gigantic amorphous blob of deep red-and-pink flames. Swirls of brilliant teal light surround her as she speeds along, and in the foreground Zoey can be seen facing off across from two figures wearing dark gats* and matching sochangui*. Their profiles are familiar, but the tips of their fingers are more elongated than one might usually expect.]
kieran @legendary_brush
Replying to @legendary_brush
the ‘sfx’ that most people claim this is doesn’t match up to what technology is currently capable of! If you look at zoey, you can see that she summons glowing blades from thin air. If you look at rumi, those swirls aren’t physically possible with her dynamic movement [4/?]
kieran @legendary_brush
Replying to @legendary_brush
video-editing can sure put those in, but I was there. that blue light around her?? was there when she was running down that catwalk LIVE!! those blades that zoey summoned? there wasn’t any space for them in her outfit, and i sure didn’t see a stage hand giving them to her!! [5/?]
kieran @legendary_brush
Replying to @legendary_brush
PLUS those claws that the saja boys seem to have?? and those tattoos over all five of them? I don’t know how i didn’t clock them earlier, but as soon as huntrix showed up to usurp their spotlight it was like they had always been there!! [6/?]
kieran @legendary_brush
Replying to @legendary_brush
something was SERIOUSLY off about this performance, and i was at the Sunshine Sisters’ final performance! It’s like the saja boys aren’t – weren’t(?? did huntrix kill them for real??) even human?? [7/?]
kieran @legendary_brush
Replying to @legendary_brush
plus i and a million other eyewitnesses swear that we saw huntrix fly beyond the arena’s boundaries at the end of their song? that’s not physically possible unless there was a hidden helicopter or smtng, and believe me, we would have heard it. [8/9]
kieran @legendary_brush
Replying to @legendary_brush
therefore my conclusion is that the namsan performance wasn’t sfx and there was something supernatural going on, which would explain why i have NO MEMORY OF LEAVING MY HOUSE TO GO TO NAMSAN AT ALL [9/9]
jim @just_jim
Replying to @legendary_brush
if you’re having memory problems you should probably go see a doctor. nice theory but i think you need to touch grass.
Mori @RemembrRemembr
Replying to @legendary_brush
wait i was there too! you’re right there’s no way they should have been flying that high!
misty @kpopismylife
Replying to @legendary_brush
oomf what the hell
carmine @masquerain_ing
Replying to @legendary_brush
hold on, let him cook