Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

This is the story of how I died…But don’t worry! This is actually a very fun story, and the truth is, it isn’t even mine. This is a story about a woman named Rumi, with incredible abilities. But it does not have a very happy beginning. 

Once Upon a Time…

The sun and moon blessed the Earth with a special gift each. From the sun, a single drop of light fell from the heavens and with it, planted a brilliant golden flower. It had the ability to heal the sick and injured. And from the moon, no one really knew for sure. But legend spoke of a piece of the moon itself that implanted itself somewhere in the depths of the forest. 

Two centuries passed, and no one had yet been able to find the sun’s gift, until one particular day. Deep within the forest rested the golden flower, glimmering with a special kind of pollen. And who should come upon the gift is a young woman. A young woman with child. She was due any day. But, unfortunately, she had received word from a Seer a few months previously that her beautiful baby daughter may not make it. So, she sought a miracle. 

The mother discovered the gift alongside her close friend, Celine. (Try to remember Celine, she is kind of important to this story.) The sundrop was quite simply the most beautiful flower either of them had ever seen. Her friend was hesitant to dig the roots of such a beautiful plant from the ground, especially for one of such a rare kind. 

But she had no time to question it any further, because right at that very moment, the mother kneeled over in pain, clutching her belly instinctively. She was about to have a baby. Celine had no choice. Once she dug the sundrop out from the ground, she stuffed it into her satchel, and they raced off to a nearby inn on horseback. 

It was a long and grueling process upon reaching the inn. Even with the innkeeper and his wife doing what they could to deliver the baby, it was unlikely they would make it. So, Celine makes the rash decision that would change the course of her life moving forward. She’s forced to make a medicine that can save the little one. She works quickly, leaving the room in the process, and creates a golden tonic. But once she arrives, well… Let’s let the scene play out for itself, why don’t we?

“Nari?” Celine whispered in terror. 

She winced while her friend bent down to her side. “Please, give it to the baby.” 

“But how-h-what about you?” Her breath hitches. 

“Give it to her, please. And care for her.” Nari weakly holds her friend’s shaking hand. “I t-thank you for helping me to-this far.” Celine sobs for her friend; bringing their hands to her forehead as to get the courage for what she’s about to do. But the pleading look from her friend’s eyes left no time for that.

The baby arrives, but there wasn’t a pulse, no screaming fresh from the womb, nothing. A stillborn. Celine had no choice. Even if her friend was dying beside her, she gave the tonic to the baby. And within moments, the baby’s eyes open and cries the way newborns do. 

For a time, Nari’s baby daughter stayed with Celine in her Hanok in the village. But that did not last long. You see…Unbeknownst to anyone, there came a side effect of the sundrop as a counteract to the moon’s gift. Within hours after the baby was born, she had grown a full head of blonde hair with black streaks. It surprised Celine. The blonde hair didn’t come from Nari, and as far as she is aware, the father didn’t have any either. But the black streaks seemed normal. Or so she thought.

One fateful day, she attempted to comb through the infant’s hair. She sniffled with every attempt. Celine found a nasty knot already forming. She tried to be as careful as possible when it happened. She pulled a bit too hard to get it out, and the baby cried out in pure agony. 

Her hair started to glow, and suddenly, Celine got thrown back against one of the pillars by a mysterious force. And in her shock, she dropped the baby on the cot, who was screaming like a banshee. A bright blue glow filled the house and within seconds, these large black rocks burst through the floor and walls of the house. Celine herself narrowly missed getting pinned to a wall by one. 

She dodged the different ones, picked up the child, and darted out of there as fast as her legs could take her. And yet, the rocks followed them all the way out into the woods. Villagers were left deeply confused by the presence of the rocks, even more by the destruction of the Hanok. 

The baby calms down after a lullaby from Celine. But the damage is already done. Her home has been destroyed, and this child’s hair had something to do with it. It terrified her. 

After sneaking back into the village late into the night, she gathered some supplies before saying goodbye to her home for good. The journey to find someplace safe and hidden took weeks. The blisters on Celine’s feet permanently damaged them from that time forward. But she didn’t dare take a break for more than a day at a time. 

It took a month, but she found a safe place to hide the child, now a month and three weeks old. A very secluded tower hidden by a cavern with vines blocking the entrance. It appeared to have been vacant for decades. It was perfect.

In that tower, Celine raised the child as her own. And as time passed, her hair grew and grew, both in length and indestructibility. And every night, she brushed her hair and sang a special song together. 

“Flower, gleam and glow, let your power shine, make the clock reverse. Bring back what once was mine. What once was mine.” The little girl sang for her adoptive mother as she gazed into the fire before her. Her hair glowed gold whenever she would sing the song, but she did not understand why. 

“...What once was mine.” Celine finished the song with her, sighing in relief. She couldn’t help how at ease she felt every time she sang. How at peace she would feel knowing that as long as she sang that song, her life was safe. 

The little girl sighed sadly. “Why can’t I go outside?” She asked solemnly. 

Celine shook her head. “Your curse is too dangerous for the outside world. If anyone found out what you could do, they’d be terrified. You must stay here where you’re safe. Do you understand, Rumi?”

“Yes, Celine.” 

But unbeknownst to Celine, whether it be when she was away or asleep, the walls of the tower couldn’t hide everything. Once a year, Rumi would sneak towards the window to see these glowing lights in the sky. Alongside these grand and colorful explosions that would last into the night. And even if she had no idea what it meant, it gave her hope. That someday, she could leave the tower, and find all the answers she wanted. And maybe, just maybe, she can be free.

Chapter Text

Bright one spring morning, a magpie flies through the cracked windows of the tower. He twitters before dodging behind one of the potted plants hanging just above the window head. But as soon as the window doors open, he has already lost. Rumi burst them open with such force that he could have fallen more than a dozen feet had he not had wings. 

“Nice try there, Sussie,” She chuckles, taking the opportunity to sit down on her windowsill. 

Sussie glares, flying up to meet her directly eye-to-eye. She extends a finger out and, despite his clear annoyance, he lands on it. “Okay, okay, I’m sorry. But you shouldn’t have pecked at my sheet music. If you didn’t want to retaliate, you should not have started it.” 

While her magpie friend is a good companion but is also known to be quite petty. Even if the tower was quite spacious on the inside, it was still only two floors, and one of those floors only had a single bedroom: Rumi’s. So, if they come to a particularly boring day, Sussie tends to get…Destructive for attention. 

But she wouldn’t change him for the world. 

Sussie squawks in return. “Well, what do you want to do today?” The bird perks up at the question. It jumps around on her finger, gesturing towards the outside. Rumi bites her lip, glancing out at the area below her tower. 

She knew that Sussie wanted more space to fly around, to have a new environment. He would be able to stretch his wings more, that’s for certain. But instead, she shakes her head. “I don’t think so, Sussie. I like it in here, and I know you do too.” 

That did not please her animal friend. And instead of an enthusiastic agreement, she gets a blank stare from the magpie. Rumi laughs lightheartedly and taps his beak. “C’mon Sussie, it’s not so bad in there.” 

She delicately picks up her bird friend before swinging her legs around the windowsill, back into her sanctuary. And her dozens-of-feet-long hair trails after her. It is time to get the day started, after all.

1. Open up the skylight

With how dark it gets inside, it’s a necessity for Rumi to do every morning. She climbs up one of the red columns holding the structure together, carefully balances on a beam, and tosses an end of her hair up to catch the lever. It does so exactly. Like it has every day for the last eleven years. And with that completed, she can move on to the next five steps on the list. 

2-5. CHORES 

The sooner she can get each chore done, the sooner she can get to anything else she wants. But that doesn’t mean she can’t sing about the routine out loud to herself to make the time go by faster. “7 AM, the usual morning lineup! Start on the chores and sweep 'til the floor's all clean. Polish and wax, do laundry, and mop and shine up. Sweep again, and by then it's like 7:15!”

There isn’t much to do for each chore that wasn’t done the day before. And the day before that. And the day before that. She could keep going, but the jidst has been established. There is never a spot that is ever hit by a little speck of the dust. 

6… Whatever she can do.

Rumi hits the bookshelf next. “And so I'll read a book. Or maybe two, or three.” Celine has gathered a selection of books over the last few years, so Rumi would be able to study in her solitude. Her main go-tos happen to be the only stories about mythological stories. 

“I'll play bipa and knit. And cook and basically, just wonder when will my life begin?” Admittedly, she spent a bit longer on the instrument. She cannot help it. Priorities for music, y’know?

She strums a few notes before writing them down on some sheet music. It’s a melody that has been her head the last few days, but she keeps losing it every time she attempted to play it on the bipa. Rumi sighs, rubbing her eyes. Well, can’t dwell on that for too long. 

“Then after lunch it's puzzles and darts and baking. Papier-mâché, a bit of Buchaechum and chess.” You may not believe her, but using the sheer wind from a fan to beat a magpie at chess is quite a feat. 

“Pottery and ventriloquy, candle making. Then I'll stretch, maybe sketch, take a climb, sew a dress!” The death glare she gets from Sussie for the little dress she forces him into makes it absolutely worth it. The candles will come in handy if Celine comes home with some new lanterns. (She is starting to lose room in the closet from the set of candles they made two weeks ago.)

She reluctantly picks up books in relation to her studies. “And I'll reread the books, if I have time to spare.” Sometimes the books on other subjects could be interesting. (And by interesting, she really means dull and lackluster.) Just once she wishes there would be more history books on the outside world, but there isn’t. 

“And then I'll brush, and brush, and brush, and brush my hair!” She starts the process in front of her mirror, but the longer she does it, the more she has to toss her blonde hair into different areas just to get to it. “Stuck in the same place I've always been.” When she finally reaches the end of it, she is about ready to take a nap up on one of the red beams from exhaustion. 

She takes a quick nap before jumping back down to the main floor. A large bundle of her hair is in her arms to prevent tripping. And just for fun, Rumi starts tossing bundles around the room as she sang the last bit of her routine. “And I'll keep wonderin', and wondering, and wondering, and wondering…When will my life begin?” She tosses the last of it as high up into the air as she possibly can; it landing around her in a swirled pattern. 

She hangs her head sadly as she eyes all the hair surrounding her as if part of the tower itself. It is a lot of weight to have on her head all the time, day and night. Sussie is really lucky that he has only gotten tangled in it a couple of times. If only Celine would let her style it in some way. 

Sussie chirps from her shoulder. Rumi forces a smile, petting his little head. “I’m alright. I have a plan.” 

The next thing she knew, she was strumming the bipa once again. Trying to find the melody again, she sings a thought that’s in her mind. “And tomorrow night, those lights will appear. Just like they do every year…” She draws out the ver in every to emphasize. 

Her eyes catch a glimpse at the window, where direct sunlight was illuminating the main floor of the tower. The birds that fly over the building every day are chirping, without a care in the world. And the waterfall she knows is behind them is crashing in the most peaceful way imaginable. 

“What is it like? Out there where they asunder?” She picks herself up, sitting at the window to take in the peaceful noises; drawing out the r at the end of asunder. “Now that I’m older…She might just let me go.”

Right at that same moment, the village is busy setting everything up for the festival that begins tomorrow. Booths are preparing whatever product they are planning on selling to the public. Musicians are finetuning in rehearsals. Children are running around, anxiously awaiting another fun event in this beautiful weather. Everything is all going according to plan. 

Well, unless you consider a robbery happening at one of the temples two blocks away from the main square to be “according to plan.” Surprise, surprise, it isn’t. The thief pants, running away with a satchel thrown over his shoulder. And right behind him is several pissed off guards. 

“Derpy! Where are you!” The thief yells in a random direction. No one appears. Great.

He groans, ducking into an alleyway, booking it around the different confused civilians. Not like they were expecting to have this run-in today. He jumps over the crates, just narrowly tripping, before spinning around a barrel that blocks his path. That’s when he spots his companion asleep in a thin part of the alley. He slides into the shadows, watching as the guards go past obliviously. He smirks despite himself. 

Then, there’s movement under his hand, something soft. About time. “Did you really have to take a nap right in the middle of a heist?” His companion purrs in response, not understanding what his owner is scolding him for. 

As much as he wants to scold him, he can’t help himself. He pets Derpy’s fuzzy head, specifically running his hand down the creature’s neck. Derpy is quite content with the gentle pets; doesn’t even notice the guards catching them in the alleyway. 

“There you-what is that thing!” The repulsion in the guard’s voice is a level that he never thought possible. (But how else are you supposed to respond to the sight of a giant blue tiger in a tiny alleyway?)  

The thief chuckles darkly. “Just my tiger. Don’t worry, he doesn’t bite. Much.” 

One of the guards attempts to keep his composure. “You’re under arrest!” 

“You’ll have to catch us first,” He said smugly. He whistles for the tiger, whose ears perk up, and pounces atop the three guards before they can even process what’s happening. The tackle surprises the guards, but oh the weight. The weight of the animal should have been expected, but somehow, he weighed that much more. The thief got a good laugh before running off in the other direction. 

He whistles once again for the tiger, who doesn’t immediately come. He’s too busy playing with the strings of the guard’s hats. The thief groans, rubbing his temple mid-run. “Derpy!” He calls, clear sternness in his tone. That gets the cat’s attention, who hops off and charges to its master. More guards make an attempt for the duo. The thief merely smirks, smoothly sliding through the gap between the guards, while Derpy leaps over them. 

Even civilians are impressed by the feat. Especially when the thief grabs ahold of the tiger’s fur, and swings onto his back, riding it out of the square into the woods. The guards are trying to keep up, but they don’t stand a chance. Not when the tiger and his master vanish right before their eyes. 

Unbeknownst to the guards, Derpy reappears in a puff of pink smoke deep within the woods. He rolls off the creature’s back, landing in the soft grass beneath them. That’s when he finally pulls off his mask and hood, finally getting the chance to breathe. (That’s me, in case you were wondering.) “Woo, man. We have got to work on your timing, Derpy.” 

The tiger in question is too busy rolling around in the grass to pay attention to anything he’s saying. Not that he ever listens to begin with. That doesn’t make Jinu love him any less, however. 

He sighs, unclipping the satchel’s lid, taking out the item he had stolen from the temple. The temple in of itself is a big part of the festival, where people from various villages come to pay tribute to the sun and moon. In legend, it’s said that the sun and moon are siblings, so it’s important to pay tribute to their gifts in particular. 

Jinu had gotten ahold of two scrolls that had been buried within the walls of the temple. He can’t exactly read it on his own, but they contain information on the sundrop and the moon’s gift. But the main item of interest is a knife. The blade is a substance he’s never seen before anywhere else. It seems to be of a unique material that reflects his image like a inky mirror. 

“What do you think? Keep for ourselves, or give to the highest bidder?” A knife this unique must be worth quite a few muns. Even though he is asking Derpy, he is basically asking himself with how little the feline cares.

Rumi sighs as she puts the bipa in its stand. “Today is the day, Sussie. There is no other time. I need to ask Celine if I can go to the festival.” Sussie caws from her shoulder, encouraging her to go through with it. 

As if on queue, her mother figure calls out her name. “Let down your hair!” Celine yells from twenty feet below the window. 

“It’s time,” She says nervously. He, however, gestures his wing in the direction of the window, his little head perked up curiously. “I know, I know. C’mon, hide and don’t let her see you.” The bird nuzzles her neck before flying off towards her bedroom. 

Rumi shakes off her nerves before approaching the window. “Coming, Celine!” She shouts. She gathers up a huge bundle of her hair and tosses it out the window. The only way she can tell if she has taken hold is if she feels the weight on her neck. And as soon as she does, Rumi hooks her hair to the hook nearby to her head, and pulls with all her might. 

It has taken years for Rumi to lift her up with more ease, but it still isn’t easy lifting a person up to the window. Her hair is heavy enough on its own, adding Celine on top of that gives her some serious headaches. Even with her various trips to the outside world, Rumi can still feel the headaches creeping down to her neck and shoulders from the lack of it. 

She is finally able to let go when Celine reaches the window. Her whole body slumps as she catches her breath. Celine steps down from the windowsill with grace. “Good morning, Rumi. It’s good to see you.”

Rumi smiles warmly. “You too. How was the journey?”

“Nonconclusive, I’m afraid. It was quite draining, my dear.” She hangs up her cloak on a nearby coatrack before moving to put her basket down on their table. 

“Right…” She smiles awkwardly. “So, there was something I was hoping to discuss with you.”

Celine isn’t paying attention. She releases her hair from its bun, letting it fall onto her shoulders and against her back. From where Rumi’s standing, it looks so effortless for her. That looking so graceful comes naturally to her. 

“Celine, did you hear me?”

“Hmm? Is everything alright? Did you sing the wrong song again?” That glimpse of fear in her eyes is quick, but doesn’t go unnoticed by Rumi. It happens from time to time. 

Rumi shakes her head. “No, no, I haven’t been practicing that . It’s about…well, something else.” She gestures towards their spot over by their fireplace. Celine raises a skeptic eyebrow, but moves over anyway. It has been their spot to talk for many, many years. It’s where she brushes her hair, or used to. The fireplace wasn’t naturally built into the tower, but Celine put it together to give the room more warmth. 

Rumi sits down on her stool, directly in front of Celine’s chair. Her maternal figure sits behind her, putting her hands on Rumi’s arms to straighten her up. Rumi is quite tense, even when Celine starts to brush a part of her hair. 

“Soooo.” Her hands are shaking in her lap. “There’s this festival coming up in the village nearby…”

Celine pauses mid-brush. “How did you know about that?” She asks calmly.

“I found the flyer in your basket a month ago. Why didn’t you tell me there was an event about the sun and moon?” 

“Because there wasn’t a point. You have never left the tower, so why worry about an event you’ll never attend?” Her voice is cold and stern, as usual. 

Rumi bites her lip. “...But what if there are answers to be found? It could be worth looking into, right?”

Celine sighs. “We’ve discussed this so many times, Rumi. You’re too dangerous out in the outside world. It is too risky for someone of your power to be around other people. But why are you asking about the festival now?”

“I thought we could attend together. There are these floating lights, followed by these bright flashes of color. It is so beautiful. I won’t sing, I promise.”

Celine put her hand on Rumi’s shoulder, pushing her hair out of the way. “I know you long to see the world, but I cannot allow you to. Your hair is just too dangerous for the public.” Rumi glances at her from over her shoulder, her heart dropping to her stomach. It was a pipe dream, after all. Her eyes glance back to her lap, where her hands had curled up. 

Neither of them speak for a moment. It isn’t until Celine hugs her from behind that one of them speak. And that is the older woman that does. “Tell you what, what if I go to the village to pick up something special for supper tonight? 

Rumi doesn’t respond. 

“I can make kimsaam. With the expensive seaweed you enjoy so much.” That made her perk up. Usually, Celine will only get the seaweed for a very special occasion. Whether it be for her birthday or not causing destruction to the tower for a certain amount of time. So, if she is offering it now, she must mean it. 

So, she smiles. “Yeah, that would be nice. I know you just came back, but it is a few hours time to make it through the woods and back before sundown. Or so you’ve told me.”

Celine nods. “It’s not a problem. But you know the rules.”

“I know. Stay hidden and there won’t be any problems.” ( Oh, how wrong she was.)

Chapter Text

Derpy and Jinu have been wandering around the woods for a little while now. He thought he knew the way back to the pub, but looking at it all again, he really doesn’t. The trees all look the same. Great. He should know better than to just assume he can find his way back.

He rubs the back of his neck, attempting to loosen the sore muscles. But that’s when something happens to catch his eye, out of the corner of his peripheral. Hanging up on a tree branch is a wanted poster, for him. Well, to a point. No one really knew his identity, as he always kept his face covered up when he went out. But his crimes were still listed, alongside an inked painting of his profile. Derpy was also listed, looking as charming as ever. 

“They nailed your likeness,” He said to the tiger. The feline is rubbing his back against the tree trunk, trying to get it scratched in just the right spot. 

Jinu observes the poster’s portrait of himself a little closer. “They got my eyes wrong. They do not look that innocent-like. They’re more…Dangerous, alluring. Don’t you think?” 

But then he freezes when he hears the sounds of multiple horses neighing. The guards. They found him! He rips the wanted poster off the branch, quickly climbs atop Derpy’s back, and the tiger starts running. 

Even if they wouldn’t recognize him, they would identify his tiger. It doesn’t take a genius to put those pieces together. Despite his ability to teleport, Jinu only tried to use that sparingly, so as not to wear Derpy out too much. He’s never tested how many times he can do it without exhaustion, in all honesty. The most they’ve ever teleported together at once was three; only because Jinu had been caught cheating at a game and pissed off a pub owner. 

Derpy is a fast runner, but isn’t fast enough to beat highly trained military horses. They neighed aggressively, while their riders each had a sword raised as they charged towards him. They do not look happy. “Crap…” Jinu mumbles under his breath. 

He urges the feline to keep going. The longer they ran, the more tired Derpy became. The guards are catching up to them. So, he needs to act quickly. “Launch me!” He commands the tiger. Derpy doesn’t miss a second, arching his back and launching him into a nearby tree. He is about to wait for him, but Jinu gives a hand signal to tell him to keep going. So, he teleports in a puff of smoke. 

Not exactly what he meant, but that works. He climbs up the tree trunk, using the different branches as steps like a ladder. The tree shakes as the guards attempt to chop the tree down with their swords, but with how thick the trunk is, it will take a while. Once the thief is high enough in the tree, he finds an old rope tied to it. And looking around at the other trees, they each had some kind of rope in them. He smirks – no time to question the logic of it. He wraps the rope around his wrist, gripping it tightly in his hand, before swinging. 

He learned a lesson that day: never go swinging through trees on random ropes. He went swinging across multiple trees, but none of them had a graceful landing for him. On the very last tree, if it hadn’t been for Derpy appearing under him, he likely would have gotten a concussion from landing full body against the trunk. The tiger caught him on its back, jumping across several branches, then teleported away from the chase. 

He is unsure of how long he had blacked out for. The only reason he had come to was because Derpy licked his face. He groans, wiping the saliva off with the back of his sleeve, sitting up in the process. The large blue tiger is seated before him, looking at him expectantly, ears perked up. 

Jinu smiles affectionately, running his hand across his fuzzy forehead and down his neck. “Thanks, buddy. I owe ya.” Derpy nuzzles his face against Jinu’s as a thank you. With his friend’s help, he gets up, dusting himself off and readjusting the satchel. Only then does he notice where he is. 

He isn’t sure how, but Derpy has brought them to a very secluded area. There is an iridescent waterfall with a small pool where the water floods into it. The rock formation builds naturally upwards, as if carved specifically for what lies in the center of it all: A singular, magnificently built tower. Jinu’s eyes widen in wonder as he gazes upon it. Derpy is nuzzling against his side, but he isn’t even paying attention to it, outside of a couple (natural) head scratches. 

He has never seen anything like this before, and likely never would again. The tower’s bricks are a bit faded, but it fits more naturally in with its environment. Jinu stares at it for a moment longer before slowly approaching it. Maybe he should have approached it more cautiously, but he didn’t. And for the time being, he and his companion need shelter for the rest of the day before he can be rid of the satchel and what it contains. 

Jinu surrounds the tower, looking for any sign of an entrance to get inside. A door, a staircase, a ladder. Anything that gets him out of having to climb up. After all, he already, stupidly, climbed and swung across trees today, so he doesn’t want to continue that thread.

But the only entrance he can see is the window, more than forty feet up from where he is on the ground. Great. Sure, he could have Derpy teleport him inside, but that doesn’t seem to be an option. His cat companion is already all curled up in the grass, eyes closed, and softly purring whilst taking a nap. 

“Guess you’ll be staying out here,” He says to himself. 

Luckily, with how the tower is designed, the bricks and stones it's made of provide a steady climb upwards. It is like climbing up the side of a mountain, surprisingly. The only noises he could hear came from his heavy panting and the quiet rumbling from the waterfall. He doesn’t dare look down below him, not even to check how Derpy was doing. It isn’t until he is more than halfway up the tower that he hears something new. 

Humming. From a woman. That piques his interest. He continues climbing, a bit faster now. (Maybe it should’ve been a sign to turn back, but as a thief, he’s not exactly known for his impulse control.) He gets a little too eager, almost missing a brick, and about to slip. Even though he catches himself, it’s too late. He had yelped loud enough that someone had been alerted to his arrival. 

Inside the tower, Rumi is strumming her bipa and trying to write the song in her head. But she still can’t find the right notes. She hums to herself as she plays each note. Sussie is up on his perch, watching as she messes with the music. Celine has been gone for an hour by this point, so she has time to kill. 

But that’s when she hears it—a sudden cry from below. Rumi drops the instrument in her shock, carefully creeping over to look out the window. She doesn’t stick her whole head out, but enough to peek out and see someone below. Oh no…Celine is going to be furious. What is she going to do? She has never been prepared for this! Why didn’t Celine ever prepare her for a potential intruder?

But she doesn’t have time to panic. For now, she needs to hide! And get a weapon, yeah, a weapon! The first thing she can think to grab is the frying pan. It’s enough to knock him out, hide him away, and wait for Celine to return to decide what to do. 

So, she does just that. She grabs the skillet, tosses her hair over one of the support beams, then lifts herself. Sussie follows her up there, hovering midair next to her head. 

She hadn’t bothered to close the window, so it doesn’t surprise her when the stranger crawls through. It’s a man. That makes Rumi pause for a second. She has never seen another person in her life aside from Celine before. Let alone a man. She almost forgot her plan for a second. But then, he spoke. 

He pulls the strap of his satchel from over his shoulder, then opens the flap to take a look at the contents inside. “Good, it is still safe and sound.” With his back turned to her, he doesn’t even notice a loud landing behind him. Rumi holds the skillet over her shoulder as she approaches him. She happens to step on a particularly squeaky spot on the floor, which gets his attention. 

So, she acts fast. Just before he can turn his head, she hits him upside with the skillet. The clang echoes throughout the tower. From the corner of her eye, she even noticed that Sussie had flinched from the noise. 

“Sorry…” She murmurs. 

Yeah, the skillet was the right call for a temporary weapon. From how hard she hit him, the stranger is totally knocked out. His satchel is abandoned on the ground next to him. Meanwhile, he had landed face-first on the ground. If he hadn’t broken into her sanctuary, she would have felt a lot worse for hitting him. 

But he did, so she doesn’t. 

Sussie flies down from the beam, then lands on his perch, lurking over the intruder’s body, as if secretly judging him. Rumi hovers over him slightly as she takes it all in. And while she doesn’t have a lot of knowledge in this area, she has to admit…He is quite beautiful. Her mouth drops open ever so slightly as she stares. 

He has short, layered dark hair. His cheekbones, chiseled to perfection. And his lips? They seem delicate, yet captivating. She turns the pan over in her hand, using the handle to flip his bangs away from his eye. And his lashes are long. They look so soft. As for what he is wearing, it looks so comfortable. He wore a dark blue jokki over a darker gray undershirt, along with a pair of black bajis. And for his footwear, it is just a standard set of white boots.  

Rumi lowers the pan. Her heart is furiously pounding in her chest. And her cheeks are heating up. Her hands are even getting all sweaty and clammy. What is she feeling here? Even in all her books, she has never even read about this feeling before. 

But then, his eye opens, a gasp escaping his lips. And in her panic, she takes the skillet in her hands again, smacking him out again. Not her greatest moment, but she panicked! Okay, she needs to figure out something quickly. Celine wouldn’t be back for who knows how long. And who knows how many times she can knock him out without damaging his brain forever.

She groans outwardly. “How did I get myself in this situation, Suss?” The bird stares unhelpfully, only shrugging his wings in response. “Gee, how helpful.” Rumi rolls her eyes before dragging the body over to one of their dining chairs. It takes a couple of tries, as she is carrying an unconscious body that is also taller than her. But she can sit him up and straighten him out. Then, she gathers up some rope, tying him down around different parts of his body. Around his shoulders, torso, both of his wrists, and his ankles. She tugs on the knots to test how they hold, which is successful. 

He has stayed out longer this time. She must have hit him a lot harder than she thought. Oops. 

That is when the satchel finally caught her eye. Or at least, what fell out. She crouches down and picks up one of the scrolls that had unfurled. It was quite ancient, the lettering a bit faded and in an older dialect. But what made her gasp was the sight of the visual description.

Celine had told her where her power came from, where her hair color came from – the sundrop flower. And that she had been the one to personally use it to save her life rather than her mother’s. So, to see it painted on this scroll is quite a shock. And so, she drops it on the ground. She reaches into the satchel directly this time, finding the other scroll and a knife. The metal is smooth and has an inky black reflection. In the middle, between the blade and its handle, is a blue glowing opal. It intrigues her.

She doesn’t even notice that the knife makes her hair glow and float. Rumi traces around the stone with her thumb, so entranced by the knife. The only thing that breaks her out of her haze is Sussie’s squawking in her ear, which is how she notices her hair floating in the air, by seeing the reflection of it in the blade itself. 

And just like the scroll, she drops it in shock. Her attention turns back to her unconscious intruder in the center of the room. How does he have these things? What else does he know? Did it have something to do with the festival? 

She needs answers. 

But if she’s going to interrogate him, she needs a more threatening weapon. But what? She leaves the intruder for a moment to look through Celine’s bedroom. Rumi knows she keeps a variety of things in her wardrobe. (Mostly due to bored snooping.) 

She moves the different hanboks out of the way to look for the hidden weapons compartment inside. She turns the key, and a large section of the wardrobe reveals itself to her. There’s a geom, a jangdo, a woldo, and a crossbow. While she knew that the three before the crossbow would likely be a bit easier to use, she decided on the crossbow. Based on what would intimidate him the most, arrows felt like a good option. So, she grabs the quiver and the bow, then heads back into her living room.

Sussie is perched on the young man’s shoulder. He has yet to wake up. The magpie turns toward his human friend, as if asking for permission to go forward with an idea. She knows he has an idea because there’s a mischievous sparkle in his eye. Uh oh. But perhaps, it might be the best route. 

“If you must.” 

And he does. Rumi hides behind a curtain while Sussie executes his plan. To which he proceeds to bite the intruder’s ear as hard as he possibly can. He jolts up awake immediately. His shoulders jumping surprises Sussie, who falls off before flying midair. 

He looks around fearfully, his eyes bulging wide. His gaze gets fixated on the line of blonde hair, leading away from where he is tied down, right over to a curtain in front of him. He skeptically raises an eyebrow, moving his head slightly to emphasize the brow. 

“Struggling is,” Rumi began. “Struggling is pointless!”

“What?” Jinu asks exasperated. 

She clears her throat. “I know why you’re here, and I’m not afraid of you…” 

What Jinu wanted to say was, “I don’t even know what’s happening!” But he kept his mouth shut. He is at this person’s mercy, not the other way around. And they were able to tie him up so tightly without waking him up; clearly, they have some idea of what they’re doing.

Rumi takes a deep breath before slowly coming into the sunlight to reveal herself. The light reflects a little too brightly in her eyes, so she holds a hand over her forehead to keep her vision clearer. And oh boy, that was a mistake. Now that he is awake and sitting before her, watching expectantly…He is even more handsome. With her vision clearer, she can see that his eyes are a lovely brown. And his bangs parted for the rest of his face in just the right way. She gulps, moving her hand away. She can do this. She just needs to be blind.

She clears her throat, holding the crossbow in front of her chest. “Who are you? And how did you find me?”

Jinu doesn’t say anything. Only watching the crossbow in her hands and feeling the cold sweat forming on his. 

“Who are you?” Rumi repeats. “And how did you find me?” She emphasizes her question, raising the crossbow to her eye to make a clearer point.

He gulps nervously. He’d better answer, or that arrow might release and damage something. He clears his throat. “I know not who you are, nor how I came to find you. But may I just say…” He bows his head for a moment, then lifts it, putting on his best charming smile. “Hey. The name’s Jinu. How has this day been?” He can charm anyone’s pants off. And with how she stopped mid-step, he can turn this around.

The illusion for Rumi is shattered as soon as he says that. She stares at him in disbelief, mouth slightly agape, and her eyebrows creased. Did he really say that? She scoffs, moving closer to him, an arrow close to his throat. “Who else knows my location, Jinu?” She said his name with so much venom. 

Well, that failed. Jinu laughs nervously, attempting to move his head away from the crossbow as much as he can. “All right, Blondie-”

“Rumi.”

He blinks. “What?”

“My name is Rumi. Don’t call me Blondie.”

He smirks. “I’m calling you Blondie. Anyways! Here’s the thing: I was in a situation, gallivanting through the forest. I came across your tower, and-” In the middle of his explanation, he spots the satchel’s contents all over the floor. “Excuse me, that is not yours!” 

Rumi spots it, cheeks heating up slightly. She probably should’ve hidden that. With just a glance at Sussie, he’s already getting her the skillet. And without another thought, she smacks him again. 

When he wakes up again (once again, thanks to Sussie biting his ear), the satchel and its contents are no longer on the ground. He looks up at the smug woman, glaring at her intensely. 

“Now, let’s get back to the interrogation, shall we?” 

“We shall,” replied Jinu sarcastically.

She chuckles at his visible annoyance. She raises the crossbow as she circles him. “So, are you here to arrest me? Turn me into the village and let me get taken by the guards? Or are you planning to kill me yourself!” Rumi demands.

He, however, is still moving away from the arrow every time it gets a little too close to his throat or chin. He is listening to her questions, but doesn’t quite understand them. For an interrogation, it doesn’t appear very thought-out. It is almost…Fearful. 

“No! Listen, Blondie,” He ignores her attempt to interrupt. “I was just being chased! I saw a tower, took it as potential shelter, climbed it, then got whacked by a skillet three times! That is all there is to it.”

She steps back for a second as she ponders his explanation. “You’re telling the truth?” She lazily points the crossbow at him again. 

Jinu sighs. “Yes, that is the truth. I didn’t even choose this area either; my cat did.”

“Your cat?” Rumi stares.

“Yes. Now, can you just untie me and give me my satchel back?”

She shakes her head. “No, you cannot. I have some more questions for you.” 

“Great. What is it now?” 

Rumi may have hidden the satchel somewhere in the tower, but she saved one thing from it. Sussie, who is perched on her shoulder, has a piece of parchment in his beak. She holds a hand out for it, and he proceeds to drop it. She almost doesn’t catch it, slightly embarrassing when attempting to question an intruder. She rolls her eyes before unfurling it. 

The sundrop scroll. 

“What do you know about this?”

Jinu’s eyes widen. He forgot about the scrolls. 

Rumi puts the hand holding the scroll on her hip. “It was in your satchel. I can’t read it, but I know it’s about the sundrop flower. What can you tell me about it?”

He gulps. “Not much, for I cannot read it either, Blondie. I have studied the sundrop before, but not in quite some time. Why do you want to know?”

“I cannot tell you that. Where did you find it?”

“I found it in a shrine at the village outside the forest. As far as I’m aware, it isn’t always available to the public. But it is now for the Sun and Moon Festival.”

Rumi’s eyes widen. The festival…But Celine said there wouldn’t be any answers there. Then how did scrolls about the sun and moon end up at a shrine in the village? She pulls the crossbow away, much to Jinu’s relief. 

He sighs to express that relief. “Can you let me go now?”

That’s when Rumi gets an idea. If she can get into that festival and see that shrine, maybe she can get the answers she’s looking for. The ones that Celine has spent so much of her life searching for. And this could be her only chance. 

But she cannot go into the village alone. She has never been out of the tower. She needs a guide. 

“I don’t like that look on your face,” said Jinu. 

She smirks. “Well, Jinu, I’m prepared to offer you a deal.”

“Deal?” 

“Tomorrow is the beginning of the Sun and Moon Festival, correct?”

Jinu stares at her skeptically. “Yes, but-”

“And you’re familiar with the village?’

“Again, yes, but-”

She keeps going. “For the following nights, they light up the night sky with these floating lights, followed by loud bursts of color. You will act as my guide, take me to this festival, and return me home safely. Then, and only then, will I return your satchel to you. And we will never speak again. That is my deal.” 

He frowns at the long-haired woman. Him be a guide for a person who hit him with a frying pan and has threatened him with a crossbow? For someone who tied him to a chair and let her bird bite his ear? And despite his better judgment, he actually laughs at the idea. 

“No can do. Unfortunately, I and the village in question aren’t exactly ‘simpatico’ at the moment. So, there will be no guiding you anywhere.” 

Rumi proceeds to glare daggers at him. Sussie rolls his eyes. She takes a deep breath, placing the crossbow at her feet. This is something she needs to do without the weapon, or else he will not take her seriously. “Now listen here, Jinu, sir. Something brought you here, fate, destiny-”

“A cat,” He said point blank.

She continues. “So, I have made the decision to trust you.”

“A horrible decision, really.” He is staring at her blankly. 

Then, she catches him off guard as she leans in close to him, hands right on top of his on the armrests. “Then trust me when I tell you this.” Suddenly, she pulls the corner of the chair to her chest, pulling him forward with it. “You can tear apart this tower brick by brick. But without my help, you will never find that precious satchel. So, I strongly urge you to properly consider this.” Her tone is cold and concise. Jinu slightly leans away from her, as their faces are practically touching. (And also having to ignore the skipped heartbeat in his chest.) 

He clears his throat, breath heavy from the moment. “Let me get this right. I’ll take you to this festival, bring you back home, and then you’ll return my satchel?”

She nods. “I promise.” His frown deepens into disbelief. “And when I promise something, I never, ever break that promise. Ever.” And from her shoulder, Sussie nods to confirm that. 

Rumi waits for his answer, watching him closely. Literally, they are practically touching, after all. He glances from the magpie to Rumi, visibly questioning the situation he’s found himself in. Jinu groans, bowing his head as he ponders his next move. 

She pulls away slightly to give him space. And because she could smell his hair, she had to hold herself back from that temptation. But that gets quickly squashed once again with what he chooses to do next. He looks back up with the dumbest looking smirk imaginable. His perfect lips curved into a dorky smirk honestly ruins a little bit of the appeal for her in that moment. 

Her grip tightens on the corner of the chair as she glares at him. That’s when he caves. “Okay, fine, I’ll take you to the festival!”

“Really!” She lets go of the chair in her excitement. And as a result, Jinu falls forward and hits the trigger of the crossbow. The arrow then flies around the interior of the tower, bouncing off different surfaces. It goes from different pots and pans of the kitchen at first, then bounces off the side of the mirror, to the main frying pan Rumi had been using, which sends it flying upwards. Rumi ducks suddenly to avoid getting struck by the arrow.

It only stops when it gets stuck to the railing that leads up to Rumi’s bedroom. 

Jinu manages to roll himself onto his side, giving Rumi a judgmental look. She laughs awkwardly. “Sorryyyy. I’ll help you up now. And untie you.” 

“Yeah, you do that.” Yeah, already regret this decision. Good luck to me.

Chapter Text

Once, there was a time ten years ago, when Rumi almost left the tower. She was only thirteen years old. She had been singing to herself, nearly any song she could think of. Celine wasn’t around, as usual. Sussie had been with her for a couple of years by this point. Her song echoed through the tower out the window. 

Then, it happened. While lost in song, she sang the lyrics to a song she had found hidden away in Celine’s wardrobe. She didn’t think much of it at first. But when she sang it…Everything went dark. She couldn’t remember anything from the moment she sang it. Not Sussie squawking. Not the sounds of bricks crumbling. Nothing. 

When she awoke, she couldn’t believe her eyes. A large section of the wall had completely disintegrated right in front of her. The plants all wilted and died. And when she looked out the window, it was even worse. All the greens were completely gray. The water no longer had its beautiful blue hue; instead, it was tarred black. Sussie, even with his limited energy, was passed out atop his perch. 

She couldn’t believe she had done this. She almost fled right then and there. To hook her hair up and slide down, never turning back to see the mess she had created. Celine would be so disappointed. 

She made it to about the windowsill, her hair hooked up and ready to slide down. She was just about to do it before pausing, her heartbeat went wild in her chest. Rumi looked over her shoulder at her sanctuary. Even with the giant hole in the wall, even with how lonely she felt every day and year after year…It was the only place she had ever known. So, she stayed. 

Celine had been absolutely furious when she came home three days later. Rumi had turned her hair into a blanket to keep herself warm, shivering in the middle of autumn. She lectured her for days as they rebuilt the wall together. Believe it or not, it isn’t easy to find reinforcements and bring them up forty feet in the air. Removing the debris alone took five hours. 

Since that day, Rumi took into account two important lessons. One was to never sing that song again; it makes her even more dangerous than she already was. And two? She could never leave the tower, no matter how afraid she was.

And now, ten years later, she is unlearning that lesson to get answers. She watches as Jinu climbs down the brick exterior slowly, muttering to himself about how stupid he is for this. She hears him call out, “You coming, Blondie?” 

She still hates that nickname. Her hair is all hooked up to the hook, and just like that day ten years ago, all she has to do is jump, and then she’ll be free of the place temporarily. Rumi’s grip tightens on her hair, glancing down nervously. It is a drop. As long as she holds on tight, she will probably be fine. 

Rumi pats her bag to remind herself that it’s there. It has the scroll packed away inside, a bag of seeds for Sussie, and the neck to her bipa is sticking out underneath the flap. As for the crossbow, it’s been tied to her back using some spare rope. She sighs, singing to herself softly. “Look at the world - so close, and I'm halfway to it! Look at it all - so big - do I even dare?” She turns around, looking back at the place she’s called home for twenty-three years. “ Look at me, there at last! I just have to do it …Should I? No! Here I go!” 

Rumi glances at Sussie, who is flying next to her midair. He smiles at her encouragingly, a rare sight from him. She chuckles, amused. 

Jinu knew that she would have to jump at some point. With how determined she sounded just before this, it would be weird for her to hesitate now. It isn’t like she’s never left the tower before. Right? But it still didn’t change his shock when a long trail of blonde hair suddenly burst from the window. He looks up for a split second just before immediately ducking out of the way once Rumi comes sliding down with the biggest grin on her face. He will admit, however, it did look like fun.

She spins around slightly, laughing all the way down. But right before she lands on the ground, she tugs at her hair to stop her. The grass is waiting just below her. And she doesn’t know if she’s ready to feel it for the first time. She bites her lip as she slowly lets one hand go to graze the green with her fingertips. And oh goodness…It is so much softer than she ever could’ve imagined. 

Rumi lets out a breathy chuckle as she steps off her swing of hair to fully embrace the grass. She spreads her body out, feeling the cool grass engulf her skin. “ Just smell the grass! The dirt! Just like I dreamed they'd be! ” She rolled over onto her back as she sang. Then she gasps, plucking a dandelion and blowing out the fluffy seeds into the air. “ Just feel that spring breeze, the way it's calling me! ” She chases after them, only to accidentally step into the small pond that she has always known was there.

“ For like the first time ever, I'm completely free! ” She scoops up some water in her cupped hands before tossing it into the air, letting it rain all over her. Sussie flies around her, chirping excitedly. She notices the leafy entrance/exit right ahead, her heart rate picking up from adrenaline. “ I could go running, and racing, and dancing, and chasing, and leaping, and bounding, ” 

She starts to casually stroll towards it. But what starts as a stroll quickens into a power walk. Then becomes a light jog. But the closer she gets, the faster it becomes, all the way to a run. “ Hair flying, heart pounding, and splashing, and reeling, and finally feeling! ” 

The second Rumi pushes aside the vines blocking the entrance, and she feels the joyous tears welling up in her eyes. “ Now's when my life begins! ” Sussie catches up to her, spinning around her for a moment before landing on her head.

Jinu has to jog after her just to keep up; meanwhile, Derpy doesn’t have to make much effort to keep up. He isn’t even sure how that’s possible for the tiger, but he manages. Rumi hasn’t even noticed Derpy’s presence yet, which might be for the best. If he is correct in his assumption that she’s never left before, seeing a giant blue tiger is going to freak her out.

She gasps. “I can’t believe I did this.” She repeats this in three different ways. The first time was in a way that made the very situation inconceivable. The second time was breathless, almost fearful. And the final time was exciting, complete with some joyous laughter. 

But she stops with a horrified look in her eyes. “Celine would be so furious.”

For her entire life, the tower was all she had ever known. Her paternal guardian has made it explicitly clear that any possibility of leaving would be squashed. That she was too dangerous for the outside world. And now that she was out here…How would she ever go back? Even if she were to be finally free of this power? 

She wanders away from Jinu, running her fingers through her hair as she ponders this. He, obviously, follows her. “She is going to find out if I come back home with no blonde hair…Why would I do this? I have never been outside the tower! I know nothing about this place!” She mumbles to herself, pacing back and forth. 

He doesn’t say anything the whole time she processes it. Even when she stops pacing and starts exploring the woods a little bit, he only follows her. What would he even say? The woman is panicking and experiencing mood swings for the first time in her life; he is not equipped for that.

“This would kill her, and she’ll never forgive me. What do I do? But it’s so nice out here, I have proper sunlight!” She laughs hysterically while trying to control her breathing at the same time. “I am so horrible. I should go back. Wait, but I can’t go back! I want answers, right? If Celine won’t take me, I’ll do it on my own! With a guy I just met who broke into the tower. What was I thinking!” She screams that last part. The force of her outburst is loud enough that it actually scares a flock of birds away.

Jinu looks at Sussie in concern, gesturing to the woman as if to ask the bird, “Is she always like this?” He never thought that he would be looking to a magpie for answers, but here he is, looking for answers. From a magpie. What has his life come to? But the bird simply glares at him, choosing instead to perch atop the tiger’s head.

Rumi, finally, sits down against a rock, bringing her knees to her chest. Her hanbok scrunches up a little as she does so, but she doesn’t care. It isn’t a particularly nice one, all things considered. Celine bought her the materials, but Rumi had been the one to make it altogether. The golden goreum in particular was made from strands of her own stray hairs. The jeogori is a faint blush, whereas the chima is a richer indigo. It isn’t the only dress she owns, but it is her favorite. And she thanks the gods that it’s the one she is wearing in such an emotionally low moment.

She covers her eyes as she cries inaudibly. Even when she’s alone in the tower, she never lets her sobs be verbal. Rumi cannot be vulnerable, or her emotions affect her power. They always do.

Jinu is cautious as he approaches her, with his animal companion closely following. He sighs, clearing his throat to alert her of his presence, before crouching down at her side. While she is still crying, she perks up slightly. 

“Pardon my interjection, but you seem a little, erm, at war with yourself here,” He said gently. 

She pauses. “...What?” Rumi peeks at him through her fingers. 

“I’m only picking up bits and pieces here, but I sense a bit of an overprotective mother, a forbidden road trip, and a fear of something . I mean, that is a lot to handle all at once.” Rumi doesn’t respond. “Are you sure that you can handle being here with how you’re reacting in only the first fifteen minutes?” 

She turns away from him, but doesn’t mean she isn’t still listening. 

“The festival will have a lot of people there, and that will be overwhelming, surely. And how will this mother of yours react to your disappearance? If you’ve never left home before, surely it wouldn’t be anything good.”

Where is he going with this? “A little rebellion is good, even healthy,” Sussie flies onto his shoulder, glaring at him intensely right before Jinu pushes him off. “The big question is, are you truly wanting this enough to face all of that?”

Rumi bites her lip. She hates to admit it, and she really hates to admit it, but Jinu had a point. Being around so many people would be overwhelming. Coming home and finding Celine so disappointed would be hard to face. She grips a bundle of hair anxiously, mumbling about it to herself. “...You’re right.”

“Pardone?” He holds a hand close to his ear, emphasizing the point. 

“You heard me the first time, and I am not going to repeat it.” She said stubbornly. “What am I doing? Am I being too impulsive?” 

Jinu puts one hand on her shoulder, the other gently holding her arm, slowly helping her back to her feet. “I am only saying what I am noticing here, Blondie.”

She wipes the tears from her eyes, sniffling sadly as she ponders going back.

He feigns sympathy by holding his hand to his heart. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’m letting you out of the deal.” 

Her eyes widen, and she darts her attention to him. “What? No, you can’t!”

“You were just asking what you were doing! What other conclusion am I meant to come to?” He picks up her satchel, swinging it over her shoulder; it now bundles up a large portion of her hair to her side. Then, he takes Sussie off Derpy’s head and forcibly puts him on Rumi’s shoulder. 

She shoves him away. “You are not getting out of this so easily, Jinu.”

Jinu’s eyebrows furrow. “Are you serious?” His tone is harsh and blunt. It somehow is the most real he’s been with her thus far. 

“Deadly serious. It is only for three days, I think you can survive three days . If we get through this, you will get that satchel you want so much back, I get what I need, and then we never have to see each other again. Believe me, that is all I want from you. So, get over yourself! You’re not as charming as you think you are!” In the midst of her whole rant, she had untied her crossbow from her back, and is now pointing it at Jinu once again. 

He held his hands up in defense, taking a pace away from her. “Okay, okay, calm down. You’ve made your point.”

“I sure hope so, this arrowhead is very sharp.” She huffs in fury. There, back to normal. All thanks to Jinu, once again, annoying her.  

She pulls it away from him, rubbing her temple in exhaustion. What a day this is turning out to be. And as if the moment couldn’t get any worse, her stomach growls. Loudly. Heat rises to her cheeks, trying to brush it off so she wouldn’t need to see Jinu’s smug face. Because the realization is only now hitting her that while she had packed food for her magpie, she had neglected to pack some for herself.

“Well, now, isn’t that funny? Blondie forgot food for herself, so now, she needs something from me,” said Jinu, mockingly. She growls, right about to point her bow at him again, but she stops. Because only then does she finally notice the tiger’s presence.

And she, predictably, freaks out. “What is that!” Rumi shrieks, jumping into him. It catches him off guard, and yet, he still manages to catch her in his arms without losing his balance. She has her arms wrapped around his neck, trembling against his chest in fear. Even if she wanted to point her crossbow at the creature, she had dropped it on the ground in her horror. 

All Derpy even does in this encounter is perk his ears up at the second human, his eyes just as derpy as ever.

They all stay like that for a moment before Jinu glances at Rumi’s frozen body. “...Can I put you down now?” 

She doesn’t make eye contact with him, but nods. He puts her down, but she immediately hides behind him. Jinu sighs, patting his hand on one of hers. “Would you relax? He isn’t dangerous. He is the least dangerous living being I have ever come across.”

“Is he-that’s a he?” 

“Yes, erm, I think so. I’ve never really checked, to be honest. But he won’t harm you. Even if you’re a threat to me, he won’t harm you if I don’t give him the signal.” Rumi still doesn’t look convinced, remaining fixated on the tiger’s gaze.

Jinu sighs. “Would you just c’mere?” And without a second thought, he gently takes her hand, slowly guiding her towards the animal. Rumi lets him. (She isn’t even sure why she is, but she does.) He is slow in his approach. As soon as they’re right in front of Derpy, he squeezes her hand ever so slightly to relax her, and then brings it by Derpy’s nose.

Rumi waits, eyes bulging so wide that it feels like they are about to pop out of her head. 

The feline sniffs her hand. If he senses her nervousness, he doesn’t shy away. Instead, he nuzzles her hand and, by extension, Jinu’s. It surprises her how calm he is, how calm she is. Her breathing eases the longer she feels his soft fur against her fingers. A smile slowly graces her face. 

Eventually, Jinu lets go of her hand, allowing her to fully pet him. Rumi gets down on her knees and embraces him. Derpy’s smile never really goes away, but he had the biggest open-toothed smile that Jinu has ever seen. And despite himself, Jinu smiles at the sight. 

“See? He isn’t so bad after all.” 

Rumi rolls her eyes. “Don’t push your luck, Jinu. What’s his name?” 

“Derpy.”

“I know he looks a little bit derpy, but what’s his name?” 

Jinu stares at her innocently. “That is his name. He’s Derpy.”

Rumi slowly turns, her mouth agape, and eyebrows furrowed in disbelief. “You named your tiger ‘Derpy?’”

“It’s a good name!” 

That moment, right there, was the first time Rumi ever slapped her hand against her forehead and groaned. To this day, Jinu still does not understand her reaction.

 Several hours later, long after Jinu and Rumi had left the tower, Celine finally arrived back at the tower. She had all the ingredients for supper, exactly the way Rumi liked it. It had been a bit spendy, but if it got her mind off that festival, it was worth it. 

She pushes the vines out of her way, not suspecting anything out of the ordinary. Not even the large pawprints or the bare footprints threw her off. She approaches the tower, tucking the ingredients tenderly into the basket. 

Celine reaches the foot of the tower and does her usual call. “Rumi, let down your hair!” 

Nothing happens. 

Her heart drops. “Rumi, let down your hair!” She tries again. No answer. “Rumi?” 

There is not a sound to be heard at the top of the tower, not a single drop of seventy feet of blonde hair. The basket slides off Celine’s arm in her terror. No, she wouldn’t. “RUMI!” She calls one last time, desperate. Oh no.  

Celine rushed to the side of the tower, where the secret entrance was hidden. She rips off the vines that had been growing there for the last seven years. And she pulls each rock out, each with more and more force. Once it’s all cleared out, she runs up the stairs inside. She nearly trips on her skirt from her hurry.

Once she reaches the top, she pushes open the hidden trap door via a large stone in the floor. It is so dark inside. Darker than she has seen since that incident. “Rumi!” She calls, looking around for any hint of blonde hair. She checks Rumi’s bedroom, only to find that cushions have been strategically placed under the covers. 

She checks her own bedroom. The doors to her wardrobe are wide open, the hidden compartment of her weapons unlocked for anyone to see. How did Rumi find out about those? The longer and longer she searches the tower, the more fearful she becomes. 

There is a skillet frying pan abandoned in the middle of the room. And to her surprise, there are a couple of dents embedded into the metal now. How? The chair in the center, no longer by their dining table. And there were ropes surrounding it. Even worse, there is an arrow jammed into the railing of the staircase leading up to Rumi's bedroom. One of the arrows to her crossbow...

She tears the curtains off the opposite windows, letting the rest of the light through. Celine drops the fabric on the ground. However, as she runs her fingers through her hair, a bit of light catches the corner of her eye. She slowly turns her head, noticing that it seems to be reflecting from the staircase.

Celine pulls lightly on the step, and hidden inside is a satchel. She picks it up, opens it, and then takes the first item out. And to her horror, it’s the knife. She tosses it away from her like it could burn her at any moment. How did it find her again after so many years? There’s more inside. She rummages around a bit further, finding the moon scroll. Curious. She hasn’t been able to find this. 

The final item is the wanted flyer for Jinu and the tiger. That’s a clue. And not a safe sign for her adoptive daughter. 

Rumi is gone, and she knows just who can get her back. Quickly.

Chapter Text

Rumi rolls her eyes for the hundredth time in the last two hours. She and Jinu, along with their two animal companions, have been wandering around the woods for forever. He insists that he knows where they’re headed, but Rumi senses he’s only saying that because she has a crossbow. It would explain why he’s too afraid to stand too close to her.

“It should be around here somewhere,” said Jinu for the third time in the last few minutes. 

“ What should be around here? Where are we going?” Rumi demands. 

“Someplace that we can get food.”

“What, like a berry bush or something?” 

His turn to roll his eyes. “Blondie, I would have never taken you for someone with a hangry side.”

“I don’t know what that means.”

“Good. I don’t need you threatening me again.”

Rumi grumbles under her breath. It would be much easier if they just found a berry bush or a stream with some fish. She didn’t know much about the outside world, but one of her adventure novels has an emphasis on survival. So, surely, they could do something similar. It couldn’t be that hard to do.

Sussie and Derpy have adjusted to each other so naturally that she is a little bit envious. The way her magpie friend is perched on his head makes him look like Derpy’s hat. It's almost as if he was always meant to be there. At the same time, Derpy isn’t phased in the least to have a bird permanently on his head. But then again, Derpy doesn’t seem to be phased by anything.

She chuckles to herself as she watches them. How can she not?

“Did you say something?” Jinu asks, having walked slightly ahead of her.

That smile that had quirked up died immediately after he said that. “No, I didn’t. Just because you’re lost doesn’t mean you can hallucinate.” 

“Wow, someone is grumpy, how flattering.” 

“Not trying to be.”

He chuckles in amusement. “You have many things to learn, princess. Including the existence of sarcasm.” Jinu turns around, walking backwards, and flutters his hands in the air to emphasize his point. Rumi grunts in distaste, but that only amuses him more. And she thought that Sussie’s attitude was bad. This guy is so much worse.

Jinu smirks before turning back around. Then he stops midstep, causing Rumi to run into him from behind. He looks around for a second, seemingly unfazed by the action. She jumps back, repulsed. 

“Why did you stop?” 

He doesn’t respond at first. Instead, he walks forward a couple more paces, then reaches his arm out at a tree trunk. Rumi glances at Derpy for help, but he’s only staring at his master. Then, Jinu’s hidden hand pulls at something, and the ground shakes. Rumi jumps, instinctively holding onto Derpy for some stability. The tiger naturally leans against her touch, his head covering her torso. 

Suddenly, a part of the ground lowers itself further into the ground below them. When it finally stops, it reveals a whole tunnel below them. Rumi stares at it wide-eyed, frozen in place. Jinu moves his hand away from the tree, turning and looking at her expectantly. 

“Are you coming?” 

She blinks twice in disbelief. “Wh-how-just, what!” She stutters.

He chuckles. “Yeah, the tunnel has that effect. You’re wanting to stay out of sight, right?” 

“I…I suppose, I guess.” She stands up, using Derpy’s head to adjust. 

“Well, I know a place that can accomplish that and can get us something to eat. If you’re interested.” He crosses his arms. While he isn’t directly in front of the entrance, his body is tilted towards it. As if urging her to go because he knows she has to, with him as her guide. She glances from the tunnel to him a couple of times.

Part of her, perhaps the saner side of herself, wants to avoid a tunnel that randomly appeared in the ground, much less with someone who keeps annoying her. However, her stomach is growling embarrassingly loudly. And if she’s correct in assuming what he is implying, he’ll go with or without her. She doesn’t know what she is doing anyway, so it isn’t like she has much choice. 

So, she sighs and walks up to the entrance. “...I can trust you on this, right?” 

“No harm will come to you while we’re down there, if that’s what you’re worried about.” He watches her curiously.

“Alright. I trust you, begrudgingly.” With a deep breath, Rumi goes on down. She feels her hair drag on the ground as she goes down the crease, so she has to bundle some of it in her arms to avoid that feeling. After all, she has no idea what was there before. 

Jinu smirks, breathes a slight chuckle before following. Derpy isn’t far behind either of them. Once they get to the bottom of the hill, Jinu approaches a lever that’s over on the dirt wall. Rumi tilts her head slightly as she watches him pull it down. And just like that, the path closes up behind them just as slowly as it opened. 

Guess there’s no going back now.  

“Alright, Jinu,” She spits his name with annoyance. “You’re the guide, guide me down.” 

“Gladly, Blondie.” He playfully winks at her. 

She grumbles at the nickname, but they walk side by side anyway. 

The parts of her hair that she carries are heavier than she expected. The longer they walk down the tunnel, the heavier it feels in her arms. And it’s a large bundle, like most of her hair in one large hold. Why did it have to be indestructible?

Jinu glances at her, watching her pant and struggle. “Are you sure you need to carry all that?”

“I don’t know where I am, so I don’t want to take any chances here,” She grunts.

“...Do you need any help?” 

She looks at him skeptically. “You want to be helpful?”

He sighs. “Look, I know you don’t like me. But I am not that bad; I can be quite charming, believe it or not.”

“As far as I have seen, the only good thing about you is your tiger.”

“You admit there’s a good thing about me,” Jinu teases. 

She chuckles despite herself. If Jinu caught it, he didn’t say anything, but he certainly smiled. And before she can stop him, he stoops down anyway and picks up the remaining hair off the floor. Rumi looks at him, eyebrow slightly raised, but she doesn’t say anything. Neither does he.

She isn’t sure how long they were in that tunnel for. Maybe it was only twenty minutes. Maybe it was an hour. It is hard to keep track out here without her usual clock back in the tower. But regardless of how long it was, she can say with certainty that it was both awkward and not at all. 

But she was incredibly relieved when they stopped at a door at the end of the tunnel, or hallway, as it could also be called. 

Jinu lets go of his bundle of her hair and pushes the door open. 

“Rumi, welcome to The Eunsincheo.” He gestures to the inside. 

She cautiously goes past him, going through the passageway. And she gasps when she gets inside. Inside the hideout, there are a bunch of men talking cryptically amongst themselves. There was a wood-burning stove in the far corner, alongside a rogueish-looking manager eyeing everyone where all the drinks were coming from. The tables have a couple sets of Janggi boards laid out for people to play with, and if Rumi was correct, it wasn’t for friendly games. Plenty of them looked rough and dangerous, as if they so much as approached Rumi, she was as good as dead. 

She drops her hair on the ground without a second thought, pulling out her crossbow and aiming it defensively. How could Jinu bring her to a place like this?

“At ease, Blondie. As long as you don’t strike first, these men will leave you be. Besides, I have some friends here who owe me a favor.” He pats her shoulder before going around her, taking the lead. 

Rumi cautiously follows him. Her crossbow is still in front of her chest, while Derpy is walking by her side. Sussie chirps sympathetically from his spot, but Rumi can’t bring herself to look at him. She is too afraid at this moment. 

Jinu glances over his shoulder to check on her. This is different from how fearful she had been of Derpy in the woods. She may have jumped into his arms when she saw the feline, but that wasn’t this. This is genuine terror. But he doesn’t know what to say to ease her in that way. The fear is written in her eyes, with her pupils fully constricted and her hands shaking. Even the tiger is watching her with worry. Maybe it wasn’t the greatest idea to bring her here.

Thankfully, he found exactly who he was searching for. 

In the far corner is a group of four men, each of different stature and from a similar background to his. He was lucky that they were even here at all. They weren’t always the most reliable in that way. But then again, neither is he.

His colleagues stop talking mid-conversation when they see him. And they all smirk. 

“Well, if it isn’t the top thief in all of South Korea,” said the buffest one of them, Abby, with a chuckle. 

Roman, the leanest and the only one with his hair pulled up properly, leans against Abby, eyeing their friend up and down. “Long time, no see.” 

“Could have sworn I heard that you had gotten arrested in Songdo like three weeks ago. How did you get out of it this time?” asked Innie, the youngest of the five of them. 

Jinu chuckles. “All rumors, Innie. With the security of Songdo, they would never be able to catch up to me.” (That’s a lie, he was nearly caught, and no offense directed to the city in question.) 

“What brings you here, then?” That’s when Abby noticed a frightened Rumi from over Jinu’s shoulder. She wasn’t paying attention to the exchange between friends; instead, she was busy keeping an eye on the rest of the criminals in the room. 

Roman smirks mischievously. “And who is this?” He is about to approach her when Jinu holds an arm out in front of her to block, almost in a protective stance. 

Jinu furrows his eyebrows. “Not this one, Roman. She’s already nervous as it is. Don’t make it worse.” The reaction catches his four friends off guard. They have never seen quite that type of reaction from him before. 

The only friend who hasn’t spoken up yet is the one with hair in his eyes, but with a slight push of it, he’s the one to notice the trail of hair behind Rumi. “That’s a lot of hair she’s got there.” The other members of the group notice afterwards; their expressions quickly change from amused to surprised in an instant. Jinu doesn’t say anything, his eyes only glancing between each of his friends to see how they exactly react. Rumi may not be paying attention, but she will shoot them on sight if they go near her hair. 

Before his long-haired friend, or any of them, could say anything else, someone new grabbed hold of Jinu’s shoulder, slamming him to the wall. Rumi jumps, finally paying attention to him, and is horrified. 

A gruff and bulky stranger towers over Jinu. “You got a lot of nerve coming back here, Hwang. Gwi-Ma doesn’t like being ignored, as you well know.” He growled. 

Jinu gulps nervously. “That was months ago, surely he and I can come to a new arrangement.” 

“He doesn’t forgive easily. And he has offered a large sum of muns in exchange for handing you over. And I could use a new horse.” He chuckles wickedly. And as soon as a reward is brought up, all the criminals in the hideout spring into action. 

He gets picked up by at least five different men, all trying to get to him, all of them in need of a reward. Another grabs his leg while trying to pull him away from the others. Rumi watches in horror. “Hey, get off of him!” She tries to push herself in the middle to get to him, but they keep pushing her out of the way. 

“Quick, get her out of here!” calls a terrified Jinu to his friends. 

“Leave him alone!” She cries. Innie is the first to grab her arm, attempting to pull her away from the scuffle, but she is stubborn. “Give me back my guide!” She tried to reach for her crossbow, but with each of Jinu’s colleagues trying to pull her away, she couldn’t get to it. 

They get her away from the crowd and attempt to lead her to the door. 

“Get off of me! I’m not leaving him like this!” She smacks the group’s hands away, grabbing a part of her hair. Maybe the crossbow would be more threatening, but she needs to send a clear message. 

Directly above the scuffle are a few tree roots sticking out of the ceiling. Of course! She is underground, after all, so there would be roots no matter how much they dug and chipped at them. So, she tosses her hair upwards, narrowly missing the group or the scuffle, and it latches onto the root. She pulls at it as hard as she can before it breaks. And then, she whipped her hair-branch combo down, hitting one of the thugs directly on the skull.

“PUT HIM DOWN!” Rumi demands, shocking everyone in the room. 

The ruffians can’t believe this woman dared to strike them. Abby, Roman, Innie, and Sinbi (long-haired friend) each stared at her with both intrigue and fear for her safety. Meanwhile Jinu…He was impressed. She’s so strong.  

Rumi growls. “I don’t know where I am, or who any of you are, and quite frankly? I don’t care! I don’t know what he did to warrant this, but I need him to take me to the festival. And if any of you have a problem with that, I can just sing a little song, and I can assure you, you will regret it. I am not afraid to hurt anyone here who threatens me or Jinu. Is. That. Clear!” 

The room goes quiet after her rant. The boys all step away from Rumi out of genuine fear. Clearly, she can take care of herself. The main ruggish ruffian that had initially grabbed Jinu first lets go of him, leaving the other four men to hold onto him. Jinu, despite being held down by multiple people, is frozen and only watching Rumi with curious eyes. 

The ruffian walks right up to her, eyes fixated on her with an unknown emotion. Rumi is unfazed by the intimidation. All she can do is pant and feel her adrenaline coursing through her veins. He hovers over her; the hairs in his braided beard are so close to her forehead that she can feel them faintly brushing against her skin. 

He raises his hand, and the boys flinch for her. But the ruffian surprises everyone, including Rumi, by patting her shoulder. 

“Huh?” Innie muttered under his breath. 

The ruffian chuckles. “You got spunk, kid. I’m impressed.” 

“...You’re not going to hurt me?”

He shakes his head. “It takes a lot of guts to strike in this establishment, let alone scold everyone for taking what’s yours. I’d say you’ve earned your place here.” 

And with that, the group of criminals drops Jinu on the ground and moves out of her way. Rumi thanks the ruffian before rushing over to him. “Are you alright? You aren’t hurt, are you?” She helps him up to his feet. 

Jinu chuckles breathily, dusting himself off as Rumi looks him over. “I’m alright, Rumi. So, you don’t totally hate me? Who would have thought?” He teases.

A blush brightens her cheeks. “That isn’t why I helped you!”

“Are you sure about that? Your fury says something else.”

“It was purely because you’re my guide, no other reason!” She crosses her arms, facing away from him. 

Jinu chuckles. But the smile that is left behind after he’s done says something completely different. It isn’t the usual smirk that he’s so used to giving everyone. Not a wicked smile that scares people away. But a genuine, honest-to-goodness smile. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome. Now get me some food!”

“Right away, ma’am.” He holds his hands up in defense, taking his new smile with him.

Somewhere above the surface, Celine tracks down a Hanok that is not far away from the tower. It wasn’t very large, just enough for a couple of people to be living in. She has only met the occupants a handful of times, but never has she needed help quite like this. Never before did she need help in tracking down Rumi, as she’s never needed to. And now? She may need to enlist guards of her own to keep her in after this is all over.

She finds the front door, which has a uniquely decorated doorknocker on the front of it. It looked like it had been personally shaped and sculpted into the shape of a heart. Not sure they managed to do that, but Celine didn’t have time to question it too much. 

Lifting the door knocker, she hit the door twice to alert them of her presence before letting it go. There is some shuffling and muttering from behind it. She waits patiently, tapping her foot on the ground. 

The door slowly opens, revealing two young women whom Celine knew. They were both around Rumi’s age. One of them is taller, has long red hair that goes down to her knees, and (seemingly) has a permanent scowl on her face at all times. The other is shorter, prefers to keep her dark hair in a dual set of buns, and always has some kind of smile present on her face. 

Celine smiles calmly. “Hello, girls. It’s been some time.”

The dark-haired one gasps excitedly. “Celine! We haven’t seen you in ages.” 

“It is good to see you,” said Celine. 

“Come in. We weren’t expecting any visitors, but make yourself at home.” They open the door wider to let her inside. She bows before entering, taking off her shoes and leaving them at the door in the process. 

The place is a little messy, but not the worst she’s ever seen. Some crumpled-up pieces of parchment had missed the wastebasket. There are some wanted posters of the two of them hanging on the wall. And even some brushes and spilled ink that stained the floor. 

They led her into another room, possibly the cleanest in their home, and they all sat around the table. 

“Thank you for your hospitality. I have come to ask for your help.”

The girls glanced at each other for a split second before looking back at her. The dark-haired one spoke first. “Do you need us to steal another weapon for you? Because we narrowly escaped the guards the last time.” 

Celine shakes her head. “Unfortunately, Zoey, that is not why I’m here. Someone I care about, my daughter, so to speak, has gone missing. I know where she’s headed, but I have no way of tracking her. And I found this in a satchel that she had hidden under one of the steps.” Celine pushed aside her cloak to reveal Jinu’s satchel. She opens the flap and places down the wanted poster of him with the tiger on the table. 

The girls both sneered. “Jinu,” They rolled their eyes.

“You know him?”

“Not personally, but we have heard stories of him. He’s friends with Mira’s ‘rival,’ Abby, and his crew.” 

Mira shot Zoey a look. “Don’t leave out how you’re constantly courting Sinbi, who is also a member of the crew.” 

“Not at the moment, my friend. He betrayed me again.”

“He took your score again, didn’t he?” Mira raises an eyebrow.

Zoey nods, slightly giggling at the memory. “Yeah,” She holds out the ah. “But he wrote and promised me supper at The Eunsincheo next week, so we’ll be all good.”

Mira sighs affectionately at her friend before turning back to Celine. “So, are you saying that your daughter could be with him?”

Celine nods. 

“Do you have any idea how long she has been gone for?” 

“I do not. I left this morning to get the ingredients for a meal she enjoys, but when I returned, she was gone. And this poster is the only second clue I have.” She rubs her temple tiredly. 

Zoey smiles at her sympathetically. “And what is the other one?”

“The Sun and Moon Festival.”

The girls nod in understanding. They have snuck into it before without being noticed, so they are aware of it at the very least. 

“I really need her to come back, so I have come to ask if the two of you could track her down and bring her back home. I can pay you for your troubles, double what I usually owe you, even. If you can find her before she reaches the festival, it would be lifesaving.”

It was a big ask, Celine knew that. She has worked with Mira and Zoey a few times over the last two years, specifically, and if there’s anyone she trusts to get Rumi back home safely, it’s them. They are stealthy and quick-witted, exactly what is needed to track down a wanted thief. 

“What do you think, Mira?” asks Zoey, looking to her friend. 

“Hmm,” Mira hums. “It is risky, but I think I know where they would go without being followed. There’s a hidden tunnel that only thieves and unwanted criminals know about. It is what we use when we want to get through a heist or crime undetected by any guards. If Jinu took your daughter there, we should be able to find her.”

Zoey nods. “We can find her, Celine. I’d say we would do this for free, but-”

“-But we need the money. Zoey has used up all of our parchment again.” 

Celine smiles. “Thank you both, you ladies have my deepest gratitude. And when you find her, give this to her.” She takes off the satchel and pushes it towards them.

“What is this?” Zoey looks at the bag curiously. 

“Something that must belong to Jinu. And give her a message.” Celine stares at the bag coldly. 

Mira takes it by the strap. “What’s the message?”

“So, he broke into your home by accident, and you manipulated him into taking you on a road trip?” Roman sums up what Rumi had told the four of them. 

She nods, stuffing a piece of kimchi into her mouth with her chopsticks. 

“Even though the two of you don’t like each other that much?” Innie chimes in. She nods again. 

Abby laughs, patting Jinu’s shoulder in amusement. “South Korea’s top thief, everybody.”

Jinu, however, only rolls his eyes. “Ha, ha, mocking me is so hilarious.”

Rumi raises an eyebrow, her mouth full of delicious kimchi. “And yet, I saved you from being arrested,” She said with her mouth full, so it was a bit muffled. But the boys found it amusing. 

“He’s got you there, bud.” 

She won’t lie, it was kind of weird eating with a bunch of people, rather than on her own or only with Celine. The boys seemed curious about what she had to say. They enjoyed it when she sassed Jinu at every chance she got. And Derpy had even curled up at her feet as she ate. The company was nice, she won’t deny it. 

She knows it’ll never last, but she enjoys it. 

“Watch them have feelings by the end of this.” Roman whispers to Abby, who nods. 

Sinbi’s bangs are directly covering his eyes again, but he can still see Rumi’s long hair trailing behind her. (The other patrons keep almost tripping over it.) It is quite the mystery, much like his name. How did she get it? How is it so long? There were so many questions, but seeing how Rumi was, he figured that it would be safer not to ask.

“This stuff is sooooo good!” She hums in pleasure. 

“...Have you never had kimchi before, Rumi?” Jinu asks carefully. 

She shakes her head. “Celine doesn’t like spending too much on ingredients if she doesn’t have to. So, we stick to the same three meals. At least, when she’s around, that is.” Rumi’s voice drifts off a little as she explains, her smile drooping slightly at her dimples. 

Only Jinu seems to notice. 

“Well, you’ve been missing out. I prefer mine extra spicy, but I’ve been banned from the good stuff.” Innie grumbles under his breath. 

Roman sighs. “Because you imported one that is so spicy that it’s illegal and can truly burn your insides.” 

Innie shrugs. “Not my fault none of you have any kind of spice tolerance.”

“How long have you guys known each other?” Rumi asks. 

The boys all look at each other. They all started at different times, Jinu having been a criminal for the longest of all of them. Innie, despite being the youngest of the group, joined the crime game six months later. Roman and Abby were friends before they started, so they did it together. And Sinbi doesn’t even remember when he started a life of crime. 

After a moment, Jinu finally responds with: “At least two years. If there is anyone that I will trust to help me with a job, it’s these guys.”

“He says as if he didn’t abandon us on the last one we did together,” Innie calls him out. 

“Eh, no ill will between us. Like each of us wouldn’t take advantage of a teleporting tiger.” Roman chuckles. 

Rumi had been taking a drink of water when he casually dropped that bit of information. And the shock of it caused her to freeze and spit it out, away from the table, of course, but still. Jinu groaning, his palm hitting his forehead. 

“Teleporting tiger!” Rumi exclaims. 

“You didn’t know that?” Abby asks obliviously. Jinu glares at his friend, ignoring the shocked ones he’s getting from Rumi in return.

She shoves Jinu on the arm. “Derpy can teleport?!” 

Before he can reply, Abby answers for him, still oblivious. “Yeah, it’s impressiv-OW!” Jinu jabs in the side to shut him up. 

“Yes, he can. I’m not sure how, but he can. It’s one of the ways that I’m able to escape from the guards’ grasp safely. I don’t know how it works, so I don’t let him do it more than once or twice at a time.” 

Rumi watches him skeptically, looking for any hint that he could be lying. But there wasn’t one to be seen. He seemed genuine. So, she sighs. “That would have been nice to know earlier.”

“I know, but you were so afraid when you first met him, so I didn’t want to scare you any more than I already have.” He moves in closer, wrapping an arm around the back of her chair. “Trust me.” 

Their gazes lock for a bit too long, and they forget the others are even there. 

Innie leans in close to Sinbi’s ear and whispers: “Wanna bet how long it will take for them to realize they like each other?” 

Sinbi raises an eyebrow, even though Innie couldn’t even see it. “With what? You don’t have any money.” 

“I can always steal from Abby; he won’t notice.”

“You aren’t incorrect, but no, I am not indulging in your gambling again. You still owe me over five hundred muns from the last time.” 

After a moment, Rumi and Jinu realized what they were doing before jerking away from each other dramatically. Both of their faces flushed, with their eyes bulging wide. She grabs her hair and hugs it around her neck awkwardly. While Jinu is massaging his face as he processes it. He’s so in for it.

Chapter Text

Somehow, Rumi had managed to consume four different plates of kimchi in just two hours. The boys had insisted it was their treat, so she took them up on that offer. 

Rumi finishes up the last of her last plate, chugging the last of her water. She wipes the excess away with the back of her wrist, and before she can stop herself, she burps. Very loudly. She clears her throat, looking up at the boys. The reactions she got ranged from disgusted to genuinely impressed. (We’ll leave it up to you who had which reaction.)  

Jinu’s eyes wander up to the clock on the wall to see what time it is. He grimaces. “Uh, Rumi, if we don’t head out now, we won’t make it to the festival tomorrow until sundown.”

She burps again, punching at her chest to clear it out. “Really? Wow. I guess I lost track of time.” 

“We can see that,” Innie comments. He gets smacked upside the head by Roman as a result. 

“It was an honor to meet all of you.” When Rumi gets out of her chair, she bows lowly to them respectively. They all gasp silently. No one, genuinely, ever got that level of respect to get a bow, let alone a respectful one. They were thieves, criminals, in the eyes of the districts. So, getting any kind of respect is considered rare among them. And yet, Rumi gave them that level. Each of them exchanged looks with one another before returning the bow themselves. 

“It was all ours,” said Sinbi softly. 

Jinu finds himself watching the interaction with a curious expression. He had bent down to wake up Derpy, who had been taking a nap on the floor all this time, but he found himself staring at everyone else involved. The look of astonishment from his friends to Rumi’s fond smile…It made it hard to look away. They all seem happy, content even. 

Once the tiger is up and about, they all start to head back the way they came. But the crowd had gotten bigger since they arrived. That and the introduction of two additional patrons who decided to make their appearance. 

The room froze when two girls slammed the door open, with it bouncing off the wall with an echo. One tall woman with red hair, the other a shorter woman with dark hair. Mira and Zoey. 

“Zoey?” Sinbi’s question is the only thing said by anyone. 

Zoey scoffs. “You can’t charm me this time, date isn’t until next week. I’m here on a mission!”

“ We’re here on a mission,” Mira corrects. 

“Right…”

Mira clears her throat, addressing the rest of the room. “Has anyone here seen Hwang Jinu! We have reasons to believe he has taken a young woman into captivity! Woman answers to the name of Rumi.” The two girls scan the room for any sign of the infamous thief. 

Right on queue, Jinu and Rumi duck out of view in the crowd. Or at least, Jinu does, and he drags Rumi down with him. Derpy watches them, tilting his head to the side as slowly as a clock hand changes to the next minute. Sussie stares at them judgmentally. 

“Who are they?” Rumi whispers. 

Jinu starts crawling across the floor. “I don’t know, I’ve never met them. Sinbi seems to know the shorter one.”

“But how do they know about us?” She tries to follow him on her knees the best she can, but people keep stepping on her hair. So, she has to pull a bundle of it into her arms and crawl with one hand. 

“I don’t know, Blondie.”

“But-” She starts again, but Jinu covers her mouth. 

“I. Don’t. Know. But please, be quiet. There’s another door around the corner that we can escape through. As long as the others don’t mention we’re here or point us out, we should be okay. Nod if you understand.” They don’t move for a moment. Rumi doesn’t exactly appreciate her guide’s response to shut her up, but she can see the urgency in his expression. So, begrudgingly, she nods. Jinu removes his hand and continues forward. 

Only two minutes after they get going, after Zoey and Mira had declared themselves, one of the patrons finally says something. And it does not help them in any way. “Hwang came in with a girl two hours ago, and they’re trying to escape right next to me!” It was one of the thugs who had grabbed Jinu’s arms during the scuffle earlier. And the smirk he gave him told Jinu that he wasn’t sorry in the least. 

It all started so fast. Mira and Zoey running through the crowd, Rumi and Jinu having to stumble back to their feet, and the boys trying to cover them. A lot of running. The joint’s bartender is the one who opens the back door for the original duo, while Abby, Roman, Innie, and Sinbi distract the girls. 

“Hey, Mira, it’s been a while,” Roman winks, blocking her polearm attack with his sword. 

Mira sneers. “You again!”

Abby joins him at his side, pushing back with his dual knives. “Aw, Roman, she missed us!” He teases. “You were always our favorite.” 

She grunts angrily. Over their heads, she can see Jinu and Rumi escaping out the back door. That only makes her growl. “Get out of our way!”

“Not a chance!” 

Meanwhile, Rumi and Jinu are running down the back hallway as fast as their legs can take them. Derpy ran alongside them, seeing it more as a race than an intense situation. Rumi’s hair is heavy in her arms again, and she can’t even carry it all. So much of it was dragging against the dirt floor.

Jinu wants to stop, to help her out, but he knows they can’t stop even for a second. The boys can only hold those two off for so long. They might be great thieves, but they aren’t the greatest combatants. (He knew that too painfully well.)

“Do you know where we’re going?” Rumi yells from behind him. 

“I should! I’ve had to use the back exit a few times!” There are so many twists and turns to the tunnel. With each turn they go down, the more and more confused he gets. It has been a while since he’s this way out, and even then, there wasn’t the risk of a high-speed race to keep a scary girl with long hair away from two other scary girls. And for whatever reason, he doesn’t want to see Rumi get hurt or taken away.

The longer they continue down the tunnels, with the sounds of no extra footsteps coming towards them, they are able to finally slow down and take a breath. Rumi drops her hair on the ground, leaning her back against the wall. Jinu follows suit, only he is hunched forward and panting heavily. Derpy purrs, rubbing his body against both of their legs, and trying to provide some comfort. 

Rumi exhales deeply. “I have-woah, I have never run like that in my entire life.”

“What, no chases, gah-happening up in that tower of yours?” He pants.

She shoves him lightly in the arm. “Not the time to crack your jokes, Jinu.”

“I thought it would be a good icebreaker, but I see I was wrong.”

Once he straightens up, he slides down the rock wall to sit all the ground, one of his knees propped up while the other lies down. Rumi does the same, but both her knees are brought to her chest in the fetal position. All that can be heard is the sounds of their heavy breathing, trying to catch up with them. Derpy laid his head on Jinu’s leg. While Sussie flew over to nuzzle up in Rumi’s neck and hair.

After a moment, Rumi sighs. “We can’t stay here, y’know. They could find us.”

“I know. If I’m assuming correctly, I think those are my friends’ female rivals. They are, excuse my frankness, a lot better at their jobs than they ever will be.” He chuckles lightly.

Rumi tries to laugh, but it keeps coming out in sighs. “They seem capable. Why would they think that you’ve taken me captive?” 

“Maybe they know your mother, and she found out you were gone.” 

Right. Celine. She didn’t leave her a note or anything that she left. “Celine isn’t my mother…She’s only my guardian.” 

Jinu’s eyes flickered in her direction for a split second. “I don’t want to talk about it much, but-”

“You don’t need to if you don’t want to. I understand, maybe I’m the only one who can.” He mumbles the last part.

“What do you mean?” 

He shakes his head. “I don’t do backstory, but when it comes to mother or maternal stuff, I understand.” 

Neither of them says anything after he says that. Rumi only watches him breathe unevenly. She sees the faraway look in his eye that signifies more to the story than just that simple sentence. But the mere fact that he’s avoiding her gaze is a clear sign, as is any sign that he also doesn’t want to go further. 

For the first time since she saw him for the first time [after knocking him out with a frying pan], she smiles at him. A true, honest-to-goodness, genuine smile with her eyebrows slightly raised and eyes glistening with fondness. 

“Thank you, Jinu.” She nudges him in the arm affectionately. He chuckles, nudging her back. They continue that for a while, playfully nudging and pushing each other as a calm in the middle of the storm sort of thing. Needless to say, some tickling ended up getting involved.

Mira and Zoey had to team up in order to take the four boys. No matter how many times they got one (or even two) of them to the ground, one of the others would leave the previous girl to help out their buddy. It got infuriating very quickly. 

It wasn’t until they had gotten the four of them tied up with some rope that they could finally get a breather. 

“No. More. Abs!” Mira growls. 

Abby, amongst his friends and tied up, is still able to do finger guns with his signature shiny smile. “You think about me, Mira. We both know you do.”

If Zoey hadn’t stopped her, she probably would have run him through with the blade of her polearm right then and there. She had it raised to his heart and everything. 

“The longer we waste with them, the further away Jinu gets with Rumi. And Celine was very clear to not let anything distract us.” Zoey put a hand on her friend’s shoulder, her eyes pleading. 

Mira groans. “Fine,” She drags out the two syllables in the most annoyed tone imaginable. “But I still hate these idiots.” 

“I know.” Zoey giggles and, with a smirk, quickly kisses Sinbi’s cheek before heading for the back door. She ignores her friend’s gag and complaints, instead squealing out.

The boys groan. They put up a good fight, but it hadn’t been enough. So, hopefully, it gives them enough time to lose them. For now, they will have to deal with the ridicule from the other patrons. Just great. 

It doesn’t take long for Mira and Zoey to come to the first crossroads to figure out where exactly they went. Zoey bows down on the ground, observing the dirt to see any footprints. And maybe they are, faintly, but there’s a clearer sign. Golden hairs. 

She picks it up, then holds it up to Mira for her to see. “You saw her hair, too, right?” 

Mira holds it close to her eye and twirls it in her fingers. “That much hair must cause a lot of shedding. And drags behind you in trails.” She points at the path leading towards the path to the right. 

Zoey gasps dramatically. “I know where they’re going! The old dam and caverns! There are plenty of caves that they can escape through, and Jinu must know that!”

“Then we'd better cut them off before they can get there. C’mon.” The girls go down the other path. Jinu may know these tunnels, but they know them better.

Up ahead, deeper in the tunnel, Jinu and Rumi were now walking casually. And they had a torch. After they drew in the tickle fight, they found a thick branch just lying there. So, Jinu ripped off part of his undershirt (Rumi had to divert her eyes), wrapped it around the top of it, then set fire to it thanks to running it against the rocky wall. 

“Rumi, can I ask you something?” Jinu asks hesitantly.

“Depends on what it is. Does it have to do with the hair?”

He hesitates. “...Yes?”

“Well, you can ask, but I can’t guarantee that I’ll answer it.” She smirks smugly. 

Jinu rolls his eyes, but smiles at her in amusement. “Fair play. So, with your hair being so long that you have to carry and drag it around with you everywhere, why have you never cut it? It must be a pain to wash and take care of.”

Her smirk falls away immediately. She looks at the parts of it that she’s been playing with for the last few minutes and sighs sadly. “...Because I can’t.”

“What?”

“I can’t cut it.”

Jinu raises an eyebrow, confused. “Like, it’s too sentimental to you?” 

Rumi shakes her head. “No, it physically cannot be cut, Jinu. It’s indestructible.”

“Are you messing with me?”

She grumbles under her breath. “No! No matter how many times I’ve tried to cut it over the years, it always causes more damage to the device I’m using than to my hair itself! I’ve even used an axe on it before! And it broke the table.”

Why was she even telling him this? He doesn’t even believe her, so what’s the point? And why does she care if he believes her?  

“Well, that sounds painful.” Wait, what?

She stands close to him, trying to see any kind of infuriating smirk that he always seemed to have on his mouth. Or a playful glimmer in his eyes. Just- anything that indicated that he didn’t believe her and was only teasing.

He leans away from her awkwardly. “Um, are you alright?”

“Are you being serious in that?”

“In what?”

“In that, it must be painful. Like, having this weight on my head all the time.”

He blinks three times at her. “Well, that, and trying to cut your hair with an axe. That could have killed you, Rumi.”

He was being serious. Well, that is surprising. “I was desperate, alright. I wanted to be rid of this curse.” She didn’t mean to say that part. She tried to cover her mouth to stop it, but it was already too late. She’d manage to go the entire day without mentioning the true reason she needed to go to that festival so badly. Maybe he would assume she meant just the hair in general, then she wouldn’t be forced to explain the actual curse of her hair.

He didn’t. “Curse? What kind of curse?” He turns his whole body towards her with a concerned look in his eyes. 

Rumi chuckles nervously, looking over at Sussie (who is still on her shoulder) for help. “Well…” But before she could even attempt to explain herself, the two of them felt the ground start to shake slightly. “Uh, Jinu?” She holds her hand out to him. They both turn around. “JINU!” 

And there they were, Mira and Zoey, once again. They looked quite determined. 

His eyes widen. They’re way too fast. “RUN!” Jinu shouts, grabbing her hand while she scrambles to get her hair off the ground. And off they went again. Sussie had to dig his claws into Rumi’s shoulder just to keep from falling off. 

“Awww, look at the pretty kitty!” Zoey said to Mira, pointing out Derpy running beside them. 

“Zoey! Not now!”

“Right, sorry!” She put her game face on, trying to look mean, but it wasn’t exactly easy with Derpy looking so cute.

Jinu knew that it would be a lot easier just to teleport out of the tunnel on Derpy’s back, but he couldn't risk it. There is no telling if Derpy can handle having him and Rumi on his back at the same time, nor if he can teleport the three of them (technically four if you include Sussie). And even if they had the time to get on Derpy’s back, Mira and Zoey could catch them anyway. 

He doesn’t know what to do. Or how he can help her. And that is scaring him. 

But then he remembers part of their routine in heists. He snaps. That gets Derpy’s attention. His ears perk up, then he pounces at the girls with much force. Neither of the girls is expecting it, but Zoey would be lying if she weren’t opening her arms to embrace it. Whereas Mira, well…

“Get this thing off of me!” 

“Yes, that’s my boy!” Jinu chuckles triumphantly. 

They continued to run, their fingers intertwining in the process. Rumi doesn’t even know anymore if the flush of her cheeks is coming from the cardio or from their hand-holding. But in the heat of this moment, that isn’t the main priority right now. But the thought can still cross her mind. 

Thanks to Derpy’s diversion, they managed to reach the end of the tunnel, which exited out into a variety and series of tunnels. The different thieves and criminals use these when they need to get away without being seen. Jinu himself had used them before, but there were all before he ever had Derpy. So, it was weird to see it all again. 

“DERPY!” Rumi cries. 

“He’ll be alright, he’ll meet us on the outside.” He reassures her. He leads her over to a rope ladder that lay at the edge of the cliff. 

Rumi looks over at Sussie. “Go find him, and make sure he meets us on the outside.” Sussie chirps as a sigh before flying away. 

Rather than going down the rope ladder, and risking slowing everything down, Rumi attaches her hair to nearby rock that is just above them, before sliding down like she had from the tower. Jinu is a little bit hesitant to the idea. 

“Just jump already! They could be right behind us!” Rumi demands from the ground. 

He groans. “She’s so bossy sometimes.” But just before he can grab hold, he gets pulled back by the sudden appearance of Zoey. 

“Your kitty is cute, but not enough to hold us off.” She giggles excitedly before pointing two of her knives at his throat. He holds his hands up in defense before watching Mira slide down Rumi’s hair instead of him. 

Rumi gasps when she sees her. Even when she unties it as she’s still descending, Mira just lands right in front of her anyway. “What do you want!” 

“We’re only trying to get you back home. You’re the one that chose to run with a criminal.” 

Rumi sticks her hair out to block any kind of attack she might get from the polearm. “How do you know who I am?”

“We know Celine.”

She freezes. “You’re here because of Celine?” 

Mira nods, spinning the polearm around before directing it upwards, where Zoey waits with Jinu up above. 

“She just wants you home safe and sound!” Zoey yells from above. 

“And this is her solution to safe and sound?!” 

Mira shrugs, visibly uncomfortable. “Maybe we went into this without a clear plan.”

Rumi glances up at Jinu. He is being held at knifepoint, dangerously close to the edge and unless he caught hold of the ladder, he could plummet and while he won’t die, but he could injure himself badly. Her heart aches at the idea of that. 

Zoey leans over slightly to look at her. “We don’t want to hurt anyone! Please, Rumi, come with us. We can get you home safe!”

Rumi frowns, her eyebrows furrowing into a deep crease. “I’m doing this for Celine! Let Jinu go, he has nothing to do with this!”

“Blondie, it’s okay!”

She looks around them, scanning the area to see if there’s any way that they can escape this situation. Because now that she’s out of the tower, now that she’s so close to escaping everything, she is not going back. 

There’s a dam way above them, clearly holding so much water that it could make for an easy escape. Hopefully, everyone down in the hideout will be spared, and the flood won’t even reach them. There has to be a weak spot that she can hit with her crossbow, and the arrow can trigger it to break. But she needs Jinu to come back down here first. 

She glares at Mira before untying the crossbow from her back. “I don’t know you, but you messed with the wrong duo.” 

Rumi shoots two arrows at the weakest beams of the dam before throwing the end of her hair up, wrapping around Jinu’s waist. Zoey or Jinu had the chance to react before he was pulled away from the cliff with a grunt from Rumi. 

“Blondie, what are you doingggg!” He exclaims while being swung towards a cave. 

After mere seconds, the dam cracks and bursts open, sending a wave of hundreds of years' worth of stored water out. Rumi stares at the girls for a split second before rushing away from the two of them, towards where she had tossed Jinu. 

Mira quickly climbs up at the rope ladder, trying to avoid the water, but she and Zoey get swept up faster than either of them was expecting. And being sent down an alternate cave tunnel, further away from their goal. 

Meanwhile, Rumi gets to Jinu and helps him to his feet before diving into the cave before them. Unfortunately, she didn’t think this part ahead, and the amount of water had so much force that it ended up knocking over a rather large rocky tower, trapping them inside the cave. And it was flooding fast . 

“Rumi, what were you thinking?” Jinu exclaims. 

“I don’t know! I was just trying-”

“Derpy and Sussie are still out there! They might get lost in this! And you just risked your life for mine, why would you?” His voice was escalating more than Rumi could really keep up with. A pool of water files down below, so Jinu dives down to look around for a moment. While Rumi tries to smash against the different rocks by her head to see if they’ll break or budge. Not even her hair, which is getting damper by the minute, was having much of an effect. 

When Jinu came back above, he didn’t look at Rumi, just continued what she was trying. It was only him slamming his body against each side. Her back was to him, so she didn’t even catch him slicing his hand open on a particularly sharp rock. 

“I don’t know what to do! You could have just gone with them and you would have been safer that way.” 

“But you wouldn’t have!” She’s slamming her crossbow against it now. 

“Why does that matter!” 

The water is up past their waist now, and they can’t stop arguing. It isn’t until Rumi hits her head against the side of her bow and whispers things to herself that Jinu stops. His eyes widen, and he quickly takes it away from her. “Hey, hey, don’t do that.” He whispers, brushing some hair out of her eyes. 

Rumi exhales a few times before pulling away from him, her eyes watering. 

“...I never should have done this. It put you, me, and everyone else in danger…” She runs her fingers through her wet hair, sniffling softly to herself. “All I ever do is harm everyone around me. I am the curse.” She sobs. 

Jinu watches her with a sad expression. Was that what she meant earlier? How could she say that about herself? He shuts his eyes before he says what he says next. “You’re not alone.”

She pauses. “What?”

“I cursed my family as well. I am a walking reminder that no matter what I do…I’ve failed them. You aren’t a curse, Rumi. Not any more than I am.” He slowly opens his eyes to see her empathetic gaze on him. And even in the dark, even if he can’t see her clearly, it is the first time that he really sees her for the first time. 

She sniffles, wiping her wet sleeve against her nose. The water is rising even higher now. And they will be gone again in moments. 

Wait, gone. That’s it!

“You may think otherwise in a minute.” She grabs his hand and closes her eyes. “Wither and decay. End this destiny. Break these earthly chains, and set the spirit free.”  

Jinu is shocked by what he sees and how quickly things change in that cave. Rumi’s hair, which was vibrant enough of a blonde to be seen in the dark, suddenly turns completely black. And when she opens her eyes, there are no whites or pupils. 

She sings it again. “Wither and decay. End this destiny. Break these earthly chains, and set the spirit free.” And again. Even as the water rises over their heads, she keeps singing. Jinu struggles to hold his breath the longer this goes on. The deader everything feels. 

But then he notices the way out. A pile of rocks slowly eroding from the power she held. And after a moment, he’s able to pull them and kick them away. By the time he’s able to push the rocks out enough, Rumi faints, her hair color returning. 

He wraps her arms around his neck, holding her close to him, before he kicks the last rocks out of the way. And out they go. They are freed from the release of the pile of stones that has been keeping them inside, and they fall out into the river just behind it. 

Jinu swims up to the surface, breathing heavily and coughing. He adjusted Rumi in his arms to be bridal style as he slowly carried her out. She is still out cold. He places her on the grass gently. What just happened? How did she do that? 

“Rumi? Blondie, are you there? Wake up!” Jinu stares down at her, gently shaking her by the shoulders. “Come on, don’t mess with me here. Wake up, I beg you!” He brushes the hair away from her cheek. His breathing is uneven now, staring at her with the most horrified expression. 

His hand hovers by her face for a moment, shaking nervously, until he lets the back of his fingers stroke her cheek gently. “Please…”

It isn’t until she starts coughing that he catches his breath. Water squirts from her mouth, and she slowly sits up, rubbing the back of her neck. “J-Jinu?”

He pulls her into a tight hug, one of his hands cradling the back of her head. Rumi makes an indescribable noise as a response. 

“I have questions, but I’m glad you’re safe.” He whispers softly into her ear. She takes a sharp intake of breath. She wants to object, to pull away, to keep him away for his own safety. But for now, she wraps her arms around him, burying her face in his neck. This is their moment. And they’re safe. Together.

Chapter Text

For the last twenty-three years of her life, Rumi had never quite understood what it was like to care about someone. Like, really care about someone. She has read stories about it before. She knew she cared about Celine. She knew she cared about Sussie. But she never knew exactly what it meant. 

Or maybe…Maybe it was more about how she didn’t know how someone could care for her. What does that mean? How does she know if they care? If they want to be around her enough to care and aren’t afraid of her power? And can she see herself through their eyes?

Could she see herself through Jinu’s eyes?

Jinu hasn’t spoken a word since their embrace by the river. She cannot tell if it’s because he got vulnerable about his past, if it’s from the hair, their moment, or even about how close their animal companions have become. She has been watching him closely, and he has been watching her. 

Neither of them is quite sure how the other is feeling. 

And that scares her a little. To not be able to read what Jinu was thinking. Sure, she hasn’t been able to read him the whole day. He liked to tease her, to hide behind a smug smirk and get under her skin. Part of their schtick throughout the day was that he would attempt to be charming, Rumi got annoyed, and then she would threaten him. That was easy. That had been fun. 

But the way he had reacted by the river. The panic in his voice. And the way he had hugged her so tightly, he was afraid she would disappear if he let go. That is something Rumi has never experienced from someone before. The way her heart raced when she had felt him caress her cheek before she awoke. The way she never wanted him to let go. 

The only reason they separated was because their animal friends had interrupted. Derpy had materialized behind them, purring lowly. They didn’t even hear him at first; they were that deep in the moment. However, Sussie’s trilling is what broke them apart. Because, of course , it was that little bastard that broke up such an intimate moment. The second they heard Sussie’s call, Jinu and Rumi practically leaped away from each other. Their eyes were so wide that you would’ve expected them to pop out of their eye sockets. Rumi’s cheeks were on fire, despite her body temperature being so low. All she wanted to do was jump back in the river and never come back out. Jinu didn’t even look at her; instead, he seemed determined to look at everything but her. Probably the first time she ever felt embarrassed. 

They had walked around in silence as the sun set in the distance. Neither of them made eye contact the entire way to what eventually became their campsite. The only reason they decided on it was because Derpy had curled up in the grass, his back lying against the log. 

Which brings them right back around to now. She rubs her hands before extending them towards the fire. Jinu had built it so fast that Rumi didn’t even have the time to process it. It was exactly what her cold body needed. Her shoulders shiver with her body, with her elbows slightly pressing against her sides. She sighs in relief. 

Right at that moment, Jinu came back from the darkness of the woods, carrying some more firewood. He was still avoiding eye contact. She still watches him. And she noticed things about him. New things. 

Like how his hair, now that it was dried, is all messy and sticking up in all kinds of angles. Or how he scrunches his nose when he’s trying to focus on the fire staying at a good level. Or smooth his cheeks seem along his chiseled face. She even noticed how beautiful he is in the fire’s glow. 

Then, she notices him wincing in his spot in the grass. Rumi raises her eyebrow. She caught him hissing through his gritted teeth. What happened? 

He’s about to put another piece of firewood on the fire when she surprises him by joining him at his side, and directly taking it from him. And she catches him gasping when she takes his hand in hers. And like she thought, there is a large (and dirty) cut straight across the palm of his hand. 

“You got this in the cave, didn’t you?” She keeps her voice low. 

His eyes flicker from her hand on his to her eyes a couple of times. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“For a famous thief, you sure are an awful liar.”

“Says you.”

“Answer the question, Jinu.” 

He looks away, but Rumi still takes notice of the slight nod. She sighs, whether it’s from relief or worry, she has no idea. But whatever her reason may be, she still takes his hand in hers fully. She invites him to sit down on the log. He looks reluctant to do so, eyebrows slightly furrowed. But a glance at her and her urging expression is enough. It’s his turn to sigh and to sit up on the log.

Once he is at her side, Rumi takes charge. She lets go of his hand to work on the firewood on her own. The stack he gathered was larger than she had anticipated. And from what she’s read, it is important not to put all of the wood on the fire, or it’ll die too quickly. So, she separates them into three different stacks based on how they’ll keep it going throughout the night. The third pile is smaller than the other two; it’s made up of only five sticks as opposed to the other fifteens. 

“The fire is tall enough as it is right now, so we won’t need to put any more onto it for another hour,” Rumi explains. 

“Wow. How do you know so much about firewood?” His question is posed sarcastically, but Rumi chooses to ignore it. 

“One time, I asked Celine to get me a survival book for my birthday. And yes, I realize how that sounds.” She picks herself off the ground and joins him on the log. He subtly scoots away from her, but she is still able to catch his injured hand in hers once again. Before she can lose her nerve, she begins to wrap the end of her hair around the cut. 

She doesn’t look at him as she does it, but can sense his puzzled expression. “Well, you’re being strangely cryptic as you wrap your magic hair around my injured hand.” Right as he said that, a few hairs brushed against the cut the wrong way, causing him to wince.

Rumi bites her lip.. “Sorry…Just don’t-please don’t freak out.” Her eyes pleaded with him more than her words ever could. Maybe she had leaned in slightly to emphasize her point, but she couldn’t tell. He raises an eyebrow in response, but doesn’t physically reply.

This was a moment as good a time as any. So, she sighs, closes her eyes, and begins to sing.

“ Flower gleam and glow…Let your power shine. Make the clock reverse.” Unlike the song from the cave, her hair glowed gold. Jinu’s eyes widened, watching her curiously as she sang.

“Heal what has been hurt. Change the fate’s design. Save what has been lost, bring back what once was mine. What once was mine…” The glowing ends once the song is over, unaware of how her roots have started growing dark in place of the blonde that was there before. She opens her eyes, waiting for Jinu’s reaction. 

He unwraps his hand, and his eyes widen. He gasps, slowly turning it around to show Rumi that the cut has healed. The look on his face is almost unreadable. It looks like a mixture of intrigue, shock, and a little bit of fear. She doesn’t want him to be afraid of her.

“Please don’t freak out,” She reminds him. 

Jinu glances from his hand to Rumi a few more times before simply sighing. Derpy, who had been watching his masters, senses his ease, so he lays his head down on the grass. He clears his throat. “So, you have the sundrop’s healing ability.”

She exhales the breath she hadn’t realized she had been keeping. “Yes, I do. That incantation has always been the song Celine encouraged. The one time I used the other one…Well, you saw what happened.” Rumi rubs her arm sadly.

Jinu waits for her to continue, his eyes narrowed intensely as he listens.

“Celine said when I was a baby, I destroyed her home. I had created these-these rocks that just burst out of the ground without warning. They grew and grew, until it was no longer standing…I see the fear in her eyes when she looks at me; how paranoid she gets when I so much as hum. And honestly?” She pauses.

“I am afraid of me, too. I did that as a baby. I destroyed our sanctuary. Who wouldn’t be afraid of the power I possess?” 

Sussie hops off Derpy’s sleeping head onto the log, then with a quick flutter of his wings, he’s nuzzling against her neck. He chirps sympathetically. And Rumi pets his little head with her pointer finger. 

“That’s why…I never left and-” She looks away from him.

“-You never left that tower,” Jinu finishes for her, his voice soft. 

She nods, her gaze facing towards the fire. 

“But then why did you want to go to the festival so badly?” 

She sighs. “It’s the Sun and Moon Festival. I thought it could have had some answers on how to rid me of it. So I could finally be free of it. And maybe…Celine wouldn’t look at me like I’m a monster.”

His eyes don’t move off of her for even a second. “And if you did, would you go back?” 

“What?”

He moves closer. “Would you ever go back to the tower? Even if you no longer had this “curse” pulling you down?” 

She blushes in the firelight. “I don’t know. It’s been my home for so long that I don’t know if I could leave it for good. But it gets so lonely up there.” Rumi sighs. 

Jinu, despite how much his heart is thundering in his chest, slowly puts his hand on top of hers and ever so gently squeezes it empathetically. “About the festival?”

“Well, I had given up on it after I asked Celine about it this morning. But then you showed up.”

“Me?” He blinks. 

She nods. “You showed up with the scrolls and that knife. And you said you had gotten it from that shrine that was part of the festival. So, I figured this would be my only chance to get those answers on my own. If Celine wouldn’t, then I had to.” 

He smiles fondly. “You are much braver than I could ever be, Rumi.”

She giggles bashfully, letting her hair fall in her face to try and hide her blush. “If you say so.”

Neither of them looks at each other for a moment, staring at the fire, while both are painfully aware that they were technically holding hands. But they didn’t make any attempt to separate. Only blushes and smiles. 

“Soooo,” Rumi says after a moment. “Are we going to talk about what you said in the cave?” 

He bites his lip, hanging his head in shame. “I don’t know if you’d want to hear the sob story about a selfish thief who hurt his family.”

She shakes her head. And in a swift motion, she moves her hand under his, to be facing up to his palm, and interlocking his fingers with hers. “We’re in this together, Jinu.”

She can faintly see the red in his cheeks. He shakes his head as he tries not to smile. The line may have been a little corny, but she meant it. 

“What you do to me…” He murmurs so low that she doesn’t even catch it. 

Jinu rubs his temple with his free hand before running it through his messy hair. Then he groans and turns over to her. “I trust you, and I hope you don’t think too little of me when I tell you my story. Okay?” His eyes are soft, pleading for her to understand.

“Okay,” She whispers. 

He inhales a lot of breath before letting out a deep exhale. “It all started seven years ago…”

It all started seven years ago. I must have been eighteen, or at least about to turn eighteen. My father had left us three weeks before. He left us with nothing. No money, none of our nicer clothes, not even any soap to keep ourselves clean. Nothing. 

My little sister asked three times a day when he would be coming home. Eomma and I never knew what to tell her. The most I could do was distract with the songs I played on my bipa, the one thing I still had after he left. 

Eventually, she got sick. Really sick. From where we were occupying the streets, there was so much smoke and dirt in the air. She was only eight at the time. So, I tried busking the streets to try and earn some money. I did it for a month. It was humiliating. I can’t tell you how many songs I played, the strain I put on my voice, just to get a few muns at a time.

It didn’t get me anywhere. 

She got worse. If she didn’t see a healer soon, she was going to die. I was desperate. We were desperate. 

Something to keep in mind, my mother and sister never came with me when I busked. I had found myself a decent spot in one of the nicer parts of the village, closer to the palace. So, when I resorted to something else, they didn’t have to see. 

I still remember my first steal. It wasn’t anything big, just a bag of money that an aristocrat had left on a table nearby where I was busking. It had been a young man no older than we are, and he was such a bumbling idiot. He didn’t even notice the bag had disappeared. He just carried on with his day; no doubt heading back towards the palace. 

When no one was looking, I dumped the money into the basket for my tips. I tried to do a few more songs, hoping the money would trick people into believing I was worth something. It didn’t. By sundown, I went back to my family.

And Rumi, the looks on their faces when they saw the money haunt me to this very day. They were so happy, so impressed. We were able to get food for the first time since my father left. We got my sister to a healer. It saved her life. 

How was I supposed to stop? The guilt riddled my belly for days, but I did it again. And again. And again. It had reached a point where I wasn’t even stealing just to help feed my family. I stole priceless family heirlooms from the uppercrust. I can’t tell you how many rings I managed to steal right under their noses. My mother and sister wore them proudly. They even handed out the others I had stolen just to give hope to others in our neighborhood. 

They called me a hero. But I wasn’t. I was lying to them. I couldn’t even turn a corner without someone praising me for all my hard work playing my bipa, no matter how difficult it was. 

I didn’t deserve any of it, Rumi. I didn’t deserve all that praise. And sometimes, when I sleep, I can still hear their praises. This went on for eight months to a year, I can’t really remember anymore. 

Then everything changed. All because I was sloppy. 

Eventually, I knew that I would get caught. The aristocracy’s money, jewels, and their heirlooms disappearing after the dirty singing peasant left? It would have been obvious to anyone if they didn’t have all that wealth. But after a while, I had stolen from the same people so many rich snobs that they caught onto it. 

There was this one incredibly wealthy old widow. She was the only one who ever bothered to listen to what I played. That day, she had donated a beautiful necklace for my mother. But I noticed that there was a matching set of earrings hanging from her earlobes. I asked her about them, trying to appear casual about it. 

“Are you sure you want to separate this from the set?” 

She giggled softly. “Oh, these old things?” (Rumi, please stop laughing at the impression.) “The necklace is precious to me, yes, but the earrings are priceless to me.” She waved goodbye and continued with her day. Little did she know, I had nicked them while she was at a booth, and I had my face covered. 

I thought I had gotten away with it once again. But I bumped into someone by accident, and the facial covering slipped, exposing my face. The woman recognized me. She had looked visibly betrayed. I had to book it out of there, dodging the royal guards trying to catch up to me. 

I…I never went back to my family after that. I almost did, but I couldn’t bear to see the disappointed look in their eyes. So, I hid while they interrogated my mother. They explained to her what I had been doing, and the heartbreak in her eyes… My sister asked where I was. I heard her say it. But my mother didn’t respond. 

I fled. They weren’t arrested for my crimes or anything. It wasn’t their fault after all. But I haven’t seen them since then. I have never bothered to go back to my old village. Not to pay for my crimes. Not to see if they were safe. And I selfishly let myself believe that things hadn’t gone back to normal, back to how it was before I did all of that.

Jinu’s shoulders are shaking now, silently crying to himself. But Rumi can still see the tears streaking his face. It breaks her heart. “I will never forgive myself for any of that. I moved on with my life, while my family probably suffered once I left them behind.”

Rumi didn’t know what to say to that. During the story, Derpy had woken up and went around the log to be by his side. Jinu’s free hand is in his fur, letting the softness of it ease his mind. That tiger is so in tune with Jinu’s emotional distress. It’s sweet.

“...What do you think of me now?” He sniffles. 

She doesn’t respond verbally. Instead, she leans forward and wraps her arms around his neck. Her face is buried in his chest as she squeezes him. “Nothing has changed.”

“What?” The question comes out with a slow breath.

She nuzzles her nose against his undershirt. “What you did wasn’t okay, you are correct.” 

“But?” 

“But you’re still Hwang Jinu. The same annoying and idiotic, yet charming and understanding Jinu who broke into my tower and gave me my first taste of freedom. Even with a life-altering mistake like that, you’ve still done your best to protect me. You could’ve turned your back on me a long time ago, but you didn’t. Maybe it’s only because of the satchel, but you’re still here.” 

Jinu’s breath hitches in his throat. His heart is beating so fast, and he is desperately hoping that Rumi can’t feel it. His hands are hovering midair behind her back. He can’t seem to figure out where to put them. Should they go on her back or her waist? If he put them on her waist, would that make her uncomfortable? Why does he feel so nervous around her all of a sudden?

“Just hug me back, you dork.” She giggles. 

“There she is.” He chuckles and finally returns it, settling with his arms wrapped around her back. Meanwhile, Sussie is still nuzzling his little body against Rumi’s neck. And Derpy is snuggling up to both of them. It was one big group hug between all of them, even if Derpy ended up putting his front paws on Jinu’s chest, which effectively pushed them both backward, causing them to fall onto the grass. 

Their faces are close when they’re on their backs. They locked eye contact for a second before they burst out laughing. “Only Derpy.” They agreed, grinning ear to ear.

The flood, from Mira and Zoey’s perspective, came to an end after they managed to get to higher ground, and they were taken far away from Jinu and Rumi. They found a rope hanging off a rock pillar in the tunnel they were sent to, so Mira was the one to grab hold first, before helping Zoey up before she floated away. They held on as long as their wet hands could handle without rope burn.

Once the water finally dissipated, they finally let go. They caught their breath, coughing out of the water that had sat in their lungs. Mira growls in frustration. “Well, great. This is going just splendid.” She said sarcastically, slashing at the wall with the polearm blade.

Zoey sat down on the ground. “Why didn’t Celine tell us she would be resistant?” 

“Celine must have underestimated her in that department. The way she described her daughter sounds more like a clueless lamb than a woman with a crossbow.” 

“That was super impressive, though! The way she thought on her feet without missing a beat!” Zoey giggles. 

“It was impressive, but it makes our mission that much harder,” Mira agrees. “The festival starts first thing in the morning, and we were supposed to intervene before she could even get there. What are we going to tell Celine?” She sighs in defeat. 

“We’re not giving up that easily. As long as we keep moving and don’t get any sleep, we can find them before they can leave for it.” 

“We still need to get the message to her from Celine before we bring her back. And whatever this stuff is.” Mira moves the satchel strap from over her shoulder to lying on her lap. 

Zoey looks at the bag curiously, her eyebrows all perked up. “What’s so important about the contents anyway? I don’t remember her saying.”

“I’m not sure. Even the message she wants to send is strangely cryptic. But it’s what she wanted.”

Rumi and Jinu lay next to each other in the grass as they look up at the stars. Her hair was providing a bit of warmth for them both, like a makeshift blanket. The fire still flickers and sparks behind them, but the fire has burned itself out somewhat. 

“I never knew there were so many constellations in the night sky. You would have thought I’d be used to it now, with how often Derpy and I have to sleep in the woods.” Jinu has his arms propped up behind his head. 

Rumi giggles. “Well, that’s what living in a tower with very little to do for twenty-three years can do for you.” 

“Is this how you were able to decipher stars from the fireworks?”

“Fireworks?” She glances at him.

“Yeah, fireworks. Those are part of the festival, of most festivals, really. They are the big bursts of colors in the sky. They happen after the lanterns have all floated away into the night sky, so they don’t catch fire.”

She tilts her head curiously. So, that’s what they’re called. “I used to watch them from my window growing up. I never knew what they were, though.” She blushes in embarrassment. 

“...Do you want to watch them?” 

“The lanterns or the fireworks?”

He shrugs. “Both. I’ve never watched them for myself, as that was the ideal time to pull off a heist when no one is paying attention.” 

Rumi’s eyes sparkle at the idea. “Honestly? I’ve always dreamed about seeing them in person. To see those sparks come to life right before my very eyes.” 

Jinu rolls over on his side, facing her directly, and keeping his full attention on her. “Then we will do that. Together.”

Rumi mirrors his position, rolling over on her side as well. That way they’re face to face. “Together.” A flicker of sadness crosses her face. He notices. 

“What’s the matter?” He asks softly.

She shakes her head. “It’s nothing. I don’t want to think about it.” She smiles at him. It isn’t exactly a genuine one, and he can see right through it, but he doesn’t tell her that. But he doesn’t push her either. 

They yawn at different times, although Rumi’s is more dramatic and drawn out. “Well, good-ahhh…Good night, Jinu.” She yawns mid-sentence. 

She’s about to roll over to the opposite side when Jinu stops her. “Wait, I just need to say one more thing.”

“Yes?”

Jinu takes a deep breath. “For what it’s worth, Rumi, I don’t think you are a monster. And I’m sorry for all those years you felt that way.” 

Her eyes soften, her eyebrows perked up, all while her heart skips a beat. She can’t bring herself to say anything to something that means that much to her. So, she simply nods and rolls over, closing her eyes. His gaze lingers on her for a moment before doing the same. 

Even facing away from each other, they were thinking the same thing: Oh. We’re gotten too deep in this now.

Chapter Text

“You don’t understand! I’ve been on this incredible journey, and I’ve seen so much! I can’t just go back to the tower after that!” What’s happening? It sounds like her voice, but who is she saying that to?

Someone scoffs. It sounds like it could be Celine. “You’re not ready! It’s too dangerous!” 

“No! Maybe I’m not as dangerous as you say!” She sounds so desperate…  

She can sense their presence cutting her like a knife. She winces. She looks down at her hands, and they’re shaking like a lost squirrel in winter. This is bad. What is going to happen to her?

Rumi could feel the hidden person’s glare from the shadows. “Fine. You want me to be the bad guy? Now, I’m the bad guy.” The words are haunting. It is a threat. No, don’t hurt me!

She awoke with a start. Her whole body is drenched with sweat. The ground, the dirt, had flattened from her lying there; she could feel her outline there. But also, this doesn’t feel the same. She had fallen asleep on her own, separate from anyone. She was still on the side where she had fallen asleep, but there was an extra weight on her back.

And that extra weight? It was Jinu himself. He was pressed up against her back, his arms wrapped around her waist. If her skirt hadn’t been in the way, Rumi is willing to bet that their legs would be all tangled together. Yet, even in the position they’re in, he wasn’t even lying on Rumi’s hair. Instead, he had moved it out of the way for her comfort. 

It felt warm and safe, here in his arms. But also, her face turns red with heat, and she starts quietly panicking. How did they end up in this position? When did Jinu even move close enough to her to do this? Why did they do this? Does she move his hands to free herself? Why doesn’t she want to? Why does it feel right? What does she even do!

She is breathing so heavily and so fast that it makes her whole body shake, which is ultimately how Jinu wakes up. He groans, stirring from behind her. His head moves down slightly, hitting his head against her back. That is when he stops moving. Queue the beginning of his heavy and uneven breathing.

Rumi slowly turns her head. He slowly looks up. And they lock eye contact. They both smile nervously before practically leaping away from each other. He let her go within a matter of seconds, and she didn’t hesitate to crawl away from him like he carried the plague. He jumped away so quickly that he bumped into the log from the night before. 

“What happened!” Rumi yells, but doesn’t bother making eye contact with him.

“I don’t kn-I can’t remember! Well, not in any specific details. Last thing I remember is waking up in the middle of the night and grabbing the closest body to me!”

Her face is hotter than the fire was. “Wh-How does any of that sound normal to you!”

“Sometimes I spoon Derpy to fall asleep!” 

“So you tenderly wrapped your arms around my waist!”

“I don’t know!” His face is buried in his hands. 

Neither of them quite knows what else to say to each other in this situation—last night had been one of many shared moments between them, including the stargazing right before they fell asleep. And Rumi hasn’t forgotten what Jinu said. “For what it’s worth, Rumi, I don’t think you’re a monster.” It was all she could think about while she waited for sleep to take her. The way he had said it so softly, so genuinely…She hadn’t expected it. The first person to not see her that way, and she wakes up the next morning in his arms. 

“...Did you sleep well, at least?” Jinu asks awkwardly. 

She sighs. “I suppose. I had a weird dream just before I woke up, though.”

“What kind of dream?” 

“Like it was a memory. But it hasn’t happened yet.” She rubs her temple as she tries to recall it. The voice. It had sounded so familiar. It wasn’t a good familiar. If she hadn’t have been in Jinu’s arms, maybe she would have been shaking in terror from it. But she didn’t. All because she had been too busy freaking out. Maybe it was a good thing in that case. Not that she’d tell him that. 

Jinu runs his fingers through his hair, attempting to smooth out the bedhead. “That sounds like deja vu. It can happen any time. Just yesterday, I thought I had felt some from a long time ago.”

“With what?” 

“I can’t recall it now.”

She rolls her eyes. “How convenient.”

“Someone isn’t a morning person,” He teases.

“I am, actually. Just not when I wake up with someone and we’re stuck in an awkward situation.” He didn’t dare try to tease her further after that statement. They collectively sigh at the same time before getting up. Derpy and Sussie are still asleep, somehow, and neither of them wants to wake them. Moreover, they don’t want to disturb Derpy. 

Jinu stretches his arms out, intertwining his fingers and pushing them up in the air. Then he pops his back and exhales in satisfaction. “Hey, do you think you could check out how close we are to the village?”

“Shouldn’t you know?” Rumi asks. 

“My brain is a little fuzzy at the moment. And you mentioned last night that you’re used to climbing up to open the skylight first thing in the morning.” 

He remembers that? But he isn’t exactly wrong. And her hair is long enough to reach even the highest of branches of the trees. She grabs a rope of her hair, tossing it in the air, and it catches onto one of the branches. After tugging at it for a test, Rumi forms a leg lift for herself and pulls up. 

“Can you hold on for me? I’ve never done this before, and I don’t want to risk falling.” Jinu does it without a second thought. He even gives her an extra hand in pulling her up. She smiles despite herself. 

After a moment, she’s up at the tree branch. She slips her foot out of the hole (carefully) and steps onto the bumpy wood of the branch. It is a different feeling from the grass, but otherwise, she doesn’t mind it. Rumi turns around. 

There is a remarkable view from way up here. It’s different from the view she gets from the window in the tower, which is the same no matter what angle she approaches it from. But this? It’s nothing but open, blue skies, an array of bushes at the treetops, and a lovely breeze. She inhales a large whiff of the fresh morning air. 

Why was she up here again? Oh! Right, the village. She holds onto the thinner branch right above her head and scans the area to see where it could be. She might not have much reference to what a village would look like, but some sign of civilization should be enough.

“What do you see, Blondie!” Jinu shouts from the ground. 

“I’m still looking, Jinu!” She shouts back. And of course, right after she says that, she spots the village. She couldn’t make out much of what was going on, but it was there. And it seemed like only an hour's walk from here. 

Rumi squeals and slides down her makeshift rope. It happened so fast that she didn’t even think about what would happen when she got to the end of it. As a result, Jinu had to think fast. So, right as she was seconds away from the end, he put his arms out and caught her in his arms, bridal style once again. It was the first thing he thought of. 

“Did you see it?” Probably shouldn’t have been his first question, but he couldn’t take it back now. 

Rumi giggles and nods. “If we pace ourselves and continue on that way, we should be there within the next hour.” 

He smiles as he puts her down. “You realize what this means, right?”

“No, what?” She stares at him, confused. 

“We have to wake Derpy up.” 

Rumi gasps dramatically. “But he looks so adorable!”

He nods. “I know, I don’t want to do it either, but you know we can’t just leave him behind.” 

“And if we don’t do it ourselves, Sussie could always do it in his own way.” Not that Rumi thought her magpie friend would do it that way, but he could be a bit unpredictable. After all, he was the one who interrupted their moment at the river. And no, she still isn’t over that. 

They reluctantly go over to where the sleeping tiger is resting. His purrs were soft and vibrating. Sussie is asleep atop his head, all nuzzled up as if Derpy’s head were his nest. They glance at each other before they gently pet the tiger’s body. 

Derpy purred from their touch. His wonky eyes slowly opened, and he stared at the two of them expectantly. Well, that was easy.  

“He’s never been the heaviest sleeper.” Jinu shrugs. Just before he can attempt to wake up the bird, Rumi slaps his hand away.

“I wouldn’t do that. He’ll wake up in his own time, and it will save you a peck to the arm. I at least have the benefit of being long-time friends with him.” Jinu, for some reason, seems almost offended by that answer. But it wasn’t as if he’d made any attempt to connect with the bird either. 

He sighs, rubbing the spot she slapped. “Fine, you’re probably right.”

“I always am.” She smirks playfully, tossing her hair to add a little more salt to the wound. A blush rose to Jinu’s cheeks as he watched her walk away. 

For a moment, it felt like things slowed down for him. His tiger walking with her… The way her hair moved with her movements… Even his hand hovering midair was moving in slow motion. He pressed his hand to his chest, feeling his heart drumming against his ribcage faster than he could even keep track of the beats. A breathless laugh escapes his lips as he looks at it in disbelief. Then his attention flickers back to Rumi, laughing and petting Derpy’s head. 

He bites his lip. He had already been suspecting it. He had felt it the first time back in the hideout…But it had gotten stronger. Can he even let himself feel it? But looking at her all happy, watching how her gold hair glows in the morning sunlight, and the light she’s brought to him overnight? 

When he said he didn’t remember what brought them to that awkward situation, he was lying. He knew he was even in that moment. He had woken up way too early, three hours before sundown, and he had caught a glimpse of Rumi in the dim glow of the remaining fire. She looked so beautiful. And peaceful. His heart skipped a beat. And before he could stop himself, he had wrapped his arms around her waist, falling right back to sleep. And he remembers what he was thinking. “I’ll keep you safe. No one can harm you as long as I’m here.”

Jinu sighs to himself. Of course, he felt this way. He was in deep. And what is he going to do when all of this is over? What happens when he has to say goodbye? That was the deal, after all. He brought her to the festival, brought her back, she’d give the satchel back, and they would never see each other again. That was the whole deal.

Before he can fully feel the sadness of that realization, suddenly, he feels something grab hold of his collar. Then something trips him from below. And before he knew it, he was being dragged away by his legs. “Rumi!” He yells. 

Rumi turns around and gasps. “Jinu!” She is running to him without a second thought. And judging by her glare, they knew who was dragging him. 

“Let him go!” She grabs hold of his hands, pulling him to her as hard as she can.

“Well, so much for that plan!” Mira groans, dropping Jinu’s right leg. Zoey does the same, albeit with his left leg and a little bit nicer. Rumi, still holding onto Jinu, helps the confused man to his feet from that reaction. She has her crossbow pointed out, keeping Jinu behind her. 

Zoey’s cheeks are pink with embarrassment. “It was the best I could come up with. We got no sleep last night.” 

Mira sympathetically pats her friend’s shoulder. “I don’t blame you, Zoey. Once this job is over, I’ll get you a turtle.”

“You mean it?”

“Yes.” To which Zoey squeals as a response. 

Jinu and Rumi make eye contact for a second, each with equally confused expressions and furrowed eyebrows. Even Derpy had his head tilted. What is even happening?

The girls then turn back to the duo, their weapons raised. Right back to business, apparently. 

“You two are relentless,” said Jinu. 

“We could say the same about you,” Mira retorts. 

Rumi exhales a deep sigh. “Okay, I’ve had enough of this.” She tosses her weapon to the ground, safety on, surprising everyone involved. “We all almost drowned with my impulsive decision, right?”

Zoey and Mira blink in unison. “Uhhh-”

“Yeah, that’s what I thought. Listen, if Celine has really asked you two to find and bring me back, then she should have warned you that I can be stubborn when I put my mind to it.”

Jinu nods. “She really is.” 

“Shut it, you.” She shoves him lightly, but they both knew there was no malice behind it. After all, Jinu had chuckled lightheartedly at it. 

“So?” Mira raises her eyebrow skeptically. 

Rumi clears her throat. “So, I am not going back or anywhere until I go to that festival. It is only for a day or two. Jinu and I have gone through too much to turn back now. Are you guys going to leave us alone?”

They shake their heads. 

“Then, I have a proposition for the two of you. You can either keep on chasing us and get nowhere, or you can come with us and keep an eye on me.” 

Jinu turns his gaze to her, his mouth agape in surprise. “Blondie, what are you doing?” He tries to get an explanation, but she’s ignoring him. 

Rumi takes a step towards Mira and Zoey. “I am sorry that I’ve made this so difficult for you. But I’ve been locked up my whole life, and this is what I want. And I want to go after that for the first time in my life.” 

Jinu is listening to her speech with a fond smile, but his eyes are narrowed in on Mira and Zoey. He doesn’t know how they’re going to react, so he needs to be prepared for anything. 

Suddenly, Zoey starts to tear up, her bottom lip quivering. “Oh man…” She wipes her eyes with the back of her glove. 

Mira slowly lowers the polearm. “Does this festival really mean that much to you?” 

Rumi smiles warmly. “It does.”

Zoey drops her knives, throwing her arms around Rumi, and softly crying into her shoulder. And Rumi, despite being surprised by the affection, returns the gesture with soft pats against her back. This girl just yesterday had pointed those same knives at Jinu’s throat, and now she’s hugging her? What a strange twenty-four hours it’s been. 

“We’ll accompany you and him to the festival. Even if we hadn’t been hired by Celine to find you, we cannot let you go walking around like that.” She points the non-sharp end towards their clothing. 

“What’s wrong with our clothes?” Rumi exclaims, offended.

Zoey pulls away from her to point at the many dirt stains covering her skirt. “It’s so pretty, but it’s quite dirty. And his undershirt? Come on.” She giggles. Jinu covers up his ripped undershirt, annoyance visible in his eyes. 

“Even if no one knows what Hwang looks like because he wears a face covering, it doesn’t mean he can go out without some kind of disguise. And for your first day out in public for the first time, I think you deserve something nice.” Mira locks her weapon behind her back. 

Jinu rolls his eyes. “Yeah, but what about you two? Your faces will be on wanted posters everywhere.”

“You’re not wrong. But you just leave that to us.” 

He almost argues one more time, but he gets a pleading look from Rumi, which makes him cave immediately. He sighs. “Fine. We’d better get a move on. If we wait too much longer, the place will be crawling with guards.” 

Rumi nods in agreement. “And on the way there, maybe we can finally get the names of the people chasing us.”

And with that, they were off. 

They learned a lot about Mira and Zoey on the way to the village. 

Mira Kotadoski is the same age as Rumi, twenty-three years old. She was the youngest of two siblings, and her parents had been extremely wealthy, but just as strict. She started stealing as a means of rebellion, originally before she got too good at it. Although her hair isn’t naturally red, she kept doing it as it became a staple of her career as a criminal. So, she just kept doing it. Even if it was likely killing her hair. 

Meanwhile, Zoey Jeong is two years younger and just as spritely. Unlike Mira, she had tried to obey her parents’ strict views, although they had been drastically different. Her father had been a traveller of the Americas, coming to South Korea for a bit of culture, which was how he met Zoey’s mother. They never married, and they told Zoey as such. After a while, they had such opposing views on how to raise their daughter that they split. She ran away from home by the time she turned eighteen. She has been a criminal for three years.

Jinu didn’t share his story with the girls, and Rumi didn’t push for him to do so. As for her, she told them mostly about her childhood and what life was like being locked up in the tower. When it came to questions about her hair, she avoided them. They were open with her than she was with them, in all honesty. 

They reached the village at the end of their conversation. And oh, the stars in Rumi’s eyes when she saw it for the first time. There were people at every street corner. There was joyous laughing and musicians in their final practice for their pieces. Silk peonies were decorating the side of buildings and along the columns. Women and children looked all refined, dressed up for the festival. 

This is what she has been missing out on for all these years. How remarkable. 

Jinu smiles, shaking his head fondly, as he watches her take everything in. “Welcome to Mureung, Rumi.” 

Remaining incognito for three experienced thieves/criminals comes naturally. However, for a woman who has only been out of her sanctuary for twenty-four hours, not so much. And her hair, being seventy feet trailing behind her, doesn’t exactly help either. Jinu helps her carry it around. It makes it a little harder to keep up with the other two, but it helps Rumi. 

“Where are we even going?” Rumi whispers. 

“There’s a bathhouse we frequent every once in a while that knows our identities and keeps them hidden,” Mira explains. “It’s connected to a shop that allows you to get fitted and dressed by a designer in-house. They are going to have a field day with you and your hair.” 

Rumi shoots a nervous look at Jinu. He looks just as nervous. But they gave their word to the girls to let them handle this. So, they will just have to trust them. 

After twenty minutes (due to avoiding the guards nearby), they make it to this bathhouse. It was large and spacious. There was a women’s and a men’s side each. Jinu laughs awkwardly at the sight of it, feeling out of place already. Rumi patted his hand empathetically, all while spinning, trying to see everything she possibly could. 

Zoey rings a bell while Mira closes the door behind them. “Bobbyyyyy!” The girls declare together. 

In the welcoming area, a shorter, plump man came out to greet them. And unlike Jinu, he had his black hair pulled back into a traditional bun. He had smile lines around his mouth and just under his nose. He had a mustache growing, but it wasn’t all the way there just yet. Rumi nor Jinu needed to talk to the man to know that he was trustworthy and kind.

“Ah, it’s my girls! I haven’t seen you two in weeks!” He greets, bowing to them. The girls return it, the warmest smiles gracing their faces. 

Then Bobby turns to the duo, alongside their animal companions, who are chilling in the corner. “And who are these beautiful people?”

“Rumi, Jinu, this is our friend, Bobby. Bobby, Nim Rumi, and Hwang Jinu.” Zoey makes the introductions. 

“Hwang Jinu? As in the infamous thief?” Bobby’s eyes widen. Jinu shrinks at the question. 

But Rumi is the one to speak up. “The very same. I promise you, he won’t cause you any trouble during our time in this establishment.” 

Bobby chuckles. “No promises necessary. My jjimjilbang to available to all, no matter the background or history. What can I help you all with today?”

“Well, Bobby, this is Rumi’s first time at The Sun and Moon Festival. And we were hoping you and your people could work your magic to make these two look appropriate? But I insist on helping with Rumi’s new look in particular.” Mira smirks. 

Bobby hums, his thumb and pointer finger lined up against his chin as he takes it in. He does seem interested in Rumi’s mass of hair. Then he looks at Jinu, looking him up and down. “You two are a beautiful couple,” He comments.

“Woah, wh-woah, what?” Rumi and Jinu both deny it, stuttering over their responses. But no one in the room is really convinced. 

Bobby claps for his staff. “I already know exactly what to do. Get them to the respective changing rooms, robe them, and I’ll handle the rest.” 

Before Jinu and Rumi could even object or say goodbye, they were immediately separated to go to their respective sides. Zoey goes with Rumi, while Mira hangs back with Bobby to figure out what new looks to give them. As for Derpy and Sussie, they’re allowed to go with Jinu, that way the thief wasn’t all alone. And no one wanted to deny a literal tiger access to anything. 

It all went by way too fast for Rumi to comprehend. There were different types of pools to set foot in, and at Zoey’s urging, she set foot in one of the hot ones. (She had so much hair that it couldn’t be tucked away in the towels, but Zoey insisted they had an idea to solve that problem.) The water was just as promised, so hot that her entire body felt relaxed. She sighs in relief, closing her eyes. “Wow,” She moans. “This feels amazing .” 

“I’m sure it does.” Zoey giggles. “You relax for a bit, and we’ll handle the rest.” 

“Aren’t you getting in too?”

“Tempting, but not this time. So, close your eyes.” 

Rumi raises an eyebrow, but shrugs, and does exactly that. She exhales, laying her head back against the towel that was laid under her head, and closes her eyes. She has no idea how much time goes by while she relaxes there, but it was probably the most relaxed she had ever felt before. To the point that she ended up taking a nap.

She woke up to Zoey whispering, “Okay, sleepyhead, look what we’ve done for you.” 

Rumi yawns, rubbing her eyes, but notices that her head feels…Lighter. She sits up and looks over her shoulder, gasping. Her hair had been tied up. It was braided into what Zoey told her later was a Dutch braid. Flowers decorated and popped out of her blonde hair. It felt so weird. But yet. She didn’t hate it. 

She got her robe back on, and while she is led to the next room, she takes the time to admire her new hairstyle. Rumi ran her hand down the outside of it, admiring the rope-like texture of the braid. The flowers pinned and braided into her hair added a nice extra bit of color. A thought crossed her mind, a forbidden thought. What will Jinu think of it?

Meanwhile, with Jinu, while he found the bath relaxing (he had gone with the cold bath as opposed to the warm one), he couldn’t help wondering what exactly Mira and Zoey were up to. Sure, they were trying to give them a nice experience in the village, but giving them a whole new look? That seemed a bit extra. 

He was in the bath for twenty minutes as opposed to nearly fifty minutes it had been for Rumi. Jinu was brought into the changing room by Mira. He wasn’t sure how she was allowed in the men’s side, but didn’t dare question her. He didn’t even question her when she gave him a dark hanbok and wide-brimmed gat. If he wanted to keep his head, he needed to just go along with it. 

But he can admit, Mira had taste. The hanbok’s fabric felt nice and silky against his skin, and the red beaded belt matched the beads hanging from the gat. He had some old scars along his arms that he’s been trying to hide, but despite that, you could vaguely see them, yet they complemented the look. 

“You resemble a grim reaper, which I would say goes well with your personality, and it’ll fit right in with the festival.” Mira crosses her arms, leans on one leg, and smirks. 

“I’m assuming it’s for the moon, right?”

Mira nods. “Yes. I cannot wait to see how you react to Rumi.”

He raises an eyebrow as he gets down from the podium. “What are you planning?”

“You’ll see. You’ll like it.” She gives him a playful wink, then shashays out of the room. He’s doomed. 

Jinu leaves the changing room, waits in the room where they came in. He pets Derpy and ignores Sussie’s stares. His heel taps the floor impatiently. He sighs. “Where is she?” 

Right as he says that, the doors open, and he gets up. Zoey and Mira come out first, both of them wearing the biggest smirks imaginable. He could tell they were attempting to stifle their giggles, but it was apparent there was so much more happening. They had changed into their own hanboks, albeit in different colors. Before, they had been wearing things closer to what Jinu usually would wear, baggy pants and all. Zoey’s was blue with gold patterns along black accents. Whereas Mira’s was like a crumpled shade of rose pink. They both looked nice, although they both wore head coverings. For Mira and her hair, it was necessary to hide her unnatural hair color. 

“You look nice,” He compliments. 

They giggle together before moving out of the way. Hidden behind them was Rumi, and woah . 

The first thing he noticed was that her hair was braided. It was off the ground, not dragging behind her. It really suited her. (Although if he was being honest, he did love her hair down.) Unlike her other dress, which was purple and pink, this one was a pure white with gold accents. The goreum was a shiny gold, reflecting somewhat in the sunlight through the windows. There was a norigae pinned to her jeogori. The pendant was in the shape of a sun, with what looked like an inscription along the edge of the sphere. The cords and tassels are an equal mixture of yellow and white. The skirt is somehow even puffier than her original. 

She was glowing. Luminescent. And he has never seen anyone as beautiful as she is in this moment. He smiles fondly like only a man falling in love could. And he can’t even hear anything anyone is saying, including Rumi herself. 

“Is he alright?” She whispers to the girls. 

“Oh, he’s fine.” Zoey gives her a thumbs up.

Mira giggles. “I think he’s seeing things from an all-new perspective.”

Rumi blushes. She doesn’t know what exactly that means, but she hopes it’s positive. And if she’s honest, how he looks isn’t exactly nothing to sneeze at. The black suits him well. She especially likes the gat and how the brim, when angled right, gives her a clear view of his beautiful brown eyes. There is a little warmth to her cheeks. And for once, she knows why. She isn’t ashamed of it for once. 

She cautiously approaches him, raising and waving her hand in front of his face a little bit to get his attention. “Jinu, are you there?”

He is taken aback, his eyes fluttering as his vision clears. He chuckles awkwardly, pulling the brim down slightly to hide the pink in his cheeks. Rumi has rendered him flustered. And he can’t even find the words. He couldn’t even breathe. 

“Do I look that awful?” She asks hesitantly, brushing her fingers to hide any stray hairs behind her ears.

His eyes flicker back to her, shaking his head. “No, Rumi, you don’t look awful. I-You…” He bites his lip.

“Yeah?” Her eyebrow is perked up at his answer. 

He clears his throat. “You’re beautiful. Like, you’re so beautiful that it’s rendered me speechless.” 

She gasps. So do Mira and Zoey. Rumi covers her smile with the side of her hand, unable to come up with some kind of response to that. What could she even say? But what she does know is that her heartbeat is going crazy. 

“Thanks…You don’t look too bad yourself,” She musters. 

They gaze into one another’s eyes for a few moments more before Mira clears her throat, interrupting the tension. They both turned to her, which is when Jinu caught the gold ribbon tied at the end of Rumi’s braid. 

Mira sighs. “Thank you, Bobby. I’m sure this was an expensive visit. I promise we’ll pay you back for it in a couple of days.” 

Bobby, however, shakes his head. “Don’t worry about it, Mira. This was a nice change. Besides, it is The Sun and Moon Festival. I’m giving out discounts today, anyway.”

“Are you sure it’s not any trouble?” Rumi asks worriedly. 

“My dear, from what I’ve heard, you deserve special treatment. And the way he looked at you? I say that was worth it.” The man winks playfully. Rumi and Jinu are right back to being awkward with that comment. 

Before they left, Mira and Zoey hugged Bobby as thanks for his services. He returned that hug and sent them off. 

Rumi had been given a pair of dang-hyes to go with the dress. They pinched her toes a little bit, as she wasn’t used to wearing nice shoes. Usually, she just went no shoes or comfy boots. But Bobby and the girls had insisted that it was necessary, so she’s taking them at their word. 

“So, where did you want to go first?” Zoey asked, her hands crossed behind her head as they walked. 

Rumi reaches into her satchel for the first time in a while and unfurls the sundrop scroll. “Jinu, could you take me to the shrine you got this from?”

“Are you sure? It might be busy.” 

She nods. “Definitely. But we may need to leave Derpy with Zoey and Mira.”

Derpy looks up, purring curiously. “Why?” He cocks his eyebrow. 

“Well, wasn’t he with you?”

“Sort of? He was in an alleyway waiting for my signal to escape, not when I was stealing it per se. But I do see your point. There are guards everywhere, and he’s recognizable. We’ll need to proceed with caution.”

Rumi turns to the girls. “Are you guys okay with watching them while we’re at the shrine? It shouldn’t take long.”

Mira shrugs, while Zoey’s face lights up at the idea. That was all they needed. They left the tiger and magpie with the bodyguards, so to speak, before Jinu led the way to the shrine in question. The crowds have gotten bigger while they were at the bathhouse, so they have to stay close together. There were at least two separate times that Rumi almost fell behind. So, just before there was a third time, she took Jinu’s hand. A gasp escapes him, but he doesn’t object. They just keep walking. 

The shrine was busy, exactly as Jinu suspected. The reason he had been able to sneak in the day before to begin with was because he knew it would be. The shrine is a tribute to the twins: Haemosu, the sun god, and Dalnim, the moon goddess. There are a couple of tour guides explaining the legends of the twins, but only those groups are paying attention. Otherwise, the patrons are just exploring it on their own. 

Rumi looks down at the scroll, her fingers tracing the old letters. Jinu leans over her shoulder to read as well, having to move the brim slightly so it doesn’t hit her in the head. They glance at each other for a moment before their eyes wander around the shrine. 

“Where did you find this?” She whispers. 

Jinu gestures with his head toward a wall to the right. Rumi nods, asking the next question without verbally saying it. But he knew. He takes her over to the wall. The spot where he had found the scrolls was still open for people to see. But considering that it’s empty, there wasn’t anything to see. He had been thorough, but not enough apparently. Rumi stands on her tiptoes to see it better, as it is a little higher up than she was expecting. While it was empty, there was still an inscription along the side facing away from them. 

“What does it say?” She whispers. 

Rumi moves out of the way so Jinu can get a better read on it. It was faded. “It says: “Only the sundrop can find the kingdom of the night. But beware of the…” Something. I can’t make out the last part.”

She rubs her temple. “Kingdom of the night? What does that mean?”

He ponders it. “Rumi, how much of the legend of the sundrop do you know?” 

“Not much. Celine never told me anything. The only reason I know about the two incantations is because she taught me to heal, and I found the other in her closet.”

Jinu checks over his shoulder to make sure no one is close enough to listen in on their conversation. “Alright, so legend says that a single drop of sunlight fell from the Heavens, or rather Haemosu in this case, depending on the interpretation. But it also says that the moon has its own counterpart. Some say it was a piece of the moon itself, but no one knows what exactly the moon’s gift is. So, if this kingdom of the night really exists, then the sundrop has to reunite with the moon.”

Rumi sighs, leaning against the wall with her back to it. All that did was confuse her further. What does it even mean? Does the sundrop in this case mean her? Or the flower that saved her life? How is she supposed to find this supposed kingdom if no one has ever heard of it? And what is the moon’s gift that Jinu is referring to?

Jinu joins her at her side. “Are you okay?”

“I’m just confused. What do I do?”

“I’m not sure what it means myself. But maybe we can study the other scroll when we get you back to the tower? Or even study the knife. There are options.”

She smiles a little at his attempt to help. She crosses her arms and laughs lightly. Jinu, a little unsure of why she was laughing, joins her a few seconds later. 

“What do you want to do now?” He asks next. 

She lays her head against the wall, her gaze shifting to the ceiling. This was the main reason she wanted to come to the festival. To get answers. And now? She’ll be leaving with more questions. But at the same time, she still wants to see more. So much more.

“Let’s find the others. There’s more to see, right?” She smiles.

He smiles back. “Yeah. Let’s make this a day to remember for you.” 

That is exactly what they did. They did so many things that day that the four of them lost track. It turns out there are so many things to do and see during a festival like this. Even Mira and Zoey had things they wanted to do. In some ways, Jinu was along for the ride. But he still contributed. 

Mira forced everyone to watch a few Ssireum matches that were happening in the more hidden part of the square. Rumi didn’t understand what was going on, but it was fun to watch. 

Zoey brought them to an art showcase, showcasing the different paintings and chalk art that lined the streets. Various depictions of the sun and moon colored the walls. There was even an available set of paint and paintbrushes to draw for yourself. And Zoey hopped onto that in a matter of seconds. She even let Rumi contribute to the end product. It wound up being a painting of the four of them with cute, tiny versions of Sussie and Derpy. 

What did Rumi add? Well, she added a yellow heart around them. “Why yellow?” They had asked her. And she said, “Because my hair is keeping us safe.” It was a bit sentimental for her, sure, but it was how she was feeling at the time. 

Jinu, when the girls were busy window shopping a dress shop, spotted a cart selling banners of the sun and moon in perfect harmony as China’s taijitu, or the yin-yang symbol. He approaches the cart cautiously, picking one of the banners. The cloth itself is gray, but the details in the celestial beings were curled and refined. The silver and gold threads blended together in the middle seamlessly. In Unity. 

“How much is this?” He asked the merchant.

“Ten muns.” 

Jinu bites his lip. He doesn’t have that much. He glanced back at Rumi. The banner reminds him of them. The gold thread of the banner reminds him of her beautiful hair. She is the sun. They are worlds apart, millions of miles away. But he’ll follow her light. 

The merchant catches the look on his face and smiles warmly. “How much do you have?”

“What?” He turns back to them.

“How much do you have? You’re getting this for the young lady with the blonde hair, right?” 

He blushes, digging into his pocket, and shows them the four muns he has on hand. The merchant snatches them out of his hand, then pushes his hand, still holding a banner, towards him. 

“Thank you,” He bows. The merchant bows her head in return, gesturing for him to return to the group. 

Rumi’s eyes lit up at the sight of the banner. She took it from him, lining the symbol up with the sun, and the taijitu glowed. 

They continued to look around the market. They visited a couple of shops from the inside, including a bookshop. Rumi must have gone through three different books in a single hour. She even found some of the ones she had back home in the tower. (Mira and Zoey didn’t believe her originally when she mentioned that she read a dense book in three hours.) 

They didn’t buy much – aside from a bit of food, which consisted of a batch of yakgwa cookies. Those quickly became one of Rumi’s favorite parts of the whole day. They had to pull her away from the booth selling before she could sneak a few. Jinu snuck two away from Mira and Zoey for him and Rumi, which led to them having to hide from some guards passing by for a split second. 

Before sundown came a lifelong memory for Rumi. While they were wandering around, after plenty of the booths were starting to close up for the first night, she caught wind of some music playing. It was coming from around the corner. She sticks her head out from behind the wall, taking a look to see what's going on. 

A small street band was playing a song. Nothing particularly spectacular, perhaps, but the notes of the music surround her in their melody. She closes her eyes. She pictures each note in her mind, each skip, each string. Her fingers even play a few strings on the bipa hidden in her bag. 

And before she knows it, she pulls the strap of her bag over her head, lays it on the ground, then goes right in front of the band to start dancing. She starts with some simple steps to the beat, swaying her arms with each note of the melody. Then she spins, her braid spinning behind her. Her skirt spins in a hoop around her ankles. Even if she isn’t used to the shoes, they make this dance a little bit easier.

That’s when Jinu and the girls happen to notice her. Mira, in particular, watches curiously. The arm movements Rumi seems to be doing need to be aided by a set of fans as an extension of her arms. She sees a stand giving out free hand fans, which gives her an idea. She grabs a total of six from the stand before rushing to the center to join Rumi. Rumi pauses, confused by the fans, but takes two at Mira’s urging facial expression. Mira then makes a “come on” gesture towards Zoey to join in, which she does immediately. 

Jinu is watching the three of them dance with a curious smile. Derpy sits next to him, and rather than watching the girls, he’s watching his master. Somehow, in the matter of two days, he has found a new reason to smile. He has found something new. He nuzzles Jinu’s hand, who responds with a scratch behind his ears. But he doesn’t take his eyes off Rumi for even a second. 

While Mira and Zoey guide her through the dance, Rumi is still the one in the lead. She unfurls the fans, continuing her spinning from before, only slower. She flutters each one by her face, directing it towards Jinu specifically. ( He does notice, by the way.) When she stops spinning, Mira and Zoey face her, their fans held out in front of them, moving around her as they go back and forth between each hand motion. 

The girls had drawn a bit of a crowd. More and more women end up joining them in the moment. It gives the stand a lot of business, right until the very last one is gone. Rumi is at the center of it all the whole time. 

As the song comes to an end, the women move outwards like a flower spreading its petals. And there’s Rumi in the center, spinning around and around, her eyes closed without a care in the world. Then, the crowd all moved behind her like a hand fan being brought behind their backs. Rumi is moving away from the center, headed right for the wall. 

Jinu leaves Derpy and Sussie for a moment, approaching the spinning girl. And instead of stopping and catching her and instead, he grabs her twirling hand and catches it. Rumi gasps as he spins her right into his arms. His hands on her hips, her hands on his chest. 

They lock eyes, panting from the moment, but the way they smile at each other? It’s the kind where everyone else doesn’t exist. It is just them against the world.

Chapter Text

The night wasn’t over yet. Not by a long shot. After their little moment, they broke apart slowly with awkward smiles; they felt the teasing stares from the girls behind them. Rumi tucks a stray hair back into the braid, not resisting the urge to glance at him for a moment. And she’s sure that he was looking at her too. 

She picks her bag up and slings the strap back over her shoulder. Her head is spinning. The melody that’s been her head…It’s ringing so loud. She plucks a couple of the strings of her bipa, humming softly to herself. If only she had brought some parchment… “ Why does it feel right every time I let you in? Why does it feel like I can tell you anything… ” She sang softly. 

“That’s pretty,” Mira comments. 

Rumi jumps, hiding the instrument behind her. “It isn’t, it’s not anything special. Just something I’m playing with.” Her cheeks heat up. 

“Regardless, it has a nice flow to it.” Mira leans against the wall, standing at her side. 

She clears her throat. “Where’s Jinu? He was right behind me.”

“Zoey took him somewhere for a minute. I needed a word with you. Alone.” 

Rumi quirks up an eyebrow, her mouth gaping slightly. Sussie flew up on her shoulder. And if she knows her little friend well, she already knows that he’s judging the thief. He judges everyone. 

Mira pulls her skirt up and pulls out something that is all too familiar. The satchel. She kicks it upwards, naturally catching the strap in her hands. Rumi’s eyes shrink in horror. She hasn’t thought much of the satchel this entire day. 

“Where’d you get this?” Rumi whispers nervously. 

“Celine gave it to us when she asked us to come and find you.” She tosses it to Rumi, who catches it instinctively. “We weren’t kidding when we said that she was worried about you, Rumi. Our home isn’t easy to find in the woods, but she found us anyway just to make sure we could get you back safe.” 

She hesitantly unhooks the flap, and right where she had left it, inside was the moon scroll and the knife. She was tempted to take it out, to observe it closer again, but she remembered what happened before, so she closed the flap once again. Luckily, the satchel was small enough that she could stuff it inside her own bag without Jinu noticing. 

“Why are you showing me this?” She asks. 

Mira lets out a heavy sigh. “Rumi, I’ve seen the way you look at him. And I see the way he looks at you in return. But you should know, it won’t last.”

Her heart sinks. “You don’t know that.” 

Mira shakes her head. “But I do. I’m not saying this as your enemy, but I’m saying this as a criminal myself: He will always choose him self every time. The stuff in that bag could be worth a lot to the right buyers. The knife itself is made with a material I’ve only seen once before. I don’t doubt that he cares for you, but does he care about you enough to leave that life behind?” 

She didn’t know what to say to that. She squeezed the bag to her side. What if Mira’s right? What if, once Jinu has the satchel back, he’ll just disappear on her? That was the deal, she knew that. But what he said earlier…It sounded like he wanted to help her find those answers. Or did she misinterpret that?

“There’s one more thing.” 

Of course there is. “What is that?” 

“Celine had a message for you. I don’t understand what it means, but it may mean something to you. ‘No matter what you do, the darkness will follow.’” 

Her blood runs cold at the statement. Her grip on the strap tightens so much that her knuckles turn white. Over her shoulder, she sees her braid dangling behind her. And in a reflection of a window behind them, she notices the dark roots growing out of her blonde hair. Have those been there all day? Why didn’t Jinu say anything? 

Is Celine right? Are the roots the true proof of that? 

Sussie nuzzles her neck, gently nibbling on her earlobe to show his support. Mira does seem to notice her distress, so she pats her sympathetically on the shoulder. Rumi lets go of the strap, unfurls the fan, and fans herself to give her a bit of a cool breeze. This is a lot for her to hear at this very moment. 

She had been so happy for one second, only to be reminded of everything else she’ll have to go back to after all this is over. If she even goes back to the tower after all this is over. 

Jinu and Zoey return after ten minutes. Rumi hadn’t even noticed that Derpy had gone with them until she felt his fur brush against the tips of her fingers. She exhaled in relief from the touch. 

“Are you okay?” Jinu asks softly. 

She nods hesitantly. Rumi doesn’t want to focus on this right now. She doesn’t want to talk about it yet. Talking about it would only make it feel more real. The skepticism on Jinu’s face says that he doesn’t quite believe her, and she knew it, but he wasn’t going to push it, which she appreciated. 

“Well, the lanterns are going to start soon. And I’ve got an idea where we can watch them from. If you’re interested.” He laughs nervously, his hand finding the back of his neck sheepishly. 

Rumi smiles softly. “I’m interested. Is it just going to be us?” She whispers. 

“That’s what I was thinking, yeah. Derpy is probably going to follow us anyway.” She giggles at that. Just with a glance at the tiger, she knew that Jinu was right. Derpy follows them everywhere. 

At almost every corner of the village, people are blowing out the lights of the glass lanterns. The longer they walked, the darker and darker the streets became. Rumi has to stay close to Jinu so as not to lose track of him in the darkness. Derpy is at her side, meowing softly. Sussie is still on her shoulder. 

Mira and Zoey are trailing after them, but avoiding getting too close. 

When Jinu finally stopped, Rumi actually ran into him. He nearly stumbled back into her, but she pushed him forward before he could. This stabilized him, and even in the darkness of the night, she can still see the dim glow of an embarrassed blush. 

“Where are we?” Rumi asks. 

Jinu moves out of the way, gesturing to the area before them. It was a dock. There are plenty of ships at the port with some dim lighting coming from each of them. They can even hear music playing faintly in the distance. There are a few rowboats along each side as well, but all but one had people already inside them. They were chatting amongst themselves, not even noticing the two people with a blue tiger. 

“Are we watching them on the dock?” Rumi taps the wood nervously. It’s a little too wobbly for her taste. 

Jinu shook his head, instead, walking over to the only available rowboat left. “We’re getting the best seat in the house.”

“But it’s an open body of water?” Rumi blinks, confused. 

He chuckles. “It’s just an expression. C’mon, don’t you trust me?”

“If it had been when we first met, I would’ve pushed you in.” She jokes.

“And I would’ve thanked you.”

She slowly walks toward him, trying to get her balance on the shaky dock. “We’re not going to fall in, are we?”  

He shakes his head. “I’ll help you first. I won’t let you fall.” And he smiles. She can’t see it very clearly, but she feels how genuine it is. 

Rumi takes a deep breath as she cautiously approaches the rowboat. It was wide enough for two people. There are three separate beams higher up, which she assumes are where the occupants are meant to sit. Jinu surprises her by taking her by the hand, directing her to the edge of the boat. She lifts her skirt before she steps inside. Jinu is careful as he helps her into the boat, never letting go for even a second. Once she’s sat down, he gets in himself. 

Derpy looks at the water uneasily, whimpering with his ears tucked down. Jinu smiles softly. “It’s okay, buddy, I know you don’t like the water. You can stay here, be like our guard tiger.” He pets Derpy’s head affectionately. Sussie snuggles himself into his usual spot atop Derpy’s head. 

He purrs, then sits down on the dock. Rumi notices that Mira and Zoey aren’t making any attempts to join them in the boat. They hadn’t even followed them onto the dock. Only staring cryptically. She waves at them hesitantly as Jinu pushes their boat away from the boat with the oar. 

Rumi leans forward to take the other oar, but he beats her to it. “I don’t think so. Best day of your life, right?”

“Well-”

“Just let me do it, okay?” He smiles reassuringly. As much as Rumi could object, and she really could, she knew that once he had that look in his eyes, there was no arguing. So, she relents. And with that, he gets to rowing. 

The moment they row to the center of the lake is quiet, peaceful. Rumi turns her back to Jinu, watching the faint glows on the ships slowly getting brighter the darker it gets. The reflections in the water gave it an ethereal feel to it. She laughs hopefully at the vision. Then, she rolls her sleeve up ever so slightly, and dips her fingers in the water. It creates ripples, echoing as they row to the center of it all. 

Once they come to a stop, Rumi pulls her hand away and rubs it against her other one to warm it up. It was cold. But she didn’t mind the reminder of where they were.

Jinu had turned the boat in a way that gave them a clear view of the rest of the village, of the rest of the ships. Rumi leans against the side of it. She can feel the cool mist against her skin. She sighs wistfully. She remembers something. 

Once, a few years ago, she had a dream. She was somewhere she didn’t recognize. The hallways extended past a singular spiral. Instead, they went down further. And there was music. A melody. She wandered down the hallway, looking for the song. It echoed louder and louder, but Rumi wasn’t finding the room. In fact, there were no rooms in this hallway. No windows, no doors. Only the song is echoing. 

She picked up the pace, moving from a wander to a run in the process. It was beautiful. She wanted to find it. She needed to find it. The longer she ran, the deeper the hall seemed to get. But then, she heard someone’s voice singing. It sounded like…Hers. “ Why does it feel right every time I let you in? Why does it feel like I can tell you anything? ” But her lips weren’t moving with the lyrics. The only noise she made was her panting. Her voice continues singing lyrics that she couldn’t grasp consciously. “ We can’t fix it if we never face it. Let the past be the past ‘til it’s weightless… ” And then, she woke up. 

Ever since that dream, she has tried to remember the melody, the chorus, the lyrics. It has been in her head all this time. So many times, she wished she could write the song down. To figure out what it meant. Celine told her that every song has a meaning, a purpose behind it. And she’s always felt tied to this song. This song that she only vaguely remembers. 

But as she’s sitting here, the more she thinks on that lyric. “ Why does it feel like I can tell you anything? ” The more it makes sense. She smiles longingly. She knows what it is about. Who it’s about. Maybe Rumi has known it all day. Maybe, she’s known it this whole time. 

Jinu notices her wistful look, and he reaches over to tuck a stray hair behind her ear. “Are you okay?”

She shakes her head hesitantly. “There’s this melody that’s plagued my head for three years. I’ve wanted to write a song with it for so long, but I couldn’t figure out what it was about. I dreamed it, and it never recurred again after that. But it felt like it was trying to tell me something.” 

He doesn’t say anything. His eyes take a quick glance at her hand for a moment before focusing on her again. He waits for her to continue. 

Rumi reaches into her bag, pulling out her bipa, and avoiding the hidden satchel. She puts it in her lap before strumming a few notes. “I’ve lived in fear of myself my entire life…And no matter what I did, I would never be worthy of someone’s love.” She plays from the second string to the third, then to the first. 

Jinu wants to interject. He wants to reassure her that it wasn’t true. But, instead, he listens. 

Fourth string, third string. “But, ever since I left the tower, and the longer I’m with you…I didn’t understand it before, but I think I do now.” She plucks two strings at the same time. 

His heart skips a beat. Is she saying what he thinks she’s saying?

Rumi slowly looks up, and in a too-low whisper, mutters, “The song is about you.” 

Jinu’s breath hitches in his throat. “The song, this melody, was incomplete because my life was about fear and loneliness. And the longer I spent in the tower, the more I struggled to remember the song. But ever since I met you, the melody has been blaring in my thoughts.” 

The more she plays on the bipa, the more it resembles a real song —a song with a beautiful instrumental. And Jinu can hear what she’s feeling simply through the notes she plays. 

“Do you understand what I’m saying?” The music stops as she locks in on his eyes. 

He smiles fondly. “I’m starting to.” 

She smiles back, then continues to play. The longer she plays, the more the song seems to come back to her. She remembers more of the dream. How she couldn't sing. How dark the hallway was. From what she knows about dreams, there is a meaning to every one of them. And it all seems to brighten around her. 

“ I tried to hide, but something broke. I tried to sing, couldn’t hit the notes. The words kept catching in my throat. ” She sings softly, her eyes closed. “ I tried to smile, I was suffocating, though. But here with you, I can finally breathe. You say you’re no good, but you’re good for me. ”

Jinu leans in closer to better hear her singing. They don’t even notice the first lanterns being released into the sky. 

“ I've been hoping to change, now I know we can change, ” She opens her eyes, her heart leaping to her throat. “ But I won't if you're not by my side. ” Rumi holds the i vowel as she holds eye contact with him. 

His eyes widen, his heartbeat picking up steadily faster. He doesn’t know what to say at this moment. But he doesn’t take his eyes off of her for even a second. She deserves all of his attention in this moment. 

“ Why does it feel right every time I let you in? Why does it feel like I can tell you anything? ” She shakes her head in tune with the ‘tell you anything’ part. “ All the secrets that keep me in chains, and all the damage that might make me dangerous… ” She points at her dark roots with one hand, while the other continues to play. All the lanterns’ lights are making her glow. 

“ What if we both tried fighting what we're running from? We can't fix it if we never face it. What if we find a way to escape it? ” She turns her head slightly when she finally notices the lanterns, her eyes sparkling. “ We could be free, freeee. We can't fix it if we never face it. Let the past be the past 'til it's weightless. ” 

Rumi puts the instrument down to admire the floating lanterns. There are millions of them floating in the sky. Each one of them is decorated differently, with different symbols. The lanterns were made of a yellowish paper with either a sun, moon, or both emblems detailing the center of it. One of them descends a little too close to the water, right next to the water, so Rumi catches it with the tip of her fingers and pushes it back up to the sky. 

Jinu’s gaze followed the lantern before shifting his attention back to her. He watches her curiously. She is glowing. The sky is lit up like her hair was when she sang the other night. It only amplifies the beauty she already had. He has never seen her so happy. And it makes him want to be at her side at all times. 

Then, an idea sparks in his head. He picks up the bipa, continuing the instrumental she had been playing. Rumi looks up curiously, moving away from the lanterns, and sits in front of him. 

“ Ooh, time goes by, and I lose perspective. Yeah, hope only hurts, so I just forget it. ” He’s a little rusty, but he hopes what he has to say can be better communicated in music rather than simply saying it. “ But you're breaking through all the dark in me when I thought that nobody could

And you're waking up all these parts of me that I thought were buried for good… ”

Rumi hasn’t heard him sing before, but hearing him express his feelings to her like this really does something to her heart. And she can’t help but put her hands to her heart as he plays. 

“ Between imposter and this monster, I’ve been lost inside my head. Ain’t no choice when all these voices keep me pointing towards no end. ” His heart is thundering so loudly in his ears that he almost can’t hear what he’s singing. 

His eyes wander out to the view of all the lanterns, before fixating right back on her. “ It's just easy when I'm with you, no one sees me the way you do. I don't trust it, but I want to, I keep coming back to- ” She surprises him by sitting next to him, wrapping his arm around her, and she plays the next keys for herself. Jinu gets the idea, shifting it for himself. They do it together.

“ Why does it feel right every time I let you in? Why does it feel like I can tell you anything? ” They sing together in harmony as they play the bipa at once. Their eyes were on each other the whole time, not even needing to keep track of what notes they played. “ We can't fix it if we never face it. What if we find a way to escape it? ” 

They smile warmly at one another. With how close Rumi is to his chest, she can feel how fast his heart is going. But she finds it comforting. It’s reassuring. What is she doing? “ We could be freeeee. Freeee. ” Their foreheads are so close.

“ We can't fix it if we never face it. Let the past be the past 'til it's weightless. ” Jinu slowly gets up, putting the bipa to the side, helping Rumi to her feet. There is a slight gap between the beams of the boat, so they stay close.

“ Oh, so take my hand, it's open! ” Rumi sings, holding her hands out to Jinu, while he sings the “ Freeee ” line. 

He takes them gently, intertwining them while his thumb brushes her knuckles. “ What if we heal what’s broken? ” She holds out the o in broken, waving her braid to loosen her bangs from the hairstyle. Jinu continues to sing his line, but he brings her hand up to his mouth and presses a kiss along her fingers. 

He pulls her close, spinning her around to face her outwards, her back up against his chest. She leans her head on his biceps, letting herself listen to his heartbeat. He rests his chin on the top of her head, pressing a kiss to her hair. 

They remain like that for a moment, the lanterns glowing all around them, and yet? All they can focus on is each other. Rumi moves her head away from his chest, while he moves to allow her to face him. His hand reaches up to caress her cheek, brushing the skin affectionately. She looks up at him slowly with her heart in her throat. 

“ I tried to hide, but something broke. I couldn’t sing, but you give me hope. ” Her voice is soft and breathy, but neither of them notices. 

He’s leaning in closer by the minute. “ We can’t fix it if we never face it. Let the past be the past till it’s weightless. ” Jinu’s hand finds its way to her hair, gently pulling her head even closer. His eyes are closed, his lips parted. And for a moment, Rumi almost kisses him. She so badly wants to kiss him. To feel someone’s love for her so deeply. 

But instead, she pulls away. She turns away, letting go of Jinu’s other hand that used to hold hers. The song is about him. She knows that. But…The satchel. It is looming over her from the inside of her bag. Mira’s words are ringing in her head now. Celine’s message. 

It’s all too much. She doesn’t deserve any of this. And it was a mistake to believe she could. 

“Is ever-what just happened?” Jinu asks, confused. 

Rumi rubs her arms sadly. “I can’t do this…”

“What? What do you mean?” Jinu tries to put his hand on her shoulder, but she shrugs it off. 

She sits back down in her spot. With shaking hands, she takes the satchel out of her bag and tosses it to him. Jinu stumbles trying to catch it, falling backwards, the boat rocking as a result. He stares at it in annoyance. 

“I should’ve given this to you before we said all we couldn’t take back.” She’s avoiding his gaze. 

“But, Rumi, I-I don’t understand. Why are you-what-I don’t know what’s even happening.” He drops the satchel. 

Her shoulders shake. “The darkness follows me everywhere I go, that’s what Celine told Mira and Zoey. You have a chance to escape that darkness. To turn over a better leaf.” 

Jinu stares at her with tears in his eyes. “But what about you? Don’t you have a chance to escape that?” 

“You saw that cryptic message in the shrine! No matter what I do, I will cause harm and peril to anything I touch! You started stealing to help your family, and you started doing that for a good cause. Even to the very end!”

His heart sinks. He wasn’t fully honest with her. He left out a big detail. But she doesn’t know that. “Rumi, it’s-it wasn’t that simple. None of this is as simple as that.”

“Yes, it is!” She screams. 

Rumi turned suddenly to face him, and that’s when he sees it all. The tears streaking her cheeks, the pure fear and hopelessness, the love. She is so frightened of herself that even if they sang together about wanting to be free, she can’t escape that fear. She didn’t get the answers she was hoping for from the shrine. She doesn’t know what she wants. 

She buries her face in her hands. Her sobs echoed in the silence. The lanterns and their beautiful glow are vanishing, taking their almost with them. 

Jinu takes off his gat, putting it on the floor of the boat. Taking the handles of the oars in his palms, and with a heavy heart, he rows them back to the dock. The fireworks are bound to start soon, but the moment is gone. So, all he can do is row them in silence. 

Even in her outburst, despite everything she said, Rumi hoped that Jinu would try to fight for her a bit more. That he would object to what he was saying. But he didn’t. It only made her cry harder. 

When they reached the dock, Jinu grabbed the satchel, helped himself out of the boat, and proceeded to ignore Derpy’s presence. He purred in confusion, following him with a sad look on his adorable face. But Jinu didn’t turn back. Rumi wipes her eyes, then her nose, with her sleeve. It is all wet and gross now, but she doesn’t care. 

She helps herself out of the boat, leaving the bipa and her bag abandoned. She never wants to see any of it again. Sussie flies towards her, trying to chirp to get her attention, but Rumi doesn’t acknowledge him. 

Mira and Zoey are nowhere to be seen. That surprised her. Their whole mission was to bring her back home safely. And they’ve stayed close to that mission. 

The further she gets from the dock, the heavier she feels. Her hair is coming undone from the braid. She can hear the loud bursts from the fireworks above her, but it was all distorted, echoing like she is underwater. The flowers in her hair are falling out one by one. 

How long has she been walking? Where is she going? The tower? No, she can’t go back there. The bathhouse? No, Bobby wouldn’t help a monster like her. Even if he doesn’t know how she’s a monster. She can’t go to the hideout. 

She has nowhere to go. She falls to her knees in the middle of the road. Her vision is blurred. Nothing has any purpose. Not even their song.

“Rumi? My brave girl-” Someone’s talking to her. Their hands were on her shoulders. “Hold on, we can still get you home. No worries, he’s been taken care of…” She lets them help her up, but she can’t see anything. She doesn’t feel anything. There is nothing for her now. She’s dangerous. And that’s all she'll ever be.

Chapter Text

This was not how Jinu was expecting the evening to go. Hell, this wasn’t even how he was expecting his week to go. I mean, how could he? He planned on doing the job, never looking back on this village again, and moving on to the next one. But instead, he found her. 

This was never the plan. He never planned on falling in love, ever. Even though he has traveled throughout the country and outside it, he has never had these feelings for anyone before. He had never looked at anyone the way he looked at her. The way his heart leaped every time he saw her genuine smile. How she hadn’t judged him after he told her most of the story about what happened with his mother. 

He should’ve trusted her enough to tell her everything. She had trusted him with everything else. Why didn’t he extend that courtesy? He should have said something to her on the boat. Should have promised that he wasn’t abandoning her, that he wasn’t afraid of her. He’s never been afraid of her. 

The satchel is heavy, all pressed up against his chest like this. Jinu heard Derpy’s nervous whimpering, but he doesn’t process it. All he can focus on is getting back to the shrine. He has to ask questions. Hopefully, it doesn’t raise suspicions, but he needs to get those answers. Rumi is terrified, more confused than ever, and he has the power to fix it. At least, he hopes so. 

Jinu turns the corner, right in front of the shrine. Most of the lights in the street are out, the fireworks providing most of the light he needs. But a couple of glass lanterns are still lit inside the shrine. Not many people are inside at this time, but surely, the shrine keepers must still be there. 

He slips inside, Derpy not far behind, and deeply exhales. He had left the gat behind in the rowboat. And he’s here without Rumi this time. The tiger is with him. Yeah, maybe, this wasn’t the most well-thought-out plan. 

Well, too late now. 

He looks around, ignoring the patrons watching the fireworks from inside. How is it that the shrine looks bigger without all the crowds? Jinu cautiously walks deeper inside, holding the satchel even closer. There are some whispers and murmurs. He really should leave. But he’s not going to. He goes between a set of poles into the next room. This room is entirely dedicated to the goddess, Dalnim. An artistic depiction of her was painted on one of the walls. And over her depiction is a painted set of the moon phases. But one of the symbols looks awfully…familiar?

Jinu opens the satchel, then unfurls the scroll inside. The one of the moon. He holds it up in the air, side by side to the crescent moon phase. His eyes widen. It’s exactly the same. Wait a minute.

He walks backwards into the main part of the shrine, then goes over to the back wall. This one has a depiction of Haemosu. While there aren’t phases above it, he does take notice of something else. The sun. It looks exactly the same as the one on Rumi’s scroll. 

He goes back to the moon’s painting. And he examines the scroll a little more closely. That is when he notices for the first time that the scroll has a large tear. It’s much smaller compared to the sun scroll. A large chunk of it was torn off deliberately . There is an inscription along each side of the moon, but it’s too faint, just like the inscription where he found it in the first place. The difference with these is that it’s written in an ancient language. 

There must be more to discover here. The sundrop. The moon’s gift. They have always been connected. And now, Rumi is involved somehow. He needs to show her immediately. 

Jinu stuffs the scroll back into the satchel, swings the strap over his shoulder, and turns around for the entrance. That is when he finally notices Derpy. And his poor tiger is shaking in fear. “Derpy? What’s the matter?” He crouches down to his level. The blue feline leans against his master, but his eyes are still focused on the entrance. So, Jinu turns his head and gasps.

There’s a horde of guards blocking the entrance, their weapons pointed right at them. “You’ve been under our noses all day, Hwang.” The captain steps forward, sword pointed directly at Jinu.

He put his hands up as he stood, stepping away from the tiger. “This isn’t what it looks like.” 

“Oh, really? What it looks like is the thief that already disturbed the shrine the day before decided to come back, dressed like a grim reaper, and brought the same tiger that he used to escape with him? Tell me, Hwang, is that not exactly what it looks like?”

Jinu bites his lip. Maybe the captain has a point there. That would be extremely suspicious. 

“Even if you keep your face hidden, that tiger is unmistakable. Besides, someone tipped us off.”

What? “Tipped you off? Who?” His eyes widen. Did Mira and Zoey-no, wait, did Rumi? No, she wouldn’t. 

In his moment of surprise, three guards had snuck up from behind him and pulled his arms behind his back. “Ah, no, wait-” He struggles, but they’re too strong for him. In the struggle, he drops the satchel. It’s hooked closed, but the guards get their hands on it, no! He can’t let that happen!

He kicks it towards Derpy. “Derpy! Go!” 

The tiger stares at him with sad eyes. He looks at the satchel, then back at Jinu. “We don’t have time for this!” The captain reaches down to grab it, but Derpy beats him to it. He hooks the strap onto his bucktooth. 

“Go! Find Mira, Zoey, anyone! Help Rumi!” He yells. Jinu can break his arms free just long enough to do the thing. He snapped. Derpy knew what that meant. This was serious. With a sad meow, Derpy runs. He leaps over the guards outside the entrance, then ducks through the crowd of confused people. There are some screams of terror. Some of the guards chase after him, despite the captain’s objections. 

But they don’t make it in time. In a puff of pink smoke, Derpy teleports away. 

Mira and Zoey, who have been hiding in the shadows, saw the whole thing. They, no, Mira had been wrong. Jinu does care about Rumi. He loves her. And they helped Celine take Rumi away. What have they done?

Rumi doesn’t know where she’s going. She knows that she’s in the woods again. The shoes she had been given had been left abandoned three bushes ago, leaving her barefoot. The dirt and grass are squishy beneath her feet. And every step she took only reminded her that she was further and further away from her first and only day of freedom. The further she walked, the fainter the booms of the fireworks became.

She sniffles. And someone rubs her shoulder gently. She thinks it’s Celine. How did Celine find her? How did she know where she was? Wasn’t Mira and Zoey supposed to take her back? Jinu…Rumi’s bottom lip quivers when she imagines his face. He looked so sad. That was all because of her. 

“Don’t worry, Rumi, they’ll all be safe now. You’re going back to your tower. He will never see you again.” Celine whispers in her ear. 

 She wipes away the watering already forming in her eyes. “It-he was-it was never his fault…It was me. I dragged-I brought him into this, into my mess.” She couldn’t breathe. The throbbing in her throat, from all her cries, was almost too much to bear. 

“What were you thinking?” Celine sighs, exasperated. 

Rumi attempts to clear her throat, but it came out more of a cough than a clear. “I…I thought I could find answers. To fix me. To free me.” Her shoulders are shaking again. 

Through her blurred vision, she catches Celine shaking her head in disappointment. She’s let her down. Deeply, this time. 

“Which is why you need to stay in the tower. It’s too dangerous for you to be out here.”

Rumi fans her eyes with her hands, sniffling again. “It is. I’m too dangerous to be around anyone.” She stops mid-walk as she says this. Celine stops with her, but she’s staring at her with worry in her eyes.

Her knees are weak, wiggling about as if made of jelly, until they give out on her. Rumi falls to her knees, her hanbok floating down with her, and it cushions her fall. Her hands curled up in her lap. Her bangs dangle in her face, blocking out her view of anything worse. 

“...I thought I could fix it all. Fix me. But I’ve run out of time.” Her voice echoes in the woods. Not even a single caw from a lurking Sussie in a tree could interrupt this. “There’s no denying what I am. You were right, the darkness follows me, no matter what I do. And it’s ruined everything .” She breathes the word with so much despair, so much resentment. 

“Rumi?” Celine said patiently. 

She shakes her head. “It’s ruined your life. It ruined my hair. It even…It even killed my mother.” 

“You know that’s not-”

“Why did you save me? Why did you keep me alive with all of this ?” Rumi pushes her hair out of her face, shivering in anger.

Celine crouches down to her level, one hand on her shoulder, while the other hovers by her cheek. (It reminds her of Jinu. It hadn’t been that long since he last cupped her cheek. She misses that now.) “Rumi, please listen to me-” 

“Why didn’t you kill me the second I destroyed your home?” She cuts her off. Sussie’s eyes widen from his perch up on the tree branch. “Why did you never kill me in my sleep? Why couldn’t you ever end my misery? You have all those weapons, I know you’ve thought about it.” 

“Why won’t you kill me now?” Her question shook Celine. Despite her blurry vision, she can see the horror in her expression at the mere suggestion of that. Rumi recognizes that a dark thought like that is enough to scare just about anyone. But at that time? She didn’t care. She was so tempted to wrap her hair around her body, sing the other incantation, and end it all right then and there. Or even for Celine to take a sharp branch and stake it through her heart. 

Celine shakes Rumi’s shoulder gently, trying to snap her out of it. “Why would you ever suggest that? Any of that?” Her breath shakes with horror. “I would never harm you. You were safe in the tower; it was your sanctuary to protect you from the world.” 

“To protect me from the world?” She lifts her head for the first time, meeting Celine’s eyes for the first time in two days. “Or isolate me from the world to keep me from snapping?” Anger is bubbling hotter by the second—anger at Celine, anger at herself, anger at everything. 

“No! You know that’s not the case!” Her maternal figure is begging now.

“Then what is it! Why keep me around for so long if you’re terrified of me!” 

“Because I promised your mother I’d protect you, that I’d save you first! Neither of us knew that you would become this.” She gestures to her hair. “I never knew that taking that flower would create this…I never knew that you would destroy everything.” 

Rumi’s heart sinks. But she didn’t destroy everything. What was she thinking? Why…Why did she break down like that on Jinu before in the boat? He was never afraid of her. She knew that. “For what’s worth, Rumi, I don’t think you’re a monster.” He said that so genuinely. And the way that sentence made her feel that night…Wow. That was the first time she realized that she was falling for him. And how much that scared her. 

She brushes Celine’s hand off her shoulder. “You don’t understand! I’ve been on this incredible journey, and I’ve seen so much! I can’t just go back to the tower after that!” Why does this sound so familiar?

Celine is taken aback by this reaction. “Rumi, the only way you’ll be safe is in that tower. I can’t trust you to be out in the open world. What if you destroy-”

“I’m not a little girl anymore!” She shouts, getting to her feet, facing away from her. “I hate that place! I always have. I can’t tell you how lonely it feels in there!” Rumi’s breathing is quickening by the second. “I can’t just stay cooped up in there anymore. Answers are waiting for me out there. Why can’t I find them!”

Celine scoffs. “You’re not ready! It’s too dangerous!” 

“No!” Her body is shaking wildly. “Maybe I’m not as dangerous as you say!”

That’s when she realizes. Her dream…The deja vu. Oh no. She looked down at her hands, and just like they had been in the dream, they were shaking like a squirrel lost in winter. 

She hesitantly looks over her shoulder, and oh my. The glare her senior was sending her is one for the history books, to be remembered for centuries to come. Celine has given her many looks over the years. Contentment, fear, sadness, annoyance, disappointment. She thought she had seen it all. But this wasn’t any of those. She isn’t quite sure what this one is. But what she does know is that if it could cut her like a knife, it would in a heartbeat. 

And she was terrified. 

“Fine. You want me to be the bad guy? Now, I’m the bad guy.” With that single statement, Rumi only sees darkness.

Well, after seven years, Jinu Hwang was finally shoved into a prison cell. There are no windows, not a single peep of sunlight is getting through. It wasn’t very spacious either. There was barely enough room for Jinu to spread his long legs out completely, unless he leaned against the thinnest bit of wallspace. But if he did that, then there’s no room to breathe from the torso up. 

They hadn’t even given him a change of clothes. So, he was still in the black hanbok Mira had given him. It’s the same one that wore when he first saw Rumi at that time. The same one he wore when she first confessed to him that the song was about him. And it’s the same one that she rejected him in…It carried so many memories from the span of a single day. 

Who could have tipped him off to the guards? Mira and Zoey were missing when they got back to the dock. No, they couldn’t have. If they reported him, that risked them being recognized and arrested as well. It’s too risky. Sure, it had been a bit suspicious when Zoey had invited him along to a post office. She had sent out a message via messenger bird. She wouldn’t tell him who it was for, but she chose to give her the benefit of the doubt. 

It couldn’t have been Rumi. He knows it wasn’t. No matter how upset she was, she wouldn’t turn him in. She didn’t even seem like she was susceptible to anything when he last saw her…He should’ve said something else. He should have told her something. How could he just leave her there? How could he not tell her those three little words? Or the other three. I’m not afraid.

He rubs his temple, groaning to himself. He will never forgive himself for that. He left the woman he loves behind while she’s sobbing her eyes out, and doesn’t even tell her that he’ll be coming back. How stupid is that?

He thought he had no chance at love ever again. Sure, he loves Derpy. And he loved his mother and sister. But he turned his back on them. Derpy should’ve left a long time ago, but he didn’t. He is so loyal to Jinu, and Jinu never deserved it. But he loves his big feline anyway. Jinu doesn’t even expect anyone to save him. 

All he hopes for is that Derpy is able to get to someone who can help Rumi. There are answers out there, waiting for her to find them. She deserves to find them. And maybe, she’ll find a way to cut her hair. That’s all she’s ever wanted. 

“If you did cut your hair, would it stay blonde?” He had asked that night by the campfire. 

Rumi tapped her chin as she pondered the question. “I don’t think so. If it came from the sundrop flower, then it can’t be my natural color.”

“What do you hope it is, then?”

She was quiet for a few seconds. Her thinking face had no right being so cute. “It isn’t possible, but I hope it’s naturally purple.” 

He chuckled. “Purple?” 

She shoved him playfully. “Let a girl dream, why won’t you?”

“Oh-ho, so the girl in the tower does have dreams of her own?” He teased. 

“Of course I dream, Jinu. I had plenty of dreams just from reading the adventure books Celine allowed me to read. I always dreamed that someday, I could see the ocean.”

He perked his eyebrow up curiously. “The ocean?”

She nodded. “I always wanted to play music while listening to the waves. The way authors write about the sounds of the water crashing, they always make it sound so peaceful.”

He moved off the log, choosing to lie down on the grass, facing towards the stars. “I’ve seen the ocean. Many times, actually. Derpy is not a fan of the water, though, so I never really dipped my toes in it.” He chuckled. 

She looked down at him curiously, her head leaning in close. “You really have been everywhere, haven’t you?”

“I suppose I have. But between you and me?” He hesitated. “I always had my own dream.” She joined him by his side faster than he comprehended. He smiled at her softly before he continued. “It’s been a distant dream, I will admit, but I always dreamt of living in the palace. Maybe not the king’s, as I’m wanted, but I always wanted to know what it was like. Knowing that I would never have to worry about going hungry again. But it’s crazy, right?” 

Rumi shook her head. “It’s not crazy to want a better life. I know that better than anyone.” 

The conversation shifted to stargazing after that, but it still left a lot for Jinu to think about. What he could have said after she mentioned wanting to see the ocean. There sure are a lot of could-haves and should-haves. 

“I’m such an idiot,” He grumbles to himself now. He punches the wall. And he ends up doing it a bit too hard, the pain shooting up from his knuckles up the rest of his arm. He winces and sees the bruising already forming. Where’s Rumi when you need her?

Jinu isn’t sure how long he’s been locked up for. When he was thrown in, it was the dark of night. The moon was out, sure, but the stars were barely sparkling yet. He remembered how, just before he had gotten locked up, he thought of Rumi when he saw one of the only stars in the sky. 

So, it felt like a blessing in disguise when the captain finally unlocked the door to his cell. But something about it felt solemn. 

“Time to go,” said the captain. 

“Where are we going?” He asks. The captain’s frown deepens, but Jinu does take note of where his gaze went. “Oh.” Jinu put his hand over his throat, just below his chin. He gulps nervously. 

It’s daylight now. The guards already had the heavy sticks ready in case he stepped out of line. Two walked behind him, one at each side, and then there was the captain in front of him. As he walked, he noticed the pitying looks of the other prisoners. There seemed to be a prison uniform they were forced to wear, but through the raggedy fabric, Jinu could still see the lashes on their back from their penalties. So, for them to pity him, his disrupting a sacred shrine has put him in serious trouble.

He hung his head in disappointment. Rumi, I hope you know how much I love you.  

But then, a flash of red hair caught his eye. He turns his head that direction, but he doesn’t see anyone. That’s odd. Then, he catches a pair of buns. Jinu raises an eyebrow. Red hair and buns? It couldn’t be…That’s too risky. Every criminal he’s ever met knows how risky this is. 

Suddenly, he looked over his shoulder, and the two guards who were walking behind him were gone. Only the discipline sticks remained. Odd. And the captain hasn’t noticed yet. Jinu looked at the other prisoners for help, but they looked as confused as he was. 

Next, each guard at his side vanishes. This time, he catches what happens to them. Not that he really understood what he saw. Somehow, they are taken up in the air after getting smacked in the face by some familiar shin-kal throwing knives. And the yellow tassels remind him of the time someone had pointed those exact knives at his throat. 

He smirks. Oh, he knows what’s happening now. The area is vacant of other guards, all except for the oblivious captain. So, Jinu pretends to go along with it, as if everything is normal. When they reach the decapitation table, the executioner is rather skinny. And short. 

“Who are you?” The captain barks. 

“I’m the new guy,” said a familiar deep voice. “Other guy called in sick.” Jinu stifles his laughter, covering his mouth with one hand. He can see his friend’s pale green hair peeking out from under the executioner’s mask. While he has the right voice, Innie does not have the muscles needed to execute people. Maybe Abby would’ve been better. 

The captain isn’t amused. “I saw Chul two hours ago, and he was fine . Who. Are. You!” 

Innie rolls his eyes. “Yeah, I’m not doing this.” He steps to the side, and as Jinu was expecting, Abby appears from under the stone table and knocks out the captain with a single punch.

He shakes his hand. “I’ve always hated that guy.”

Jinu grins ear to ear. “Guys!” 

“We can bro-hug later, we gotta get you out of here, now.” Abby gestures to the next bundle of guards headed right for them. Jinu nods in agreement, and with that, the three friends are running like their lives depended on it. (Although, in Jinu’s case, his life literally depended on it.) They run up the stairs, then jump onto the roof. Which is how they find Roman and Sinbi, who are disguised in guard uniforms. 

“How did you guys know I was here!” Jinu shouts in between pants. 

His friends chuckle. “Derpy found us!” Roman yells back. 

“But how did he get into the hideout? He doesn’t have hands!”

The boys don’t respond right away. All of them jump onto the next roof of the prison, when two more familiar faces finally make their appearance. Jinu knew he saw that right.

“He had some help!” Zoey runs at his right side, tossing more of her knives at the guards below. 

“We saw you at the shrine!” Mira is on his left side. “We saw everything.” Two guards get a little too close, so Mira pushes them away with the non-sharp end of her woldo. Jinu pants, ducking down as she swings it back around over her shoulder. 

Jinu doesn’t know what to say at this time. Partially because he’s running out of breath. But also because they had all teamed up to get him out. For Mira and Zoey especially, that’s a huge deal. 

“I thought you guys hated me!” He shouts as they all slide down a railing. 

Mira chuckles darkly. “Oh, I still do! But I’m not going to be the reason that Rumi gets sent back to her tower.” 

Zoey then puts the strap of the satchel around Jinu’s head in a swift motion. “We don’t know what’s going on, but whatever this stuff is, it’s important to you. And to Rumi.”

“You love her, right?” Mira does a backflip, swinging the woldo around at the guards who found them on the ground. 

“Well, I-”

“DO YOU LOVE HER!” All six of them demanded in unison, each preoccupied with a guard each. 

Jinu groans, pushing himself over a beam and letting two guards run right into it. “Yes, I do!”

Innie chuckles loudly, while the other three boys groan. “You guys owe me thirty muns each!” The youngest of the group declares. 

He doesn’t have time to feel embarrassed. 

“Find her! We’ve got this!” Sinbi grabs hold of a rope, spinning around Jinu faster than he’s ever seen his friend move before. 

“But what about you?” He asks, watching the crowd of guards approaching them at that very moment. 

Mira shakes her head. “Not the time to develop a conscious! Go!” She throws the moon-shaped blade of her weapon directly at a rope-bound wheel. And at that very second, Jinu realizes that the rope in question? It had been tied around his waist, and when Mira hit the wheel? It sent him flying up higher than the roof. 

“GO GET YOUR GIRL!” Abby yells, waving up at him as he knocks out two guards with his biceps. 

Jinu is screaming the entire time he’s up in the air. He never had a fear of heights before he met Rumi. But, after being tied up in the air by her hair and this rope, then getting tossed in the air…Yeah, he would rather never be up in the air like this ever again. He is so sure that he is about to go splat. The closer and closer he gets to the ground, the more he braces for impact. But that impact doesn’t come. 

To his surprise, he landed on something soft. And…Blue? Jinu pulls away ever so slightly and gasps. “DERPY!” He hugs him from around the tiger’s neck, nuzzling his face into his fur. 

Derpy mewed happily, nuzzling him back to the best of his ability. 

“I am so glad to see you. I’m so proud of you.” Jinu kisses his head. “Now, we need to get out of here. Now. Think you’re up for multiple leaps to find Rumi?”

Despite his derp eyes, he still nods. Jinu hears some commotion coming towards them, so he snaps. Derpy gets a running start before the arrows start being shot at them. Jinu glares, but doesn’t bear the risk of turning his head around. The tiger goes faster and faster, faster than he’s ever seen him go before. 

Horses neigh loudly behind them. They’re gaining on them. Or, they would be, if it weren’t for them teleporting away just before they could get too close. They reappear over where the entrance to The Eunsincheo. The opening wasn’t open, which is good. (It was probably the girls that made sure of that.) 

“Alright, Derpy, we’re halfway there. We can do this.” Jinu scratches behind his ears. Derpy purrs, then starts running again. He holds on tight. Usually, when he asks Derpy to do another jump, he gives him a second to catch his breath. But in this case, desperate times. Rumi needs him. He’ll get him a big treat to make up for it later. 

Derpy teleports again in a puff of pink smoke. It was right in front of the leaf entrance to Rumi’s tower. Jinu quickly slides off Derpy’s back. “Wait here, buddy. Rest. I’ll be back with Rumi.” He kisses the tiger on the head, then runs through the vines. 

He should be exhausted. He ran for so long across two roofs of different buildings. He escaped prison. He was so close to getting his head chopped off. He was arrested for the first time in his seven years of crime. And yet, all he can think about is getting to the woman he loves. 

He runs as fast as his legs can carry him. His heart is racing like crazy with adrenaline. The tower is so close. He doesn’t even process how much darker the landscape is in comparison to the outside. Jinu stops directly in front of the tower, catching his breath. He stares at the bricks lining the outside of the tower. He looks up in worry. 

“RUMI!” He calls. “Rumi, let down your hair!” He waits. Nothing happens. 

“Rumi, please! Please!” Jinu begs. The bruise along his knuckle has gotten worse. It was all red and purple, likely a bit of broken bone on the inside. He really shouldn’t climb the tower. It could cause further damage to his hand if he isn’t careful. Magic healing hair or not, it’s risky. But at the same time, he doesn’t care. 

He puts his hands on the first bricks, the same ones he climbed when he first broke into found the tower. His feet are ready to start climbing. He lifts himself, ignoring the throbbing of his hand. Jinu climbs for a bit longer, until suddenly, a long rope of Rumi’s hair flies out of the window. 

His eyes widen, hopeful, before he grabs hold of it. Her hair is much softer than he was expecting. It made the climb much easier. He felt himself smiling more and more as he climbed. Once he reached the window, he expected a warm reunion.

“Rumi, oh my-thank the gods. I thought I’d never see you again.” He lands inside the tower, expecting a hug or smile. But instead, a knife pierced his flesh from behind. And it was right in front of Rumi.

Chapter Text

Rumi didn’t know what she was expecting when she woke up. Maybe she knew that she would see the tower when she came to, at least. But she wasn’t expecting to wake up with her hands free. Celine seemed so angry with her…She expected to have at least her hands tied, whether with rope or her hair.

She rubbed her eyes as she sat up slowly. She was on the floor, not in her bedroom. Rumi looked around. Her hair was free from the braid, sprawled all across the floor. The wardrobe’s doors were wide open, empty of any contents. All of the cupboards are empty. The bookcase, too. Her instrument stand was empty. Right…She left her bipa behind. 

Almost everything was gone. 

“Cel-Celine?” Her voice cracked as she stood up slowly. 

Her throat was so dry, so sore, that even clearing her throat hurt. She used the wooden beam she woke up against to support herself. The curtains to her bedroom were open. Why were they open? She ignored the headache she developed as she climbed the staircase. Up to her bedroom. 

She reached the entrance and gasped at what she saw. “Celine, why is ever-everything stripped bare?” Rumi cleared her throat again. 

Her guardian turned towards her with a haunting expression. “Because we’re leaving, Rumi.”

“What?” 

“We can’t stay here anymore. I know that now.” On Rumi’s bed was a large suitcase. She didn’t even know Celine had one.

Rumi stepped backwards, her back hitting the stairs’ railing. “But just before, you were saying-”

“I know what I said. But too many people have seen your hair now. It’s too dangerous.” Celine went back to packing. She was completely unfazed by her adoptive daughter’s horror. 

She shook her head. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”

Celine inhaled sharply. “I know you don’t like it, but you don’t have a choice here. You already disobeyed me, and now we’re in an impossible situation. Nari, give me strength…” She trailed off. 

At the mention of her biological mother’s name, Rumi’s blood boiled. How dare she! “Nari, give you strength? No way she’d be okay with any of this!” She growled. 

“I promised I’d protect you, at any cost.”

“Would she be okay with how any of this has turned out?” Rumi challenged. “How you kept me imprisoned my entire life? How you told me over and over how dangerous I was? How you knocked me out because I fought back against you for the first time in my life!” 

Celine shook her head. “She wanted to keep you safe at all costs.”

Rumi stormed up to her, grabbed her shoulder, and forced Celine to look at her. But she won’t meet her eyes. “But would she want this? Her longest friend is so afraid of her daughter that she can’t even look at her!”

Her senior shook her head. “When I lost your mother, I swore that I would protect all that was left of her. But I never expected that giving you that medicine would result in this. In this power.” 

Rumi waited, her heart breaking the longer she stood there with her. 

“I did my best to accept you and help you. And I can still do that! We just need to find you a new hiding place, to keep you out of sight, to keep everyone safe!” Her hands were firmly in place at her sides. But throughout all of this, Celine still won’t meet her eye. 

Her eyes watered. “Accept me? You told me to stay here, to hide!” 

“Yes, it’s the only way to keep the world safe. To keep you safe.”

Rumi let go of her shoulder, her hands shaking again. “No, no more hiding. I’m not going anywhere with you!”

“Rumi, we can still fix this-”

“Don’t you get it? This is what I am. Look at me!” She begged. “Why can’t you look at me? Why couldn’t you love me?” She croaked, her tears sliding down her cheeks. 

Celine darted her eyes away. “I-I want to-”

“YOU NEVER LOVED ME!” Rumi screamed. “And you took me away from the ONE person who did! How could you do that!” She sobbed. 

She pushed Jinu away because of Celine’s message. Because of what Celine instilled in her head her whole life. Because of her fear. Why did she do that to him?

Celine remained cold. “Where will you go? Hwang was a criminal. I did what I had to do to keep you safe.”

“What did you do to him?” Rumi glared through her tears. 

“That criminal is to be decapitated for his crimes.” 

Her eyes shrank in fear and worry. “No…You can’t get rid of him that easily.”

Celine’s eyes narrowed, which was when she finally looked her in the eye. “Rumi, I do care for you. And I can’t lose the last connection I still have to your mother. Please, don’t do this.”

Rumi stormed out of the room, Celine following closely behind. A lot more was said between them, some of which Rumi cannot bring herself to remember years later. The longer they fought, the darker it all felt. The darker Rumi’s hair turned. The dark roots grew further down her hair, the longer they spoke. The darkness overtakes the light. 

Suddenly, the two of them froze at the sound of someone panting. Rumi knew that pant anywhere. Celine’s eyes were wide in worry. And following that realization, that’s when they heard it. “RUMI! Rumi, let down your hair!” Jinu called from down below.

They paused. Rumi’s eyes widened, her eyes watering once again. In contrast, Celine’s mouth was agape with horror. How did he get free? How was he here? Why now? A million frantic and horrifying questions squirmed their way into her thoughts in a matter of seconds.

Jinu’s voice plagued their argument. “Rumi, please! Please!” He was so desperate. Rumi was frozen in place. She couldn’t believe that he was back. That he came back for her. She thought she ruined everything. But she wasn’t close enough to the window. Celine, however, was . And she did not like the look in her eye. 

Celine glanced out the window. He was climbing up. He was relentless. It was frustrating. Celine smacked her head with the palm of her hand as she pondered what to do. But then, she remembered what she had tucked into the collar of her boot. Something that could make him go away for good. So, in a lapse of judgment, she threw the end of Rumi’s hair out the window. 

And for a split second, Rumi thought for a second that maybe, just maybe, Celine was about to give her her freedom back. A grateful tear trickled down her cheek, letting herself smile for the first time in hours. 

Her heart somersaulted in her chest when she saw Jinu crawl through the window. “Rumi, oh my-thank the gods. I thought I’d never see you again.” But before Rumi even had the chance to kiss, to hug, or even run to him…It happened. 

Celine snuck up from behind him, stabbed a small knife through his stomach, twisted it, then pulled it out. Jinu inhaled sharply before falling to his knees, clutching the wound. And Rumi gasped in horror. 

That was where we left off. But hold on, there is still so much more left to this story.

Celine takes a step to the side, moving away from the body, and looks up at her adoptive daughter. But what she saw in her eyes isn’t what she was expecting. Rumi’s scream…She didn’t expect that. 

Her scream is out of pure agony and loneliness. Rumi runs to him, practically sliding across the floor, gasping for air. Her hands are shaking like crazy, but she picks him up anyway. She holds him close to her chest. “No, no, Jinu, don-don’t go, breathe!” Her hand is shaking as it affectionately cups his cheek.

Jinu winces in pain. Celine drops the knife in shock. It clatters loudly against the ground, but it doesn’t match Rumi’s panic. 

“Rumi, what are you-” She attempts to touch her shoulder, but Rumi shrugs it off.

“HOW COULD YOU DO THIS!” 

“I-I. I thought-” 

Rumi turns her head around, giving her the coldest, most heartless glare possible. There is nothing but pure hatred in that expression. “He never did anything to deserve this! Not to you, not to ME.” 

The blood of his wound soaks not only Jinu’s hanbok, but Rumi’s as well. But she doesn’t even care. Jinu sighs as he tries to push himself up in Rumi’s arms, but his hand is still injured, the bones possibly broken. 

Celine tries to pull her off him, but her grip on Jinu is firm. 

“Go the hell away!” Rumi demands. “I never want to see you ever again.” 

“Rumi, really!” Celine tries again, grabbing her wrist this time. “Stop fighting me!”

She gets free again, but this time, she slaps Celine across the cheek. “I. MEAN. IT.” 

Rumi puts Jinu down carefully on the floor before slowly standing up. Her heart was heavy and slowly growing as cold as ice. And her hair is getting darker by the second. 

“I will never go with you, anywhere. Ever. Again.” She grips a large portion of her hair, throwing it around Celine. 

Celine gasps. This can’t be happening. This cannot be happening right now. 

“Rumi…Don’t.” Jinu whispers from the floor. 

But she isn’t listening. All she feels is hate, anger, and blind fear. Celine stabbed the one person that has ever loved her. Why should she show any mercy? “Wither and decay, end this destiny. Break these earthly chains and set the spirits free.” She doesn’t sing it this time. Only a haunting chant. 

Celine watches as her hair turns black and her pupils disappear in a pool of black. “Rumi, please don’t-” She coughs aggressively. 

“Wither and decay, end this destiny. Break these early chains and set the spirits free.” She repeats, harsher this time. Celine bends over with heavy heaving, visibly struggling to breathe. Her coughs are getting louder and more frequent. 

Rumi continues, but it’s giving more of a blank trance than anything else. Tears are streaming down her cheeks now. Her fists, once tight, are now loose and frozen in place.

Jinu is watching all of this from the ground, bleeding out, and struggling to breathe himself. He glances at Celine, close to death, right before them. He glances at Sussie, who has been quiet during this entire interaction, but was visibly worried. And lastly, he looks at Rumi. He can’t just let her do this. Even if he survived, he knew that if Rumi went through with this, she would only fear herself more. He has to stop her. 

So, mustering all the strength he possibly can, he pushes himself off the ground. The stab wound is painful. It’s taking whatever minutes he has left. But it doesn’t matter. He keeps his hand closed over the wound as he stands. Every step hurts and shakes. But he does catch Rumi’s head turning in his direction. She can hear him.

“Rumi, snap out of it.” He stands in front of her. “Please, I know you don’t really want to do this.” Her eyebrows raised curiously, but the dark pools remained. “Rumi, I know you. You are not a monster. You never were. Celine doesn’t deserve this.” 

She cries, breaking from a trance briefly. “But she stabbed you…She took me from you, she reported you!”

That explains it. However, he can’t focus on that. “That doesn’t matter. What matters right now is I’m not giving up on you. And I know you can break from this. You can stop yourself.” He winces. 

“I can’t. I am the monster.” 

“No, you’re not. You didn’t give up on me, you didn’t judge me, and I-” His breathing is getting weaker. “Rumi, I love you. I didn’t want to tell you like this, but I do. I-I loveee…You.” That confession alone drains all the energy from him. He faints right in front of her. 

That is what breaks her from the trance. 

She gasps, her pupils coming back, but the black hair remains. The blonde is gone. For now. She shakes her head. Celine is breathing again, albeit panting to catch her breath. Rumi looks down and jerks her head back. 

“No, no, no, what have I done!” She’s crouching down by his side once again. 

Jinu coughs that much weaker. Quickly, Rumi is bundling her hair over his wound. “ Flower gleam and glow, let your power shine… ” She tries singing the incantation. Her hair glows faintly before flickering out. No. No, no, no, not now!

“ Make the clock reverse, bring back what once was mine! ” Her voice breaks as she watches it do the exact same thing. All of her hair is tarred black now. The blonde isn’t bright enough anymore. 

Jinu coughs weakly in her arms. “Rumi…” He breathes. 

“No, I just need to keep trying, I can still-” She is cut off by a finger to her lips. His finger. 

“Rumi,” Jinu heaves. “You were my new dream.” He smiles weakly. 

She sobs, gripping his hand in hers. “And you were mine.” She leans her forehead against his, crying as she feels all the breath leave his body right in her arms. “I love you, too.” Rumi whimpers. 

Celine’s breathing has quieted during this interaction. She watched it all. And despite it all, despite everything telling her it’s for the best, her heartstrings tugged. She saw herself and Nari in their place. How desperate they were not to lose the other…How much they love. 

She can’t let Rumi experience that same pain. 

So, she quickly runs to her bedroom, where she’s been keeping it all this time. Celine moves all the weapons out of the way, picking up a glass vial that she’s kept hidden. Inside is a shimmering golden liquid. There isn’t much left, but it should be enough.

She comes back out. Rumi isn’t moving, only crying over Jinu’s body. Celine crouches down next to her, then holds out the vial. The grieving woman glances at the bottle. 

She sniffles. “Wha-what is this?” 

“It’s the medicine that started it all,” Celine whispers. “The one that saved your life.”

“What?” Rumi’s eyes widen. 

She nods. “Nari never would’ve let me use the remainder of the tonic on her. I knew she wouldn’t. Her first priority was always you.” Celine takes one of Rumi’s hands, puts the vial in her palm, then closes her fingers around it. “I’m sorry. For everything. I really thought I was doing the right thing, but you’re right. I did isolate you because of my own fear.” 

Rumi wipes her eyes with the back of her hand. She couldn’t believe this was actually happening. 

Celine tucks a hair behind Rumi’s ear. “You have the chance to save him, to do what I couldn’t. And I hope, someday, we can make amends.” And for the first time in her entire life, Celine kisses Rumi’s forehead. She has never received such motherly affection from her guardian before. 

And now? This would be the last time she would ever see Celine. At least, for the time being. Celine finished packing up a suitcase and disappeared down the hidden staircase Rumi never knew of. The moment is heavy as Rumi can’t bring herself to watch her leave. She just listens to her footsteps until they’re gone. 

Rumi looks down at the vial. It’s a small glass bottle. The gold of the liquid resembles the same gold her hair used to be when it glowed. The soft wood of the cork feels forbidden under Rumi’s touch. Her gaze shifts to Jinu’s face, still as beautiful as the first time she saw him. His mouth is in a permanent smile, while his eyes are closed. Sussie flutters down, chirping as he waits to see what she’ll do. Rumi’s grip tightens around the bottle. 

It’s not going to end like this. She has to take that chance. “ Heal what has been hurt… ” She unplugs the cork from the bottle’s opening. “ Change the fate’s design. ” She tosses the cork to the side, never to be seen again.

“ Save what has been lost. Bring back what once was mine… ” Rumi pours the tonic into his mouth, then gently leans his head back, so it won’t choke him. “ What once was mine. ” She presses her lips to his forehead, leaving a delicate yet chaste kiss. 

She tears up once again, a whispered cry slipping through her lips. Rumi stays like that for at least a minute. But then, she sees it. 

Directly above Jinu’s stab wound, a bright yellow glow swirls out. She watches in disbelief as it swirls higher and higher above them, brightening up the dark room with its warmth. And to her surprise, a vision of the sundrop flower, the one that saved her life, blooms from the wound. The vision dissipates, and the glow slowly fades through Jinu’s body. 

Rumi then looks up at Jinu’s face, hopeful. The color comes back to his face. She bites her lip, waiting to see any kind of reaction. Then, he coughs and groans. His eyelids flutter open ever so slowly, staring up at Rumi.

“...Jinu?” She whispers in disbelief.

“Rumi…” Jinu smiles tiredly yet warmly. “Never forget that I said it first.” His voice is light with teasing.

Rumi grins. “Jinu!” She tackles him in a hug. He chuckles, catching her in his arms and holding her to him tightly. One hand finds its way to the back of her head, holding on tenderly. Rumi cries one last night while her head is buried in his neck. Sussie trills happily, flying around in circles over their heads. 

After a moment, Rumi leans away, meeting with him at eye level. His eyes flicker to her lips before going back to eye contact. Rumi does the same thing. The difference is? She’s the one who pulls him at the collar of his hanbok and presses her lips to his. 

He’s surprised, but his eyelids close as he slowly melts into the kiss. Her lips were pretty dry and cracked, but it didn’t bother him. His lips were nice and soft, like the softest pillows imaginable. It’s a lot of pushing back and forth for dominance, with their hands kind of going anywhere. Neither of them had ever kissed anyone before, but it didn’t even matter. For them? It was the perfect first kiss. They’re okay. Everything is okay. 

Eventually, Rumi pulls away to catch her breath. She presses her forehead to his and smiles at him with so much love. Jinu chuckles lovingly. “I love you, too,” Rumi whispers. 

“And I love you.” Jinu pecks the tip of her nose. 

Love. That’s right. He loves her. She is loved after all.

Chapter Text

After everything settled down (and they were done making out, JINU! ), the young, new couple went up to Rumi’s barren bedroom to decompress for a moment. Celine had left the suitcase with Rumi’s stuff on the mattress, right where it had been left during their argument. Rumi pushed it off, then lay down on the bed. There were no sheets, no pillows, no blankets, nothing. But she didn’t care. 

Jinu lay down beside her, resting his head on his curled up hand with his elbow facing Rumi. He watched her for a moment. She didn’t say anything. She wasn’t even looking at him. Her body was in a fetal position, yet she wasn’t looking at anything. Just…Thinking. 

Neither of them said anything. Sussie sat perched up on one of the bed posts, but even he didn’t speak up. The only thing that Jinu did do in that moment was snap a couple of times for Derpy, who manifested inside the tower for the first time. The tiger was curled up at Jinu’s bedside and sleeping soundly. 

When Rumi finally spoke, however, it was dripping with worry. “...What am I going to do now?” 

Jinu caressed her cheek with his fingers. “Well, you can finally leave the tower, for starters. Maybe see the ocean like you were wanting…” His voice drifts off, his tone far too fond compared to what Rumi was used to from him. 

“I know, it’s just,” She paused. “What if Celine was right all these years? I went too far…And the healing power? It’s gone now.” Rumi let her new dark bangs fall in her eyes, partially blocking half of her face from Jinu’s gaze. 

“But you didn’t go too far. You stopped yourself before you could fully commit to that decision. That makes you strong, so much stronger than I ever could be.” Jinu brushed her bangs away from her face—nothing compared to those beautiful brown eyes of hers. 

She shook her head. “Don’t say that about yourself, Jinu. Even you know that isn’t true. You saved me just as much as I saved you.” Rumi took his hand, brushing his fingers against her lips before tenderly kissing them. Kissing him. Jinu blushed, but didn’t pull away. 

“What do you want to do next?” He asked softly. 

“First of all, someone still owes me a fireworks show.” She smirked.

He returned the smirk with his own. “Oh, right, I do, don’t I?” She nodded, giggling mischievously. 

“I do have a suggestion for what we could do afterwards.” 

Her eyebrow quirked up curiously. “Oh?”

He nodded. “But I need to get up for a moment to go and get it. But I’ll be right back. Okay?” 

“Go and get-” Jinu pecked her on the lips before she could finish the sentence. So, she simply smiled and nodded. He smirked and winked before leaving. I don’t smirk that much, do I? Yes, yes, you do. 

She rolled over on her back as she waited for him to come back. Rumi picked up a few strands of her hair, frowning at the new color. It was a solid black now. Sure, it suited her better. However, the way she got it wasn’t exactly how she had planned to be free of her powers. Besides, she doesn’t even know if this was a natural black or a magical black from the other incantation. After all, Celine had said before that her mother was a brunette. 

But before she could ponder that thought for too long, Jinu returned. He didn’t lie down with her this time; instead, he chose to sit up against the wall. And rather reluctantly, Rumi did the same. She leaned in close, and that’s when she saw that he had the satchel. Her eyes widened as she watched him open the flap.

“Before I got arrested, I was back at the shrine. That’s where I went after I left…That’s where I went. I thought that if I could bring back proof that your powers weren’t dangerous, then maybe you could see yourself the way I see you.” Her cheeks flushed with that admission, but Jinu went on. “And I realized, the scroll for the moon was ripped down the middle. Like it had strategically torn to hide something from someone.” 

He showed her the moon scroll in question, and sure enough, he was right. Although Rumi had looked at it before, she wasn’t really looking at it as closely as she could’ve been. She had been more focused on the one centered on the sundrop that she hadn’t stopped to think about the one for the moon. She ran her fingers down the tear, her eyes wandering down to where it was pulled to hide something on that part of the parchment. 

“Interesting…” But even still, neither of them could read the writing next to the crescent moon. 

“Both the symbols of the sun and moon from each of the scrolls were painted on the walls next to their respective god. Either that is a strong coincidence orrrrr…”

Rumi caught on. “Or they were painted by someone trying to send a clear message.”

Jinu grinned. “That’s my girl.”

“I just wish we had the sun scroll in comparison. I can’t recall if it was also torn somehow, because it is possible that they were once the same parchment.” She sighed. 

Jinu briefly searched the bag to see if Rumi’s items were somehow tucked inside. But unfortunately, it was only the moon scroll and the knife. Which means her bipa was lost with the scroll. Figures. 

Rumi picked up the knife, examining it once again. The knife glowed in her presence, and just like before, it caused her hair to shine and float in the air. And she goes into a slightly trance-like state. Jinu’s eyes widened at the knife’s reaction. The opal engraved in the base of the blade glowed the brightest of everything in the room. And the blade itself? It seemed to draw in Rumi’s hair. 

Inevitably, Jinu took the knife out of her hand, stuffing it back into the satchel. Rumi’s hair fell and covered everything around them, including Derpy, who somehow didn’t wake from multiple pounds of hair dropping onto his body.

“Right, thank you for that.” She laughed, embarrassed by her reaction. 

“Did that happen before? After you knocked me out?” He asked curiously. 

She nodded. “I think so. After I went rummaging through it the first time, I found it, and I couldn’t remember a thing afterwards. There’s just this energy about that knife.” 

“Energy?” 

She nodded again. “I don’t know how else to describe it, but something is pulsing whenever I touch that thing. Like, it’s calling to me.” Her gaze switched back to the satchel, where Jinu had stashed it away for now. 

He stared at her for a moment. “Maybe the knife has some connection to you and the moon. The sun and moon complete each other. They each have a gift that they’ve granted the world. You’ve been given the sundrop’s gift as a result of someone else’s choice. So, that must mean that the moon has to be reunited with the sun.” 

Rumi didn’t know what to make of his theory. Sure, it was entirely plausible. The sun and the moon are the world’s yin-yang. They both compete and complement each other. And if she still has the sundrop’s power deep within her, despite the loss of the healing power, then that means she’ll have to find the moon’s gift. 

“Do you remember that vague warning that we found at the shrine together?” She questioned.

Jinu nodded. “‘Only the sundrop can find the kingdom of the night. But beware of the…’ We still don’t know what the second piece of the warning is.”

“That’s true. But regardless, I need to find this kingdom. I don’t know where to start, but something tells me it is my destiny. Are you coming with me?” She looked at him with a mixture of hope and concern. 

“I thought that’d be obvious. I’m still your guide to the outside world, remember?” He teased. 

She chuckled. “True. Although if you said no, I probably would’ve tricked you into going anyway.” 

“As in exactly what you did the first time?”

“I didn’t trick you the first time! I just made you an offer you couldn’t refuse.” She smiled smugly. 

“Yeah, sure, I’ll let you believe that.” Before Rumi could interject, Jinu surprised her with a playful tackle to the mattress. He tickled her for about twenty minutes until she admitted defeat, kissing him in the process. 

I did not admit defeat, you little liar!

If memory serves me correctly, yes, you did. You just don’t like admitting when I beat you.

I hate you sometimes.

You added a sometimes, so you can’t take it back!

Whatever, Jinu, can we continue?

Things changed after Rumi left the tower permanently. For everyone. On the final day of the Sun and Moon Festival, Jinu and Rumi returned to Mureung to see the fireworks show, albeit from Bobby’s bathhouse. Since he broke out of prison, the guards were adamantly searching throughout the area to find him. Maybe it would have been smarter for them to leave the area altogether, but they wanted to see the fireworks at least once. So, thanks to Derpy’s teleportation, they stayed with Bobby to watch them. And as soon as it was over, they headed for The Eunsincheo to meet up with the rest of the crew. 

Of course, Mira, Zoey, and the boys were able to get away from the prison after they busted Jinu out. The six of them had a secret shortcut to get out of there safely; apparently, it was how they managed to get inside without detection. Jinu and Rumi tried asking where it was, but the group’s evil smirks were enough to shut down the topic. (We never asked about it again out of fear.)

Anyways, Rumi and Jinu invited their six friends to join them on their quest to find the “kingdom of the night.” They knew it was a risk for there to be so many people out for this journey, but they would need all the help they could get. 

And to their surprise, they all agreed. “We can’t exactly stick around here,” Roman stated.

“Yeah, we broke you out of prison. Now, we’re more wanted than ever before.” Abby added. 

“It’ll be a pain to deal with these idiots for who knows how long, but someone else needs to look out for her other than you,” said Mira, the statement directed towards Jinu. 

They said in the woods of Mureung for a couple of weeks to plan and mapping out the journey. While Rumi nor Jinu knew exactly where they were going, Rumi figured that a good place to start would be to find the spot where the sundrop was originally planted. And luckily, she had found an old map that Celine had left behind. The exact map that she and her mother had used to find it in the first place. 

“And you’re certain that the flower was here?” Sinbi asked one night.

“I’m positive. They spent weeks trying to find this just so my mother could save my life. If this is wrong or hiding anything from me, then I’ll figure out some other way to be rid of this hair.” 

Rumi had to come clean about her hair a week before this interaction. She knew that she needed to trust the others, or this journey could put them all in danger. 

But there will be more on that piece of the story another time.  

Rumi and I had one stop that we needed to make on our own, without the others, however. After all, how awkward would it have been for her to meet my family for the first time with a bunch of other criminals?

“Are you sure you want to do this? You are wanted here, after all.” Rumi whispers. 

Jinu nods, albeit quite hesitantly. “I’m sure. You’ve given me the courage to do this, so I should…No, I need to go through with it.” 

She intertwines their fingers. “I believe in you, Jinu. I’ll be here with you the whole time.” 

He smiles warmly. “I know you will be. Thank you.” 

“Of course.” 

Jinu inhales a deep breath, then exhales it before leading her, as well as a quiet Derpy and Sussie, down to where he last heard they would be. They, being his mother and sister, whom he hasn’t seen in eight years, that is. 

Wanted posters decorate the village’s wooden beams of almost every building in the area. While they were visibly dated, they were clear as day. After all, that one moment when his facial covering slipped, it revealed his crimes to the village. To his family…

Jinu kept his head down, slipping down each alleyway that he could to avoid any of the royal guards that might recognize his face. If anyone recognizes him before they reach the end of this path, it's all over. While Rumi kept a brave face, she would be lying if she didn’t feel the same way. 

Suddenly, he brings his three companions down one alleyway, where he used to live every day, coughing and praying that things would get better. It certainly wasn’t the best living conditions. If anything, no one should be living on the streets like that, period. The people who didn’t even care that people were getting sick or dying on the streets? Oh, it made Rumi’s blood boil. 

“There aren’t as many people around here as before,” Jinu whispers. 

“That’s a good thing, right? Maybe your family was able to get out of that.” Rumi has never lived in this kind of situation, so she wouldn’t know too much about it. 

He nods. “Well, according to that letter they sent me years ago, they should be living in a hanok now.” 

The missing piece of the story that Jinu forgot to tell me? Apparently, a couple of years prior, Jinu had received a letter from his sister asking him to come home. He had no idea how she had done so, but she achieved it. She had just turned fourteen at the time that she wrote it. But at the time he received it, he couldn’t bring himself to do that. To face the people he had wronged. It still burdened his shoulders like a boulder.

“Are you sure you don’t want to ask for directions?” Rumi suggests. 

“There’s no need, I know where we’re going.”

She giggles. “You say that every time, but you’ve gotten us lost how many times?”

“I did not get us lost-”

“Yes, you did. Remember the tunnel?”

“We got out eventually.”

“Jinu, you have a bad sense of direction. It is alright to admit it. But if you’re not going to ask, then I will.” She kisses his hand, then goes over to a nearby tenant. With a quick conversation, Rumi had better luck in finding where his family now lived than Jinu had in simply wandering around. 

So, they find their hanok. And he did not know how to feel upon seeing it for the first time. It wasn’t anything too big or too small. Just enough for two people to live in. It was exactly what they always wanted back then. And he hadn’t been here to see it through. 

He wasn’t going to lie; a few tears escaped, and he hung his head in disappointment. Rumi rubbed her thumb along the base of his thumb to comfort him the best she could. She waited with him for a couple of minutes until he dared to knock on the door with the doorknocker. Immediately after, he turned to cower away, but Rumi held onto his hand. 

The door slid open. And inside was a teenage girl. She bore an incredible resemblance to Jinu. Jinu’s hands were clammy within seconds. He gulped nervously. The girl stared at him in complete disbelief, eyes wide and all. She stepped away from the door, cautiously approaching him. 

Rumi’s gut reaction was to let go of his hand, to give them some space, but she saw the fear in his eyes. So, she wasn’t going anywhere.

“Ji-Jinu?” The girl asked, her hands shaking midair.

He nodded slowly. “Hey there, Eunji.” 

“Wha-I can’t believe it…” Her eyes watered, her hands instinctively covering her mouth. “You’ve finally come home.” 

He laughed nervously. “Yeah, I have…You look so much like Eomma.” 

Eunji is a beautiful young woman. Her raven hair is pulled back into a simple braid that stops just above her waist. Her hanbok had a plain color scheme of red and gray, with a touch of white lining. Rumi can see the remarkable resemblance between her and her older brother. It was clear as day, especially in their noses and eye colors. 

“You cut your hair.” Her hand hovered mid-air by his bangs. She threw her arms around him, practically leaping at him for a hug. Jinu nearly fell backwards from the force, but he caught her. Rumi let go of his hand so he could fully hold his sister. She tilted her head to the side, smiling fondly as she watched the reunion. Derpy nuzzled against her leg, purring softly as she petted him along his back. 

Eunji cried into her brother’s chest. Jinu had a hand in her hair, like he tends to do, while the other rubbed her back. He seemed to be whispering gentle things in her ear, but Rumi couldn’t make it out. And she didn’t need to.

After a few quiet moments, they separated from the hug. And that’s when Eunji finally noticed Rumi. The smirk she gave her? It was so uncanny to her brother’s that it legitimately scared her. 

“Oppa, who is this?” She giggled.

Jinu’s cheeks turned crimson in three seconds. A record for him, honestly. “Well, this is Rumi. Rumi, this is my little sister, Hwang Eunji.” 

Rumi awkwardly waved. “It’s nice to meet you. He speaks very highly of you.” While she may have seemed calm and collected on the surface, inside, she was screaming: “Don’t mess this up. Don’t mess this up. Do. NOT. Mess this up.”

“My brother with a girl? Wow, you have changed.” Eunji giggled. 

“Hey!”

Rumi smirks, playfully bumping Jinu with her shoulder. And he responded with a gentle nudge to the arm. 

“Please, come in, quickly. I’d rather not see you get arrested right after we reunited.” Eunji turns around, going back inside. The couple looks at one another and then, after a moment, they follow her. Derpy and Sussie came along. Jinu left his shoes by the door, while Rumi did the same. (She was still getting used to certain customs, so she tried to follow them whenever she could.)

She leads them down the hallway. It was a lot smaller on the inside, in all honesty. A few portraits of their family hung on the walls, all varying in size. Rumi knew that Jinu was looking for him, whether he’d admit it or not. She catches a glimpse of the depiction of their mother, and Jinu was right, Eunji did look like her. At least as close as the painted portraits could show. 

Eunji brings them to the dining room. Jinu and Rumi sit at the table together, while Eunji is across from them. 

“So, what brought you back here after eight years?” She asks.

Oof. Right at the throat. Jinu clears his throat. “Well, I wanted to apologize. For everything.”

She made a vague hand gesture, inviting him to do exactly that. He had forgotten how ruthless she could be. That’s his sister, after all.

“I’m sorry that I left you guys behind…And I apologize for lying to you both for so long. And for stealing in the first place. I’ve beaten myself up for it every day since.” He bows. 

And to his surprise, Eunji flicks him hard on the forehead.

“OW! What was that for?” 

“Baby,” She mocks. “All we ever wanted was for you to come home. To come back. You were just trying to provide for us the only way you could. Sure, becoming a criminal wasn’t your best decision, but you got me to a healer before it was too late. I forgave you a long time ago.” 

“...But what about Mom?”

Eunji pauses for a second. She bites her lips, visibly trying to decide on her next statement. “It’s still a sore subject for her. As you’ve probably figured, she’s not here. Actually, she’s been working for that lady you stole from for the last four years.”

“The widow?”

She nods. “Eomma paid her respects to her not long after you left. And she let us stay with her for a while. After some time, she offered her a job, and she’s been there ever since. The woman is quite kind and generous.” While Jinu smiles at her for the explanation, it is clear as day that the news made him uneasy.

It was a lot to hear and process. His sister didn’t resent him, like he thought she would. But their mother…That made sense. Why didn’t he reply to the letter when he first got it?

Rumi squeezes his hand. He returns the gesture with his own squeeze. 

“Regardless of your choices, oppa, you’re still our family. And I know that Eomma would like to keep in contact, no matter where you go. It just may take some time.” 

Jinu nods slowly. “I’m proud of you, yeodongsaeng. You’ve grown up into quite the wise young woman.”

She giggles. “That’s what aging in eight years can do to you.”

“You know what I mean.” He extends a hand across the table to her, which she takes. 

“I do. Now that we’ve gotten the family drama out of the way, can you finally tell me about you two?” Eunji pointed at their hands. And in their awkwardness, Rumi and Jinu let go suddenly, faces beet red. “Some things never change.” She giggled. 

After a while, Jinu did tell Eunji our story. Or at least, what he could without getting too deep. Did she wanna hear about how her brother died for five minutes? Probably not. But she enjoyed our love story. But that pesky question came up: Would Jinu and I ever get married? Well, that remained to be seen at the time. 

Heh. What I can tell you, unlike Rumi, is that there were already plans for the future. Much earlier than she’s even aware of. 

Jinu, what are you talking about? 

Jagi, you’re just going to have to wait and see, like everybody else. But what we can tell you all is I love Rumi with all my heart. She saved me when I needed it most, during a time that it seemed hopeless. 

And I can say the same thing, nae sarang. You saved me from the tower and helped me chart my own destiny. We’re living happily ever after in our little bubble, right?

Yes, yes, we are. But not everyone outside of our bubble was.

A cloaked figure snuck onto the boat that Rumi and Jinu had used that night. Her bag sat there abandoned, alongside her beloved bipa. The figure looked into the bag and found the sundrop’s scroll. They gasped. “Celine…She’s got the moonstone.” They whispered out loud. 

A new journey begins.