Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

This is the story of how I died. And went to heaven! Well, maybe not Heaven, exactly. But on a long journey with the love of my life, but details, am I right?

Once Upon a Time, the sun and moon blessed the Earth with a special gift each. From the sun, a single drop of light from the heavens…You know what? I don’t think you guys need to hear this all over again. So, let’s summarize a little, shall we?

That drop of sunlight grew a magical golden flower as a gift from the sun god, or so people believed. And that flower was found by a woman called Kang Nari and her friend, Celine. They took the flower and used it to save Nari’s baby, but at the cost of Nari’s life. And at the request of her friend, Celine raised the daughter as her own. That could’ve been ideal, except…

The baby Rumi was born with the sundrop’s power, accompanied by mysterious side effects, which resulted in Celine keeping her locked in a tower for twenty-three long years. She [Rumi] lived in fear of herself until she met a rather handsome – and awkward ( hey! ), young rogue. 

She tricked me, I brought her out into the world, and she surprised me with magic hair. But what can I say? She is rather charming, beautiful, feisty, short- Jinu, I love you, but you’re getting a little off track again. 

Oh, can you do better? 

Yes, I believe I can. I’ll take it from here, ahem. 

Anyways, Jinu brought me out into the world and I discovered that there was so much more awaiting me. We fell in love, met some new people, and sang a few songs, mainly me. Jinu saved me from the fear, I saved him, well, death, and here we were: Out on the road! 

For those first few months, we had been travelling to discover the secrets behind the sun and moon. Including the mysterious kingdom of the night from the warning back at the shrine. Joining us were six criminals, and to say the least, it wasn’t smooth sailing at the start. 

To be fair, jagi, you asked a bunch of thieves with history with one another to be together on the open road. Your heart was in the right place, but probably should have thought that through a bit more…Why is Sussie glaring at me?

He always glares at you.

…Anyways, we were all ready to begin the next chapter of our story. And trust us, you don’t wanna miss it.

Her hands grip onto Derpy’s fur tightly, her dark braid trailing through the woods behind her. The tiger is leaping from spot to spot with each puff of pink smoke. She bites her lip, eyes focused on the path ahead of them. 

“There! It’s right up ahead!” She tells the tiger. 

Derpy growls in response, pausing for just a split second before lunging into the air. She wraps her arms around his neck, bracing for any sort of impact. But it never came. When she looks up, she notices that they seem to be flying. Of sorts. 

She gave a breathy laugh. “Good kitty.” 

When they inevitably come crashing back to the ground, Rumi catches the familiar pant of a running male. It brings a smug smile to her face. Derpy swerves to a halt, right in front of the wall they were heading towards. 

She rolls off the tiger’s back, readying her victory pose; hand on the hip, braid hanging at an angle, and all. And right at that very moment, he comes to a sudden halt right in front of her. Jinu is heaving, her hands on his knees as he braces for a heavy impact. His dapho is sticking to his shirt, as are his baggy pants too. His lovely bangs, usually so soft and flowy, are dripping with sticky sweat. 

She laughs once. “And you said you could keep up,” Rumi teases lightheartedly. 

“Well, you shouldn’t had- have let him teleport! How is-how the hell is that fair?” He pants.

“Who said there’s fairness in a race?” 

“I want a rematch,” He said stubbornly.

Rumi shakes her head, concern dripping from her eyes like water droplets on a rainy day. “ Nae sarang , I don’t think you’d be able to survive a rematch.” She brushes some of the wet, stray hairs away before they could poke his eyes. 

“You don’t-we don’t know that.” He exhales deeply.

“You say that as if you didn’t just run five miles against a magic tiger AND like you aren’t panting like you’re about to run out of air.” Derpy puts his head under Jinu’s belly to provide him some support. His master damn near collapses on his back. 

She hovers over him for a moment as he breathes in and out. If it weren’t for his steady breathing, she would have thought he was about to die with how still he looked. She is gentle as she pats his back.

After a while, Jinu exhales one last time and stands up, with a little bit of help from Derpy. 

“Feeling better?” 

He nods. “Much. Thanks for your patience.” Jinu then turns towards the wall before them. “Are you ready?”

She nods. Reaching behind her back, she pulls out the gold scarf holding her braid in place, letting her long hair touch the ground behind her. She grips a bundle and throws it upwards, allowing it to tie around a hook attached to one of the bricks. The two of them take a few paces back for a running start. Rumi pulls him close as she swings them upwards, kicking off easier thanks to their run. 

They fly forward, landing at the top. Their moments mirror each other; their knees bent into a kneeling position for balance. Jinu sighs in relief. “You never cease to amaze me when you do that.” He brushes himself off, then holds his hand out to help her up. 

“And I will never tire of your compliments for it.” She winks playfully, letting him help her to her feet.

He chuckles. “Derpy could’ve just teleported us up here, y’know?” 

“Where’s the fun in that?” Rumi then turns to the horizon, and whoa. There was a beautiful forest with a variety of green and cherry blossoms scattering the area. There’s a bridge curved over a nearby pond, leading even further down the path. Birds chirp as they fly overhead. And the breeze feels amazing against her hair. 

She smiles. “Have you ever seen something so beautiful?”

As soon as she said it, she felt Jinu’s gaze flicker to her. Her heart swelled when he wrapped an arm around her waist, gently pulling her to his side. “I can think of a few things better.” He whispers in her ear, sending a chill down her spine. 

How can he say things like that so casually?

She takes a deep breath. A quiet moment. That is rare nowadays. Going off on their own to find this was just what they needed. And the breeze? The feeling of it blowing against her face, tickling her nose with its coolness, makes it all worth it.

Rumi pops open the lid of the little carrier that Roman had crafted for her, pulling out the map. She unfurls it using the breeze, then matches up the path to the horizon. And judging from each spot they have marked off, this was it. They get past this, and in two days' time, they’ll find where Celine and Nari found the golden flower. 

“Is this it?” Jinu looks over her shoulder.

She nods. “This is it. If we leave first thing in the morning, we should be able to make it there by Thursday.” 

“That is just…Surreal.” 

“It is. We’re almost there.” Rumi exhales. 

Jinu rests his chin on her head, humming quietly to himself. They stand there for a little longer. Taking in the moment and letting the breeze hit their faces. Derpy appears against them, his purring vibrating against their legs. It is a peaceful moment of quiet. 

But they both knew they needed to get back. 

“We’re both expecting a fight when we get there, right?” Rumi asks as they both climb onto Derpy’s back. 

Jinu wraps his arms around her waist. “Probably. But I’m sure it’ll be fine.”

Right away, she misses the quiet. 

“They’re doing it again,” Rumi complains to her boyfriend. 

Jinu chuckles. “Hey, it’s better them than me.” 

“Jinu,” She scolds. 

His shoulders drop. “They’ll fizzle out eventually.” She shakes her head. Even if this was the norm, they both always dreaded it anyway. And it was usually Mira. They both climb off the tiger’s back, close together as they approach. 

The two of them cautiously enter the caravan. And oh, if it’s so loud from the outside, there was no describing how loud it is inside. Mira’s yells shake the mobile home. She keeps poking at Abby’s pec while also shoving her quilt in his face. Abby isn’t fazed by it; instead, dangerously smirking at his supposed rival. He wasn’t even objecting to whatever accusations it was today. 

The couple, along with their pets, simply pass by them, heading into their personal chambers. He closes the door behind them, while Rumi plops onto the bed and lets out a long groan. Jinu follows suit, rolling over to his side to look at her directly.

Jinu instinctively takes her hand in his, kissing along her fingers delicately. “You’re spiralling.” 

“I am not.”

“You are. I’ve gotten to know that look very well.” He raises his eyebrow. 

She groans, tossing the map behind them. Their tiger playing with it with its paws could be heard in the background. Jinu chuckles, but keeps his attention on the girl before him. 

“Come on, what’s on your mind?” He asks patiently. 

“You read me too well,” She complains.

“I know,” He said confidently. “It is what we call “boyfriend privilege,” jagi .” 

Rumi smiles fondly at the affectionate nickname. She will never tire of it, even if she didn’t know what it meant at first. She then sighs and intertwines their fingers together, like she always does. “It’s just…We’re nearly at the end of tracing their steps. What if we don’t find anything?”

“We will.”

“But we can’t guarantee anything! What if this was the wrong road to take to find the kingdom of the night?” She covers her forehead with her free hand, dragging it down the center of her face. 

Jinu hums. “We really need to give that place a better name…You’re right, Rumi, we can’t guarantee that we’ll find anything. But Cel-she left that map behind. It had to have been for a reason. It could have been subconscious on her part; it could not have been. I’m not sure. But something tells me this was the right route to take.” He assures. 

“You’re sure about this?”

He nods. “This was your call, Rumi, and I trust your judgment. Even if that judgment led you to fall for a thief.” Oh, that smirk on his face. She playfully shoves his head away, then rolls over onto her back. 

“Very funny.” Rumi rolls her eyes affectionately. 

“Are you looking forward to the end of this?” He asks, brushing his thumb along hers. 

She hums. “Yes. But deep down…Something tells me this is just the beginning. That something is waiting for us there.” 

That would inevitably mean having to go back into the common area. Something that she really did not want to do just yet. Usually, if Mira and Abby are arguing, Roman joining in was bound to follow afterwards. Innie will stay out of it, Sinbi might interject for a second before giving up, and it always ends with Zoey (the angel that she is) having to break it up. It is the same thing every time, and the schtick gets old. 

She groans. “Whatever happened between the three of them for there to be consistent tension?” 

Jinu shrugs. “I’m not sure. I know Roman and Abby met her early on, but neither of them has ever mentioned what happened.” 

“It’s so out of hand that we had to stop her from slicing their heads off last week!”

“She was never going to actually do it.” 

“You don’t know that.”

Jinu gives her a serious look. “Darling, she wouldn’t. I know she won’t. Abby and Roman, as annoying as they are, can take care of themselves, nor would they let her get to that point.”

He spreads his free arm towards her and, in a swift motion, pulls her to his chest. She makes a surprised squeak, her forehead making direct contact with his soft chest. Her ear doesn’t even need to make contact to hear his calm heartbeat. Her breath catches in her throat. Their hands are still intertwined between their bodies. He’s holding onto her like a lifeline he needs to survive. And with just a glance up, she can see the look in his eyes. The calm of his smile. 

Rumi hums in ease. “How do you always know what I need?”

“A lot of practice.” He laughs. 

“I’ll say.” She snickers quietly. Jinu breathes a laugh in response. They continue the next few miles in silence, all snuggled up like that on their bed for any of the other travelers to hear. It isn’t until Innie makes his appearance that the peacefulness of the moment ends. And she misses it instantly. 

He surprised them both by opening the door. Without knocking. The little menace. “Hey, lovebirds, when are we planning on addressing anyone today?”

They both jump. Rumi is closer to the edge of the bed, so she nearly rolls off. Jinu has to grab her waist to prevent it. She grips his dapho to steady herself. And even from her awkward angle, she could see Jinu’s eyeroll. 

“Has Mira killed Abby yet?” Jinu asks.

“No, but if you don’t leave your little 'hiding spot', I’ll kill you.” Innie’s tone is a bit too deadpan for Rumi’s liking. That and his natural range being as low as it is makes for a surprisingly unnerving mix. 

Jinu sighs. Neither of them wanted to leave their sanctuary. But the gremlin is right. So, rather begrudgingly, they leave the room. The others aren’t inside anymore. Oh no. Rumi sighs in defeat. Jinu matches her. 

Sticking her head out the main entrance, she notices a red mark spread across Abby’s right cheek. And no amount of his rubbing seems to make it sting less. She winces sympathetically for him. 

Innie has already disappeared. Didn’t wait for anyone before he inevitably ran off to do who knows what. Sinbi is hidden away in the shadows of the caravan; meanwhile, Zoey appears to be talking an angry Mira down. And Roman was nowhere to be found. Strange. 

Derpy surprises her by rubbing up against her leg. As usual, it calms her, just like being around Jinu does. She runs her fingers along his spine while she watches the rest of their group remain separate. Sussie lands on Derpy’s head, annoyed as ever. 

Then, she hears a shuffle beside her, and with a large hand wrapping around hers, she doesn’t even need to look to know Jinu has joined her. It always feels like her heart is whole when he’s near. 

Jinu clears his throat to get the people remaining’s attention. Zoey stops mid-pep talk, Abby is still rubbing his cheek, and Roman sticks his head out of the caravan. Innie is still nowhere to be seen. 

Rumi sighs. “I know everyone is getting sick of being on the road altogether. It’s been a long journey, but it is only two more days. If the rest of you want to turn back once we reach the first location, you’re more than welcome to. Jinu and I can continue alone.” 

“Rumi’s right. All of you have been seconds away from murdering one another for months.” Jinu’s thumb rubs circles on the back of her hand. 

Mira scoffs, rolling her eyes. “Now you say this? We could’ve ditched these idiots weeks ago!”

“I haven’t seen you provide much help to the group, princess,” says Roman with a cheeky smirk. 

“I have done more overnight watches than you or Abs have this entire time.” She growls. 

Abby frowns. “I didn’t say anything!”

“You would have eventually!”

Roman rolls his eyes, somewhat amused. “At least I’ve been a navigator, Abby’s cooked. Maybe if you focused on your own tasks instead of harping on us all the time, you’d be happier with yourself.”

A tint of red warms Mira’s cheeks. All of them waited for her to say something, to argue or defend herself against it, but she didn’t. The way she scrunched her nose said a lot more than words ever could. About how he struck a nerve, how she could kill and hide the body without anyone’s knowledge. 

Zoey looks at the leaders with a nervous look in her eye. She doesn’t even need to say it these days verbally; just that look is enough to let them know ‘Please help me’ is what she was getting at. 

“Guys! Not the time.” Rumi interrupts. “Look, we need to start setting up camp for the night anyway. Why don’t we split up? And to make things interesting, we’ll go with people we normally wouldn’t pick.”

Roman raises an eyebrow. “And how will that help?”

She sighs. Something she hadn’t expected when she asked the six of them to come along was that she was essentially the leader. That she would be the one in charge of this mission. And for someone who didn’t see the world until a few months ago, that can be pretty overwhelming. They all expected her to have the answers, answers she just didn’t have. 

“Because if we’re going to get through the last few days, we need to at least tolerate each other,” said Jinu. 

Zoey steps in. “Yeah! And there are eight of us, so we can split up evenly into groups of two. Some group bonding could be what we need.” 

Abby and Roman exchange looks at the suggestion. Sinbi still hasn’t said anything. Mira didn’t seem too thrilled with the idea at all, but one look from Zoey seemed to convince her otherwise. So, she sighs and nods. 

Rumi’s face lights up. “Great! We just need Innie.”

“Right here.” He appears next to her out of nowhere. 

“Gah!” She jumps away from him, nearly tripping over Derpy in the process. 

The baby-faced thief is unfazed by her reaction; instead, he simply rolls his eyes. Of all the boys, Rumi still hasn’t been able to pinpoint anything about the youngest. And sometimes, she wonders if that’s for the best. 

She then clears her throat. “Alright. Here’s what I’m thinking…”

In the end, the pairings were as follows: Mira and Innie, Roman and Jinu, Zoey and Abby, and then Rumi with Sinbi. Derpy and Sussie tag along with Jinu, who has gone with Roman to get firewood for tonight’s fire. Zoey and Abby went off to find food for dinner, considering they’re the best cooks of the group, surprisingly. And to give Mira a break, Rumi let her go scouting to see how far they really were. 

Which left Rumi with Zoey’s quiet will they-won’t they, Sinbi. From what she’s been told and what she’s observed, Sinbi is the one most intriguing to her. He’s quiet, polite, and mostly keeps to himself. He gets a little more outgoing around Zoey or Jinu, while he turns into a scolding older brother towards Innie. True to his namesake, he is a genuine mystery.

She’s silent as she sits down next to him. He doesn’t stir, nor does he react. 

“I’m sorry if the others have been too loud lately,” says Rumi quietly.

He shrugs. “It isn’t your fault. The boys like to piss her off.”

That’s for sure. “I just don’t want you to feel overwhelmed. This has been a tough trip for everyone.” 

Sinbi doesn’t look at her. At least, she thinks he doesn’t. It is a little difficult to tell with his long bangs. How can he see? What he does do is take a sip from the canteen before gesturing to Rumi next. She squeaks, but takes it anyway. 

She gets a drink from it. This is quite awkward. She doesn’t quite know what to say. 

“What are you hoping we find?” He says suddenly. 

In actuality, it makes her jump. She nearly drops the canteen. Sinbi still doesn’t move. 

“Um,” she pauses. “Well, uh, I’m not sure exactly. I’ve pictured millions of possibilities of what could be waiting for me. But I just-” Rumi sighs. “I don’t know what to expect. Just to find some kind of clue from my mother. From her.” 

They sit there in silence for a moment. The water in the canteen swishes around in her hands. She can hear some cicadas strumming in the background, only enhancing the awkwardness. There isn’t much for her to say to make it less awkward. 

He sighs softly. “You aren’t a bad leader.”

“Huh?” 

Sinbi doesn’t really elaborate, no matter what hand gestures Rumi makes to get him to continue. He only stares ahead blankly. And she’s left just staring at him with her eyebrows furrowed, her mouth slightly agape. 

He is quite an interesting individual, to put it simply. Even though he complimented her, he is still just as mysterious about it. Alrighty then.

After a few hours, everyone comes back together for an awkward meal. Everyone is sitting around the fire in their usual spots. Mira is on Zoey’s left and Sinbi on her right. Abby and Roman are sitting on a log together. Innie on the dirt in front of them. And Rumi and Jinu are in the center together. Derpy is curled up in a ball behind them. 

All of them are eating up some fish that Abby and Zoey had cooked over the fire, with some raspberries on the side to go with it. No one was really saying anything. Mira is still sending the occasional sharp glare in Roman’s direction, while he pretends not to notice. 

She sighs and puts her plate down on the ground behind her, in front of Derpy. She pops the lid to her map carrier again, unfurling the map once again to look at the path. “What are we going to find when we get there?” Rumi says to herself.

Everyone looks up, turning their heads in her direction. No one responds to her question. Because what can they say?

“The path we need to go is only an hour from here only by tigerback, so if we leave at five tomorrow morning, then we should be able to make it in twenty. And who knows, maybe we’ll make it to the end of this map in a day. If we keep a steady pace, that is.” Rumi recounts her various thoughts to the rest of the group. It seems like a decent plan. 

No one is particularly thrilled about leaving so early in the morning. Except for Innie, a fellow early riser, all of her party stares at her like she’s speaking a whole other language. Especially Jinu, who absolutely hates waking up before the sun’s up. 

Roman sighs. “Can I see the map?” He holds his hand out. 

“Uh, sure?” She leans past Jinu, reaching across Abby, to hand over the map. Roman gently takes it from her. 

He holds it in front of the fire for some light as he reads it over. Making a low humming sound, he makes a face that Rumi doesn’t quite understand. The others are also watching him curiously. Of all the roles they had, he was the one she was least expecting to turn out to be a good cartographer. But it has helped them many times to not get lost somewhere. 

“An hour, you said?” He asks. 

She nods. 

“Well, if your theory is true about leaving first thing in the morning, it would still be a two-day travel time. From what I can see on the map, and from what Jinu told me before, the forest will still have twists and turns. And there’s a bridge. So, the commute could take longer than you’d like.” 

Rumi’s shoulders deflate – not exactly what she was hoping to hear. But what does she know? About anything, really. 

“How will we know what to look for anyway? It isn’t like the sundrop flower is going to be in that spot anymore.” Innie points out. 

Mira shoots him a sharp look. He instinctively holds his hands up in defense, sending her a look right back at her. 

“I just-I don’t know what I’m looking for here. My instincts are telling me there’s something there. Something that I need to find by taking this path. The Crescent Kingdom must have something to do with it.”

“Crescent Kingdom?” Jinu asks, his eyebrow raised curiously. 

“You said earlier that we needed a better name for the kingdom of the night, so I gave it that. Because, y’know, it’s for the moon, and the moon phases into a crescent shape?” She explains. 

Her eyes catch a glimpse of the others’ reactions. Other than Zoey, who gives her two thumbs up, none of the others seem to quite grasp it. She sighs in defeat. “Never mind, that isn’t the point here…What I’m trying to say here is I have this gut feeling that something is waiting for me there. I just. I don’t know what.” 

No one says anything for a moment. They all listen to the crackling of the firewood, the longer the flame burns. Rumi catches Innie looking at her skeptically before he acts like he wasn’t. 

She sighs in defeat. “If you guys need me, I’ll be in the caravan.” Rumi gets up and silently walks back away from the group. 

Jinu watches her walk away sadly. None of the others can find the words to say anything themselves. The vibe has shifted, and they all can feel it. What else can they do now?

While asleep that night, Rumi tosses and turns in bed. This dream has been plaguing her for a while. These images are of something dark and narrow. The very environment

gives her a haunted feeling. Thunder crashes wherever she is. The only vibrant thing she can see is a vibrant blue hue, brightening everything in its path. And in the background, she can vaguely hear someone yelling in the distance, “Follow your destiny, Rumi!”

As usual, she woke with a start. Jinu’s arms are wrapped around her waist, their bodies all snuggled up against each other. His chin is resting on her shoulder; she can feel his breathing against her neck. She smiles hesitantly before carefully removing herself from his hold. He stirs slightly, but not enough for him to wake up. 

Rumi then carefully takes a few steps towards the door, keeping track in her mind which floorboards creak the loudest. She jumps over one of them, carefully slipping through the crack of the door, then sliding it closed behind her. Now, for the tricky part. 

In the open area of the caravan are where everyone else’s bunks are located. There were six of them, so they got lucky that there were three sets of bunk beds built into the technically stolen mobile home. The girls took the one closest to her and Jinu’s chamber. Abby and Innie are bunked together, with Abby on the bottom bunk with his extra weight. While Sinbi and Roman took the bunks closest to the door. 

There is some loud snoring coming from all different directions. She can’t pinpoint whose is whose exactly, but she hopes it’s enough to let her slip by undetected. The most important part of her sneaking is to not alert Derpy. If she wakes him up, everyone else will wake. 

So, she grabs a loose bit of her hair to crack open the window centered in the ceiling. It makes a noisy creeeak , making her wince in embarrassment. She quickly glances at everyone else in the room, but only Abby seems to move at the sound. But he doesn’t wake. 

She lets slip a sigh of relief before pulling herself out with a rope of her hair. The whole time, she watches out for the rest of her travel party, but not a single one of them moves. Once she is close enough to the opening, she’s able to pull herself out. 

The night sky is illuminated by all the stars. It is nice and cool out tonight, with a lovely breeze to boot. She takes a deep breath and exhales with a satisfied smile. This is exactly what she needed. 

Rumi takes quiet steps across the roof before carefully lowering herself into the driver’s seat. The horses weren’t currently hooked up, and instead, they were tied up on a nearby tree branch to get some sleep for the night. She leans back against the wall, bringing one of her knees up to rest against her chest. 

Even from where she sat, she could still make out the same constellations that she used to chart back in the tower. On nights like this, looking at the stars like this helps her to rest her mind. To go back to simpler times. Sure, those simpler times may bring her some bad nightmares sometimes, but at least some of it was good. It made sense. 

She sighs to herself. From the corner of her eye, she catches a small figure lurking behind her. She didn’t even need to catch the flutter of wings to know who it was. “Hey, Sussie,” She greets as the magpie lands on her shoulder. 

He chitters quietly, gently nipping at her earlobe. 

“I’m alright. Just had that dream again.” She rubs the tip of her finger along the upper part of his beak. Her eyes flicker at the little gat that now rests on her bird friend’s head, and she can’t help but chuckle silently. She found it among Jinu’s things, but before he could get it back, the little bird stole it for himself. Jinu has been bitter about it ever since. 

Sussie chirps for a few seconds before nuzzling against her neck. 

Rumi sighs to herself. “I just don’t know what to do. I don’t know how to take charge of people like this. I’ve never needed to. But they keep looking to me for answers on what we’re doing, but I can’t tell them anything. It’s all so…So. I don’t even know how to put it into words.”

“I can tell they all regret coming on this trip. Mira has been at the guys’ throats for weeks, and I don’t know how much more of it I can take. I led them on a wild goose chase. I know I have…I should’ve done this on my own. I shouldn’t have dragged anyone else into it.” A tear she didn’t even know had been welling up escapes and slowly trickles down her cheek. It plops into her lap. A sad reminder that even out in the open world for the first time, she still feels alone. 

She remains like that for a while longer. Before she can even consider sneaking in and going back to bed, something catches her eye. 

Rumi turns her head towards it. The fire has long gone out, and only a few remnants of ember have stuck around in the pit. But it was enough to reflect off something she saw in the distance. Strange. 

She carefully gets down from the driver’s seat. Rumi then grabs one of the leftover unused sticks, quickly lighting it by swiping it along the caravan’s side. It lit up with a faint flame. With her makeshift torch, she cautiously walks towards the sight. Cicadas are buzzing loudly in the distance, but Rumi tunes them out in her focus. The closer she gets, the more she realizes…It’s a rock.

A sharp, pointy rock. There are a few of them, actually. One large one, along with two small ones. In the darkness, they are almost impossible to see. But they’re still somewhat reflective. 

She extends a hand out to it, but pauses just before her fingers graze along the side. The smart side of her brain, the one with survival instincts, blares that maybe she shouldn’t touch these mysterious rocks that appeared out of nowhere. 

But the other side, however? The curious part? It is just as loud. It tells her that maybe she should. Something about it is calling to her. It feels…Familiar, somehow. 

She doesn’t see exactly what’s happening around her. She doesn’t process how the rocks are suddenly glowing the closer her finger gets. She doesn’t notice how her hair is floating upwards. Rumi doesn’t even hear Sussie’s panicked chirping or the yells from someone behind her. 

“Rumi, NO!” Innie yells, but it’s too late. 

She touches the sharp edge with her pointer finger, and it creates a large blast. It throws her backwards into a nearby tree. The impact knocks her out instantly. Innie crouches down at her side. He tries to wake her. But no matter of shaking or yelling at her to wake up seemed to do any good. 

The others burst out of the caravan, but Jinu is the one most panicked. “What happened? We heard a-RUMI!” He yells, rushing to her side instantly. Innie hands her over. But then he notices the rocks. 

“Uh, guys!” He points. 

The rocks are headed right for them. For Rumi!

Abby’s eyes widen in horror. “Quick, get the horses hooked up. Now!” He commands Sinbi and Innie, while he, Mira, and Zoey get out a weapon each to hold back the rocks the best they can. 

“Get Rumi away!” Mira yells at Jinu. 

He doesn’t need to be told twice. He snaps twice for Derpy, who immediately appears. While carrying Rumi in bridal style, he gets onto the tiger’s back, and they take off running.

The rocks are relentless. No matter how much force the girls and Abby throw at the rocks, it breezes through each attack. Each time they try to slow them down, it sends them flying backwards. What’s the worst part? 

They are unbreakable. 

Three of Zoey’s shin-kals have shattered on impact. Abby’s mace broke in half when he swung it at one of them. 

The rocks went around them, continuing to chase after Rumi and her glowing hair. 

“JINU! YOU NEED TO TELEPORT!” Roman yells after them.

“But we’ll lose you!” 

“ JUST DO IT! ” The rocks are getting closer. 

Jinu is left with no choice. He snaps again for Derpy. And within seconds, they disappear in pink smoke. 

Chapter Text

Jinu doesn’t know where Derpy teleported them to. He was so desperate to get Rumi out of there, away from those rocks that he hadn’t thought about where they would reappear. And now, here they are, in a random spot. With no hint of how far they are from their friends/travelling party.

How are they going to stop the rocks? Why were they growing and growing? Why were they coming straight for his girlfriend? Why did Rumi go towards the rocks to begin with? But the biggest question is: Is she alright?

He carefully slides off Derpy’s back, holding her unconscious body close to his chest. Rumi is fully knocked out cold, with no signs of waking. And it scares him. In the four months he’s known her, Rumi has never messed with something she didn’t understand quite like this. 

Jinu brushes her cheek with the back of his fingers slowly. It brings him right back to that moment when they left the river. When she had pushed herself to sing that incantation. That first moment when the dark roots really started to spread. 

He still remembers that day like it was yesterday. That first time that he was forced to confront the fact that he cared about Rumi. Genuinely and much deeper than he had anticipated. And how relieved he had been that she was alright. The way he held her…It was tender. Too tender. 

Sometimes, he can’t decide if that was romantic or quite embarrassing on his part. Even now, he and Rumi still haven’t talked about it. And it’s been months!

How was that only a few months ago? They’ve only known each other and been together for three months. It can be crazy how time passes when he gives it a bit more thought. 

But now really isn’t the time to be dwelling on that.

Jinu delicately puts Rumi’s body onto a spot of soft grass, resting her head on the smoothest rock he could find. It likely isn’t going to feel super comfortable, but it was something until she wakes. 

He moves her legs out of the way to get to her hair. Somehow, sometime from when she woke up to the extrusion with the rock, her hair had fallen out of its braid. Maybe she released it when she snuck out of the caravan – something he had noticed, by the way – but regardless, he doesn’t want her beautiful hair to get dirty. (It’s already a team effort to help her clean it as it is.)

So, he slowly, and as delicately as possible, braids her hair just enough to keep it out of the way for now. That way, it’s at least out of the way, and she can sleep comfortably without getting herself tangled up in it. 

But as he’s doing it, he notices something. And this is not an easy thing to miss either. Yet, he had. He’s a complete idiot for missing it to begin with. 

Her hair is gold again. The hair is gold again. How?! What did those rocks do to bring it back?

Back at the campsite, Sinbi is observing the rocks as he helps clean up the broken shards of Zoey’s knives. He traces his finger along the edge, feeling the lined texture against his fingertip. Something about the material seems vaguely familiar to him, but he can’t explain how. 

The rocks had stopped right in front of the spot where Jinu and Rumi had vanished on Derpy. It stopped glowing after she disappeared. It all stopped. All because the person it was chasing vanished. But who’s to say what will happen if they come into contact with those rocks again? 

“Everything okay, Sinbi?” Zoey asks.

He hesitates with his reply for a moment. Why is the texture so familiar? Where has he seen it before? 

“Sinbi? Your girlfriend asked you a question.” Innie bumps into him deliberately. 

The girl in question’s cheeks turn bright red, but her gaze doesn’t move away from the quiet criminal in front of her. It was strange how fixated on the rock he’s become. Not even his friend/colleague purposely bumping into him seemed to do anything. And Sinbi hates being touched like that. 

It took Zoey poking at his arm to pull him out of it. 

He shakes his head. “Sorry, what were you asking?” Sinbi spoke in his usual quiet tone.

“Good, you’re not deaf; that was strange, even for you,” Innie comments as he strolls past him again, going towards the horses now. 

Zoey tilts her head. “Is everything okay? You seemed pretty distracted by the rock. Almost like you were…Also entranced by it. Like Rumi was.” 

The long-haired male rubs his forehead in slow motion, pulling his bangs out of the way just to ease the headache forming. “It’s fine, I’m fine. Just spaced out for a minute. Nothing to worry about.” 

Mira is sitting at the entrance of the caravan, the door open, her head down as she sharpens her weapon. The fight with those stupid rocks, while not shattering it like Zoey’s, still managed to dull it somehow. And it pisses her off. Just looking at the rocks annoys her to no end. 

“We’re lucky the caravan isn’t damaged,” Roman comments, leaning against the open door. 

“Well, it was going for Rumi, and she wasn’t near the caravan, ergo, it wouldn’t be damaged.” Mira sharpens the blade with a long, agonizing swipe. She smirks silently to herself when she notices Roman’s flinch.

“I’m only making a statement, princess,” He says casually.

“Stop calling me princess!” She growls. 

Roman raises an eyebrow, visibly amused. “You didn’t seem to mind the nickname two years ago,” He singsongs. 

Mira’s body stills, her jaw tightening. She couldn’t believe that he would bring that up. He and Abby swore they wouldn’t bring that up on this trip! Even if it was just between the three of them, she doesn’t need the reminder of that one mistake she made two years ago.

“Cat got your tongue?” He teases. That was probably the absolute worst thing to say in that moment. 

Because the second she comes out of that initial shock, she shoves him back hard with the end of her gok-do. And with so much force, he actually falls backwards, onto his back while rubbing the back of his head. If Mira’s original shock was bad, then his confusion managed to surpass it in the span of thirty seconds. 

“Whoa, what’s going on?” Abby approaches the two of them. He had scouted off to see where the leaders had gone, only to come back to the two of them fighting. 

Mira scoffs. “Nothing for you to worry about, Abs.” 

Roman is groaning from the ground. He clutches his stomach, and his long hair is now muddled by dirt. Abby crouches down to his side to help him up. He lets him. 

“You two swore you wouldn’t mention that night,” Mira hisses, getting up in both of their faces. “Promises might not mean anything to you, but they mean something to me. It was a lapse in judgment, end of story.” 

They both stare at her blankly. Wow. They couldn’t believe it. She’s still sticking to that? As if that night didn’t mean anything…Wow. 

“What are you guys talking about?” Innie approaches them, having finished the hooking of the horses. 

“Nothing!” The three of them said in unison. 

It doesn’t faze the younger criminal. The only reaction he really gives is an eyebrow raise. “Uh huh…Well, there’s no point in sticking around here now that our “fearless leaders” are gone. So, we should keep moving. Did you see anything while you were scouting?” He turns to Abby.

He lets Roman go, who leans against the caravan for some extra balance. Roman refuses to spare any kind of glance at the angry Mira beside him. 

“Yeah, I believe I found the path where the two of them went racing to before. We might not know where they’ve teleported to, but we should just stick to Rumi’s plan and hope we can find them that way.” 

Zoey joins Mira at her side, putting a hand on her shoulder. “But isn’t it risky for us to keep going without them? What if they come back and they can’t find us?”

“With those things?” Sinbi points at the rocks. “It’s for their safety that they stay away.”

The other men nod in agreement. The girls exchange a look, and even if Mira hates it, they have a point. It is too dangerous for them to stay or for the couple to return. It would be best if they keep going. But a thought still plagues her mind. 

“...Rumi said that if we didn’t want to keep going, we could head back. If there’s ever a chance to do that, I guess now would be that time. Do any of you want to turn back?” Mira looks at the rest of the group. 

Each member of the other five glances at one another, then at another member. None of them said anything. She had a point. They all knew she did. Rumi did give them an out. And they all knew how stressed she’s been dealing with all their nonsense. They haven’t exactly made this easy for her. Or for Jinu, for that matter. 

Zoey speaks first. “I’m seeing this through to the end. I know there’s a lot here that is probably better left unspoken. But. Rumi asked us to come with her for a reason. We are capable of working together. So, for her sake, I say we keep going. Even if no one else is coming with me.” 

They all listen intensely. Roman, despite his pain, goes around Mira and enters the caravan. He comes out with the map. He still had it. Rumi never asked for it back. 

“We should go on. If nothing more than for them to have the map back. It belonged to Rumi’s mother, after all.” He states. 

The others soften, even Innie. None of them has seen their families since they all turned to a life of crime. But those were their own choices. While Rumi? Rumi never got the chance to know hers. They all recognize that.

“We keep going,” Abby says finally. 

“We promised her we’d help. We’re not backing out of that now.” Sinbi steps forward, his hand extending in a circle. And one by one, they each put their hands on top. Mira is the last one to do it. Even if it meant touching Roman’s. 

They keep going. For Rumi. Loyalty to each other is usually nonexistent. But they can’t deny it to her. And by extension, Jinu. 

The taller woman lets out a long yawn. “Who wants to-ah,” Mira starts, but pauses to yawn. “Who wants to drive the caravan in the middle of the night then?”

Innie volunteers. “I can go three days without sleep. This will be easy for me.”

And the worst part? None of them could tell if he was messing with them or not. Which is pretty typical for Innie, in all honesty. 

Sinbi volunteers to keep him company, while the rest of them get as much sleep as they possibly can. They’re going to need it.

She’s back in the tower. Everything looks the same. Her bipa is on the stand, Sussie is sleeping on his perch, and the birds chirping outside the window taunt her. It was like she was trapped in a memory. A memory she cannot seem to forget. 

Rumi tugs at her long hair in panic. It’s gold again. This had to be a memory then. But then…Why is her reflection in her old mirror reflecting what she’s chosen to travel in? It’s the same baggy pants, the same ripped part of her old jeogori, and the same dragon tail braid she’s kept for the last three months. This is not her from the tower. 

She lets go of her hair. Unlike her reflection, she felt her hair down. It wasn’t pulled back into the braid she sees in the mirror. She looked down at her body away from the mirror; she was wearing her old hanbok. The same jeogori she sees in the mirror, but the skirt is still attached. Not strategically torn apart to make traveling easier. 

She looks back at the mirror, squinting her eyes at herself. She reaches out to touch the glass; her reflection does the same. Rumi hesitates, so does the mirror Rumi. Her palm is close to the mirror, her fingers flickering towards it like a magnet. The coolness of the glass was waiting for her to give in to it. Her breath hitches, her eyes flickering to meet her own gaze. Then, both Rumis touch the glass. 

For a brief moment, it’s like two moments in time colliding. But then, the reflection shifts. 

It shows an image zooming in on the rocks, showing the cool, familiar texture of them. Then it brings up that knife. The knife that Rumi can never look at without going into a daze. A blue stone…Where has she seen that before? 

What is this dream showing her?

But before she can even begin to question this further, the mirror shatters right before her. She’s thrust backwards, and those rocks. The sharp rocks. They shoot through the floor, growing and growing all around her. Rumi tries to run, but she’s floating mid-air. The rocks are encasing her!

And just like before, that voice…That voice calls out to her. The one she doesn’t recognize. “Follow your destiny, Rumi!”

When she comes to, it’s because of the sunlight hitting her eyes at just the right angle. She can feel the tightness in the back of her head, the knot starting from her neck and going upwards. Against her ear, she feels a rough yet cool surface that is unfamiliar to her. Even in this confused, sleepy state, she knows it isn’t her pillow or her place against Jinu’s chest. 

Her eyelids are heavy and droopy. Like they refuse to open. But the head/neckache going on is forcing her hand. She pushes herself up from the uncomfortable pillow, rubbing at her eyes and slapping her cheeks to wake up. The brightness that greets her tired eyes is assaulting. 

Although Rumi’s vision is a little blurry, there are a bunch of greens, browns, and natural light that greet her. None of which looks even vaguely familiar to her camp, nor is it the caravan. Not by a long shot.

“Where…?” She yawns not even halfway through her statement. 

A brief flash of her dream appears when she closes her eyes. The rocks…The knife… She shakes her head and forces her eyelids open. She doesn’t want to see that right now. 

A familiar sound, a chirp, alerts her. Rumi looks from side to side for just a moment as she attempts to find the source of the sound. A second, much more annoyed chirp comes from above. She tilts her head up, her vision clearing just enough, to see her bird friend. Her face lights up.

“Sussie! You’re here!” 

“He’s not the only one,” Jinu says at her side. She jumps suddenly, her whole body jerking in his direction. He was not there a second ago. She just looked there!

Her boyfriend is unfazed, at least. He’s gotten pretty used to her jumping at his sudden presence. (It happens a lot if she wakes up later than him in the caravan.) The only expression she could read on his face was concern. His eyebrows furrowed, and his eyes stared intensely. It lets her know that he’s been waiting for a while. 

Rumi takes a deep breath, then exhales whilst counting to five in her mind. A tactic she picked up from watching Mira. It helps sometimes. “Hey,” She finally greets. 

“Hey,” Jinu responds. She catches that silent sigh of relief, whether he realizes she does or not. 

“Where are we?” 

Jinu shrugs awkwardly. “I’m unsure, unfortunately. When we teleported, Derpy just reappeared here. But…” He hesitates. “But how much of last night do you remember? Anything?” His gaze turns serious. 

Rumi rubs the back of her head, where part of the knot is bugging her. What did she remember? 

Well, she remembers sneaking out of the caravan to get some air. There’s a vague recollection of her stargazing and talking to Sussie about it. “I should’ve done this on my own…” Questioning her leadership, that’s right. 

But anything else? It is all blank. The most recent memory of anything is her dream. That dream…Nothing about it makes any sense. 

“Not much. The rest of it is just gone.”

Jinu takes her hand instinctively, and his thumb caresses the back of it. He doesn’t even look as he does it. Only keeping his eyes on her. Always on her. And it makes her nervous every time. 

“You really scared me last night,” He whispers. 

She leans forward and presses her forehead against his. Their eye contact remains locked on each other. She may not know what’s going on, but she cares about him. She cares about making sure he is alright. No matter what. 

“I’m sorry.”

Jinu’s eyes soften. His free hand reaches up to cup her cheek. It’s so tender, so gentle. So Jinu. Rumi’s heart skips a beat as she just admires him. Admiring how she can feel okay with only a simple moment. It is one of the reasons she loves him so much. 

“And I’m thankful that you’re alright,” He says. His tone is quiet, compassionate. 

Even with the aching in the back of her neck and head, his reassurance is enough to calm it down. If only for a moment. Exactly what she needed. 

She leans forward and gives him a soft peck. He returns it before she can pull away, but doesn’t extend it. Both their cheeks flush, and they look away sheepishly. Rumi brushes her hair behind her ear, but that’s when she notices it. 

Her blonde hair. It’s returned. 

She holds a curl of it and takes a closer look at it. Unmistakably, that’s her blonde – practically golden – hair. She never thought she’d see it again after what happened back at the tower. After she sang that incantation…How? Why?

But it wasn’t the same as it was before. Her dark streaks are still present, like a dark reminder. The roots are thin, though. Her hair now looks more like a dirty blonde, rather than the pure gold from before. 

She looks at Jinu again, who’s already watching her.  “Jinu, what happened last night?” Rumi asks calmly. Well, she’s calm on the outside. The inside? She is freaking the hell out. 

Jinu bites his lip. She waits for the answer. The hand holding the curl drops to her lap, starting to shake anxiously. 

He then sighs. “I’m not entirely sure myself, Rumi. I didn’t see everything. All I know is we all heard Innie yell your name, there was a crash of sorts, and when we came out…You were unconscious in his arms. And these spikes, rocks? They started following you. The others demanded I take you somewhere safe, and here we are.”

“Okay…” She swallows nothing. “And did I have my hair back when you got me out of there?”

“Probably. But I didn’t notice it until after Derpy teleported.” 

Her leg bounces against her shaking hand. She avoids his gaze as she tries to wrap her mind around it all. Rumi takes deep breaths, trying to focus on one thing at a time—a reminder of where she is. She feels her pants…The loose fabric is smooth against her fingertips. She can hear his breathing, Sussie’s chirps, and Derpy’s purrs from behind her. 

She breathes through her nose, out her mouth. 

Jinu doesn’t say anything. Only watches her expectantly, letting her calm down in her own time. 

Finally, the woman sighs in relief. “Okay. I’m okay.”

“Good,” he soothes. 

“So, my hair has changed colors. Again. That’s out of my control, so I don’t need to panic. Answers can be found. And those rocks have something to do with it.”

Jinu’s hands hug her hand. “That’s right. But are you sure those rocks have something to do with it?”

She nods. “Has to be. I saw them in my dream…She mentioned that those helped to destroy her home when I was a baby. But why are they resurfacing now? After twenty-three years?”

“I don’t know, jagi. I don’t have any answers.” 

Rumi leans forward, resting her forehead on his shoulder. “We never do.” 

He turns his head and rests his chin on her head. “I know. It sucks.” Jinu kisses her hair. Then, he lets go of her hand so he can wrap his arms around her properly. He knows how much Rumi loves being in his arms. And she knows how much he loves to hold her. It always makes her feel safe. 

They stay like that for a moment. Neither of them speaks. Sussie doesn’t interrupt, nor does Derpy. The animals only watch their humans in the embrace. They’re used to it. Usually, Sussie would be that third wheel and get in the middle to break them up. But three months into this journey, they’ve gotten used to ignoring him. There isn’t any fun in it for the magpie anymore. 

Rumi sighs into his shoulder. “So, what should we do now? How far away are we from the caravan?”

Jinu’s hand finds the back of Rumi’s head—his favorite spot. “Well, while you were out, I spotted the wall from the other day. If the others are smart, they can keep going like we told them to. If I remember correctly, the map should still be with them.”

“Do we just stay, then?” 

“That’s up to you, Rumi. You lead, I follow. You know that.” She can feel him smile just by the subtle movement of his chin. 

She smiles too. “Yeah, I do. But I don’t know what to do…I don’t know how to do-” Rumi pauses. “-any of this, really. They expect me to lead, and I don’t know how to give them that.”

Jinu rubs her back in slow, circular motions. “And it’s okay that you don’t know.”

“But-”

“No buts,” he says firmly. “It’s okay not to know what you’re doing. You’re doing your best. And deep down, they know that.”

Rumi surprises him with a kiss just under his cheek. It’s quick and innocent, yet Jinu’s cheeks flush happily in response to it. He laughs awkwardly, almost like a giggle, and she loves every second of it. She adores that little laugh of his. 

“Thank you, I really needed to hear that,” said Rumi just as softly.

“You’re welcome,” he replies just as softly. 

And so, she finally pulls away from his shoulder, but she stays close. “Shall we continue? And meet up with them at the end of the map?”

“Lead the way, milady.”