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He woke up with a sharp spike on his neck, then was rattled at the sheer auditory overload that was the packed stadium he suddenly found himself in.
It was Gwi-Ma's doing, Jinu was sure of it. He couldn't even move, stuck standing between a trio of muscled men and a bevy of academy girls.
He focused his human ears enough until he could clearly identify what syllable they kept on repeating with their loudest voices.
“HUN-TRIX! HUN-TRIX!”
They all saw Rumi on stage, but she was unsmiling. The beat was supposedly Golden, but it was slower, played with an orchestra instead. Behind her, her two companions was walking away.
The crowd forgot how unusual it was for them to feel so separated when she sang.
⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘
I am a ghost no one cares (Hah)
Eoduwojin apgilsoge (Hah)
Given the throne I should've known
I wasn't the queen she told me to be
⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘
Jinu flinched at the lyrics. It was haunting, it wasn't her. He tried to move away but no one else let him budge.
He was imprisoned to his tiny space as the black-haired maknae began her part.
⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘
I chose both sides, tried to be okay
But I guess I'd never belong
⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘
Zoey, the name thundered around his skull. He nearly collapsed from the pain, the unyielding crowd his only support, don't you dare forget my name you coward!
He weakly held on standing as another voice snaked inside his bones, slowly and steadily reaching the deepest parts to hurt him the most.
⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘
Called a problem child 'cause I got too wild
And they're right, I should've known
Kkeuteopsi on my own
⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘
Now do you know my name?
It would've been far more better if he could feel her sharp and judging eyes on him, it would've made him certain that they were truly conversing than this mental agony he was in. Mira, he whispered to the voice as sweat beaded on his temples.
His answer was ignored just as you deserve, the words striking down to his throat a venomous bite. Listen to us!
⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘
I'm done shining, now I'm hiding
Like I'm meant to be
⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘
He waited for her voice, but the painless silence was replaced by her coldest gaze. Jinu regretted ever thinking it was the better choice to the painful voices. Maybe he didn't send her a letter through his tiger. Maybe he didn't spend a night with her, voices melding so completely that he wondered why he never did so before. Maybe she never knew why the bird was wearing a tiny hat. Maybe it was all—
How pathetic.
“R-Rumi?”
⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘
We're falling fast, we bled so much
And now I see
⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘
It was hypnotic, the lights of gold twisting to the bloody pink hue only one demonic, otherworldly being could create with his power. The crowd turned to husks swaying to the rhythm.
⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘
We're going down, down, down
This wasn't our moment
You know together we're broken
Never, never real
⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘
He heard no voice mocking him, as Zoey, Mira and Rumi were eating apples, chins dribbling with dark gold blood. Zoey sent him a mockingly innocent grin that cracked his sanity.
⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘
Fall, fall, fall for our lies
You know together we're broken
Yeongwonhi kkaejil su еomneun
Never, never real
⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘
They kept on singing, their jaws stained with dark gold blood, the strings of a broken Honmoon. Then Zoey and Mira flew off as if the hands behind their puppet-selves ripped them away from the stage for her to remain.
⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘
Oh, I'm done shining, now I'm hiding
As I'm meant to be
It's our time, the truth's all gone
That's who we're born to be
⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘
*Plip plop*
The sudden rain hid his tears, drenching him in the coldness of his despair as she sang.
⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘
Waited so long to feel so human
To live and to smile so true
But these patterns wouldn't leave me
I'm done acting like the girl they all see
⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘
Pieces of burnt wood fell from the sky, shaking until Zoey and Mira were back behind Rumi, eyes and claws sharp with unmistakable hunger.
⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘
Never shining, all illusion
That's my self truly
'Cause we are broken, voices false
And I know I gave up
⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘
Stop, please, stop I can't—
Can't handle the pain, the truth? You left them to die but this you'd cry?
You really are pathetic.
⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘
We're going down, down, down
It's all for nothing
You know together we're broken
Never, never real
Fall, fall, fall for our lies
Yeongwonhi kkaejil su еomneun
Never, never real
⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘
He spat blood on his hand, the sight reflecting the faces of his eomma and yeodongsaeng. All the promises, of eomma cooking happily in their wooden house, never once feeling the cold ever again, of his yeodongsaeng toothily fixing his bipa from accidentally pushing it off. Everything all washed away by the rain.
⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘
I'm done shining, now I'm hiding
Like I'm meant to be
It's our time, the truth's all gone
That's who we're born to be
⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘
Finally, he could feel the torture ebb with the falling notes of the song. Jinu never looked back at the stage, twisting his eyes shut.
⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘
We know we were never, never real (Oh)
Never, ever real (Oh)
Born to be, born to be mistaken (Oh)
Balkge bitnaneun urin
You know that it's our time, the truth's all gone (Oh, oh)
That's who we're born to be
⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘
A scream, then Jinu opened his eyes only to see Rumi crouching, the bursts of power from her patterns scarring her. As he reached out to her, everything disappeared except for the raging fire that burned him for centuries.
Now do you understand your mistake, Jinu?
He choked his disbelief.
“Yes Gwi-Ma.”