Chapter Text
Steps echoed against the tiled floor. A man with short, black hair and golden eyes with slits for pupils walked towards the main stage in Namsan Tower. His black hanbok could have made him blend in with the eternal night. It could have, if only the patterns that covered his entire body weren’t glowing an ominous pink.
As he reached the steps that led up to the stage, the demon dropped to one knee and lowered his head, speaking loudly, “I greet his Lord, the almighty King of Demons.”
On the stage, a man with golden eyes that seemed to stare straight into Jinu’s non-existent soul watched him with a smug smirk. He had purple hair with pink tips and it was tied up into a ponytail which was constantly flowing, making it look like a flame. His horns glowed pink and cast shadows across the entire stage.
He sat on a throne that was as red as the sky and wore a black hanbok. He rested his marked face on one hand and commanded, “Rise, Jinu.”
The lesser demon nodded as he stood up, keeping his gaze at Gwi-ma’s feet. Only those deemed worthy enough were allowed to look directly at the powerful King. Which, in other words, meant nobody.
“How have you been, Jinu? Adjusting well to the changes, I presume?” Jinu nodded as he replied immediately, “Yes, my King. I am relieved by the absence of the voices. I thank you for your kindness.”
Gwi-ma waved a hand dismissively as he replied boredly, “I was simply holding my end of our deal. Not like you’d remember it, though. You understand that I erased some other memories as well so that you would not be bothered by the voices that those unnecessary memories would bring, right?”
“Yes, I understand. I am truly honoured to receive such generosity.” The words flowed out of Jinu’s mouth smoothly, like his life depended on it. And it did, one slip-up could anger the Demon King and then the flames of Hell would devour him until there wasn’t a single trace left.
While Jinu didn’t remember much of his time in the human realm, from what Gwi-ma had told him, he and a few other demons had helped the Demon King rise back to power. Apparently, they had even managed to defeat the hunters that had been giving every other demon a hard time.
It sounded a bit unbelievable to Jinu, especially since they had apparently done all of this by becoming a popular boy band, but he was just happy that the voices were gone. His mind was finally peaceful.
Even though sometimes, he would have nightmares of a purple-haired girl whose face and name he could no longer remember. Not like he would tell anyone though. That girl was probably insignificant anyway so there was no point in going through the extra trouble of asking Gwi-ma to erase even more of his memories.
Gwi-ma hummed to himself as he tapped a finger slowly on the armrest, muttering, “That’s good… very good… Well then, I didn’t summon you here just to check on your well-being.”
Jinu stiffened. He was waiting for this. There were only two reasons why Gwi-ma would ever want to see any demon. One, you messed up really badly or two, he had a task for you. Seeing as how Jinu was still alive, or as alive as a demon could be, it was likely the latter. He didn’t mind it. Since the demons’ successful takeover of the human realm, tasks from Gwi-ma usually involved searching for any humans that had managed to escape the demons during their hunts for food.
“You know of the current demon hunters, right?” Gwi-ma asked and Jinu nodded slowly. He knew them. They were called HUNTR/X but they had already been defeated. According to the other demons, two out of three of them had already been captured.
“Good. You see, I have a small dilemma on my hands at the moment. While I have two of them, the very last one has managed to elude my grasp so far. Her name is Rumi and she is by far the most dangerous and problematic of them all, which is why I want you to go capture her. Is that clear?”
What? Capture a demon hunter? Specifically someone who was so powerful that even Gwi-ma had decided that she was a threat? Jinu wasn’t capable of doing that at all! He didn’t give a response immediately.
And apparently, Jinu had hesitated for a moment too long before replying because Gwi-ma repeated himself, his annoyance evident, “I asked, is that clear?”
“Yes, of course, my King. I will capture her by any means necessary,” Jinu answered and he desperately prayed to the hells below that Gwi-ma wouldn’t burn him into ashes.
Luckily, the Demon King seemed to be merciful today and he simply continued, “I want her alive by the way. You may use as many demons as you want for your plans as long as you bring her to me.”
Jinu nodded in acknowledgement and out of the corner of his eye, he could see Gwi-ma gesture towards the door, dismissing him. He immediately turned around and left the area, letting out a breath of relief that he hadn’t even been aware that he was holding. He had somehow left in one piece after meeting Gwi-ma, a rare accomplishment for most demons.
He straightened and took a deep breath, glancing outside of the tower to look at the ravaged world. Demons prowled around freely, searching through abandoned streets and alleyways for human souls to feed on. Vehicles lay upturned and empty. At first glance, it looked like the apocalypse had happened. And maybe it had.
Well then, he had a hunter to catch. Rumi… the name was so familiar yet so foreign on his tongue. Perhaps he had encountered her before he had lost his memories.
It didn’t matter. She was a demon hunter and he was a demon. They were mortal enemies and nothing would change that.
Gwi-ma watched Jinu leave the room, practically running away from him. He cackled at the fear that lingered in the air. It was absolutely delicious.
Oh how Gwi-ma relished this feeling. Now that his power had been restored, all demons had no choice but to respect and fear their king. Otherwise, they would suffer the consequences. It was something that the demons had seemed to have forgotten after Gwi-ma was reduced to nothing more than a dying flame by the hunters. Not that it mattered now, though. He had quickly made an example of what happened to disrespectful subjects.
He stood up from his throne and teleported outside of a room. It was originally a dance room for performers to practice their choreography before heading onto the stage. However, Gwi-ma had recently… renovated it for a new purpose.
The demons standing outside of the door quickly bowed once they saw him and immediately ran away. Gwi-ma smirked at their fear of him. The guards had quickly learnt what to do after one of their predecessors had been burned to flames for not getting out of Gwi-ma’s sight quickly enough.
The door opened with a loud creak and the dark room was illuminated by Gwi-ma’s horns and glowing patterns. He stared at the two cages that were suspended in the air, each containing a hunter.
The black-haired rapper that was called Zoey had her back against her cage bars while the pink-haired dancer known as Mira was pacing around angrily in her cage.
Mira immediately turned at the sound of the opening door and glared at Gwi-ma, who simply chuckled at her defiance.
“You bastard! Let us out now!” Mira shouted angrily at Gwi-ma. The Demon King’s smile widened as he tilted his head at her, taunting her, “Or what, little hunter? Your Honmoon is so weak that you can’t even summon your weapons.”
Mira growled as she hissed, “Just you wait! We’ll kill you eventually!”
Gwi-ma barely managed to stifle a yawn at Mira’s empty words. They had the same dance every time; Mira would spew insults or threats at Gwi-ma that were filled with rage but meant nothing. At the very least, it was entertaining for him, to a certain extent. But beyond that, it was annoying. And right now, Gwi-ma wasn’t in a very good mood since he noticed the Honmoon ripple.
“Do you not tire of doing the same thing every time we meet, hunter? Or do you simply enjoy trying to get on my nerves? Do you need a reminder on what happens when you try to fight me?” A pink flame appeared in Gwi-ma’s hand. It was only a small ball of fire but Mira flinched regardless. The first time she met Gwi-ma after being captured, she had gotten too loud. Too reckless. The burns on her right arm still hadn’t healed from that incident.
“... Rumi will come to save us, I know she will,” Zoey murmured, her voice barely audible. Gwi-ma turned his attention to her. Zoey rarely spoke when in his presence, although according to the guards, she was usually a lot more lively when alone with Mira.
He found her act amusing. She was trying to pretend that her spirit had been broken in hopes that Gwi-ma would let his guard down around her. He could tell from one look though that she had a resilient soul. Although it was also one that was easily swayed, which was something he could exploit.
“Your demon comrade? That is quite a delusion. She is certainly not coming to save you,” Gwi-ma sneered and Zoey finally turned around to face him, determination in her eyes as she retorted, “I know Rumi, she will save us and defeat you.”
Gwi-ma raised an eyebrow as he snickered, “Oh, you know her, do you? But she didn’t tell you about her patterns so have you ever wondered what else she has been hiding from you?”
Zoey hesitated as doubt flickered across her face before Mira interrupted, “Stop it! You won’t trick us again! We won’t let you demons make us doubt our bonds again! We definitely know Rumi better than you do!”
Gwi-ma sighed in frustration. He had thought that since one of the hunters had been hiding her identity as a half-demon from the others, it would be easier to drive a wedge between them. Yet, their bond still didn’t falter.
It would, in good time though. Eventually, the doubts in their minds would grow until they started to believe them. Once that happened, they would abandon Rumi. And then, without anyone to turn to, her shame would grow until the demonic side of her took over and Gwi-ma would be able to control her.
Of course, it would be much easier to simply kill Zoey and Mira or take their souls. After all, he was certain that the despair from their deaths would destroy any fighting spirit in Rumi. But he couldn’t because he wasn’t sure if the Honmoon would pick a new generation of demon hunters, which would create countless problems for him. He also wasn’t sure if their deaths would break Rumi or solidify her desire for revenge. As long as Gwi-ma had them, alive and well, he knew that Rumi wouldn’t be able to harm him at all.
Still, waiting for their doubts to bloom was a lengthy process. And Gwi-ma didn’t have the time or patience for it to naturally happen. Besides, he just had to plant the seed and wait for it to sprout on its own.
“Are you really sure about that though? I’m sure you felt the Honmoon ripple just now. And only your friend is able to damage the Honmoon like that. For all you know, she could already have turned into a demon.”
Obviously, that hadn’t happened yet. If not, the Honmoon wouldn’t even exist right now. The other two hunters definitely knew that too. However, as long as they thought that there was a possibility that the Rumi they knew no longer existed, it was enough.
Gwi-ma exited the room without another word and laughed to himself. There was only one thing he enjoyed more than the taste of fear, and that was seeing friends tear each other apart. And it was all the more sweeter when it was his enemies, the demon hunters, doing it.
Oh, what an interesting show it would be.